No rust for Boyertown in District 1-4A win over Plymouth Whitemarsh
BOYERTOWN >> A week layoff since winning the Pioneer Athletic Conference championship didn’t seem to hurt the Boyertown girls soccer team on Thursday afternoon when it returned to action in a District 1-4A second round match against visiting Plymouth Whitemarsh.
The Bears scored less than three minutes into the contest and four times in the first half on the way to a 5-1 win and a berth in the quarterfinals, one win away from a trip to the PIAA Tournament.
Sam Goffice scored twice and assisted on another goal and Maddi Monka picked up a pair of assists on corner kicks. Second-seeded Boyertown (20-1), which set a team record for wins in a season, will host Unionville on Saturday at a time to be determined.
“You never know how you’re going to be after a layoff,” said Bear coach Bill Goddard, who won his 250th game in his 20th season as the program’s first and only coach. “Coming off a PAC title, you never know if it’s going to be an emotional letdown.”
The Bears scored 2:42 into the match when Goffice zigged and zagged her way through the defense and put a ball on net from the right wing that was knocked home by Kayley Mattis.
Then Monka served up two corner kicks from the right that were converted into goals by Camilla Kuever and Goffice within seven minutes of each other midway through the half.
Annika Shula got the 15th-seeded Colonials (15-5) — who had knocked off defending PIAA champion Souderton 3-0 in Tuesday’s opening round — on the board with 8:33 to go until the half off an assist from Lindsey Berman.
That gave the visitors a spark as they threatened in the Bear end late in the half. But the Colonials gave the ball away on a hurried throw-in with 40 seconds to go, giving the Bears a last chance before the break.
They scored with 15 seconds remaining when PW goalkeeper Devon Skiles came up with her eighth save of the half on a shot by Emma Elwell and Goffice knocked in the rebound for a 4-1 advantage.
“I think we did a really good job of connecting in the middle,” said Goffice. “In the past, we’ve had some issues with that.”
“We came out strong and got some momentum in the first half and it carried through,” said Monka.
The Bears wrapped up the scoring with 6:32 remaining in the match when PW was called for a hand ball in the box and Mikayla Moyer ripped a penalty kick into the left corner of the goal.
Boyertown wound up with a 5-3 advantage in corner kicks, with all of the Colonials’ coming in the second half. Maddie Gallagher made four saves in goal for the Bears and Skiles finished with nine.
“It took a little while for us to regain our form after the PAC title,” said Goddard. “But it was a typical game for us. Goffice had two goals, and we had good ball movement.”
The Bears’ only loss came by a 2-0 score at Spring-Ford in mid-September and Monka thinks the team’s versatility on offense has been a key factor.
“That’s a huge difference from last year,” she said. “Everyone contributes.”
“The attack isn’t just the forwards scoring,” added Goffice. “Every position has some goals.”
While the winner between Boyertown and No. 7 seed Unionville will qualify for states, the loser will need to win its next game in order to claim one of the district’s six PIAA berths.
