Governor Mifflin gets hat trick from Sienna Zittle to claim Berks title

READING>> Senior forward Sienna Zittle delivered on the biggest stage the county has to offer Thursday night, scoring three goals to lead unbeaten Governor Mifflin to a 4-1 win over Wilson and the Berks League girls’ soccer championship, at Don Thomas Stadium in Exeter Twp.

It is Governor Mifflin’s first league title since 2011.

The Mustangs (18-0-2) will be District 3 Class AAA’s No. 2 seed when the playoffs get underway this weekend, behind unblemished Cumberland Valley, champion out of the Mid-Penn Conference.

Zittle made her mark on the title match almost immediately by scoring  just 62 seconds into the contest on a shot from about five yards out that found its way past a tangle of legs and boots and nestled in the lower right corner of net behind Wilson goalkeeper Darcy Jones. She added a pair of second-half markers, the second of which stretched Mifflin’s lead to an unconquerable 4-0 with 17:38 to play.

The duo of Zittle and Melissa Martin proved to be too strong for Wilson, again. Martin assisted on Zittle’s hat trick-clinching goal and scored one herself on a gorgeous header with 21:58 left in the opening 40 minutes to make it 2-0.

“Doesn’t that tell you a lot about her as a player,” Mifflin head coach Ed Deren said. “I always talk about how big players step up in big moments, and Melissa and Sienna have been doing that all season for us.”

Zoe Galvin added a pair of helpers.

“Scoring in the first minute really gave us a lot of momentum and it proved that we knew what we wanted and we were willing to do whatever to get that,” Zittle said. “It feels really great (the hat trick) as a forward, that I did my job, but it’s not about the goals; I’m just happy that we won altogether. Couldn’t do it without the people who assisted me, so it’s a lot of teamwork involved.”

The club has achieved, to this point, everything it set out to do in August, and according to Deren that included going unbeaten.

“Our goal was the first win the division and then the county,” he said. “I’m very proud of them being able to do that. … It goes back to August, and that was a goal they had, to go undefeated. You think about it as a dream, but they go into every practice, every game, wanting to win.

“To me, surreal is word people throw around a lot, but right now I’m overwhelmed the girls have actually pulled off an undefeated season and captured a county title.”

Rachel Huber scored for Wilson with 1:28 to play to ruin Mifflin keeper Kyra Hartman’s clean sheet. But that was all it did. The night belonged, from the go, to the Mustangs.

 

Berks League championship

at Exeter

Governor Mifflin 4, Wilson 1

Wilson –  0  1 — 1

Gov Mifflin –  2  2 — 4

First half

GM – Sienna Zittle (Zoe Galvin), 1:02

GM – Mel Martin (Galvin), 21:58

Second half

GM – Zittle (Kamryn Bobb), 34:10

GM – Zittle (Martin), 17:38

W – Rachel Huber, 1:28

Shots on goal

W 5, GM 9

Corners

W 1, GM 5

Saves

W (Darcy Jones) 5, GM (Kyra Hartman) 4