Pottsgrove avoids first PAC Frontier loss with win over Pope John Paul II

UPPER PROVIDENCE >> Hailey Strain and the Pottsgrove girls soccer team were not happy.

Things were not going well Tuesday afternoon at Pope John Paul II, the Falcons trailing by a goal in the first half while playing below the standard of a team that hadn’t lost to a Pioneer Athletic Conference Frontier Division opponent since 2017.

Strain hit a boiling point, earning herself a deserved five minutes on the bench for a yellow card for a thrown elbow.

Thankfully for Pottsgrove, the junior forward figured out how to use her fury in a more productive manner in the second half.

Strain struck twice thanks to assists from Skylar Glass and Eliana Paez netted the game-sealing goal as Pottsgrove came back to defeat Pope John Paul II, 3-1, to maintain its unbeaten division record.

Pottsgrove improved to 7-0 PAC Frontier (8-2 PAC) and 11-2 overall, a mark fitting its elevated expectations after last year’s impressive fall.

“I think it’s really exciting for us because we’re expected to do well,” Glass said. “We’re one of the teams to beat and we come to every game trying to uphold the standard of wanting to win every game. Last year it was our first year going far, but we want to make it even farther this year.”

With Glass setting up both Strain goals, the scores were evidence of the relationship the Falcons’ forwards have grown into as Strain has stepped into a great offensive role this fall.

“I think we have really good chemistry together because we think the same on the field,” Strain said. “We always know where each other is going to be. And if we’re not there we’re not going to get mad at each other.”

“We have a lot of trust in each other, confident that we’ll be there for each other,” Glass said.

The final score tells a deceiving tale of a game that was extremely close and only decided when Strain’s second goal – thanks to a nice cutback on to her left foot to create a shooting lane – came with 4:20 to play. Paez capitalized on a failed clearance with 2:03 remaining for the flattering two-goal margin.

Until the final five minutes, the Golden Panthers had every bit of belief the win could be theirs after Lainey Owens gave PJP the early lead in the 19th minute.

The second half had its share of chances with Glass winning a high bouncing ball in the penalty area but PJP keeper Stacy Kormos made a strong close-range save with 25:33 to go.

PJP had a great chance with 10:28 to play when a lovely combination passing move between Owens and Audrey Moroz forced a good save from Summer Walker to keep it level. It capped a 10-minute spell of dominance from the Golden Panthers, but the spell didn’t last long enough.

“I really thought we were going to at least tie,” said PJP senior center back Delaney Cordrey. “I felt we could win because we kept playing really hard. I felt we were evenly-matched.”

Pope John Paul II dropped to 3-4, 3-6-1 and 4-9-1 but has improved its level after a rocky start under new coach Bill Bono.

Cordrey, who paired well in the back with sophomore Erin Flanagan, cited the move of Lauryn Rezza to forward as a key boost to the Golden Panthers’ attack.

The improved play has boosted the environment around the program.

“In the beginning, we were just yelling at each other but now we’re building each other up,” Cordrey said.