Kratz scores 3 goals, Christopher Dock rolls past Conwell-Egan in PIAA Class A 1st round

FRANCONIA — Keeping the ball on the ground and letting its collective skill do the rest, the Christopher Dock girls soccer team continues to steamroll through the postseason.

The Pioneers raced to a 4-0 lead by halftime Tuesday night en route to a 5-1 win over Conwell-Egan in the opening round of the PIAA Class A Playoffs.

Bailey Kratz’s hat trick in the first half had Dock well in control on this cool night on the turf at Souderton Area High School.

“We like to play on the ground, and that’s our game,’ Kratz said of the team’s precision passing and ball control, which has allowed Dock to dominate possession in its three playoff contests. “We don’t try to play anyone else’s game — we play our game.’

The Pioneers advance to Saturday’s quarterfinals, where they will face the winner of the Trinity-Southern Columbia matchup at a time and place to be determined.

With Dock putting on plenty of pressure in the early going, Kratz gave her team the lead midway through the first half and then scored again less than four minutes later to give the Pioneers a 2-0 advantage.

The touch that Kratz had on both shots made it almost impossible for Egan keeper Jessica Salvati to come up with the stop.

“She can bend it,’ Pioneers coach Ray Hess said of Kratz, the school’s all-time leading scorer. “I have three or four kids on the team who can bend left, bend right — that is so valuable in games, especially when you know when to use it and where to use it. Their experience is coming through.’

On a perfect setup, Mattasyn Shisler raced towards the Egan net, drew in a defender, and then tapped it over to a wide-open Olivia Seavy, who knocked it in to increase the margin to 3-0 late in the first half.

Kratz completed her hat trick before the break, giving the Pioneers a 4-0 cushion.

“With Mattasyn and I up top, we do our best to have someone on the back at all times, to keep pressure, so they can’t boot it up, and then we just work hard,’ Kratz said.

Seavy added her second goal of the contest early in the second half to put Dock further out in front.

“If we keep the ball on the ground, I think we’re gonna be fine,’ Hess said. “Everybody’s physical. We gotta hang in there and play faster and play quicker and use our skill to get by them.’

Egan, a young team starting four freshman, completed the scoring when Shelby Samuels showed off her strong leg, knocking one in from deep to make it 5-1 with 22 minutes to go.

“Dock is a good team and I hope they go as far as they can,’ Eagles coach Andrzej Adamiec said. “That’s a good team. I wish them all the luck.’