SCRANTON — Lady Comets sophomore Riley Mulherin scored a hat trick to help Abington Heights defeat Valley View, 3-0, in a Lackawanna League Division 1 girls soccer game Oct. 11 and lock up a District 2 Class 3A playoff berth.
Valley View goalkeeper Abbey Bukhar made 11 saves, including two on point-blank shots from Mulherin and Morghan Stiles in the first half to keep the game scoreless at the break.
Mulherin broke through for her first goal eight minutes into the second half after the Lady Comets outshot Valley View 12-0 in the first half.
“It was very frustrating, but we all worked together and eventually capitalized,” Mulherin said. “I got the ball and thought I would take the opportunity to volley it, and it ended up going in.
“We’ve been realizing that we need to keep pushing. We really wanted to make it to districts and that inspired us to work a lot harder.”
Abington Heights head coach Errol Mannick recognized the importance of scoring first due to wet playing conditions.
“It was huge,” he said. “In a rainy game like this you always worry that you’re going to make a mistake. Once you get one, you feel like you broke the ice and it gives you a little bit more leeway.
“We’re playing a lot better, we just need to iron some little things out like crashing the net.”
Mulherin struck again, off a through ball down the sideline from Leia Parry, to give Abington Heights (9-7) a 2-0 lead in the 63rd minute.
“It was one-versus-one against the keeper,” Mulherin said. “I took a touch on the outside and played it to the back post.”
Mulherin capped her three-goal night by scoring off a nifty pass from Parry in the 65th minute.
“That was honestly a lucky ball,” Parry said. “I didn’t think it was going to get through the whole defense, but it worked out.”
Mannick was impressed by the play of the Lady Comets’ defense. Valley View (5-8-1) managed just four shots in the game.
“Leia does a really good job in the back and Talya (Grimaldi) did an excellent job, too,” he said. “If we win the ball in the air, we’re good. When we let those balls bounce, that’s when teams get scoring opportunities.”
Abington Heights goalkeeper Abbey Steenback made two saves, including a diving stop on a rising shot from Valley View’s Julia Koniszewski in the 43rd minute to preserve the shutout.
