Unrecognizable Boyertown beats Methacton, 3-1, in opener

The Boyertown girls soccer team was nearly unrecognizable.

Other than the uniforms and the home field, one could have been forgiven for a case of mistaken identity. The team on the field Friday against Methacton didn’t feature goalkeeper Sarafina Valenti or midfielder Maria Garofolo and it was lined up with three defenders in an attack-minded 3-4-3 formation.

What was recognizable was the outcome: a 3-1 victory for the reigning Pioneer Athletic Conference champion Bears over the Warriors.

Two of the few familiar faces in the Boyertown side, Lauren Haley and Kaleigh Gallagher, did the scoring damage as Haley scored in each half. Gallagher found the net in the 62nd minute for the decider, six minutes after Methacton senior Lee Eubank’s strike from 22 yards out gave the Warriors life.

It was the 200th victory in program history for Boyertown girls soccer. Punctuating the past hundred, this year’s Boyertown squad will look to build its own legacy with many new additions after the departures of four-year starters like Valenti (Penn State) and Garofolo (Drexel) and other key players.

Sophomores Maggie Kiene and Aurora Conrad had an assist each for Boyertown.

It was the perfect response after the Bears (1-0) fell in their preseason finale, 3-1 to Quakertown.

“It was important for us to come back strong and we did that. Our effort and composure was strong today. We really remained focused,” Haley said.

“We have so many young, inexperienced players, I’m not sure they were prepared for it (in the game vs. Quakertown). But they came back so well today.”

Methacton may have merited a better scoreline after playing Boyertown level following Haley’s 11th minute goal. Kyra Hardenburg and Lauren McNichol provided an outlet in the attacking third. It deserved Eubank’s equalizer but Boyertown was there to capitalize on two spots on defensive uncertainty for the decisive scores.