Over the Moon
COLLIER TWP — Karli Paracca may not be a fan of penalty kicks, but she will never forget the one she took Saturday night.
In the second round of penalty kicks, Mars' junior forward put a shot past Moon goalkeeper Nicole Falcione, causing the Planets' bench to erupt in celebration as the team prevailed 2-1 in the WPIAL Class AA girls soccer title game at Chartiers Valley Stadium.
It is the program's third consecutive WPIAL crown.
“We have players on this team, like Jordyn White, who are really good at making penalty kicks,” said Paracca, holding her team's district championship trophy following the game. “They know exactly where to put them. I don't usually take them.”
In the Class AA boys final, Mars dropped a 2-1 double overtime decision to Quaker Valley.
The girls' game was tied at 1-1 following 110 minutes of play, including two 15-minute overtime periods. The first round of penalty kicks settled nothing as neither Falcione nor Mars goalkeeper Sarah Dailey was able to stop any of the five shots they faced. Christine Barthen, Katie Valach, Marissa Clough, Michaela Gutierrez and Sydney Schipani all scored for the Tigers while White, Beth Perri, Erica Schwab, Amber Fichter and Sabrina Edwards did so for the Planets.
Moon's only shot in the second round, which features alternating attempts until a winner is determined, was taken by Taylor Dornin. Her shot was stopped by Dailey when the goalie made a diving save to her left. Paracca then stepped into the spotlight.
“I don't choose who takes penalty kicks for us, the team does,” said Mars coach Blair Gerlach. “I don't feel I should place that kind of pressure on a kid if they are not ready. I just let the girls know that, if it does come to penalty kicks, we have to know who we are sending out there.
“We practiced them all year, but this was the first time one of our games has reached that point.”
Just before the second round began, several teammates approached Paracca.“They told me, 'You're up,'” she said. “For my teammates to have confidence in me, that means a lot. I couldn't have done it without them. This is totally incredible.”It was the second time Paracca found the net Saturday. In the 25th minute of play, she took a centering pass from Edwards and scored to tie the game.For Moon coach Bill Pfeifer, the defeat was a bitter pill to swallow.“It's a tough way to lose,” he said of the penalty kicks. “I'd rather lose on a goal in overtime, but I'm proud of the way our kids played. We didn't let Mars dictate the game.”The first overtime saw the Planets tally the only two shots on goal in the extra period. In double overtime, Dailey stopped all three of Moon's shots on goal.“I think there were 10-minute stretches where we were definitely the better team, but then Moon came at us for stretches, too,” said Gerlach. “This was the fastest game we played all year and it was definitely the game with the most talent on the field.”The Tigers (20-2) drew first blood with Barthen's goal on a free kick from 30 yards out in the sixth minute of play.Mars (19-1-1) will face Clearfield, the District 9 champion, in the first round of the state playoffs at 6 p.m. Tuesday at North Allegheny High School.
While the girls game was decided on penalty kicks, Mars' boys can only wish their game had gone that far.The Planets and Quakers battled through nearly 110 minutes of play, but the scoreboard still showed a 1-1 stalemate.With less than 30 seconds remaining in the second overtime, Quaker Valley managed one last push up the left side. A pass to an open player nearly 50 yards from the goal yielded a shot toward the middle of the field, where a host of players from both teams was waiting.Sophomore forward Adam Richert gained control near the right side of the net and eluded a Mars defender long enough to get a shot off, which sailed past Planets goalkeeper Joe Kelly. The deciding score came with just 4.2 seconds left in double overtime.“The guys worked so hard,” said Planets coach Chris Knauff. “That was as tired as I've ever seen them. I couldn't have asked for more effort.”The Quakers (18-3-1) had several golden opportunities to end the game earlier in overtime, but were denied in each instance. Kelly made two saves in the extra time, while five shots either hit the crossbar or sailed over it.“We controlled play for parts of the game and certainly in overtime,” said Quaker Valley coach Gene Klein, “but we sort of had that feeling that we just couldn't find the back of the net.”Mars scored first when junior forward Matthew White took a long pass from Spencer Posey in the 17th minute, then outraced a Quaker defender on the left side. White then squared himself and placed a shot just inside the right post, beating goalkeeper Winter Fondi.
Quaker Valley answered 14 minutes later. Dante Piccolo's free kick from 48 yards out was headed twice, the second time by Levi Bowers, and the ball ended up in the left corner of the net.The Planets forced Fondi into making five saves in the second half.“We knew Mars was extremely dangerous,” said Klein. “We couldn't let our guard down or they would have made us pay for it.”By overtime, however, the Quakers were getting to more 50/50 balls and it showed with their scoring chances.“One of our defenders, Ian McNany, was out with an injury and Posey was hurting out there,” said Knauff of late in the game. “We were just gassed.”Kelly made five saves while Fondi stopped nine shots.Mars (18-3-1) will play District 5 champ Bedford in the first round of the state playoffs at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Northern Bedford High School.
