Early in the first half the Cumberland Valley girls soccer team had a few unfinished chances and head coach Seth Lehman was looking for someone to finish.

Lehman and the Eagles found Taylor Sneidman, who finished with three goals, as CV finished off the Mechanicsburg Wildcats in a non-division match Thursday night at John H. Fredrick Field at Memorial Park with a 3-1 win.

“It was a total team effort,” Lehman said. “For Taylor to finish with three goals is something special. To have the talent we have is one of the things that sets us apart.”

That’s a bit of an understatement.

After all, Cumberland Valley (13-0-1 Overall, 11-0-1 Commonwealth), the two-time defending PIAA spring soccer champions, is coming off a 3-2 win over the two-time defending PIAA fall soccer champions Peters Township and a 10-0 shellacking of CD East.

“They’re one of the best teams in the state,” Wildcats head coach Sean Cochran said. “We want to be a better team, so we’ve got to play the best competition we can. I’m proud of how we fought, even though the results weren’t what we wanted.”

Mechanicsburg (7-5 Overall, 4-4 Keystone) wanted a victory and was in good position for the win after the Wildcats notched the equalizing goal in the 18th minute.

Winger Meghan Ross had the ball deep on the right side of the Eagle zone, when she crossed the ball to Nicole Coons who put it past CV keeper Dani Shambaugh (5 saves).

“We’ve got nine seniors, seven who start, so that leadership helps keep us composed,” Cochran said of the even emotions after Mechanicsburg tied the match at 1-1. “The girls didn’t get down after that first goal, they kept going. They showed a lot of heart (Thursday).”

But despite the hard work, Cumberland Valley showed why it has turned into a recent PIAA powerhouse – they played with purpose.

Everything the Eagles do on the field seems calculated and measured. It’s a lot like watching a game of chess, where every move sets up something else within a master plan.

Thursday was no different as CV continued trying to control the ball as the Eagles moved down the field and tried to put the ball into the space behind the Mechanicsburg defense and in front of goalie Kylie Peters (8 saves).

The plan worked three times with Sneidman credited for the goals.

The first goal was simply beautiful because winger Lisa Nanov had the ball near the top of the box when she sent a little cross that practically hit Sneidman in stride. Sneidman settled the ball and put it past Peters for a 1-0 lead in the 14th minute.

Six minutes into the second half Sneidman one-touched a pass from Savannah Hall that proved to be the game winner.

“That second goal was something you’d see in a video game,” Lehman said. “We just one-touched our way down the field and then Savannah had a beautiful redirection right to Taylor who finished it with one-touch.”

Sneidman didn’t need any help as she notched her third goal in the 74th minute as she controlled the ball in the box, made a few moves and booted it into the back of the net.

“The way we played is a tribute to the girls,” Lehman said. “It’s their discipline on the field, it’s that they trust each other, it’s that we’ve got 20 girls that can all play at a high level. I was pleased with how the girls responded in a game that was a battle.”

The Eagles host Red Land, who battled CV to a 1-1 tie earlier in the season, Tuesday. Mechanicsburg takes on Spring Grove Saturday.

For the full article by Sam Butler of The Sentinel click here.

First place Lower Dauphin traveled to John H. Frederick Field at Memorial Park on Tuesday to battle with its ever pesky Keystone Division rivals, the Mechanicsburg Wildcats. The game, as expected, came down to the final seconds.

Literally, the final seconds.

Taryn Messick ripped a restart into the net from about 35 yards out with just four seconds showing on the clock in the first overtime to edge the Wildcats, 3-2.

Lower Dauphin (8-0 Keystone, 11-1 overall) gave up a goal in the final minute of each half, but finally got that key goal to take the lead for the third and final time on the evening.

Mechanicsburg (4-4, 8-4 overall) was star struck again as it dropped its fourth game this season, all by one goal, twice in overtime. Snake bitten or not, it is a tough way to lose for a team that battled to the state final four in the spring soccer season. The Wildcats returned nine starters or players who started games last year, and added a key transfer in Courtney Andrews from East Pennsboro.

Lower Dauphin had the better of the opportunities in the opening half. They did a better job of getting to the ball and putting pressure on the Wildcat defense. They finally broke through late in the first half as Messick fielded a long ball from Samantha Hockley and fired the ball past Wildcats keeper Kylie Peters for the first goal with just under 15 minutes left.

Mechanicsburg started to apply the pressure and had two corners and three shots in the final 10 minutes of the half. Natalie Zelenky fed a diagonal through ball to Hannah Malletts, who beat the defense, but hit Falcons keeper Nicole Boyd with her shot. The two corners produced no shots but the follow-up play on the second corner allowed the Wildcats to tie the game. Malletts sent in a cross that Zelenky fielded, turned, and fired on net. Boyd got her fingertips on the ball but couldn’t grab it. The rebound rolled out and Meghan Ross beat everybody to the ball and struck it into the back of the net for the equalizer with just 23 seconds left in the half.

Lower Dauphin again took the lead later in the second half as Rhiannon Miller ripped a Shayna McFarlane dish into the far corner for the 2-1 Falcon lead.

Mechanicsburg battled back and again picked up a hustle goal by Ross. A long ball was played through and the Falcon keeper came out to play it. Ross beat her to the ball, tipped it away from the keeper, and sent a quick ball into the net for the tying goal with just 4:20 left in the game.

Neither team was dangerous in overtime, but Messick returned to the field with just under five minutes left from her yellow card and the Falcons perked up quickly.

On a restart from about 35 yards out, Messick fired toward the goal and the ball somehow slipped between the crossbar and Peters’ fingertips for the game-winner.

“I knew there were about 12 seconds left so I just wanted to put it on goal,” Messick said. “That was all I was thinking, just get it on goal to give it us a chance.”

“We knew all along this was going to be a battle from beginning to end,” Falcon coach Nic Amici said. “We knew it was going to be a challenge because we were both coming off tough games. Taryn is a great kid to coach. She has a strong foot, knowledge of the game and is a leader. She is dangerous from anywhere on the field.

“Mechanicsburg is a very good team and Zelenky is a tough player to play against. She is strong on the ball and playing an attacking midfielder which is a good position for her, she is dangerous coming forward or coming back to defend.”

“It stinks. No other way to say it,” Wildcats coach Sean Cochran said. “Four times we have lost games by one goal but that is the way soccer and sports are. I am so proud of the effort the kids showed. They came back twice. They battled right to the end and showed a lot of heart. I just feel bad for them to lose a game like this, especially as hard as they played tonight.”

For the full article by Jeff Kauffman of The Sentinel click here.

Lining up for a free kick with the final seconds ticking away in overtime, Lower Dauphin’s Taryn Messick found herself saddled with frustration.

She was frustrated that her girls’ soccer squad coughed up a 1-0 lead late in the first half.

Frustrated that her team couldn’t hold on to a 2-1 advantage in the second half.

And perhaps most of all, frustrated that she was hit with a yellow card.

But with one mighty kick, the burden was lifted from Messick’s shoulders. With her 35-yard blast, Messick went from frustrated to overjoyed. Her free kick, which found the back of the net with four seconds left in overtime, lifted Lower Dauphin to a 3-2 victory in Tuesday’s Mid-Penn Keystone Division game against Mechanicsburg, held at John H. Frederick Field at Memorial Stadium.

Messick totaled two goals for the Falcons (12-1, 8-0 Keystone), who got another score from Rhi Miller. Mechanicsburg (9-4, 4-4 Keystone) was led by Meghan Ross, who notched two goals of her own.

Tuesday’s game was a back-and-forth affair with plenty of emotional highs and lows for both teams. Messick is just happy that it was her team that came out on top.

“I just put everything I could into that last shot,” Messick said. “The chemistry of this team is extremely big. We couldn’t have won the game without it.”

The Falcons, which lost their first game over the weekend in the Lower Dauphin Cup, never trailed against Mechanicsburg. LD drew first blood in the 26th minute when Messick chased down a loose ball on Mechanicsburg’s end of the field, beat two defenders to the ball and booted a ground ball to the left side of the goal past a diving Kylie Peters (20 saves).

But those Wildcats, they punched back.

With 40 seconds left on the clock in the first half, Mechanicsburg rapidly moved the ball from its side of the field into the Lower Dauphin box. Wildcats’ star Natalie Zelenky boomed a shot that was saved by Nicole Boyd (17 saves), but Ross was there to pick up the rebound and put the ball in the back of the net.

“I thought every single girl on the team responded great (to falling behind),” Mechanicsburg coach Sean Cochran said. “I thought we fought very hard. … Give credit to Lower Dauphin, they played a heck of a game.”

The first 25 minutes of the second half were a stalemate until Lower Dauphin threw another haymaker. Rhi Miller’s goal in the 65th minute gave the Falcons a 2-1 advantage.

But once again, the Wildcats responded with a game-tying score. Boyd chased down a ball at the top of the box, but couldn’t quite get her hands on it. Ross picked up the loose ball and finished with a ground ball shot to knot the game at two goals apiece in the 76th minute.

“I knew it would be a good game. Both teams fight hard until the end,” Lower Dauphin coach Nic Amici said. “After both goals, we had an emotional letdown. But the girls are mature enough to understand the game is not over.”

Even with the final seconds of overtime ticking away, the Falcons kept their composure. Finally, with around 20 seconds left to play, Messick set up for the game-deciding free kick. She spent much of that time asking for the Mechanicsburg defenders to keep their distance, which changed her strategy for the shot.

“Honestly, I was trying to play the ball to my teammates,” Messick said. “But the clock was running down and I just had to put everything into my shot.”

Messick’s shot was a game-winner that won’t soon be forgotten by either team.

“I told the girls that’s soccer and you either love it when it happens for you or hate it when it happens for them,” Cochran said. “That was a district playoff type of game tonight. I think (Lower Dauphin) took this out of the game and we did, too.”

For the full article by Andy Sandrik of The Patriot News click here.

Mechanicsburg girls’ soccer star Natalie Zelenky knew she had to have a big night against Palmyra to keep her team in the Mid-Penn Keystone Division race.

What she didn’t know was with that strong outing, she could make school history.

Tuesday evening’s game at the Northside Elementary soccer pitch was all about Zelenky as the senior registered four goals in the Wildcats’ 5-1 victory over the division-contending Courgars.

With her third goal of the game, Zelenky became the first soccer player in Mechanicsburg history, boy or girl, to reach 100 career goals. Zelenky was caught off guard when she was informed that she became the school’s all-time leading goal scorer.

“I had no idea. I’m kind of in shock,” Zelenky said. “But I’d trade 100 goals for a Mid-Penn or district championship.

“We’re going to have to go hard every game, go after everyone like they’re the best team in the division.”

The first time the teams met, Palmyra (7-2, 4-2 Keystone) came away with a 1-0 victory over Mechanicsburg (8-2, 4-2 Keystone). And although this was a tightly-contested match for the first 30 minutes, it was the Wildcats that took control.

The Cougars got on the board first with a score from Anna Kauffman that was assisted by Maddie Good, but 20 minutes later, the game was tied after Mechanicsburg’s Hannah Mallets took a pass from Meghan Ross and blasted it 25 yards into the back of the net.

Mallets’ goal shifted the momentum and her team feasted from there.

Mechanicsburg took a 2-1 lead into halftime following a score from Zelenky, who headed in a corner kick from Ally Powell.

“We’ve been talking since Saturday about making the decision to do the little things like winning the ball and stepping up to the 50-50 balls,” Wildcats coach Sean Cochran said. “We knew Palmyra was going to come in fired up today, but our girls played great.”

Zelenky put on a scoring clinic in the second half, weaving around the goalkeeper and splitting two defenders to put her team ahead 3-1. Late in the half, Zelenky reached 100 goals and put her team ahead on a ball from Ross that was an easy finish. Finally, in the 76th minute, Zelenky put her team ahead 5-1 with a long groundball that found its way into the left corner of the goal.

“You could tell they were running us over in the first game,” Zelenky said. “We came out way more determined and we were trying to win every ball.
“This game was big motivation for us.To get back on top, we needed this win for a shot at the division.”

For the full article by Andy Sandrik of the Patriot News click here.

Photo courtesy of The Sentinel

The Mechanicsburg Wildcats used three first-half goals to propel themselves to a 3-2 victory over the Susquehanna Twp. Indians at Northside Soccer Stadium on Wednesday evening.

Just over 17 minutes into the game, junior Meghan Ross got the Wildcats on the board off a cross from senior Hannah Mallets. Sophomore Courtney Andrews scored another goal midway through the half, and Mallets followed with the team’s third goal with 13:25 remaining in the half.

After a seven-day layoff, a quick start is exactly what the Wildcats needed.

“We talked about coming out sharp with lots of movement off the ball, moving the ball around, playing one or two touches as fast as we could,” Wildcats coach Sean Cochran said. “We had a lot of good goal scoring opportunities and converted them.”

For most of the game, the Wildcats applied pressure offensively and kept the ball at their end. The Indians had difficulty getting possession and did not have many scoring chances until late in the contest.

“They played the in and out balls, they opened up the field and made it hard for us in the midfield,” Indians assistant coach Dominic Schiano said.

Though they trailed 3-0 at halftime, the Indians closed the margin. Goals by senior Gabrielle Ciotti and junior Devon Jones brought the Indians back, but time was not on their side.

“I think from the first couple minutes of the second half, we started to pick up momentum,” Schiano said. “Once we got that first goal, we knew we could get more, just ran out of time in the end.”

Indians junior goalkeeper Erica Jensen made 14 saves and was a major reason the game remained close.

Through most of the game, the Wildcats defense, led by seniors Karli Luker and Emma Mallets, prevented the Indians offense from finding a rhythm.

“Karli and Emma, those two in the middle in the back are just awesome. They play so well together and have just grown so much in the past two years,” Cochran said. “They just communicate with one another, and that’s the key for us.”

Sophomore goalkeeper Kylie Peters made seven saves.

As the Indians made their late push, Cochran gave his Wildcats team a simple message.

“Relax and play,” Cochran said. “When you’re up 3-0, it can still be dangerous and Susquehanna did a great job of countering and getting scoring opportunities.”

After a pair of early losses, the win helps put the Wildcats in better position to repeat as Mid-Penn Keystone Division Champions.

“It’s definitely a moral booster,” Hannah Mallets said. “We were down a few games, and this one puts as back to where we were last year.”

For the full article by Chris Garman of The Patriot News click here.