1 day Ago By Bryan Davis
EAST NORRITON — Strath Haven girls soccer coach Gino Miraglia said something rather prophetic at the end of the District 1 Class 3A championship game. Referencing the winning team, West Chester Rustin, Miraglia said, “We can’t wait to meet them again in the state semifinals.” Well, that meeting came Tuesday in the PIAA Class 3A semifinal at Norristown Area High School.
Different game, different result. Freshman Maddie Fanning snapped a tie with four minutes, 15 seconds left as the Panthers turned the tables on the Golden Knights and earned a bid into the state championship game with a 3-2 victory. The Panthers (20-4) will face District 3 champion Lower Dauphin for the title on Friday at Eagles View Middle School in Mechanicsburg at 1 p.
m. “They’re an amazing team,” Miraglia said. “If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.
And they’re one of the best teams in the state. They’re so skilled all over the field. I’m glad we got the chance to play them again.
It was a gritty game, went back-and-forth. It could have gone either way and I love that it came out our way. I’m real happy for our girls” With the game tied at 2-2 and time winding down with the prospect of overtime staring both teams in the face, Haven played a cross off a free kick in the box that bounced around in a mass of players.
Fanning jumped on the loose ball and fired a shot past goalie Natalie Gionta to break the deadlock and put them on the road to the championship. “When we lost the first time, it just made us come back more hungry,” Fanning said. “We knew how they played.
They’re a good team, but we found a way to beat them. It was a great cross and I was there to finish it. But, everyone had a part in it.
Someone was on the goalie and created the deflection and I was able to get on it.” Haven was able to keep Rustin at bay and was able to celebrate its first trip to the state final. “I think we finished some of our chances tonight,” Miraglia said when asked what the difference was between the two games.
The Panthers were shut out in that district semifinal match. “We left a lot of opportunities on the table the first time we played,” he added. “This time we had a bunch of chances and we actually finished them.
” It was the first time the Golden Knights (20-4) allowed three goals since a 4-3 victory over Radnor in the third game of the season. After dropping its first games of the season, Rustin had 20 victories in its last 21 games en route to its first district crown. “Tough one,” said Rustin coach Billy Hegarty.
“It’s never easy to lose.” Rustin jumped in front as freshman Natalie Duffie turned on her defender and fired in a shot from distance to take a 1-0 lead seven minutes in. That stood until just under 10 minutes left when Katie Trout’s shot went through the hands of Gionta into the net.
The Panthers took their first lead when sophomore Carly Thase beat Gionta from distance eight minutes after the break. The Golden Knights got the equalizer off a goalmouth scramble when Duffie fired in a shot for her second of the night. “I’m happy they stayed composed after they tied it and worked for the winning goal.
Super proud of Maddie,” said Miraglia. “Super proud of the seniors and happy I have some more time with them.”.
