High School Girls soccer

CC girls soccer dreams big en route to title

D6 2A Girls Championship

When a program has never won a district title, sometimes that goal seems so far-fetched it isn't even on anyone's radar.

That's why emotions were overflowing following Central Cambria's 2-1 victory in the District 6 Class 2A girls soccer championship game at Mansion Park on Thursday.

"I wanted to win a playoff game," Central Cambria coach Gary Simmons said. "That was my personal goal. Some of the girls shared that, but others set teamwork and getting along with teammates as their goals early in the season when we talked about what we wanted to accomplish. When we won the first (playoff) game, it was like -- why stop now? We got that second one and here we are tonight. I'm so proud of these kids. We played as hard as we have all year tonight. They went after it."

Lady Devils senior keeper Julia Murphy jumped around wildly and screamed as Simmons placed a gold medal around her neck. Murphy wasn't even a keeper going into last offseason, but she recorded a shutout in a semifinal win over Bald Eagle Area and didn't allow a goal until just 1:22 remained on Thursday.

With Central Cambria leading 1-0, Murphy made an incredible save on a shot by Tyrone's Olivia Newlin on a breakaway with 26:20 left and later deflected a Newlin free kick from just outside the box.

"(Newlin) had that breakaway, and in August, (Murphy) would have waited in the back of the net and the ball would have been drilled into the goal," Simmons said. "Tonight, she went out and challenged it and cut the angle off. It forced her to kick it right at her. She grabbed it and didn't give up a rebound. I can't say enough about Julia's progression this year."

Murphy was listed as a defender in Simmons' season preview sent out to media outlets, but just before the season, the Central Cambria coaching staff decided to give her an opportunity as the keeper. She did not disappoint.

"When we went into the season, we had a couple really young girls we were looking at to be the keeper," Simmons said. "She's a senior, and through some of the summer activities like a 7-on-7 tournament in Somerset, she stepped up because we didn't have a goalie. We realized we had something. We asked her if she would play goal for us, and the leap she made from the middle of August to tonight is unbelievable. She's now a high-performing varsity goalkeeper."

The Lady Devils got another big game from sophomore Kaydence Sinclair, who scored both goals for Central Cambria. She scored four of her team's five goals during three District 6 playoff games.

Her first on Thursday came just before halftime.

"I saw an opening past the defender (Sarah Chichester), who I had been fighting with to try and stay on lines," Sinclair said. "I caught her off guard and saw the ball bounce over her head. I ran after it and ended up getting it just over her head, and it went in."

Simmons said cashing in on what he called a dominant first half was important.

"It was huge," Simmons said. "We felt like we controlled the first half. Tyrone was doing some things, but we didn't really give up any quality scoring opportunities. I felt like if we could just get one -- we had a couple opportunities, we hit a post and tried to put one through the net instead of passing into the corner for a goal -- but finally Kaydence finished one and it lifted the team up."

Tyrone nearly tied the game several times in the second half but just couldn't find the back of the net.

"We have had the same problem in a lot of games," Tyrone coach Rita Kendziora said. "We have gotten so close, but we just can't stay composed when we're right in front of the net. Sometimes our emotions get the best of us, and we get too excited. But these girls have a lot to be proud of."

Sinclair seemingly put the game away with her second goal with 13:32 remaining.

"I knew we needed another score," Sinclair said. "I was screaming for the ball, I got the ball just past the defender's foot, kicked it and it went in. This feels amazing. I'm so proud, and it's also shocking. This is not something many people get to be a part of, and I'm so happy to help my team win."

Tyrone had one push left and finally got one past Murphy when Maya Plummer scored with 1:22 left. The Lady Eagles weren't able to get another shot off prior to the final horn.

"We have put the work in since preseason," Kendziora said. "We did not stop. We had our eye on the prize. We may not have gotten it this year, but this was a huge step for Tyrone and Bellwood soccer. We are just getting started."

Central Cambria, which entered the District 6 playoffs as the No. 6 seed, will host the District 3 runner-up on Wednesday in the first round of the PIAA tournament.

Tyrone, which was the fifth-seed in the district playoffs and upset top-seeded Cambria Heights in the semifinals, loses several seniors including Newlin and team captains Chichester and keeper Pyper Sparklin.

"This senior class is undeniably an amazing group of girls," Kendziora said. "They showed up after many years of hard seasons and worked hard to extend their season as long as they could. They have nothing to be disappointed about and everything to be proud of, because they put their heart and soul into this season. I couldn't ask for more of them."

SCORE BY HALVES

Central Cambria 1 1 -- 2

Tyrone 0 1 -- 1

First Half: CC--Sinclair (Ohja), 1:11.

Second Half: CC--Sinclair (unassisted), 13:32. T--Plummer, 1:22.

Records: Tyrone (9-9-3); Central Cambria (10-9-2).