WHITEHALL – Wyoming Area made securing its second state semifinal field hockey trip in three years look easy Saturday afternoon.
Bianca Pizano and Nina Angeli scored two goals each and the Warriors downed Christopher Dock Mennonite, 5-0, in a PIAA Class A quarterfinal.
Wyoming Area did more than shut out Dock Mennonite on the scoreboard. The shutout carried over to the statsheet, too, with the Warriors not allowing a shot or penalty corner to the Pioneers, who were not in the offensive circle for more than a few seconds in any of the four quarters.
“We made some adjustments with our personnel,” Wyoming Area coach Erin McGinley said of the team’s response after falling to three-time defending state champion Wyoming Seminary in the District 2 final. “We’ve been really keying on passing and moving the ball and not trying to do it ourselves.”
The Warriors have never been to a state final. Saturday’s effort earned them a rematch with Oley Valley, the team that eliminated them in the only previous semifinal appearance, in 2019. Oley Valley downed Lancaster Mennonite, 5-0.
“They passed well; they were accurate; they were aggressive,” McGinley said recalling the last meeting with Oley Valley. “They had very good, clean skills; they created opportunities.
“At that point, that’s what you should be expecting with the last four teams in the state.”
Wyoming Area certainly looked the part of a Final Four team.
The first two goals were scored by Pizano on penalty corners, one of the areas Wyoming Area showed improvement on while the defense was posting its 14th shutout.
“I’m happier with it,” McGinley said of the penalty corner execution. “We made improvements, which is huge.”
Wyoming Area converted on its third penalty corner chance, scoring 3:39 into the game.
The Warriors worked the ball all the way around the circle with Toni Minichello feeding it from the top to Pizano on the left wing. Pizano’s hard shot got past the goalie and bounced off a defender’s stick and in.
Wyoming Area repeated the same play and nearly connected again.
Then, Pizano shot from high in the right circle, sooner after the insert on another corner, making it 2-0 with 4:50 left in the half.
Angeli pulled the ball out of a scramble in front with 8:33 left in the third quarter, went to her reverse side and flicked a shot past the diving goalie.
Minichello, who also scored, and Alexys Moore had two assists each.
Moore, who assisted Pizano’s second goal, took the ball all the way to the end line on the left side and sent it in front to Minichello, who one-timed it for a second goal in a span of 1:26.
Wyoming Area beat the third-quarter horn to score when Angeli converted Minichello’s lead pass to make it 5-0.
The Warriors had 15 shots and 14 penalty corners. Haley Harper had 10 saves for Dock Mennonite.
Wyoming Seminary 5, Boiling Springs 1
Ella Barbacci scored three goals and Maddie Olshemski added two more as Wyoming Seminary defeated Boiling Springs in the Class A quarterfinals.
Seminary, the defending state champion, will face Line Mountain in the semifinals on Tuesday at 4 p.m. Line Mountain defeated Greenwood 1-0 on Saturday.
Seminary goalkeeper Laine Cabell made five saves for the Blue Knights,
Seminary’s record goes to 19-2. Their only losses this season have come against Episcopal Academy and Hill School, two nationally ranked teams.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Allentown Central Catholic 3, Holy Redeemer o
Allentown Central Catholic defeated Holy Redeemer in the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class 2A playoffs by game scores of 25-17, 25-15 and 25-22.
Redeemer was led by Kaylee Gryboski with 12 kills and four blocks; Eva Szura with six kills, four digs and three service points; Olivia Bilbow with eight service points and two kills; and Megab Albrecht with three kills, one block, one assist and one dig.
