Doughty’s late heroics send Souderton to PIAA-4A final

CHAMBERSBURG >> Averie Doughty provided the Souderton girls soccer team with a last-second extension.

Minutes later in overtime, the sophomore forward sent the Indians into elation.

Doughty pulled Souderton level with Peters Township with just 11 seconds remaining in their PIAA Class 4A semifinal then at 7:01 in overtime jumped on a loose ball after a free kick to send Big Red into the state final with a 2-1 victory Tuesday night at Chambersburg High School’s Trojan Stadium.

“I don’t even know, it was just amazing to feel that we just won,” said Doughty of the winning goal. “Now we’re going to the final.”

Doughty’s brace advances Souderton (16-3-6) to the program’s first-ever PIAA final to face SOL Continental Conference rival Pennridge — a 1-0 winner over Ephrata — 4 p.m. Saturday at Hersheypark Stadium.

“We didn’t want to end at a semifinals,” Souderton’s Campbell Power said. “We think we worked our butts off in the district final and we wanted to get to a state final. That was the goal when we started the season, getting to the state final. So with a minute left, it was just work as hard as you can, get everything up towards the goal and just shoot.”

Saturday will be the third meeting this season between Souderton and the Rams, Pennridge winning the first 1-0 Sept. 17 while the teams played to a scoreless draw on Oct. 11.

“They’re a great team, we play them twice a year every year and to think that two Continental, District 1 teams see each other in the state finals in Hershey would be great,” Souderton assistant coach Todd Andrade said. “We’ve had some great rivalry games with a lot of different teams over the past four years and I know that the girls will be pumped to have a championship matchup like that.”

Doughty provided heroics for a second straight game at Chambersburg, as she scored a goal and converted the winning penalty kick in Souderton’s quarterfinal victory over Seneca Valley last Saturday.

“The last two games in a row I went up to Averie Doughty, who I’ve known since she was 6 years old and told her she owes me two goals tonight,” Andrade said. “In the last game she scored the tying goal and the winning PK and in this game with 11 seconds left tied it up and scoring the winning goal there. So she delivered.”

Peters Township (18-5-0), trying to reach its first PIAA final since 2012, was hit with late heartbreak for this second time this postseason, having lost in overtime to Seneca Valley in the District 7 final after conceding the tying goal with three seconds left.

Tuesday night, Jillian Marvin’s strike at 20:07 in the first half looked like it was going to be good enough to get Peters Township through.

“Throughout the entire game seems like we weren’t getting any breaks,” Andrade said. “The calls weren’t sort of going our way, we had some chances heading into the final third a few times, goalkeeper was making saves like on an ESPN highlight reel that we thought should of gone in the back of the net.

“I felt like we were pushing throughout the entire game and I got to be honest  as the last two minutes were coming, I thought it was slipping away.”

But in the final seconds, PT goalkeeper Emma Sawich’s clearance attempt went to Taylor Yoder, who then crossed the ball to an open Doughty in the middle. Doughty wheeled around and let go of a left-footed strike into the left corner of the net to make it 1-1.

“She tried to cross it and it came right to my feet,” Doughty said. “I just turned and hit and well.”

Peters Township had some early pressure in overtime, but Souderton worked to gain control and on its second free kick earned from a dangerous distance, Big Red capitalized. 

Power, who had sent Souderton’s first OT free kick high, opted to place it in the box and give someone a chance to make a play.”

“I decided the best idea right now is just getting the ball as close to the net as possible,” Power said.

Sawich got a piece of the Power free kick with a sliding save, but the ball stayed free and Doughty was at right there place to knock it in at 7:01.

“I was just kind of waiting to see what it was like and follow in,” Doughty said.

Peters Township took a 1-0 lead midway through the first half as its sustained pressure finally paid off in Marvin getting the ball in the box and sending it into the net at 20:07.