Maggie Conger, Freeport girls soccer shut out North Catholic to keep WPIAL section title in reach
MCCANDLESS TWP, Allegheny County — Maggie Conger gave Freeport the lead. Then she helped ensure the Yellowjackets kept it.
The junior forward scored Freeport’s first two goals and assisted on Ella McConville’s game-clincher as the Yellowjackets grabbed a critical 3-1 WPIAL Section 2-2A girls soccer win over North Catholic at J.C. Stone Field on Monday.
The win keeps Freeport (10-1-1, 6-0-1) on pace for a possible section championship showdown against Burrell. The Bucs (6-0-2 section) and Yellowjackets play in the regular season finale.
“This was big because we have to keep winning, because they keep winning,” Conger said.
Freeport’s win was its second over North Catholic (6-3-1, 5-3-1) in the past seven days. The Yellowjackets nipped the Trojanettes 3-2 in the completion of a lightning-suspended game last week.
North Catholic was pressing for the tying goal Monday but misfired on free kicks from long distances by Frankie Liberati and Braelyn Dawson, respectively, in the 70th and 72nd minute. The Trojanettes produced seven shots on net in the second half after getting no shots on goal in the first 40 minutes.
“It’s always a battle when we play each other,” North Catholic coach DJ Sharpless said. “We wanted to play behind the ball in the first half, see what they were gonna do and counter. We put more people up on the attack in the second half.”
North Catholic was unable to get a close scoring opportunity on those late free kicks. Freeport was able to put the game away in the 78th minute as Conger delivered a cross to a wide open McConville, who buried the shot in the left corner of the net.
“That third one was a big one. It took the pressure off,” Freeport head coach Steve Kukic said.
“There was nobody near her,” Conger said of the junior midfielder McConville. “All I had to do was slide the ball across.”
Conger was in the right place at the right time for both of her goals. She scored in the 27th minute when an attempted pass toward the Trojanettes’ goal was deflected high in the air. The ball landed wide of the right side of the net.
North goalkeeper Dawson tried to corral the ball, but it took an awkward bounce away from her. It landed at Conger’s feet and she guided it into the open net.
“That ball had a lot of backspin on it. It got away from her (Dawson), and I just happened to be standing there,” Conger said.
Freeport took that 1-0 lead into the second half. North got its first shot on net in the 46th minute, but Freeport goalkeeper Sophia Crawford stopped Megan Heinbach’s scoring attempt. The play resulted in North’s lone corner kick of the game.
The Trojanettes capitalized as Megan Endler’s boot was headed into the right corner of the net by freshman Lucy Laubenthal for the tying goal with 33:53 left in the game.
Conger netted the game-winner eight minutes later. McConville dribbled the ball between two Trojanette defenders, letting loose a shot from 18 yards out that Dawson made a lunging save on. The ball deflected over to Conger, who put it in the open net.
Conger has 14 goals on the season.
“We missed some bunnies in the first half, some shots we should have scored on,” Kukic said. “We should have made things much easier on ourselves, but this was a good win.”
Both teams return to action Wednesday, when Freeport hosts Deer Lakes while North Catholic hosts Pine-Richland.
