Conestoga edges D-East in wind-swept battle of titans

Tredyffrin >> A chilly 20 MPH northwest wind – with higher gusts – blew into the north end of Teamer Field Thursday, proving to be almost as powerful as the two girls’ soccer teams playing, Conestoga and Downingtown East.
The host Pioneers (15-1) mastered the wind for a 2-1 win against Downingtown East (14-3-1), who is ranked No. 6 in the PIAA District 1 4A ratings. Conestoga, ranked No. 2 in the District 1 4A ratings Thursday morning, moved up to No. 1 by Thursday evening, displacing Pennridge, who suffered a 2-1 loss to North Penn Thursday.

To view a photo gallery of the Conestoga-Downingtown East game, click here

With the wind at their backs in the first half Thursday, Conestoga forged a 2-1 halftime lead. In the second half, facing the wind, Conestoga concentrated on defense and held the Cougars scoreless.
“In the first half, we wanted to take advantage of the wind, use our speed, and it definitely panned out that way,” said Conestoga head coach Ben Wilson. “If we didn’t have the lead at halftime, heading into the wind, it would have been a much tougher game.
“Going into the wind in the second half, we knew we would have to play a lot of team defense – drop offs, stay compact, keep them in front of us a little more, not playing as free-flowing as we normally do. We just had to make sure we didn’t give up any easy chances or free kicks, or corner kicks, where they could snag the tying goal.”
Midway through the first half, Conestoga built a 2-0 lead with goals from junior wing Kristi DiRico and senior left wing Calista Courtney.
“We knew the weather conditions weren’t ideal, so we were just trying to control everything that we could, try to keep the ball on the ground, and play quick,” said Conestoga senior forward Caitlin Donovan, the team’s leading scorer this fall with 23 goals.
DiRico broke the scoring ice in the game’s sixth minute with an assist from senior forward McKenzie Coleman. One of the team’s leading scorers, Coleman has scored 16 goals this fall.
Courtney tallied the second goal, her 13th of the season, in the game’s 19th minute, with a nice run and finish.
Two minutes after Courtney’s goal, Downingtown East came right back with a goal by senior Ella Marrollo to make the score 2-1.
“It was a brilliant little buildup,” said D-East head coach Craig Reed. “Lauren [Riemold] found Rebekah [March], and then Ella got free on a give and go.
“We tried to use the wind to our advantage today, but when you fall behind 2-0 to a [powerful] team like Conestoga, it’s tough to come back and win.”
Starting the second half facing the wind, the Pioneers moved Courtney from left wing to center back. Courtney had played defender her first three years at Conestoga.
Wilson said, “Cali really helped shore things up for us in the second half, alongside [junior] Reese Henderson, [senior] Jane Castleman and [sophomore] Haleigh Wintersteen, who have logged a lot of minutes for us in the back line all year. But really, the whole team did a great job staying compact, keeping the other team in front of us, and not giving up any easy runs through the middle.
“[Junior goalie] Caroline Klaiber did a great job maintaining a high line, and reading the through balls that were coming through to prevent any attacks that would have come through otherwise. With the wind, and even into the wind, the distance on her clearances helped break the pressure for us and kept the ball upfield.”
The wind provided a constant challenge for both teams.
Donovan smiled and said, “It was hard to keep the ball on the ground; when the ball was bouncing around in the air, we couldn’t really judge where the ball was going, but we just tried our best to control everything we could, worked really hard off the ball.
“We stayed compact in the second half, and dropped in when we needed to, and covered for each other when [someone] was out of position. We worked really well as a team today. Beating a team like Downingtown East means a lot, we really needed this win, it’s going to help us a lot in the seedings for district playoffs.”
Conestoga faces Cumberland Valley today (Friday) to complete its regular season before heading into Districts.
Wilson said, “We wanted to play Downingtown East and Cumberland Valley to end the regular season for some tough competition heading into the playoffs. Downingtown East was tough today, tough in possession, had some really good looks in attack. But our girls did a good job, especially in handling the wind.”
The persistent Cougars battled Conestoga throughout the final minutes, and Reed praised senior goalie Ashley Buchheit and the Cougars’ four senior co-captains – Emily Buckner, Katie Hudachek, Maren Dougherty and Meg Buckner.
Downingtown East, which captured the Ches-Mont National Division title, will rely on its notable team depth in the PIAA post-season, as the Cougars lost leading scorer Caroline McDonald for the season Oct. 15. McDonald, who had tallied nearly 20 goals and 20 assists for the season, suffered a broken collarbone in the Cougars’ 2-1 loss to Unionville Tuesday.
“Caroline has been a team player from the start, so there have been some big games for us this season in which Caroline hasn’t scored,” said Reed, whose squad advanced to States last year. “We look on this as an opportunity [to overcome adversity].”