Bishop Shanahan eliminated by Archbishop Wood in state tourney opener
PHILADELPHIA >> A game that wasn’t in doubt for over 20 minutes, turned very much in doubt for the final five, but time ran out on Bishop Shanahan in Tuesday’s first-round PIAA Class 3A girls soccer contest at Holy Family University.
District 12 champion Archbishop Wood tallied twice in the second half and held off a late Shanahan charge to advance with a 2-1 victory.
The win puts Wood in the quarterfinals against Greencastle-Antrim, the second-place team out of District 3, on Saturday at site and time to be announced.
Even through the loss, the grit the Eagles showed will not be soon forgotten among the faithful as head coach Ken Schmidt told them in the postgame huddle.
“There’s a lot of teams that would have folded,” Schmidt said. “They passed the ball, they were clinical, they were organized. An unfortuanate PK put us down. They had a nice second goal. There’s not a lot of teams anywhere who would have kept pushing hard for that last 20 minutes. We put a scare in them. It just says a lot about the character of this team, edpecially the seniors. We’re going to miss them.”
After a scoreless first half, it didn’t remain that way for long in the second.
The Vikings (15-2-1) were putting the pressure on the Eagles and were rewarded as a shot went off the arm of a defender and the referee pointed to the penalty spot.
Ava DeGeorge stepped up and looped a shot past the outstretched hand of goalie Sage Baillargeon and into the net for a 1-0 lead.
Just 10 minutes later, Wood doubled its advantage. A slick move resulted in a quick pass from Paige Eckert to an open DeGeorge, who left-footed a low shot by Baillargeon into the net.
The Wood defense kept Shanahan at bay and kept its opportunities to low dangerous areas.
Shanahan had a chance with 10 minutes left as senior Annabelle Weidel sent in a shot that was initially stopped by Lauren Greer. She spilled the save, but no damage occurred as she jumped on the ball.
As time was winding down, Shanahan kept fighting on, and the faith was rewarded. Madelyn Grigalonis sent a cross that was met by a wide open Weidel, who turned it into the net and the Eagles were down 2-1 with 1:21 left
“That was definitely exciting,” Weidel said about scoring. “I can definitely feel a little better about the game. It wasn’t just me. Everyone was working hard. After they scored the second one, it was like a switch went on and we pushed on. I’m very proud of everyone.”
The Eagles had one final chance as Grigalonis drove in on goal and unleashed a long-range shot that went just over the bar as the horn sounded and ended their season.
“It’s a shame,” added Weidel. “We really had a good season. I don’t think I’ve ever been on a team before that has so much heart. I’ve never bonded with a group of girls like this before, especially in soccer. We all have something to be really proud of.”
The score might have been 0-0 on the scoreboard, but Wood had the decided statistical advantage. They outshot Shanahan, 14-1, and had the better scoring chances. Baillargeon was forced into 10 saves, including a couple of acrobatic, one-handed stops to keep the game tied.
Shanahan ended the season at 12-7-2. While the Eagles will lose four starters to graduation, the future is bright for them.
“To get this far, especially for a small school like us, a team might make the playoffs every few years,” said Schmidt. “It takes a team with character. We’ve had talent before, but not a team with this much heart.”
