The crowd had barely settled into its seats at Central Bucks East’s Patriot Stadium Tuesday night, Nov. 1 when visiting CB West punched through with a goal 30 seconds into the game.
If you thought the quick strike was a sign of bad things to come for CB East, think again. Settling down on defense and cranking its offense into high gear, the 14-seeded Patriots (16-6) roared back and surged to a 4-1 win over 26-seeded CB West (13-9) in a PIAA District One Class 4A girls soccer semifinal.
The win puts CB East into the district championship game against fifth-seeded Neshaminy, which prevailed on penalty kicks over top-seeded Conestoga in the other semifinal. The title game is 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5 at Spring-Ford High School.
Since the top six teams from District One make the state playoffs, CB West has also clinched a spot in the states and will play at Conestoga Friday, Nov. 4 to determine the third and fourth representatives from District One in the PIAA 4A tournament.
After CB West’s Mackenzie Gausch started the scoring Tuesday night with a nifty header off a long direct kick from near the center of the field, CB East got to work.
Mounting consistent offensive pressure, CB East tied the score at 1 with a goal from Elliot Forney with 14:37 left in the first half. Things really got rolling for the Patriots in the second half.
Gwyn Krystkiewicz made it 2-1 less than 10 minutes into the second half, and Camryn Williams and Jessie Bernabe finished the game’s scoring with goals at 19:27 and 11:37. Williams said her goal was the result of good work between her and Forney.
“I saw Elliot driving down the end line and I just got in behind the back line and put it over Jules (Broskey, CB West goalkeeper),” Williams said. “I’m really well connected with Elliot since we’ve been playing together since we were very young.”
Williams said the Patriots seem to be rounding into top form at just the right time.
“We’re definitely coming together more as a team,” she noted. “I wanted a spot in the district title game. We all wanted it, and felt if we all kept up the good work and put our foot on the gas, we were going to get to where we wanted.”
Central Bucks East coach Jake Nesteruk said the quick goal from West was a shock quickly recovered from.
“If ever there was a way West was going to break us down, it was exactly that,” he said. “It’s what they are good at. But our team does such a great job of creating chances, and as much as we talk about offensive possessions, it starts from the back and the composure we have back there.
“Last year, we had a great run of form earlier in the season and this year it seems to have come later. We haven’t given up a goal in the run of play (a goal not from a direct, penalty or corner kick) since CB South in early October. We’ve gotten every part of our team on the same page. It’s a full team effort for sure.”
Central Bucks West coach Mike Moyer said his squad was hurt by the absence of three injured starters he hopes to have back by Friday, but he was just as quick to give credit to East for a well-played game.
“East is good,” he said. “We got a great set piece and a great finish, but once they settled in, it was tough to contain them the rest of game.”
Central Bucks West midfielder Kate Weyer agreed.
“East is a very good team,” she said. “They have good players, smart players and high IQ players and I applaud them because they work well with each other and knew how to exploit our weakness.
“We’re not at the end of the road. We still have things to fight for and games to win.”
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