Sense of Urgency
ADAMS TWP — Even a defending WPIAL champion that just won its section has things it can improve on.
Take North Catholic's girls soccer team, for instance.
The Trojanettes entered Tuesday's WPIAL Class 2A first-round playoff against Freeport with just two losses, both coming against teams in higher classes in Oakland Catholic (3A) and Pine-Richland (4A).
But North coach Emily Karr wanted to see her team play with some urgency.
“With what we accomplished last year, we're not going to surprise anyone,” she said. “Teams are preparing for us and we've had trouble getting off to fast starts this season.
Problem solved, at least for one night.Junior forward Jayden Sharpless scored a hat trick in the first 19 minutes of the game as the Trojanettes cruised to a 7-0 victory over the Yellowjackets at Mars Athletic Complex.North (10-2-1) will face Burrell, a 3-2 winner over Mount Pleasant, in a district quarterfinal at noon Saturday at a site to be determined.It had been eight days since the Trojanettes had played a game.“We were excited, first playoff game, and we came out and played as a team,” said Sharpless, whose first goal came on a direct kick 23 yards from Freeport's net in the third minute of play.She added a second tally in the 14th minute and the third came on a rebound in the 19th minute.“She's the third player to score a hat trick this year for us,” said Karr. “It's nice to have that pressure release by scoring early in the game.”Freeport was unable to place much heat on North goalkeeper Andrea Bean. She made six saves, but none were difficult.“I thought we moved the ball well between the 18s,” said Freeport coach Joe Treglia. “Once we got inside the 18, that's when we had trouble. Sometimes the ball goes in, sometimes it doesn't.”Karr is confident in Bean, a senior, because she has performed well in big games before.“She's played in and won a WPIAL championship and in the state playoffs,” said Karr. “She's very consistent.”The Trojanettes displayed their balance on offense in the second half with Lauren MacDonald and Grace Billmann both scoring twice.Freeport goalkeeper Madelyn Zarichnak had 12 stops, several on diving saves.“Considering the crazy year that this was, to get in a full season, that's a win in itself,” said Treglia. “We have a lot to build on.”
