Undefeated Upper Perkiomen wins PAC girls soccer championship over Perkiomen Valley in OT

Even as an undefeated team, the Upper Perkiomen girls soccer team isn’t immune to demons. And the only way to overcome your demons is to face them – two at a time even.

On the large scale was the Pioneer Athletic Conference girls soccer championship game, an occasion that left a bitter taste for the Tribe in 2021. Then, the smaller scale.

“We’ve been massively struggling on penalty kicks throughout the year,” said Upper Perk head coach Mike Freed. “We’ve missed three during the course of the season already. We’ve been struggling with it. 

“But it came time and big-time scorers come up in big moments.”

With one swing of her right leg, Sarah Fisher and Upper Perkiomen vanquished those demons all at once as the junior forward’s penalty kick five minutes into overtime gave No. 1 seed Upper Perk a 2-1 victory over No. 3 Perkiomen Valley to claim its first PAC title since 2008 Thursday night at Owen J. Roberts.

Freed referring to ‘big-time scorers’ wasn’t only in reference of Fisher: he was also talking about senior forward Sara Edwards. 

Edwards scored the game-tying goal on a 25-yard free kick with 11:45 left in regulation that got UP back on level terms after Perk Valley junior Mia Milleo’s one-timer gave her side the lead 4:22 into the second half.

Then Edwards set up the overtime game-winner when her through ball from midfield was run onto by Fisher, who was fouled just inside the penalty area in a tangling of legs.

Sarah Fisher penalty kick!!! Upper Perkiomen wins 2-1 at 9:38 mark of 1OT.

Upper Perkiomen are the 2022 PAC girls soccer champions 🏆 pic.twitter.com/GMjmU9b916

— Austin Hertzog (@AustinHertzog) October 21, 2022

“Every time we’ve gone to overtime we say, ‘It takes one moment of brilliance. That’s all it takes. It only takes one person to have a moment of brilliance,’” Freed said. “In this case it was actually two, because that through ball from Edwards was pretty sweet.”

There was a bit of discussion over who would take the potential winning kick, but the returning All-State forward Fisher, back

from an ACL injury last offseason, knew it was her moment.

“Someone else said they’d take it, but I said, ‘No, I’ve got this,’” Fisher said. “I was feeling pretty confident and I wasn’t too tired from the run I made (that resulted in the penalty kick). I’ve been doing well with them in practice and I felt like I could make it and I had the confidence. 

“I think we did well in the game and just thought, ‘Let’s put it away and win the game for us.’”

Fisher ignited the celebration that reversed last year’s result (3-0 loss to Owen J. Roberts) and gave Upper Perk (19-0-1) its first PAC title since 2008, and second in program history. 

“It feels amazing, top of the world,” said Upper Perk senior defender Lauren Powers. “We put a lot of work into this.”

Perkiomen Valley (14-4-2) was playing in the PAC championship for the first time after unseating Owen J. Roberts in the semifinals. 

It was a very even match throughout, with Perk Valley holding a narrow advantage in the run of play thanks to high team work rate led by non-stop midfielders Nicole Bottomley-Lytle and Rain Boyd. But Upper Perk was superior in generating good scoring chances.

The Tribe were unlucky to not lead in the first half. Their first great chance came from a Kyra Lesko restart was played on the deck to Mary Kate Sitko in the penalty area. Sitko pivoted in traffic and the ball trickled out to the left and Fisher poked it from close but PV keeper Olivia Hulayew made the key stop 29 minutes in. Six minutes later, Sara Edwards played short on a restart to sister Erin Edwards, whose 24-yard blast was tipped by Hulayew just enough for it to hit the crossbar and keep it 0-0.

Perk Valley’s dream finish was in grasp after Milleo’s quick strike early in the second half. 

It was the first deficit Upper Perkiomen has faced this fall.

“That’s the first time we’ve trailed all season. So the question became, how do we react when we fall behind?” said Freed. “Mary Kate (Sitko) almost got one back in about three minutes and we just kept going and then we have moments of brilliance.”

PV’s pace on the attack, headed by freshman Giavanna Marciano, junior Ashley Pickles, Milleo and senior Hailey Sharkey, meant the Upper Perk back four of Powers, Erin Edwards, Lauren Proctor and Elyse Kreiner, needed to be on their game – and they were. 

“I think we’ve been playing really well as a defensive line, shutting it down and getting it out of the back,” Powers said. “For this game we had a lot of defensive work, but we pushed through and made it happen.”

“Defensively, we were sound again,” said Freed. “That’s been so nice to have that and (goalkeeper Ava Long)  is so calm back there. For a kid playing in her first year, I can’t rave enough.”

For their part, the Perk Valley defense – led by senior Emma Stankunas who was the game’s best player over its 85 minutes –  was very strong, playing an aggressive high line.

Meanwhile, the Tribe attack kept plugging. An Erin Edwards corner kick was kneed at the near post by Sitko and goal-bound, but PV center back Madi Lindsay cleared it off the line with 30 left in regulation.

Their reward came at the 11:45 mark when Sara Edwards got her 25-yard free kick just right, depositing it in the top left corner of goal. 

“If she’s in the same area code, she has the license to shoot because she has that strong of a leg,” said Freed of Edwards’ free kick prowess.

Rain Boyd nearly played the hero for PV on a volley in the penalty area but it was directed straight to Long 4:15 into overtime.

The decisive play was set up by Sitko, who won the ball back in the UP half and played a quick pass forward to Edwards to ignite the counterattack.

Then, the super Sara(h)s had their ‘moment of brilliance.’ 

“The whole game I was envisioning us throwing up that plaque and jumping around. It came to life,” said Fisher. “I had all the confidence in the world that we would win that game.”

The win was even sweeter for Upper Perk because it was earned against a Perk Valley team having its own special season.

“The energy (PV) brought was terrific, the same way they did against Owen J.,” said Freed. “And credit to them because after we tied it up they could have panicked but they put us under the pressure toward the end of regulation.

“I think in both cases with both teams, when you have senior-laden teams they can deal with that kind of adversity and pull themselves up. That’s what you had with both teams.

“I think they can make some noise in districts.”

Perkiomen Valley is currently No. 10 in the District 1-4A rankings and will host a first-round game on Tuesday, Oct. 25. Upper Perkiomen is No. 1 in the District 1-3A rankings and is chasing another trophy and one of two PIAA tournament spots from District 1.

Thursday’s win served as the first PAC championship for Freed, who will retire at season’s end. Ironically, that 2008 UP title was won with another retiring coach, Terry Underkoffler.

So how does winning his first in 14 seasons as Upper Perk girls’ coach feel?

“I don’t know. I have to process. Part of me is elated and thrilled and how it’s a great way to finish,” Freed said. ”But the other part of me is thinking about districts coming. That’s why I said to them, ‘How about we do this again December 3rd.’” 

“I think this team can compete for districts, I really do. That kind of resilience when you face some adversity can carry us far.”