Holy Redeemer girls soccer falls in state tournament opener

Home High School High School Soccer Holy Redeemer girls soccer falls in state tournament opener Facebook Twitter Pinterest Linkedin ReddIt Email Print By Kevin Carroll [email protected] 🔊 Listen to this WILKES-BARRE TWP. — The offenses were the story of the day on Tuesday, as Holy Redeemer and Moravian Academy both showed up the opening round of the state tournament with plenty of firepower in tow. Unfortunately for the Royals, Moravian’s two-headed attack proved too much to keep up with. Elena Reid had a hat trick in the first half and Sarah Pulcini added a goal as the Lions eliminated Holy Redeemer from the PIAA Class A girls soccer tournament with a 4-2 win over the Royals in the opening round at McCarthy Stadium. Redeemer managed to take more shots and keep even on the corners, but Moravian Academy was more efficient with its looks, particularly in the first half. All four of Moravian’s goals came in the opening 40 minutes. Despite a better second half from Holy Redeemer that saw the Royals control the majority of the action, the Lions held on to earn their spot in the state quarterfinals. “Some of their runs were sort of confusing our outside backs, we’d be sort of watching the ball, which would open up those runs,” Holy Redeemer coach Robert Hughes said. “We needed to play more possession soccer, quicker and not as many touches … the girls did that and put a lot more pressure on in the second half.” Moravian Academy emerged from a crowded field to win the District 11 championship, beating the top two seeds in the semis and finals to reach the state tournament. The Lions got on the board first about seven minutes into the game, when Reid made a perfectly-timed run to get behind the Holy Redeemer defense for a one-on-one chance against Royals keeper Sadie Werner. Reid made the shot, staking Moravian to a 1-0 lead. Just a few minutes later, Lia Limongelli tied things up for Holy Redeemer after running down a through ball from Elyse Kunec and firing it into the back of the net. With the quick swings and the shots piling up, it looked as though both teams may be battling down to the wire in a high-scoring contest. But Moravian kept adding to the lead in the first half, while Redeemer couldn’t score again before heading to the locker room to regroup. Reid spun one around a defender to create enough separation to put Moravian back in front 2-1, and then Pulcini made it 3-1 with 15:51 left in the half. Reid completed her hat trick in the final minute of the half and sent the Lions to the break with a 4-1 lead. It was a much different second half, one where Holy Redeemer pressed the action while Moravian seemed content to dig in and protect the lead as much as possible. The Lions did just that: even though the Royals generated plenty of chances, they couldn’t cut into the lead until the final two minutes. Nina Lombardi, who’d been making solid runs down the sidelines all afternoon, got a good look for herself and cut the lead down to 4-2 with 1:42 remaining. “Nothing to have their heads down about, it was another great season,” Hughes said. “Six district championships in a row, a lot of moving parts on this team. … I’m extremely proud of the girls, they didn’t quit.” The Royals end their season with a 15-6-2 record, including their four playoff wins on the way to a sixth straight District 2 Class A championship. Moravian Academy will play the winner of District 3 champ Cam Hill and District 4 runner-up Hughesville in the state quarterfinals on Tuesday. PIAA Class A First Round Moravian Academy 4, Holy Redeemer 2 Moravian Acad.`4`0 — 4 Holy Redeemer`1`1 — 2 First Half — 1. MA, Elena Reid 33:39; 2. HR, Lia Limongelli (Elyse Kunec) 29:31; 3. MA, Reid 22:55; 4. MA, Sarah Pulcini 15:51; 5. MA, Reid 0:54. Second Half — 1. HR, Nina Lombardi 1:42. Shots — MA 11, HR 15. Saves — MA 5 (Laurestine Moore), HR 6 (Sadie Werner). Corners — MA 5, HR 5. Local journalism matters, and your support makes it possible. You can help sustain this work by making a donation or choosing one of our subscription options. Subscribers enjoy valuable benefits, including full access to our e-edition, a reduced ad experience on timesleader.com, and more. Your support helps ensure independent, high-quality local news remains available today and for future generations. Thank you for standing with local journalism. Click for subscription offers.