HAZLETON – Sophomore Lilia Calvert scored her 64th and 65th goals of the season during the first 19 minutes of the second half, then Abington Heights fought off a Shikellamy comeback to post a 3-1 victory Nov. 14 in a Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 3A girls soccer state semifinal at Harman-Geist Stadium.
The Comets remained unbeaten to that point by producing the first three state tournament victories in program history in succession during a span of eight days.
Abington Heights began to take control late in the first half and held Shikellamy without a shot for a stretch of 23 minutes and without a corner kick for more than 40 while giving Calvert a chance to take control.
Calvert nearly lost the ball inside the box, then recovered it and ripped a quick shot into the net from eight yards out just 3:14 after intermission. A steal about 30 yards out led to Calvert dribbling around a defender on the right wing and firing a shot off the left post and in with 21:20 remaining.
Shikellamy recovered from the long stretch of Abington Heights dominance to make things interesting late.
Jillian Deivert held off a defender after a long run up the left side and scored her 44th goal with 16:30 left.
Deivert had the best chance at a tie with 10:30 left, but goalie Lindsey Tasker came charging out to smother her attempt 20 yards from the goal. Deivert recovered the ball with Tasker out and sent a shot toward the goal, but Lindsey Bartell was there in front to block the shot.
“She’s so smart,” Abington Heights coach Errol Mannick said of Lindsey Bartell. “ … And (Tasker’s) save was great too. She came out and never hesitated, some of the things we talked about that she was doing early on.”
It turned out to be the last attempt Shikellamy could manage while being outshot 22-9. Abington Heights also had a 7-2 lead in corner kicks.
Allie Rothenberger put the game away with 2:32 left when Calvert dribbled to the end line, angled a pass to her 10 yards out and Rothenberger popped it over the goalkeeper’s head.
“She feathered that thing in,” Mannick said. “She didn’t blast it. We had a couple shots that we maybe put a little too much juice on, but that just shows how smart she was.”
Before she could hit the right shot, Rothenberger got to the right spot to put an end to Shikellamy’s hopes of tying the game late.
“I had confidence in our defense because we stuck it out in the whole second half of the last game,” Calvert said. “When we made it 3-1, it was really relieving and we knew we could do it.
“I was just trying to play it to a spot. In practice, we work on cutting it back and finding it toward the PK spot. I was really focusing on getting it to the spot so someone could run onto it.”
A recap of other wins on Abington Heights’ way to the state final:
Abington Heights 2, Archbishop Wood 1
Allie Rothenberger and Claire Shoemaker gave Abington Heights a 2-0 lead before the midway point of the first half in the state quarterfinal at Emmaus Nov. 11 and the Comets limited the chances by a dangerous Archbishop Wood team the rest of the way.
Abington Heights 8, Cocalico 1
CLARKS SUMMIT – Abington Heights took advantage of the home field, leaving little doubt as it broke away early in the second half on the way to the first state tournament win in school history Nov. 7.
“We do have the ability to score like that,” Mannick said. “ … We didn’t have the win the first half, which I was actually glad as long as we got through it.
“I figured as long as we didn’t send the balls too long, we would be OK in the second half.”
Maggie Ratchford scored four goals while Calvert added a goal and two assists in the win.
“We figure out what we need to do and we get it done,” Ratchford said after Abington Heights scored seven second-half goals for the second straight game. “Just stay together and stay calm.
“In a game like that, you can get caught in your head and you can get frustrated.”
Abington Heights 8, Crestwood 2
CLARKS SUMMIT – Abington Heights scored seven straight goals in a span of 23:16 of the second half to break away from a 1-1 tie on the way to its eighth District 2 championship and first in 11 years.
Calvert had four goals and three assists while Ratchford added three goals.
Calvert broke the 1-1 tie and had a hand in six of the seven goals during the streak.
“She’s fantastic,” Mannick said. “She’s amazing. And, the best part about her, and you saw it in this game, is that not only is she going to score the ball, but she’s going to make plays for everyone else.
“And, she knows the difference.”
Abington Heights made it all the way to the state quarterfinals before allowing an opponent to come closer than three goals.
Abington Heights 7, Valley View 0
The Comets avenged a heartbreaking loss in last year’s district final with the shutout in the Nov. 2 semifinal.
Abington Heights 10, Tunkhannock 1
The Comets opened the postseason with the Halloween Night quarterfinal victory.
