Cobaugh, Pope John Paul II guts out 5-3 win over Phoenixville

PHOENIXVILLE >> There were still 12 minutes on the clock, but it appeared Grace Cobaugh’s day was over.

Pope John Paul II’s senior captain lay on the turf in agony after jamming her thumb on a drive to the net.

“The pain was pretty unbearable,” she admitted.

Cobaugh’s leadership and grit were a couple of the deciding factors in PJP’s 5-3 win over Phoenixville Wednesday afternoon. She returned to the game despite her injury, scoring her team’s final goal with five minutes to play to get PJP the win in a showdown that featured what figure to be two of the top squads in the PAC Frontier Division.

Senior Monica Rapchinski and freshman Kallan Bustynowicz contributed a pair of goals for the victorious Panthers (2-0 PAC, 4-0 overall), while goalie Charlotte Williamson held Phoenixville at bay with 11 saves.

But Cobaugh’s injury and return typified the team-first approach that lifted PJP on a day when toughness and teamwork were keys.

Swirling winds plagued both offenses early as goals—and even completed passes—were hard to come by. Maddie White and Ameerah Green each gave the Phantoms one-goal leads in the opening half, but were answered on both occasions by Bustynowicz.

Phoenixville’s Sydney Alling (five saves) ensured the game went to the break tied at 2, robbing PJP’s Rory Nilsen in the dying seconds before halftime.

The Panthers got rolling with two tallies from Rapchinski after the break—one off a feed from Cobaugh, who added two assists to go along with her late goal. But after Cobaugh went out with the injury, Katie Baker brought the Phantoms within 4-3 with 7:56 to play.

During the ensuing timeout, PJP coach Maureen Burger charged down the sideline in search of a trainer.

“(The trainer) told me to check back at four minutes,” said Cobaugh. “But I needed to be out there with my team. It was time to ignore the pain and do what needed to be done.”

So it came to be that two minutes before she was even supposed to return, Cobaugh was charging down the field on a coast-to-coast run, drawing a foul and putting the game away on an eight-meter shot.

“It’s no fun to have a close game, and not be out there with your teammates,” said Cobaugh, a Millersville commit. “Over the years, I’ve learned the girls on the team look to me in those moments—so to be able to get the job done means everything.”

If not for Williamson, there may not have been any job to get done. The Bloomsburg-bound goalie repeatedly turned away Phoenixville’s attempts at a rally, standing especially tall on eight-meter shots, which accounted for five of her 11 saves.

“I just zone in on the ball,” Williamson explained. “Sometimes, I’ll give the (shooter) a little smile so she knows I’m confident—that seems to shake them up!”

Williamson’s not the only one with confidence in her abilities. PJP’s defensive philosophy for 2018 is built around an aggressive style, secure in the knowledge that their netminder can erase most of their mistakes.

“We’ve learned to incorporate Charlotte in everything we do,” said Cobaugh. “She’s like an extra defender out there.”

For their part, the Phantoms showed they’ll be a force in the conference this year, with a smothering defense that held the typically high-scoring Panthers in check for most of the game. If not for Williamson’s heroics, the game could’ve easily been an upset for up-and-coming Phoenixville.

“We’re moving in the right direction,” said coach Aamina Thornton. “We had some stops and starts the past two years, but I was happy with the way we played today.

“We have a ways to go, but I’d rather see us hang tough like we did than get blown out for sure.”

Thornton admitted that PJP’s program is one of the measuring sticks for Phoenixville’s progress. All in all, she’s pretty pleased where the Phantoms stand after Wednesday.

“We got beaten by a great goalie,” she summarized. “(Williamson) did an awesome job.”