The most successful season in Mechanicsburg girls soccer history could have fallen far short of that.

After entering the year amid high expectations, the Wildcats had a 7-3 record and three narrow losses to strong teams, including division rivals Lower Dauphin and Hershey.

Coach Tony Lougee reassessed the team and decided to move Jodie Zelenky back to her natural position on defense. Zelenky had moved up to midfield to replace Airy Arnold, who left a big hole there when she graduated. But the switch wasn’t leading to great results, and Lougee decided it was best for all to move Zelenky back.

The transition was gradual, but by the end of the year it became apparent: The Wildcats were better with Zelenky on defense.

Zelenky helped lead the Wildcats to an eight-game win streak, including triumphs in the rematches with Hershey and Lower Dauphin and the team’s first appearance in the District 3 finals. Mechanicsburg finished the season with a school-record 19 victories.

For her dominating play on defense and for leading the Wildcats to new heights, Zelenky has been named The Sentinel’s 2011 Player of the Year.

“She’s had a tremendous year for us,” Lougee said. “Started off at a difficult position in a role she’s not accustomed to. She settled into the backline, where she’s best suited, and really changed the turn of our season. She was able to be the bedrock of this team.”

Zelenky said she was happy to switch back to defense because it was where she was more comfortable and because she “helped the team there more.”

Lougee said the turning point for the Wildcats came on April 25 at Carlisle.

Carlisle’s Amelia McConnell scored less than two minutes into the game to put the 8-3 Wildcats in an early hole. But Zelenky and the Wildcats didn’t back down.

“We had been getting scored on quite a bit up to that point,” Lougee said. “Just Jodie’s demeanor, and the other players’ confidence in her as a person and a player, changed things. We settled down and got a good result, and that was really a big turning point.”

Mechanicsburg scored five-straight goals before allowing a late goal on a penalty kick, and beat the Herd 6-2. The win was the second in the Wildcats’ eight-game streak. During that span, they allowed only 1.25 goals a game, including a shutout of Hershey. In the eight games prior to the streak, Mechanicsburg allowed 1.87 a game, including three to the Trojans.

After losing a tie-breaker with Lower Dauphin for the Keystone crown, the Wildcats began their district run. In the midst of the tournament, Zelenky was named Mid-Penn Player of the Year by the Mid-Penn coaches.

“I was really surprised,” Zelenky said. “There are so many other great players, like Kelly Pizzingrilli at CV. I played with her my whole life. It also really surprised me because people don’t usually pick defenders. We don’t really have the stats. Definitely a pleasant surprise.”

Lougee was “satisfied” with the decision and said Zelenky was recognized largely for how she played when she moved back to defense, and for her impact on the program over her four years.

Natalie Zelenky, Jodie’s sister and Mechanicsburg’s leading scorer, was thrilled for her sister and said she definitely deserved it, even though she didn’t have the stats some other plaayers did.

Jodie Zelenky’s versatility and willingness to do anything for the team are what make her such a great player, Lougee said. She’s also a very “technical” player who can use both feet and essentially play any position.

“When I told her ‘I think we’re going to shake things up,’ she was ready to go,” Lougee said. “She’s smart, too. Probably knew before I did that we should’ve done it.”

Although the switch to midfield ended up being temporary, Lougee was impressed with how Zelenky accepted and embraced the challenge.

Zelenky’s leadership qualities are as important as her play on the field.

“Jodie’s been a leader since day one,” Lougee said. “We don’t really name captains, but people know who to look to. She’s been a leader since she was a freshman. She took the role last year and really stepped up.”

Lougee said Zelenky isn’t “overly vocal,” but does her share of directing and talking. Her biggest strength as a leader is just being a great model for the younger players.

“She’s definitely a great leader,” Natalie Zelenky said. “She really knows how to tell us what we need to do. She’s always the first one there. Always helping out.”

The Zelenky sisters enjoyed playing on the same team “consistently” over the past two seasons, Natalie said, although they have played together occasionally through the years. Jodie said she always knew where her sister was on the field.

This summer, Jodie will be down at Virginia Tech to begin classes and start working with her new team. Zelenky chose the Hokies after playing in one of their camps. Tech also is one of the few schools with her major – human nutrition, food, exercise.

Zelenky believes her coaches and teammates past and present have her ready for college.

“Jodie is one of those people that comes through very rarely,” Lougee said. “You have great players, but people that come in and do the right thing consistently every day, that’s more rare. She helped bring the program to a new level.”

HERSHEY – The dream is over.

Mechanicsburg’s run in the PIAA girls soccer playoffs ended Saturday evening at Hersheypark Stadium with a 1-0 loss to Penn Manor in overtime.

Penn Manor (22-3-2) advances to the state semifinals to meet Lower Dauphin on Tuesday at 1 p.m. back at Hersheypark Stadium. The Falcons knocked out Hempfield on penalty kicks Saturday.

Mechanicsburg’s dream season ultimately ended Saturday when Emily Hess punched a cross into the net behind Wildcats keeper Shelby Koch.

On the play, Logan Kramer sent the ball toward the net, where Hess redirected it behind Koch.

“I didn’t see anything on that last play to indicate a goal … I was trying to get her to pass the ball back but she went forward,” Penn Manor coach Bill Zapata said. “I didn’t see the tip on the ball. I was very pleased with our effort tonight. Our kids never quit.”

Despite the loss, Mechanicsburg coach Tony Lougee was proud of his team, which finished with a 19-6 record.

“We played very well tonight,” Lougee said. “We just didn’t get that key finish. It was a tough loss for us in that manner. I’m not real sure what happened there.

“We have a good nucleus coming back and we will start planning for next year tomorrow.”

The game was well-played between the 18-yard boxes, but had very little offense beyond that point. Each team had six corners kicks, which forced the defenses and keepers to step out of the box to snag crosses and direct traffic.

The first half was played more on the Penn Manor offensive end of the field, but the Wildcats were able to sustain the counterattack to their offensive end of the field.

Mechanicsburg’s Megan Mateja had a tip of a Natalie Zelenky cross but it deflected right to Comet keeper Veronica Willig.

The Wildcats looked a bit slow and out of sorts in the opening half of the contest as their second and third passes were off target or short, which allowed the Comets to control the ball.

Early in the second half, Koch came up with the defensive save of the game as Lindsay Hutchinson broke in on a 3-on-1 and, as she wound up to shoot, Koch slid into the shot and deflected the ball away from the net.

“Our seniors have been so key to our program,” Lougee said. “They have been models for our program and our younger children.”

HERSHEY – Mechanicsburg jumped out to a quick two-goal lead Wednesday en route to an 8-1 opening-round victory over Northwestern Lehigh in their PIAA girls soccer tournament match-up at Hersheypark Stadium.

The Wildcats waited barely more than a minute in the contest to score. Megan Mateja took a feed from Ali Matisse and slipped it past Tiger keeper Kelly Boyd for the early lead.

“That goal was big for us,” said senior defender Jodie Zelenky. “It took a lot of pressure off of us. Coach Lougee talked about starting quickly, and that really allowed us to play our game. Natalie (Zelenky) was able to score a couple of goals, and we were able to get a lot of players in the game. This was the first time Mechanicsburg has ever won a game in the state tournament, so we are excited. I am sure Penn Manor is anxious to see us.”

The ‘Cats dominated the contest and set up Mateja for two more opportunities, but each shot was wide of the net.

On another offensive thrust, Matisse split the defense but was tripped up and awarded a penalty kick. She buried the kick for a 2-0 lead at the 24:38 mark.

The Wildcats scored two more goals in the half: Matisse took a dish from Holly Burgard, and Natalie Zelenky took a pass from older sister Jodie for a blast into the far corner and a 4-0 lead.

Northwestern Lehigh’s AA squad, which finished third in District 11, finally got on the board after Kathryn Hallingstad fielded a loose ball in the left corner of the field. She gathered herself and sent a cross toward the far post. It carried over the head of Wildcat keeper Shelby Koch and into the goal to cut the deficit to 4-1 with eight minutes left in the half.

Northwestern Lehigh started to carry the torch a bit and had a couple of opportunities but couldn’t beat Koch or the Wildcat defense.

Natalie Zelenky, the sophomore striker for the ‘Cats, took a quick pass from Autumn Peters to open the second half. She beat the keeper in a one-on-one situation just 40 seconds after the break.

Zelenky assisted on a Holly Burgard goal and then qualified for the highlight reel with her third goal. She fielded a ball on the left wing and beat her defender around the corner toward the net. She stopped while one defender went by her and then slowed down enough to force the keeper to make a choice. The keeper stayed upright, and Natalie slid the ball under her for the seventh goal. It gave the striker a hat trick.

Freshman Meghan Ross added the final goal for the Wildcats as she worked the ball through two defenders and beat the keeper.

“We played pretty well today,” said Wildcat coach Lougee. “We talked about getting a good start off of the bus, and Megan gave us that. We were able to get a lot of girls in the game. We gave up the goal, but that was as much me, as I changed some things around. Ali and Natalie worked well to create chances, and Jodie controlled the defense and kept everything calm. Holly (Burgard) just runs everywhere. She hasn’t stopped running since third grade.”

“We knew that Mechanicsburg was a phenomenal team with outstanding talent,” said Northwestern coach Kelly Bleam. “We were just beaten by a better team today. I am proud of the effort of our kids through the district tournament and today.”

Next up for Mechanicsburg: the quarterfinals on Saturday.

MANCHESTER – Ali Matisse is very confident in her team’s ability to play in overtime.

Yet when the senior midfielder had a chance to clinch Saturday’s win and avoid extra time, she took it – and sent the Mechanicsburg girls soccer team to the District 3 Class AAA semifinals.

Matisse scored on a blast from 20 yards out with 21 seconds remaining to give the Wildcats a 2-1 win over Dallastown in the District 3-AAA quarterfinals at Northeastern High School in York County.

“I thought we played incredibly well all game,” Mechanicsburg coach Tony Lougee said. “Their goalie is so good. She got a hand on that last one.”

Dallastown goalie Becca Austin, who stifled Mechanicsburg’s shooters in the second half, leaped and did get a hand on Matisse’s shot. But the ball went off her fingers and went in the net to send Mechanicsburg to the district semis for the first time in school history.

Matisse said she knew time was winding down, so when she found space, she just took a crack at it.

Dallastown struck first when Alaina Curry found Lauren Briggs in the Mechanicsburg box. As defenders tried to disrupt her, Briggs got a shot off that just went past Mechanicsburg goalie Shelby Koch 12 minutes into the game.

Six minutes later, Mechanicsburg answered on a similar play when Ally Powell fired a shot while being taken down by defenders. Austin dove but missed Powell’s shot, which tied the score at one.

As the first half went on, the physicality increased. Mechancisburg continued to battle but had few chances at the net.

Once the second half began, Mechanicsburg controlled play for the opening 15 minutes. The Wildcats’ Natalie Zelenky tried to find Holly Burgard on a cross, but the pass went just beyond Burgard and out of play. Shortly after, Powell raced down the side and fired a shot just wide of the net.

Midway through the second half, Dallastown started to counter and attack the Mechanicsburg net. Dallastown managed a two-on-one and ripped a shot, but Koch dove and caught it.

Dallastown lobbed the ball into the box amid traffic from both teams, but Koch jumped up to catch it and shut down the threat.

“They have some very good players, so you’re not going to keep them on the defensive all game,” Lougee said. “Shelby was very good tonight.”

Mechanicsburg regained control and had a few more opportunities late. Zelenky found herself alone with Austin inside the Dallastown box, but Austin saved Zelenky’s hard shot to stifle Mechancisburg again.

With time winding to a close and the game seemingly headed for overtime, Mechanicsburg crossed midfield and got the ball to Matisse, who blasted the game-winner to send her Wildcats to the district semis.

Mechanicsburg will play Manheim Township next. Lougee said Township is “a great team in a great league,” and confidence will be key in the game.

Matisse said Manheim Township is coming off a tough game with Hempfield, and she’s excited for the challenge with a district finals berth on the line.

The game will be Tuesday at 5:30 in Hersheypark Stadium.

Mechanicsburg’s girls soccer team survived the pregame rainstorms and posted a 4-1 first-round victory over Conrad Weiser in the District 3 Class AAA tournament Wednesday at Frederick Field in Memorial Park.

The victory moves the fifth-seeded Wildcats to the second round of the tournament on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at Northeastern, against the winner of tonight’s Dallastown vs. Governor Mifflin game. The win also guarantees the Wildcats at least two more contests this season. The top six teams in AAA move on to the PIAA Tournament. The losing teams in the Round of 8 will battle back through the consolation bracket to earn the final two spots in the PIAA field.

Mechanicsburg came out quickly Wednesday and had a couple of early chances. Ally Powell sent a corner kick through the crease that bounded around a bit, but no Wildcat was there to tap it home. Jodie Zelenky had a good rip from 35 yards that sailed just wide of the right corner of the cage.

Mechanicsburg finally capitalized on an Ali Matisse restart that sailed high and off the Conrad Weiser keeper’s hands and into the net for the early 1-0 lead.

Conrad Weiser had an opportunity on a restart by Kaila Doutrich. Her shot sailed into the box toward the far post, and Wildcat keeper Shelby Koch was in the right position to grab the ball.

The Wildcats added to their goal total when Holly Burgard picked up a loose ball, took two dribbles across the 18-yard line and ripped a shot that beat Jodie Elmer for the goal.

Natalie Zelenky scored early in the second half as she took a perfect through ball from Megan Mateja and fired a ball into the far corner for the three-goal margin.

Zelenky had been in a bit of a scoring slump over the past two games, so this goal was indeed a confidence booster. It also may have helped that older sister Jodie was playing up top with her. Jodie was moved up top from her normal defensive position to give her a different look. As a freshman four years ago, Jodie was one of the leading scorers in the mid-state area. She didn’t score Wednesday, but was a concern for the Scouts’ coach as another offensive weapon.

“They are a very nice team and they play the ball around real well, especially under pressure,” said Scout head coach Doug Miller. “We have struggled all year on turf. We just haven’t played well on turf. This team hasn’t quit all year – we have had to score late to get games into overtime, and we have won two big games in the second overtime period. The kids just kept working; we don’t have a lot of players, and we are a very young team.” The Scouts started nine underclassmen in the game.

Conrad Weiser scored 15 minutes into the second half to cut the margin to 3-1 as Allison Yoh ran onto a misplayed ball by the Wildcat defense and drilled a shot past Koch. Neither defender kicked the ball to clear it out of danger.

Ali Matisse had an opportunity to score, but her blast deflected off a Scout defender and bounced high into the air and was grabbed by Elmer as two Wildcats were going up to head the ball.

Natalie Zelenky added her second goal moments later. She ran onto a loose ball, and her blast startled Elmer and deflected off her hands on the near post and into the side netting for the score.

Doutrich, Emily Rumpf, Rachel Zerbe and Kristinn Davis formed the Scout defense that fronted keeper Elmer and kept the Wildcat offense at bay for long periods of time.

Autumn Peters had a couple of nice crosses for the Wildcats, and Meghan Ross did a nice job up top for the ‘Cats as well.

“It was nice to get that first goal early,” said Wildcat coach Tony Lougee. “We knocked the ball around pretty well, and we limited their opportunities on offense. Their goalie and center back were very good and really bottled up the middle of the field. I thought we let down a little bit after the third goal we scored. Overall, it was a nice effort and it certainly was nice to get out after a week off.”

The ‘Cats improve to 16-4 and the Scouts end their season at 12-5-1.

Mechanicsburg held senior recognition night for its five soccer seniors, and each played a significant role in the Wildcats’ dominating 3-0 victory over defending PIAA Class AAA champion Hershey at the Northside Soccer Pitch Saturday night.

The win brought the Wildcats even with Lower Dauphin at the top of the Keystone Division.

The victory also stretched the Wildcats’ current winning streak to eight games; they’ve won 12 of their last 13. Mechanicsburg and Lower Dauphin will square off Monday night at 7 p.m. at Hershey High School for the Keystone Division title and the right to play in the Mid-Penn Tournament against Trinity on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at COBO Field.

The five seniors – Jodie Zelenky, Ali Matisse, Megan Mateja, Rose White and Kristen Fisher – have been integral parts of the Wildcat family. Fisher, White and Zelenky have anchored the Wildcat defense for the past three seasons. Mateja and Matisse have been key parts of the Mechanicsburg attack over the past four years.

The Wildcats jumped on the Trojans right from the opening whistle and never let up. Mechanicsburg had a 14-3 edge in shots, and the Wildcats had five corners to two for the Trojans. The ball was in the Wildcats’ attack zone the majority of the game.

Mechanicsburg keeper Shelby Koch only had to face three shots; the toughest was in the final minute as she made diving save on a Fay Ansary rip. Hershey ace Molly Briggs had several good shots, but all sailed over the crossbar.

Mateja set up the first goal when she ripped a shot that was blocked by Hershey keeper Shannon Fedyk. Fedyk failed to corral the ball, and it trickled away. Sophomore sensation Natalie Zelenky was there to put the rebound away for the 1-0 lead just 13 minutes into the game.

Mechanicsburg (10-2 Keystone, 15-3 overall) added to its total 15 minutes later as Holly Burgard finished off a Natalie Zelenky cross that somehow tipped Mateja’s foot but didn’t change direction. Burgard had an easy finish.

Trailing by two goals, Hershey coach Jeff Rosensteel had to put some firepower forward, but the Wildcat defense stood strong to the challenge. Jodie Zelenky – who is headed to Virginia Tech for soccer next year – and Fisher and White continually frustrated the Hershey attack by stepping to balls, heading balls out of danger or just getting a foot on the ball to slow down the Trojans.

Matisse tallied the third goal as she crossed the 18-yard box with her left foot and ripped a shot past Fedyk. It caromed off the inside of the post and into the net.

Mateja added two assists during the game but had several good cracks at the goal.

“We played a solid 80 minutes of soccer tonight,” said Wildcat coach Tony Lougee. “I was really pleased with our intensity and our play. We are finally healthy and starting to play very well. Nicole Koons really played well tonight. From back to front, everybody did a nice job tonight.”

“We got off to a slow start this year,” said Matisse, who is headed to Pittsburgh to play next season. “We put forth good efforts but not complete games. We are starting to feel real confident in our game and putting it together. WE are a very tight group of players and get along really well.”

Jodie Zelenky and Matisse play on the Hershey Kickcats club team, so they are well aware of the talent level on the Hershey side of the field.

“We were very fortunate that Molly Briggs was a bit off shooting tonight,” said Zelenky. “We struggled early playing in a different alignment, but it made it kind of confusing to some of us. We went back to the old format in which we were comfortable, and we have really come together. Rose (White) and Kristen (Fisher) do a great job on defense, and we have been playing together back there for three seasons, so we are very comfortable with each other.

“We are ready for Monday night,” Matisse added. “This is what we have been working for – the Keystone title. We would like to see Trinity again. It was not one of our better games this year.”

Briggs was a factor for the Trojans on Saturday, just by being on the field, and Erica Ndlovu and Alyssa Voelmle did a solid job trying to defend and start the Hershey attack. Shannon Mulvey also created a couple of chances for her offense, which did not appear very often.

“We were just simply outplayed tonight,” said Rosensteel. “We didn’t have a lot of energy, and I am not sure why. They were the better team on the field tonight.”