Slow start does not derail Jays in win vs. Trinity
BERNVILLE — After 30 minutes of play, Central Columbia looked like it could be in for one of its closer matches this year in the PIAA Class 2A girls soccer quarterfinals.
Kayla Keefer, Gigi Duncan and the Blue Jays had other ideas for Trinity, quickly blowing the doors off the game in a 6-0 win.
The Blue Jays (23-0) face Wyomissing on Tuesday in the state semifinals.
Lindsey Bull scored the game's first goal less than nine minutes in. Instead of it serving as an indicator for what's to come, it instead worked as a wakeup call for the Shamrocks — who had two back-to-back shots hit off the crossbar for their only real threat of the first half.
The two teams then duked it out at midfield for over 20 minutes with neither gaining an edge in possession. The only real pressure either defense felt was when Keefer looked to get a shot in goal, but refs said Shamrocks goalie Julianna Prokop had possession.
The Blue Jays, though, could only be held out for 26 minutes before putting the game out of reach with five goals in the next 22 minutes.
"Getting that first goal I thought would ease things a little bit, but I'd actually argue we were under the gun there -- for a good 20 minutes," Central coach Ryan Polly said. "We changed our strategy a bit because we knew how good of a possession team they were and we wanted to limit their stuff and sat in a little bit. We took those breaks off and got those two goals before the half."
Bull returned the favor on a nice cross pass to Keefer who got a shot off right in front of the goal for a two-score lead. Moments later, Haley Bull, connected with Keefer on the charge for the half's last goal.
Keefer was far from finished. Duncan, who had a strong defensive game and found the open person all afternoon, found Keefer who finished with a rocket that hit off Prokop's hands so hard that it went past her into net.
Keefer scored hers and the Jays' final goal 11 minutes later off a corner kick feed from Ella Sedor.
"Not to be rude, but sometimes I want the other team to wish they weren't there anymore," Keefer said. "I want that ball in the back of the net. At the end of the day, we get there as a team, and I give my team so much credit because I wouldn't be able to make those goals or take those shots without my teammates."
Between Keefer's second-half goals, Jaicee Karaffa took an awfully high ball from Kendra Stout and hit the back of the net.
"We usually like to take the first 10 minutes to feel a team out, but today it seemed to take the first 40," Polly said. "Nerves got the best of some of them, that's going to happen, but I think in the second half we realized how much better we can be if we just played our game."
The Blue Jays had 75% of their shots on goal account for a score and doubled the Shamrocks in corner kicks.
Equally impressive were Duncan and Central's defensive efforts. Duncan was always seen around the ball, seen and heard directing the Blue Jays and giving the Shamrocks fits all afternoon.
The Shamrocks were held to three corner kicks — all of them well off target of their intentions. Blue Jays' goalie Karsyn Cox was skipped over in introductions and that seemingly foreshadowed what was to come with her only having to stop one shot on goal, coming midway through the second half.
"Our M.O. this year was team defense. We didn't want to give up more than 10 goals this year and right now, we're at three through 23 games," Polly said. "It was a big team goal and every girl that steps on the field plays a role in that. We don't give up that small amount of goals by only half of us doing their jobs."
Central donned jackets with last year's accomplishments (District 4 Class 2A championship, PHAC Division 2 title, 23-1 record). The team has the chance to exceed that with a win on Tuesday, but it's not looking beyond that.
"We just hope that we can go one step further, but we can't look ahead either," Duncan said.
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