Wyoming Area field hockey head coach Erin McGinley places a PIAA silver medal on the shoulders of Alexys Moore (11), with Bianca Pizano (3), and Morgan Janeski (25) look on.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Toni Minichello (10) scored Wyoming Area’s lone goal on a penalty shot as she’s about to celebrate with teammates.
Tony Callaio | For Times Leader
Wyoming Area’s defense got the Lady Warriors back into the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class A state field hockey tournament, but it was unable to contain three-time defending state champion Wyoming Seminary in the District 2 final.
The Lady Warriors, who had a quarterfinal bye as the top seed in the seven-team tournament, reached the district final with a 2-0 victory over Lackawanna Trail at Atlas Field in the semifinal round.
Making the final assured Wyoming Area of one of the district’s two berths in the state Class A field.
After shutting out 12 consecutive opponents, the Lady Warriors gave up four goals to Wyoming Seminary for the second time this season during a 4-1 championship game loss Wednesday night at Wyoming Valley West’s Spartan Stadium.
Wyoming Area opens the state tournament Tuesday at Bloomsburg, which won the District 4 title in a shootout with Line Mountain after the teams remained tied at 2-2 through two overtimes.
The Lady Warriors, who have lost only to Wyoming Seminary for the second straight year, could see the Blue Knights again if they could win three state games and get to the final for the first time. Wyoming Area reached the state semifinals in 2019 before being frozen out of last year’s tournament when the PIAA reduced all tournament fields to district champions only as a concession to COVID issues.
“I think we can do some damage in states,” Wyoming Seminary coach Karen Klassner said. “It would be nice if we could play against each other in the state championship game, but we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
Wyoming Area 2, Lackawanna Trail 0
EXETER – Alexys Moore and Toni Minichello scored the goals while Wyoming Area’s defense held Lackawanna Trail to a single shot in Monday’s quarterfinal.
Lackawanna Trail’s only shot came off a penalty corner with 5:37 left in the third quarter, between the scores by Moore and Minichello in the second and fourth quarters.
“Our defense all has years of experience so that’s very helpful and we work very hard with communication, including communication with our goalkeeper, so that’s also huge,” Wyoming Area coach Erin McGinley said.
Morgan Janeski, who is at the center of that defense, said the Lady Warriors know how to cover for each other.
“If one person gets beat, we know somebody’s going to be stepping in for us and we just have to fill in for them,” Janeski said. “I’m never getting beat and being scared that the ball’s going to go in, because I know that somebody’s going to be coming and also our mids and forwards will drop back.
“And, I have a lot of trust in Carly (Saranchuk), our goaltender, as well.”
Wyoming Area had seven corners in the scoreless first quarter, when it had six shots, five of which were saved by Lackawanna Trail goalie Lilly Rejrat while the other was wide of the target.
Lackawanna Trail did not get its first penalty corner until 3:33 left in the half.
By then, the Lady Warriors had already scored the game’s first goal.
Moore spotted opportunity as she approached the circle and gave herself the room to rip the hard shot for a goal from just inside the right top of the circle with 4:51 remaining in the second quarter.
“You just have to keep composure and wait for the correct timing,” Moore said of playing through the long scoreless stretch. “ … I was mostly looking to just get a shot in for one of our forwards to get a touch, not necessarily to get the goal, but it all worked out in the end.”
Minichello ran on to Bianca Pizano’s long, lead pass deep in the circle, maneuvered the ball to her reverse side as she approached the goalie and got off a close-range shot that trickled into the cage with 8:55 remaining.
Wyoming Seminary 4, Wyoming Area 1
KINGSTON – Maddie Olshemski scored two goals and assisted on one while leading the Blue Knights to their fifth straight title and fourth straight that came about from a championship game victory over Wyoming Area.
Olshemski scored on the game’s first shot when she converted Emma Watchilla’s crossing pass with 7:17 left in the first quarter.
Wyoming Seminary coach Karen Klassner said it was “unusual” for her team to score on its first chance.
“I’m happy for the kids, they did a great job,” Klassner said.
Olshemski and Watchilla set each other up on the first two goals.
Ella Barbacci scored on a rebound to make it 3-0 in the second quarter before Minichello connected on a penalty stroke, earned when a Wyoming Seminary defender stopped the ball from going into the goal with her body.
Olshemski scored again in the fourth quarter on a quick shot after a Wyoming Area defender was up able to take clear possession after having stopped a ball in the circle.
The Wyoming Seminary defense of Maggie Barilla, Louisa Dening and Milaw Clausen held Wyoming Area without a shot for the first 23:38 and did not allow a penalty corner until the Warriors had six in the fourth quarter.
