Margetich’s goal sends Downingtown West past Souderton, into PIAA-3A quarterfinals

DOWNINGTOWN >> Ciara Margetich watched her shot find the back of the cage but to the senior’s misfortunate her effort resulted not in a goal but in earning a penalty corner for Downingtown West.

It’s tough as a forward,” she said. “I mean, they tell you all the time, ‘Play to the whistle.’ So, I mean, that’s what we kind of did but it was very unlucky. We had that call previously before and she didn’t call it so I turned and I don’t know why she called the corner.”

The Whippets could not capitalize on the second-quarter corner but a few minutes before halftime Margetich struck for the goal she thought she provided earlier – sliding a ball through traffic and in at 3:18 to break a scoreless tie in their PIAA-3A first round contest with Souderton.

“It’s one of those things where it’s like, ‘Can I do it again?’” Margetich said. “But we couldn’t capitalize on our corners really at all tonight but we saw the back of the net and I mean, that’s all you can ask for.”

Margetich’s tally proved to be only one Tuesday night at Kottmeyer Stadium, the District 1 champ Whippets holding off the Indians to advance with a 1-0 victory.

“We’ve obviously never satisfied with a 1-0 win, we want more than that, we practice for more than that,” said Margetich, a Saint Joseph’s verbal commit. “But got to take what’s on the board and the board was in our favor so can’t complain.”

Souderton pushed for an equalizer in the fourth, drawing three corners in the final period but could not convert as the Indians’ season ended at 18-5-0.

“I think we were so close and it was so back and forth and we had ‘em down there in fourth quarter we just couldn’t get the last one,” Souderton senior Ashley Magnus said. “But everyone fought so hard tonight and you could see it on the field and we just short a little bit.

It was the Indians’ second loss to Downingtown West this postseason, having fallen to the Whippets 2-0 in the District 1 quarterfinals. Souderton lost 1-0 to Central Bucks West in the fifth-place semifinals but secured its place in states with a 3-2 overtime victory over Garnet Valley in the seventh-place game.

“They’re a good team, we played them before we had only had 2-0 on the board,” Margetich said. “Our focus was really in passing and connecting tonight and I think we did well in that. There was a couple corners and calls that weren’t in our favor that we just had to play with and luckily it came out on our side.”

Downingtown West (20-3) moves to the PIAA quarterfinals for the second consecutive season and faces District runner-up Wilson Saturday at a time and place to be announced. Wilson topped District 12 champ Cardinal O’Hara 4-0. The Whippets last made the state semifinals in 2017.

“We have our mentality as a team we won Ches-Monts then we won districts so we kind of do it as we won Ches-Monts, that was a season – districts, that was a season,” Margetich said. “Now we’re in a new season – states. Teams don’t care that we won districts anymore, this is just a new season and you gotta play as everyone wants to beat you just as we want to beat them.

“So just knowing that whatever you won in the past doesn’t matter anymore and it’s a new season.”

Souderton’s PIAA appearance was its second straight and fourth in the past five years but the Indians have been unable to get out of the first round with their last state victory coming in 2005.

“We definitely have high expectations for ourselves just because we’ve set them like that for the previous years,” Magnus said. “So going into this season we know that our goals are win the league, get to districts, get to states – obviously we want to win those things but we fought so hard and we had lulls of the season but we came back every time and that just shows our heart.

“And it sucks the season’s over but I’m so proud of everyone and everything that we’ve accomplished this year.”

Souderton, which won the Suburban One League Colonial Division title, scored 75 goals in the regular season – a 4.2 goals per game average but after defeating Downingtown East 3-0 in the district first round were shutout in three of its final four postseason contests.

“We’re very touch-and-go with goals like that,” Magnus said. “We had those corner opportunities but once we kind of miss quite a few it kind of sets in you, like if we don’t get it here then we need to keep trying, getting it again but after we lose so many opportunities it kind of downs on you and you can tell but we just had to keep going. And we did, we just couldn’t finish.”

West outshot Big Red 18-3 and out-cornered the Indians 7-3. Souderton goalkeeper Meredith DeMarzio made 13 saves while Whippets goalie Kaiya Chepow had three saves.

“Mare saved us so many times,” said Magnus of DeMarzio. “All of her saves today were so crazy good. I mean, the one on the corner, it almost went right through her legs and teams have scored on us like that before but she is so quick and she was so on point today. So, we give a lot of credit to her.”

Tuesday was just the second time in 20 games this season a team kept Downingtown West from scoring at least two goals. The previous instance came Sept. 10 in a 1-0 loss to Conestoga the Whippets avenged with a 3-2 victory over the Pioneers in the district final.

“I think they were very shifty, they could change which direction they wanted to pass or which one they wanted to dribble very quickly,” said Magnus of West. “So we had to communicate a lot in the back and when they’re shifting so quickly it’s just hard to stay on top of ‘em. But we did our best – they just got the one on us.”

Margetich’s goal with 3:18 left before halftime came off an assist from Kylie Briggs, as Margetich found a spot in the circle to send a shot through traffic and slot the ball inside the right near post for a 1-0 West lead.

“I got a pass in and then I kind of just curled and then had her on her backhand and then I kind of just rolled it and it went in,” Margetich said. “I don’t really know how, I just rolled it. I mean, I practice that in practice, that’s been one of my new skills that I’ve been trying to get down.”

Souderton kept Downingtown West from adding to its advantage and early in the fourth quarter, the Indians had their best-sustained push for a goal with three corners but could not crack the Whippets’ defense.

“We had the ball down in our corner for like three minutes at a time and we kept getting corners and we kept getting opportunities but they held strong,” Magnus said. “But those three minutes I think everyone showed that they really wanted to be here and they wanted that win.”