Panthers' season comes to end
BLOOMSBURG — Bloomsburg thought it had found the recipe for a comeback when it executed on one of its seven corner kicks, cutting the deficit in half early in the second half.
Unfortunately, that recipe had to be thrown out when the Panthers allowed two more goals in five minutes to Lewisburg, resulting in a 4-1 loss in the District 4 Class 2A girls soccer tournament.
The Panthers finished 9-10. The Green Dragons, meanwhile, return to Bloomsburg on Thursday to take on Central Columbia in the quarterfinals.
Bloomsburg had the edge on corner kicks, 7-0, but had a tough time executing. Some of the kicks didn’t get the height needed to sustain a drive in the box, while the Green Dragons quickly turned others away.
The one time the Panthers executed a corner kick, it came immediately after Claire Driver’s goal put the Green Dragons up 2-0. Rory Serrano sent the ball in, and Alexa Bang found the back of the net.
The offensive execution also extended into penalty shots — arguably the issue of the night for the Dragons, as they were warned they’d get carded for tripping. The Panthers were awarded one 11 minutes into the contest, but Hannah Magill was turned away on a kick to the left that stayed squarely on the turf.
Bloomsburg coach Aaron Flook says his team usually executes in situations like the early ones, and that, had they done so, Bloomsburg’s odds would have been better.
“Putting a corner in was really nice. We cut into the deficit and get a little bit of spark, going ‘OK, we’re right back in this.’ We just couldn’t keep it up from there, though,” Flook said. “We’ve been really good on corners as far as getting the ball in the box and giving ourselves an opportunity all year. Today wasn’t a day we couldn’t put many in the back. One more of those early on and we’re playing ahead instead of chasing the entire time.”
Instead, the Panthers had a tough time keeping the pressure on Nora Hockenbrock and Lewisburg’s defense, which did a great job containing the Panthers in the middle stretch of the field. That style of play showed late in the first half with Delaney Zentner in a one-on-one with Laurel Boyer yards away from the goal. Zentner, however, had help on both sides of the field, but didn’t see it and took an errant shot on goal.
“We wanted the field to be extended from sideline to sideline, and we wanted to get the ball out wide,” Flook said. “We wanted their back line to be stretched out, but we weren’t able to stretch it enough. They kept it compact and played a strong game in that regard by keeping us contained inside.”
As they took opportunities away, the Dragons executed on both sides. Driver connected with Kinlee Lytle on an across pass in front of the goal, who sank it for the game’s first goal midway through the first half.
Lewisburg’s last goal scored came midway through the second half, with Katherin Katkowski finding the back of the net. It came as a host of Dragons kept the pressure on Reese Klinger and the Panthers’ defense for roughly 10 minutes.
That pressure also mounted to an own goal five minutes earlier. As Klinger came out, the ball got past her, and Gabby Kashi tried to clear it, but had a mishap. As the rest of the Panthers tried to get to the ball, it was too late.
Still, Flook isn’t going to dwell on it. For the Panthers to even have the chance to host a first-round playoff game is something they weren’t even sure they’d have just last week. It was a classic case of a team running out of steam at the wrong time.
“It’s always tough to end. I’m really proud of this group. We had four games in this last week and we had to win three games in five days to get into the playoffs. They did it. They really rallied and played some of their best soccer. It wasn’t our best day today, which is unfortunate, but in the playoffs, you have to be on top for all 80 minutes. That wasn’t us, but I’m really proud of what this team accomplished this year.”
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