DANVILLE – What a difference five years makes.
Five years ago, Wyoming Area finished near the bottom of the conference girls soccer standings for the third straight season. On Saturday, the Warriors wrapped up their season just two games shy of the state final.
Wyoming Area capped the strongest season in program history with a 5-0 loss to Boiling Springs in the PIAA Class 2A girls soccer quarterfinals. The District 2 champions, who had never come close to even sniffing a trophy, finish their season with a 17-6 record.
“This season has been a positive thing for us,” Wyoming Area coach Nikki Sitkowski said. “Nobody thought we would get here. We proved everybody wrong. We came up short here but I’m not going to be negative about it. This is new for us, and this team (Boiling Springs) has been here before. We’ll take it as it is.”
Boiling Springs advances to the state semifinal to face Lewisburg.
The Bubblers’ Maddie Hughes finished with a hat trick and an assist. Her teammate Jocelynne Kuhns added two goals.
Boiling Springs wasted no time in preventing Wyoming Area from taking another early advantage. The Bubblers’ Hughes made a hard cut on a Warriors’ defender and found the inside post from 5 yard out.
“The reality is that we didn’t play the ball,” Sitkowski said. “When we didn’t go to the ball, they started controlling the game. Once a team starts controlling the ball, it’s very hard to come off the rails.
“Once you go down two or three goals, it’s tough to come back in this game.”
Jocelynne Kuhns scored a pair of goals to finish the first half with a 3-0 Bubblers’ advantage. Hughes sent a pass from the goal line to a charging Kuhns with a clear chance from 10 yards away in the 14th minute. Fifteen minutes later, she elbowed her way to retrieve a ball in the box from two defenders and capitalized on a close-ranged opportunity.
Christina Kosco had the Warriors’ biggest scoring threat in the 54th minute. Kosco delivered a shot from 30 yards out that caused the Bubblers’ keeper Becca Becker to make a leaping save.
Wyoming Area goalkeeper Lauren Kelly finished with nine saves. Her counterpart Becker stopped five shots for the clean sheet.
The Warriors return eight of their 11 starters for next season.
“They’ll realize that every team in this tournament is here for a reason,” Sitkowski said. “You have to come out for every minute of every game. That’s what it comes down to. That experience will be important to us next year.”
PIAA GIRLS SOCCER
Class 2A Quarterfinal
Boiling Springs 5, Wyoming Area 0
Boiling Springs`3`2`—`5
Wyoming Area`0`0`—`0
First half — 1. BS Maddie Hughes, 3rd minute; 2. BS, Jocelynne Kuhns (Hughes), 14th; 3. BS, Kuhns, 29th. Second half — 4. BS, Hughes (Kuhns), 45th; 5. BS Hughes (Chloe Hostetter), 49th.
Shots — BS 14; WA 5. Saves — BS 5 (Becca Becker); WA 9 (Lauren Kelly). Corner Kicks — BS 7, WA 2.
