KINGSTON — An unexpected bounce, an alert move and an unobstructed angle from which to shoot.
In an instant, everything broke right for Emma Watchilla.
Just like it did for Wyoming Seminary all season.
Watchilla took advantage of a big break by scoring the tiebreaking goal Tuesday, Hannah Maxwell added a goal and an assist and Sem swept to its third straight Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 title by completing another unbeaten regular season with a 3-1 victory over stubborn Wyoming Area at Klassner Field.
“It’s just an amazing feeling to know you have not lost a game this whole season,” Watchilla, a freshman, said.
Her older Sem teammates are pretty used to it.
The defending PIAA Class A champion Blue Knights extended their league unbeaten streak to 41 consecutive games over four seasons, winning Division 1 championships with a 14-0 record in 2017, a 12-0-1 mark last year and this season’s 13-0 mark.
Wyoming Area, which finished the season at 11-1-1 while hoping for another battle with the Blue Knights in districts, is the only team to put a blemish Sem’s WVC record since late in the 2016 season. The teams played to a scoreless overtime tie in last year’s regular-season finale.
Watchilla made sure this one would be different.
After the ball bounced the opposite way off a Wyoming Area stick, Watchilla suddenly found the ball on hers deep in Wyoming Area territory. She made a quick cut and got off a quicker shot, slamming the go-ahead goal into the cage with 8:04 remaining in the game.
“You don’t have time to think,” Watchilla said. “I just kind of shot. When you get in the circle, your main focus is shooting the ball.”
Watchilla’s score helped shoot Sem’s home winning streak at Klassner Field to 29 consecutive games — including five straight wins in the District 2 Class A playoffs — and the Blue Knights will get a chance to continue that when they host a district quarterfinal game, likely as the tournament’s top seed, next week.
Lauren Parente got Wyoming Area jumping with the game’s first goal and the Lady Warriors seemed to be carrying most of the momentum at the midway point of the first half.
But Maxwell scored off a penalty corner 13:04 from intermission, helping settle a Blue Knights team that appeared unnerved at times by Wyoming Area’s long, downfield passing.
“They’re a really strong grass team, and they definitely knew how to hit the ball to get it up the field,” Maxwell said. “We weren’t used to that.”
With Wyoming Area swarming Sem’s shooters and continually storming into Sem’s end, Watchilla turned the tide with one quick shot.
Maxwell fed fellow senior Alex Wesneski for another goal with 2:31 remaining, pretty much ending the suspense.
Wyoming Seminary led 12-10 in shots on goal and 7-5 in penalty corners.
