Methacton hands Upper Perkiomen its first loss

FAIRVIEW VILLAGE >> Emily Owens didn’t even have to look.

She already knew Methacton teammate Olivia Hoover was waiting for it.

Owens hit Hoover on the left side of the cage 48 seconds into the overtime period to secure the Warriors’ 3-2 win against previously unbeaten Upper Perkiomen on Wednesday afternoon at Methacton High School.

“I knew Olivia was going to be right at the post,” said Owens, “so I just turned, crossed it and she was there.”

The game-winner came at the conclusion of a magnificent Methacton possession where seemingly every single Warrior on the field — minus goalkeeper Addie Frey — got a stick on the ball before Hoover deflected it in. Both teams were playing a man-down to start the overtime period, which added an even quicker pace to the offense.

“It was complete synergy,” added Hoover. “We all knew right where each other were going to be. We didn’t even have to think about where the passes were going. You just knew it was going to get to the right place.

“I was in shock when it first went in. Then once my teammates were running toward me, it was a relief. It was a really satisfying win.”

The PAC crossover game drops Upper Perkiomen to 10-1 overall while remaining 5-0 in the Frontier Division. Methacton — winners of five straight — improves to 8-2 overall, still sitting at 3-2 in the Liberty Division.

Handing Upper Perk its first loss of the season, Owens and the Warriors hope to use Wednesday as a stepping stone for things to come. Methacton will go up against Spring-Ford (currently unbeaten in PAC play) next week, amid their second go-around against the Liberty Division.

“This is a good platform for us to go off of,” said Owens. “It’s motivating to bring down a team like that. Suddenly, you start to become the top dog when you beat a team that hasn’t lost.”

“We really needed this going back into the second rotation of our division,” said Methacton head coach Sarah Quintois. “We were excited to go out there and play against an undefeated team. That definitely adds a little extra motivation.”

Hoover scored twice while Owens figured in on a pair of assists and scored a goal off a feed from Jackie Cerchio during the second half. Frey came up with 10 saves in the cage.

Upper Perk’s Abrianna Gato scored both goals — including a helper from AiYi Young — while Liz Pierson finished with six saves in the cage.

The Tribe created plenty of scoring chances, but couldn’t find a way to take advantage throughout. That’s the biggest item head coach Jamie Warren will take away from the loss.

“We should have capitalized on our opportunities, but we didn’t,” she said. “I don’t know if we were playing scared, but it seemed like we were. That really hurt us.

“We’ve got to learn from this one and fix our mistakes.”

Clock Work

Upper Perk seemed to have a quick answer each time Methacton figured on a goal. The Warriors only led a total of five minutes and 57 seconds in regulation, while Upper Perk never once held a lead.

Now That’s Impressive

The overtime loss serves as the Tribe’s first loss in 11 months, dating back to their 4-3 loss during the opening round of the district playoffs against New Hope-Solebury last season. Prior to Wednesday, Upper Perk had only allowed more than one goal against in a game one time — a 3-2 win over Christopher Dock.

Upper Perkiomen is still outscoring teams 75-8.

Methacton has now won the past three matchups with Upper Perk.