It took grit and a consistent team effort for more than 100 minutes for Wyomissing to accomplish a first in the history of its girls soccer program Thursday night at Hamburg.
Midway through the second overtime, the Spartans sent a tantalizing corner kick into the box in what had been a scoreless Berks Girls Soccer League championship game against Fleetwood.
Junior Sophia Zeppos got a head on the ball, but the shot hit the cross bar. The loose ball then found its way beyond the penalty box before junior Audrey Hurleman fired a shot back into the action at goal.
Though the Tigers’ defense made a goal-line save, sophomore Dulce Lytle corralled the ball in front of the net and tapped in the game-winner with 6:13 remaining to give top-seeded Wyomissing a 1-0 win over the sixth-seeded Tigers for its second straight county title.
“It feels really great,” Spartans coach Rachel Hoffman said. “I’m really happy for the girls to accomplish something that we’ve never done before (win back-to-back county championships).”
“It was great,” Lytle said on how she felt after scoring the winning goal. “I have no words to describe it; it was just great. I was lucky that Audrey took that shot. If she would not have taken the shot, my ball would not have gone in the back of the net and we could have been in PKs.”
Penalty kicks seemed inevitable as neither side was able to find a breakthrough opportunity during the first overtime and fatigue started to play a factor. Wyomissing controlled possession for a majority of regulation as well as overtime, however, Fleetwood’s defense held strong and utilized its speed to create counterattacking opportunities.
“I think it was just grit towards the end and never really giving up,” Hoffman said. “They were really fast up top so we had to make sure that we stayed together in the back and then tried to put pressure on them to get the ball forward.
“I think both teams were really hurting towards the end, not a lot of substitutions going on. So I know the girls were hurting towards the end, but it was that drive to go until the very end and try to finish it. I’m really happy for them to accomplish this.”
The Spartans (19-1-1) finished with 10 shots on goal and 11 corner kicks while the Tigers (13-6-1) had six shots and one corner kick.
Junior goalie Abby Rowley made nine saves for Fleetwood and helped keep the Tigers — outshot 4-2 in the first half and 8-4 in regulation — in it.
Despite the loss, reaching the final was a step in the right direction for Fleetwood coach Bill Lownes’ program.
“Everybody left everything on the field,” Lownes said. “I’m very proud of the girls. They did a superb job. Each year we take one more step further. So this is the first year we’re in the counties in a while and it’s a good step forward.”
The Spartans did not allow a goal throughout the entirety of the Berks playoffs. They defeated Hamburg 4-0 in the quarterfinals and Exeter 4-0 in the semis. Ellie Pat Benedict made five saves for the Spartans Thursday night and Lytle credited the defense for its exceptional efforts.
“Our defense: Four-headed monsters,” Lytle said. “They’re just tough back there and they keep everything out.”
Wyomissing has now won three Berks titles in four years after defeating Wilson last year (another 1-0 win in double overtime) and in 2020. For Lytle, the recent success is the product of living up to a standard of athletic success that the Wyomissing community has become accustomed to.
“I feel like once you get up to high school, everyone has shoes to fill,” Lytle said. “Everyone knows how good all the teams in the athletic program are and they just want to be as good as that.”
Indeed, the collective togetherness the Spartans’ showed on Thursday is a promising sign for Lytle and the Spartans as the postseason rolls on.
“We have big shoes to fill,” Lytle said. “Last year, we won the county championship, we won our division and then we went and made it to semifinals at states (a 7-1 loss to Central Columbia). That (loss) was when we were not playing as a team and this game showed that we’re all staying together, even at these final moments. Our team just sticks together.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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