Forbes’ twin headers carry Strath Haven past Ridley

NETHER PROVIDENCE — As soon as Maggie Forbes crept forward on the Strath Haven corner kick, she knew the plan.

A group of Panthers would mass near atop the 18-yard box, and Forbes would pick out the precise run that she hoped Dahlia Kuzemka would pick out and hit with her delivery, aimed at the far post.

“I know her corners are literally perfect every time,” Forbes said. “I know if I make the good run and see the ball coming in, I should be able to execute it.”

Forbes made that run twice Tuesday. She executed the header that came with it twice. And with Ridley’s defense unable to do much about the connection, those goals spelled the difference in a 2-0 Central League win for Strath Haven.

The first strike came in the eighth minute, with Forbes getting clean far-post contact on the right-footed outswinger by the sophomore defender Kuzemka. They connected again in the 54th at the other end of the field, Kuzemka swinging a cross in to the far peg for Forbes to deaden it down through a crowd of bodies and into the net.

At a time when Ridley (9-7-1, 4-6-1 Central) was getting a more solid footing in the game and goalie Shannen Hinchey was repelling Haven’s decided control of open play, the second concession was backbreaking, particularly for a team that entered the day occupying the 24th spot in the District 1 Class 4A power rankings, the final berth in the postseason.

“It’s very frustrating because we knew that (Forbes) was the best header on their team,” Ridley midfielder Ericka Kitzinger said. “So we knew we had to mark her, and to lose on two corner kicks, the same way – headers – stinks.”

That Forbes ended up with both goals for the Panthers (10-3-2, 8-1-2) seems appropriate given how the Haven midfield generally controlled proceedings. Forbes is one of the catalysts in the center of the park, pairing with Gianna Zweier as she drops back from the No. 10 spot or with Ellie Malek in her capacity as a deep-lying holding mid or any of the myriad subs rotating in.

Strath Haven coach Gino Miraglia’s team has the soccer know-how to be tactically flexible, and the choice against Ridley was a 3-5-2, with the two forwards providing width while Zweier operated at the tip of midfield. Haven forced 10 saves from Hinchey, and the Panthers were unlucky not to get a goal from open play. But they controlled tempo from the middle of the pitch, forcing Ridley into a counter-attacking posture.

“We’re able to move the ball around well and switch it,” said freshman Lily Ostiguy, who started on the wing but played centrally toward the end of both halves. “That’s one of our strengths. I feel that’s one of the things that we’re best at. We all work hard together. It’s not like anyone individual dominating. Everyone works well as a team. We don’t have any weak links.”

Malek set up a shot by Julia Steere in the 23rd minute, a first-time, side-footed effort that she couldn’t guide past Hinchey. Forbes’ hard work set up Zweier early in the second half, but Hinchey was equal to the task. And the move that precipitated the corner on which Forbes scored her second goal was set up by Forbes, distributing wide for Cayden Frazier to cross a delightful ball that Ostiguy tagged on target but Hinchey swatted away.

The trio of Zweier, Forbes and Malek not only provided a firewall against Ridley attacks, but also kept possession and left the Green Raiders hemmed in most of the game. That group, and the highly-skilled Ostiguy, have the rare ability to calm the pace of the game with an extra touch to shake a defender, a trait that kept the game at Haven’s preferred speed.

“We can rely on each other instead of panicking in these situations and they can slot some good balls in,” Ostiguy said. “We rely on each other to be able to pass that and work the ball around instead of losing it.”

Haven’s midfield consigned Ridley to countering, which suited their speed just fine. Between the field-stretching ability of the sisters Kitzinger, junior Ericka and freshman Adria, and the astute distribution of Jess Lefkof, the Green Raiders created dangerous chances.

“We knew that their midfield was really strong, and we knew nothing about their defense,” Ericka Kitzinger said. “We didn’t figure we had to counter, but we did work on our runs and making the right ones going into the game, knowing that they’re a strong team.”

Though Claire Wolgast only made two saves in the Strath Haven cage, one was spectacular, padding an Ericka Kitzinger shot over the bar when she and Adria marauded forward late in the first half. Lindsay Boyd cracked the post from a sharp angle in the first after Lefkof sprung her down the right wing.

But that one plan didn’t seriously trouble the Panthers, who came at Ridley with a variety of looks. And with Forbes finishing as she did, that was plenty.

“It’s good to have many options, being in possession or being able to play forward,” Forbes said. “And it helps us to have different options of how to play.”

Also in the Central League:

Conestoga 2, Springfield 0 >> Shannon Cutcliff made 12 saves and kept the Pioneers off the board in the first half, but stunning individual efforts by Lilly Weiss and Calista Courtney got the Pioneers the victory.

Penncrest 3, Garnet Valley 0 >> Julia Mullaney scored from the penalty spot, and Shayna Polsky and Amelie Lebourgeois added second-half goals to lead the Lions to victory.

In the Inter-Ac League:

Notre Dame 1, Agnes Irwin 0 >> Izzy Casale scored off a feed by Caeli Maher in the final minute as the Irish won the battle of neighborhood rivals. Megan Mackey got the win in goal.