District 1 Girls Soccer: Second-half surge by Abington ends Ridley’s season

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ABINGTON — The first time Ridley erased a deficit Wednesday afternoon didn’t surprise Adria Kitzinger. The second time was a point of pride.

But the third time Ridley went down a goal to Abington in the District 1 Class 4A girls soccer tournament proved to be too much adversity, even for a team that has surmounted plenty this season.

Piper McGinley tallied a second-half hat trick as the Ghosts scored on three set pieces after the break to gallop away from No. 20 Ridley, 6-2, at Schwartzman Stadium.

The win forces 13th seed Abington (14-5) into a quick turnaround to take on No. 4 Downingtown West Thursday. A historic season ends for Ridley (12-6-1), but the Green Raiders didn’t go down without a fight.

They trailed just four minutes in when Lily Gray scored, but Ridley clawed it back within seven minutes thanks to Emily Reeve flying in on a corner kick at the back post to nudge Jess Lefkof’s delivery home.

Again Abington pulled in front, as Talitha Cheng volleyed home from 21 yards. Again, Ridley answered, Kitzinger’s speed getting on the end of a Jackie Deisler through ball to one-time it home.

“We definitely have the talent and the physical aspect, but a lot of times we do get down on ourselves, so we have to really help each other be more positive, to get each other’s morale back up,” Kitzinger said. “We’ve been in that position and we came back from it, so it really stinks that we didn’t get to come back from it tonight.”

The second-half landslide started with a hint of controversy in the 42nd minute, as two referees gave conflicting signals on whether a ball should be a Ridley goal kick or an Abington corner. While the referees pointed in different directions without blowing a whistle to restart play, McGinley thought quickest, taking the corner short and rifling a shot high that goalie Rachel Jarmen had no chance to stop.

The goal offered a little redemption for McGinley. The first half ended with Jarmen, who made five saves, diving to deny a 20-yard rip by Maura Day. The rebound fell to McGinley, who put it over the bar as the horn sounded.

“We knew we had to get the goals we missed,” the sophomore said. “I obviously missed two that I could’ve had, so I knew I had to get some back for us. That’s what I wanted to do, and it worked out.”

In the 52nd, Gray again strode down the left flank and past her marker to the byline, squaring back for McGinley to hammer home. McGinley put the cherry on top in the 65th on a free kick from 20 yards on the right edge of the box, curling a low shot around the wall and kissed off the inside of the post.

In between, the Ghosts converted another free kick when Day swerved in stellar service in the 45th that Ridley defended too casually, allowing Carley Slavin to slip in behind and nod home.

With those first two goals, a close game was a rout in the blink of an eye.

“After the first two goals, everyone just let down,” Kitzinger said. “… I tried to be vocal and (keep) everyone up even when the third goal was scored, and us getting the ball and running back and trying to stay positive. I want to be the leader and try to help everyone stay positive.”

It wasn’t the ending the Green Raiders wanted. But even in the immediate aftermath, Kitzinger understood the perspective for the season they’ve had.

“We accomplished a lot more than we thought we would,” she said. “We had 10 shutouts, we had the best record for Ridley soccer history. I think we surprised ourselves because last season, we lost a lot of good players, but this season we shocked ourselves and we shocked everyone. We had the most fans coming to our game, the most talk about the team. So we were really happy about it, and when we look back on it in a few weeks, once we’re over this, I know everybody will be proud of us.”

Matthew De George

Matthew De George
Matthew De George is the Asst. Sports Editor and the lead Union writer for The Daily Times.

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