Game Summaries & Headlines.
Girls JV/Varsity Soccer vs. Loyalsock Township HS School
1 year ago @ 10:05AM
- Game Date
- Sep 6, 2022
- Score
- MILLIONAIRES: 3
LOYALSOCK TOWNSHIP HIGH SCHOOL: 0
Elizabeth Shultz scores twice as Williamsport defeats Loyalsock girls 3-0 at Balls Mills
Williamsport kept pressing against Loyalsock. The Lancers’ backline and goalie McKenna Daniels were doing a solid job preventing easy looks, but Williamsport knew with its possession eventually, something would break through.
It took nearly 34 minutes into the game, but it finally came. With 6 minutes, 21 seconds to play until halftime, Williamsport’s Elizabeth Shultz found herself 22 yards out and with the ball. She didn’t waste much time in unleashing a shot, rifling one underneath the crossbar about as perfectly placed as you’d want a shot.
It was the first goal to help spark Williamsport. The Millionaires added two second-half goals to en route to a 3-0 win at Balls Mills in front of a packed crowd on Tuesday night against Loyalsock.
“We’ve been getting in really tight contests lately, I think we have three one-goal wins, we lost by two the other day, but tight games all around,” first-year Williamsport coach Beckham Sibiski said. “Whenever we can build on a lead and maintain a lead, I’m always satisfied.”
Shultz came up big again for Williamsport less than 90 seconds into the second half when she found herself outside the 18-yard box and sent in a great shot for the 2-0 lead.
“Liz is phenomenal, she works her tail off and wins the ball for us,” Sibiski said. “Obviously she can do it going forward as well. Defensively and offensively, she is tremendous for us.”
Williamsport possessed for majority of the game as Loyalsock was able to fire off just two shots on goal. The Lancers’ first chance at scoring game with 11:03 to play in a scoreless game in the first half. Briana Helmrich got to 20 yards out and tried firing a shot inside the left post, only to see Williamsport goalie Sarah Spring come up with a stop.
Williamsport fired 11 shots in total on Tuesday night, six of which were on goal. And of those 11 shots, only one came from inside of the 18 as Loyalsock’s back line didn’t yield many easy looks and open shots throughout the night.
“I think one of things we’ve been talking about all season is the competitive drive and stepping up. One of the things we trained recently was denying those long ball shots because we had a scrimmage and another game that lot of their players were hitting those long balls,” Loyalsock coach Lynnette Reitz said. “It’s one of things we focused on in training: how to deny those opportunities from beyond the 18.”
Williamsport added its third and final goal with just under four minutes to play in the game when Miah Jones got within the 18 and managed to quickly fire a shot to her left for the 3-0 lead.
“I thought our defense really shored things up for us in the back, really limited their chances going forward,” Sibiski said. “We were able to pressure them and keep them in their own half, which is obviously where we want to play the game. Props to my defenders and my midfield for really winning their battles. We kept it up in their half of the field.”
Loyalsock goalie McKenna Daniels came up with four saves for Loyalsock and played great in goal. That included making a superb diving stop to her right, blocking a shot from Williamsport’s Ella Wilson in a scoreless game late in the first half.
“Makenna’s great, she’s only a sophomore, and she stopped in last year as a freshman,” Reitz said. “I couldn’t speak enough good things about her, she’s great. She’s very team oriented.
Williamsport 3, Loyalsock 0
W-Elizabeth Shultz, 6:21 W-Shultz, 38:26. W-Miah Jones, 3:53.
Shots: L 2, W 6. Corners: L 0, W 3. Saves: L 4 (McKenna Daniels), W 2 (Sarah Spring).
Records: Loyalsock (1-2), Williamsport (4-1). Next game: Montoursville at Loyalsock, Saturday; Midd-West at Williamsport, Thursday.