HUGHESVILLE -- Lewisburg pulled out a win over Central Columbia on Saturday afternoon in the District 4 Class AA quarterfinals.
Wind gusted and rain poured down at Spartan Stadium as these teams competed for the third time this season. Lewisburg again came out victorious with a final score of 1-0, extending its season and keeping its district championship hopes alive.
Coach Jose Vega's girls set the tempo early on, keeping the Blue Jays scrambling around on defense. The Green Dragons were able to stick to the game plan presented by their first-year head coach.
"We tried to release the ball quickly from the backfield," Vega said.
The third-seeded Green Dragons (16-1-1) were able to work the ball from one side of the field to the other and successfully spread out the defense, creating numerous shot opportunities.
Central Columbia's defense was successful in keeping Lewisburg off the board in the first half. Sophomore goalkeeper Devon Siegrist had her work cut out for her, diving and deflecting shot attempts, as she had 13 saves. One of her highlights came in the 21st minute, when she deflected a point blank shot from 10 feet out. The ball then banked off the goal post and was about to cross the line when Siegrist dived again and corralled the ball to prevent a goal.
"We were knocking on the door all day, but couldn't manage to punch one in," Vega said. "The opportunities were there; but we didn't finish."
While the 11th-seeded Blue Jays (11-7-2) held Lewisburg without a goal in the first half, they had trouble developing opportunities on the offensive side of the ball. Central managed only two shots on goal in the first half, the second of which came with only a minute left to play in the period, capping off a 25-minute drought.
However, this changed after halftime, as the Blue Jays found a spark and went down the field, creating two shots on goal within the first three minutes. Vega's team rose to the challenge, keeping its defensive end clear, potentially leading to the winning goal of the game.
In the 57th minute, junior forward Jenny Byerly beat two defenders and crossed the ball from the right wing into the middle of the field. She connected with senior Allysia Ketchem, who headed in the winning goal past a diving Siegrist.
The Green Dragons never looked back.
"Once we scored, there was a sigh of relief. The girls did not panic," Vega said. "It was a great game considering the weather conditions. Both teams played very hard."
Central kept the game interesting with two final chances to score, both coming off of Lewisburg penalties. Central's Molly Krause attempted to even the score following a Green Dragons handball, but was shut down by Lewisburg keeper Jenna Wargo. The junior goalie had a solid day, making all the right moves to back up her teammates.
The Blue Jays ended the game with six shots, compared to Lewisburg's 22. Lewisburg will meet Southern Columbia at Millville High School in Tuesday's semifinals; kickoff is slated for 5. The loser of that game will play in Thursday's consolation game in hopes of grabbing the district's third and final spot in the state tournament.
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