LOYALSOCK TWP. – By the time the clock reached zero, Lauren Kelly looked like she had just completed a half marathon.
The Wyoming Area goalkeeper was peppered with shots from an experienced, talented Midd-West team for nearly an entire half. Kelly continued to contort her body, dive into traffic, react on a dime – anything to hold onto her team’s chances that seemed to slim minute by minute.
Kelly and the Wyoming Area defense held off a determined Midd-West for a 2-1 victory Tuesday in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 2A girls soccer first round.
The win allowed the Lady Warriors to advance from the first state playoff game in school history.
“They are playing with heart right now,” Wyoming Area coach Nikki Sitkowski said. “We have the skill, and we have the talent. The big thing now is finally getting recognition for what we can do. We’re playing with everything we’ve got.”
Kelly finished the night with 16 saves, a dozen of which came in the second half, to send the Warriors to the next round.
“Honestly, my defense and my team were there to support me,” she said. “They were telling me to make sure to catch them and back them up on everything. That’s our last line of defense, and I’d do anything for this team.”
Senior forward Aleah Kranson scored both of the Warriors goals within the first 20 minutes of regulation.
Kranson gave her team a one-goal lead in the seventh minute. Christina Kosco delivered a cross from the left sideline to the center of the box. Kranson back-heeled the cross with one touch to find the net behind her.
In the 20th minute, Kranson went to the right corner of the goal with a shot from 30 yards away. Midd-West, whose senior class had twice reached the state quarterfinals with impressive wins over very good Lake-Lehman and Coughlin teams, seemed stunned in the first half and had few punches in the first half-hour.
“I don’t think they were expecting what we have up top in the speed,” Sitkowski said. “We moved the ball around really well. We scooted in some of the through-balls to start the first one. I think there was a little hype with that that carried us into the second goal.”
Wyoming Area reverted to the strategy that earned its district championship over Lake-Lehman. Place nine players back. Let Kranson control the top of the midfield.
Kelly did the rest.
In the 54th minute, Kelly thwarted a close-range Maddie Straub shot at the 10-yard line.
Shayla Heckman hit a cross that came off of the near post in the 59th minute. Makenna Dietz fired a shot off of the rebound just in front of Kelly’s diving frame. As she was on the ground, she corralled another attempt on target.
The Mustangs finally got the best of Kelly in the 73rd minute. Erin Tompkins pinged the cross bar with a shot. Kelly saved the first shot off of carom, but Rylee Shawver was able to shelve the second attempt to cut the Warriors’ lead to one.
“I think that goal made me a little angrier,” Kelly said. “I had to make sure another one wasn’t going in. My mindset was that none are going in. And if one does, then that’s it – no more after that.”
Just two minutes later, Alyssa Keister hit the corner of the post with a shot as Midd-West was unable to capitalize.
The Warriors’ Caitlin McDonough made three tackles in the final 60 seconds to hold onto the victory.
“That’s why she’s there,” Sitkowski said. “She has to break that stuff up.”
Wyoming Area won despite a 17-9 Mustangs advantage in shots on target. Midd-West had seven corner kicks to the Warriors’ three.
