Boyertown holds off Phoenixville, 1-0, to reach PAC-10 title game

BUCKTOWN >> The Pioneer Athletic Conference Final Four playoff gives teams the proper atmosphere for what they will encounter the rest of the way in the postseason grind.

It happened again Tuesday night in the PAC-10 semifinal round at Owen J. Roberts High School.

Liberty Division runner-up Boyertown wound up making a first-half goal stand up in edging Frontier Division leader Phoenixville, 1-0, at the Wildcat North Field.

Kaleigh Gallagher scored the Bears’ goal, with an assist by Corrine Renninger, at the 24-minute mark.

In the other semifinal game, Liberty Division winner Spring-Ford shut out Pope John Paul II, 3-0, setting up another clash of the titans between the rival Bears and Rams to decide the league championship Thursday evening back at Owen J. Roberts High School at 7 p.m.

Gallagher and Renninger are both sophomores who work well together along Boyertown’s forward line. They connected on a play they have developed and scored on several times throughout the season.

“Corrine made a good run to the end line, which we practice a number of times,” said Gallagher. “I was wide open in the middle and slotted the ball into the net left side panel. We practice that many times.”

Both the Bears and Phantoms had other chances to score throughout the night. However, both defenses came up big when they had to.

Boyertown keeper Sarafina Valenti finished with 12 saves while Phoenixville goalie Lainey Michaud came through with nine saves. Both goalies had plenty of support from the backs in front of them, with both schools finishing the night with a number of key defensive saves to boot.

“It was a good game,” said Valenti. “There is so much pressure. You have to capitalize on your chances. Our defense came together, and we got the ball in the net.”

Valenti was especially effective early in the contest when the Phantoms came out of the gate with an early surge, led by pressure up front from Phoenixville’s Dakota Graham, Jessi Rossman, Leeza Galli and Gabrielle Perrotto.

Boyertown coach Bill Goddard spoke about the high-quality performance displayed by both the Bears and the Phantoms.

“These are two very good teams,” said Goddard. “They are two very well-coached teams. Tim (Raub) has done a nice job with the Phoenixville program. Playoff games, in general, are one-goal games. You have to make the best of your opportunities.”

Goddard thought the Bears limited Phoenixville’s high-percentage chances, other than Graham hitting the post in the early going.

“Sarafina made some big saves,” said Goddard. “Early on, she kept us in the game. Phoenixville jumped out to a good start. It took a good while to get us going.”

Along with Valenti, Boyertown got its usual steady, consistent game from defensive backs Maria Garofolo, Kyle Graver, Erin Reitmeyer and Shana Kabinoff.

At the other end of the field, Taylor Sassaman, Sam Brensinger, Lauren Haley, Kylie Erb and Taylor Landis joined Gallagher and Renninger in keeping pressure on the Phantoms.

Goddard talked about the Bears’ goal.

“Corrine got the ball to Kaleigh in the right spot,” he said. “Kaleigh made a nice finish with her feet for that goal. We made that goal stand up.”

Phoenixville put up a stiff challenge against the Bears. The Phantoms will try to use the game as a learning experience for the upcoming District 1-AAA playoffs.

“It was a tough loss, but we played really well as a team,” said Phantom center back Sophia Kopko, who made a huge defensive save and was a workhorse on restarts throughout the night. “Unluckily, we couldn’t knock one in. We played one of our best games. This will definitely prepare us for districts.”

“They (the Bears) put one shot in and that won the game,” said Rossman. “We played right with them. We couldn’t get it back. We were all keeping the ball in front of us.”

Raub was impressed with the showing his Phantoms put forth in a high-pressure setting.

“My heart bleeds for these kids, for as well as they played,” said Raub. “They deserved better. It came down to one mistake.

“Boyertown is organized. We knew coming in we could not make that one mistake against them because they would capitalize. They make you pay for it.”

Still, Raub was quite happy with the way the Phantoms hung tough for 80 minutes against Boyertown, especially after the Phantoms went down by a goal midway through the first half.

Like the players, he feels such a solid game can only benefit Phoenixville the rest of the way and going forward with many of its young players.