Perkiomen Valley pulls even with Boyertown
BOYERTOWN >> The cheers from inside Perkiomen Valley’s team bus could still be heard out on the field.
That’s because the Vikings gave themselves plenty to cheer about.
With their backs against the wall and their PAC-10 playoff hopes hanging in the balance, PV seemed as motivated as it had been all season.
“I’ve said it from the start,” said Perkiomen Valley head coach Kathy Kelley, “there’s something special about this team. They’re capable of really big things.”
In the end, after holding off a late charge from Boyertown, the Vikings spoiled the Bears’ Senior Night on Monday and kept their playoff hopes alive with a 16-13 win at Boyertown’s Bear Memorial Stadium.
With the result, the No. 2 seed in the PAC-10’s Liberty Division is still very much up for grabs. With the win, Boyertown drops to 8-4 in PAC-10 play (10-5 overall), while Perkiomen Valley pulls even with the Bears at 8-4 (11-4 overall).
Boyertown head coach Pam Wernersbach said the result pretty much defined the PAC-10’s Liberty Division to this point on the season.
“Nothing is predictable right now,” she said. “All of (the teams from across the division) are playing each other really well. Our division is really, really equal, so it’s anybody’s game any night. You’ve got to be ready to go no matter who you go up against.”
Freshman Paige Tyson and teammate Sydney Marasco were ready to go from the on-set for PV.
Tyson tied a game-high five goals with senior Christie Balestra while Marasco scored four times and added three helpers.
“We had a lot of expectations coming into this game,” said Tyson. “We knew we had nothing to lose. If we wanted to have a chance at making it to the PAC-10 playoffs, we’d need to come out and win this one.”
Anna Koniencki and Mara Wrzsniewski each scored once with Abby Bergman adding two assists.
“We’re becoming more sure of ourselves and everyone on the field is starting to contribute,” said Kelley. “The girls were very unselfish on offense and worked really well together. I think they’re starting to recognize how much talent we have and they’re starting to utilize it.”
Marasco scored the game’s opening goal just over 30 seconds in off a feed from Bergman. Eight minutes later, the Vikings held a 4-1 lead capped by Balestra, who scooped up her own batted pass and flicked it past Kasey Fox for the score.
“That was the start we were looking for,” added Tyson. “We came out of the gates really strong and were looking for redemption after they beat us earlier in the season.”
Eventually trailing 10-4 at the halftime break, Boyertown started to settle it down and maintain the possession throughout the second half.
Sydney Fox paced the Bears with four goals while Hailey Heimbach finished with a hat trick. Kyle Graver scored twice while Maddie Siejk had two scores and an assist.
The Bears would bring it as close to a two-goal game as Graver scored off a feed from Hannah Wentzel to make it 14-12, but Perkiomen Valley virtually had an answer for everything.
“Unfortunately when you afford that much of a lead, you make your life that much harder trying to fight back,” said Wernersbach. “By that point, we had to earn too many things to try and come back from that.”
The Bears must quickly shift their focus to Wednesday, where they’ll travel to Spring-Ford.
Perkiomen Valley will look to have plenty more to cheer about when the Vikings face Methacton on Friday night.
NOTES >> Owen J. Roberts currently holds the No. 1 seed in the PAC-10’s Liberty Division sitting at 10-1, 13-3 overall. … Boyertown, Perkiomen Valley, Spring-Ford (7-3) and Methacton (7-4) are all vying for the No. 2 spot in the Liberty Division.
