POTTSTOWN – To hear Hill School girls soccer coach Ryck Walbridge tell it, the Blues’ defense was the squad’s Achilles’ heel for most of this season.
Thursday afternoon, however, the Hill School ‘D’ graded out at A-plus.
Despite being buried in their own end for the majority of their Pennsylvania Independent State Schools Athletic Association Tournament semifinal against visiting Germantown Academy, the defending champion and second seed Blues persevered for a 1-0 victory that sent them back to the state tourney final.
Striker Sara Graham connected for the game’s lone goal in the 10th minute and keeper Julia Hernan and the backfield made sure it stayed that way as Hill School improved to 12-4-1 on the season.
‘Our defense was really what made the difference today,’ said Walbridge, lauding the quartet of Megan Ruane, Courtney Logar, Catherine Kelly and Keeley Spiess. ‘They hung tough.’
In a rematch of last year’s semifinal (which Hill won in double overtime) and this year’s regular season meeting (won by the Blues 2-1 on Sept. 15), the Hill had a strong wind at its back in the first half.
Graham, a 6-footer who Walbridge moved up front a couple weeks ago, broke the scoreless deadlock by splitting two defenders and depositing a left-footer past keeper Natalie Toner.
From there, however, the sixth seeded Patriots seemed to control the run of the play.
‘That’s the funny thing about soccer,’ Walbridge said. ‘They played very well, and we were a little lucky.’
That was never more apparent than early in the second half, when Germantown Academy (12-6-4) came out firing.
First, Riley Yankowich sent in a shot on goal that Hernan gobbled up two minutes in.
Then, a nice string of passes between KerryAnn Lawlor, Nicole Gilmore and Yankowich resulted in a great look by Lawlor that just missed a minute later.
‘I thought we did everything well,’ Germantown Academy coach Christopher Nelson said. ‘It’s just sometimes you can’t get that hope where it goes into the net. We played with a lot of heart and determination. There’s nothing more I can ask for. We just didn’t capitalize on the opportunities we had.’
The Patriots wound up with advantages of 6-4 in shots and 3-2 in corners over the Blues, but couldn’t get one past Hernan.
‘I think we had a lot of drive, knowing this was the same position we were in last year,’ said Hernan, who made five saves. ‘We really didn’t want our season to end, and I fell like everybody played for each other today.’
‘We all supported each other,’ echoed Graham. ‘It was a team effort; not just one or two people. It was everybody encouraging each other.’
Germantown Academy’s Lauren Budinsky unloaded a long-range bid that Hernan collected after a tricky hop with 21 minutes left in regulation.
The Blues then countered with a couple of opportunities from career scoring queen Deanna Mayza, but Toner (three saves) stopped both bids to keep it at a one-goal deficit.
‘It made it a little more nerve-wracking,’ Graham said of the Blues’ inability to get an insurance goal.
But that anxiousness gave way to relief and celebration when the final whistle blew.
‘We knew it would be tough,’ Walbridge said. ‘Like anything, all bets are off when you get to a tournament setting. They were rally out to avenge that loss from last year and the one from this year.’
And the Patriots might have done just that, had it not been for the effort of the Blues’ backfield.
‘The funny thing is that, if there was a weak part of our team up until today, it’s been our defense,’ Walbridge said. ‘I’d been fooling around with the lineup the last couple weeks. Today they came together.’
‘Probably one of the best games I’ve seen our defense play,’ Hernan said. ‘We were very solid and very confident in our tackles and clears, which I think helped us a lot, If we were hesitant, there would have been a goal scored or something, but everybody played real solid and I’m really proud of them.’
NOTES According to Walbridge, the championship likely won’t be held until at least Sunday, due to the other bracket having to catch up. Agnes Irwin will play in the other semifinal against an opponent to be determined (either Penn Charter, Abington Friends or Friends Central). … Most of the Blues’ starting lineup is local, including Graham (Pottstown), Mayza (Perkiomen), Ruane (Schwenksville), Hernan (Royersford), Logar (Phoenixville), Catherine Macklin (Pottstown), Schuyler Metzger (Pottstown), Syndney Charlton (Potstown), Emily Sitko (Pottstown) and Spiess (Spring City).
