ASHLAND — Moravian Academy’s Addison Etter read South Williamsport’s kicker perfectly, guessed correctly, jumped high and grabbed his hand, tipping the penalty kick backwards over the goal and out of danger.
Before the ball hit the North Schuylkill High School turf, Etter was already celebrating by sprinting toward his teammates.
Moravian Academy and South Williamsport engaged in a tough battle Saturday afternoon, with a clutch save from Etter in the penalty shootout as Moravian Academy won the shootout 5-4 and advanced to the PIAA Class A semifinals.
Tears were seen on the South Williamsport bench as Moravian Academy players celebrated and cheered. The Mounties hope to return to the state semifinals, and South Williamsport has put together a great season from an 0-5 start to being one of the final eight teams remaining in Class A.
Losing is always tough, but losing in a penalty shootout is even tougher.
“I couldn’t be more proud. We played well and played a very solid team. They’ve been here many times.” South Williamsport coach Mark LaVecchio said. “Their goalkeeper is outstanding. They have some very good players. They are well-coached and disciplined. It was a battle, it was a real battle. .”
And everyone in South Williamsport was familiar with Moravian Academy. This marks the third consecutive year the two teams will meet in the PIAA Class A quarterfinals. South Williamsport won the last two meetings, but the Lions were able to come out victorious in the third.
“We knew (it was going to be a battle). They were young last year and we knew they had almost everyone back. Like I said, they’re just a tough team.” Ravucchio said. “They’re very good in terms of ball control. They’re very good at finding the open guy. They’re very good at decision-making and have some very good skill players. But , I thought we competed very well.”
Penalty kicks are always nerve-wracking and cause anxiety for players and fans alike, and Saturday was no exception.
Etter and South Williamsport’s Lucy Binkley each took the first kick, tying the score at 1-1. Moravian Academy sent its second kick wide to the left, then Maddie Breen hit a low shot to the right to give South Williamsport a 2-1 lead.
In the third round, both kickers missed, leaving the score at 2-1. Moravian Academy’s Elle Price placed a kick to the right and Olivia Laudenslager converted a kick to give South a 3-2 lead heading into the fifth and final round.
Moravian Academy’s Angel Delheli hit a kick to the right to tie the score at 3-3, but South’s shot was blocked by Etter, who forced another kick.
In the first round of sudden death, Moravian Academy’s Haley Sasso converted with a kick to left, putting pressure on South Williamsport. However, the Mounties fought back when Rogin Haman scored a good conversion to tie the score at 4-4 and force another round.
Chelsea Mound scored for Moravian Academy, but Etter blocked South’s attempt to seal the victory with a high-flying clutch block.
“I said, ‘Girls, it’s okay.’ We’ve been putting them into practice. It happens that’s how it works. We’ve got to finish the game somehow, somebody. must continue.” LaVucchio said about going into the kick. “I said let’s just relax and put the ball in the back of the net. …I actually thought we had a chance when we were up two points, but then we missed two points. But they… People who are kids and are paid millions of dollars a year miss penalty kicks.”
South Williamsport had six minutes left in regulation to advance to the PIAA Class A semifinals. Leading 1-0, South Williamsport was playing well, but all it took was one key moment to turn the tide, and that’s what happened. Moravian Academy’s Price took a corner kick with 5:38 left, and after 18 minutes the ball bounced and landed at the feet of Izzy Tran. He wasted little time and had a shot within six minutes. left post. The game remained tied and went into overtime.
“Certainly, the momentum shifted to them. I thought they were able to recover a little bit more in overtime.” Ravucchio said. “We made some adjustments and they made some adjustments. The problem is overtime and neither team wants to lose, so we’re going to play a little more conservatively.”
Neither team showed much offensive movement in overtime. South Williamsport had no shots on goal in either overtime and only had one shot on goal in the final 70 minutes of the contest, including the second half.
Moravian Academy’s Delheli took a shot from 24 out and tried to send it high, but South goalie Althea Street knocked it down and grabbed the ball before the follow-up shot could be made. This was the only dangerous moment in either overtime period.
South Williamsport dominated much of the second half despite having just one shot on goal. But the Lions kept pushing, trying to get something down, and were finally able to score with 5:38 remaining.
South Williamsport took the lead in the first half with a standout play from Ella Moore, who swarmed a defender, slid and fired a shot off the far left post for a 1-0 lead with 20:55 left before halftime. After Moravian Academy controlled most of the first 15 minutes of the game, South Williamsport took over and put a lot of pressure on Moravian Academy’s back line and goaltender.
“It was a great goal from Ella. I thought it was a great finish.” Ravucchio said. “She got through on her own and managed to make it. They got a little bit of momentum back and the goal at the end was just a killer. But that’s what happens in soccer.”
Moore almost scored his second goal from 25 yards out, but his powerful shot went high and just over the goal. Laudenslager scored a stunning goal to give South Williamsport a 2-0 lead with 22:15 left in the second half, but his shot from 10 yards out just missed the left post.
With 13 minutes, 10 seconds left, Cho Cho took a shot from 22 yards out and nearly scored the tying goal as he attempted to sneak 90 yards into the top right corner. But it was wide enough to pose no harm.
Moravian Academy had a great opportunity to score early with 25:22 left in the first half. The Lions took a corner kick, which Street managed to block, but the ball managed to stay in play and almost rolled in, but a defender cleared at the last minute to prevent a goal, keeping the game scoreless in the early stages.
This loss was painful for all the Confederate players. Many of the Mounties were crying and upset as they left the field knowing the season was over. For Ravucchio, he’s most proud of what this team ended up becoming. After starting 0-5, they reached the state quarterfinals, but it was a great comeback.
“To be honest, I didn’t expect to come here. I never thought it would be a penalty shootout to get to the semifinals.” Ravucchio said. “We have a very young team, very few seniors, very few juniors, only four seniors and juniors, but you know, it’s exceeded all my expectations. It really is. It’s the right time. It caught fire.”
South Williamsport 1, Moravian Academy 1
(Moravian won 5-4 in penalty shootout)
South Wales – Ella Moore, 20:55. MA-Izzy Tran (El Price), 5:38.
Shot: SW 5, MA 10. Corner: SW 6, MA 6. Save: SW 9 (Althea Street), MA 4 (Addison Etter).
Records: South Williamsport (14-9), Moravian Academy (16-7).