WEST PITTSTON — Not so long ago, Toni Minichello had seen this all play out perfectly before.
So when she saw a pass coming her way in front of the goal in overtime, the Wyoming Area sophomore knew exactly what to do.
Minichello turned her sudden flashback into a flood of celebration at Atlas Field by hitting the winning goal for Wyoming Area with 6:46 remaining in overtime Wednesday, lifting the Warriors to a tense 2-1 victory over Lake-Lehman and into the District 2 Class A championship game for the second consecutive year.
“It’s like we were going through deja vu right now,” Minichello said. “We played Valley West and the exact same thing happened.”
Minichello’s overtime goal in late September off a pass from Kayla Kiwak gave Wyoming Area its first win over Valley West in coach Erin McGinley’s three seasons guiding the Warriors.
And, this one sent a Wyoming Area team that had never been there before 2018 back into the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association state tournament for the second straight year.
Minichello and Kiwak made it happen.
Lake-Lehman had possession near its own goal late in overtime, but failed to keep control of the ball.
Kiwak swooped in to take it away, quickly sent a crossing pass Minichello’s way, and the sophomore, who has hit so many clutch goals for the Warriors over the past two years, tipped the ball into the cage for Wyoming Area’s most dramatic playoff victory in years.
“She battled her butt off to get up to the right post,” McGinley said. “It was about a duplicate of the Valley West goal; it was eerily similar. Once Kayla broke through and sent that beautiful pass in overtime, when the ball came to her (Minichello), her stick was ready.”
Minichello’s goals broke a string of big-game overtime disappointments for the Warriors, who found trouble a year ago playing seven-on-seven in extra sessions.
Wyoming Area suffered its first blemish of 2018 in an overtime tie against Lake-Lehman, finished another overtime in a scoreless tie with unbeaten Wyoming Sem at the end of last year’s regular season and lost in the state quarterfinals on an overtime goal.
The Warriors have had enough of long overtime sessions.
“We don’t want to play the whole 15 minutes they give you in overtime,” Minichello said. “My teammates and I are definitely ones who don’t like to complete overtime. We want to end it earlier.”
That said, maybe those overtime struggles for the Warriors are ending, after big extra-period wins against Valley West and a pumped-up playoff victory over Lehman.
“I think we did have a struggle last year playing seven v. seven,” Minichello said. “We worked so much on it in preseason, I think it really helped us.”
Twice.
The latest instance came when Kiwak, who clubbed the tying goal in the second half, sent another pass Minichello’s way.
“Kayla did a nice little lift pass over one of their sticks,” Minichello said. “I knew where I needed to be.
“I was in the right spot to score.”
Lake-Lehman scored first, when Coley Leo sent a shot into the cage on a penalty corner to give the third-seeded Black Knights a 1-0 lead and send the No. 2 Warriors into halftime trailing for the first time this season.
“Listen, I’m all about challenges,” McGinley said. “It was a good thing for us to experience. They (the Warriors) showed drive and heart, getting back in the game.”
Wyoming Area got back into it when Kiwak scored on a penalty corner, off a pass from Mackenzie Switzer, evening up an evenly-matched game at 1-1 with just under 21 minutes to go in regulation.
Nobody scored for the next 29 minutes, but Lake-Lehman had a prime chance in overtime.
It came, though, when Black Knights play-making leader Ava Radel banged her knee hard off the shin guard of Wyoming Area goalie Ellie Glatz 3:36 in the overtime period, and Radel never returned to the field.
Less than five minutes later, Minichello jolted Wyoming Area with a surge of emotion by repeating a feat she accomplished earlier this year and coming through in the clutch.
“It feels pretty awesome,” Minichello said. “I’m just so happy I was here for my team and we’re all going to keep going.”
Wyoming Area finished with advantages of 14-10 in shots on goal and 12-5 in penalty corners. It got nine saves from Glatz.
The Warriors (18-1-1) will go up against Wyoming Seminary (19-2) for the District 2 title Tuesday at Spartan Stadium. Both District 2 Class A finalists will then advance to the PIAA Playoffs.
“Nothing is easy in the playoffs. They fought, and they showed that in the second half,” McGinley said of her Warriors. “I’m proud of them.”
Wyoming Area 9
Nanticoke 0
Kayla Kiwak scored four goals and assisted on four more during Monday’s home-field rout in the District 2 Class A quarterfinals.
Lauren Parente added three goals.
Toni Minichello and Mackenzie Switzer also scored.
