MANCHESTER — Don’t blame the Lancaster-Lebanon League teams if they don’t wish to see Mechanicsburg any time soon. Mechanicsburg punched its ticket to the PIAA state tournament with its second consecutive shutout of an L-L team with a 1-0 win over Conestoga Valley Saturday at Northeastern High School.

The Wildcats beat Hempfield, 1-0, on Wednesday night. The win moves the Wildcats to the District 3 Class AAA semifinals for the second consecutive year. They will play fellow Mid-Penn neighbor Red Land, a 2-0 winner over Carlisle Saturday. The game will be Tuesday at a site and time to be determined. Conestoga Valley will take on Carlisle in the consolation round on Tuesday. The winner qualifies for the state tournament — the losers’ season is over.

The Wildcats controlled the play in the first half but couldn’t change the scoreboard despite two breakaways. Lady Bucks keeper Jessica Plunkett was able to fend off both chances, although the one was over the top of the net.

Conestoga Valley (19-2-1) came out in the second half and started to put some pressure on the Wildcats defense. Wildcat keeper Shelby Koch came up with two big plays as she raced out to cover a loose ball before Michaela Horst could touch it past her.

Mechanicsburg (16-5-1) had two good chances later in the second half but Ally Powell’s rip was deflected by the Bucks defense and Holly Burgard’s blast was tipped over the crossbar by Plunkett.

Finally, on a ball over the top of the defense, Natalie Zelenky was able to run onto to it behind the Lady Bucks defense. She took two dribbles and touched a ball past Plunkett. The keeper got her fingers on the shot but it rolled past her and glanced in off the goal post. The Wildcats needed to run out the clock which seemed to be in slow motion but they were able to finally run out the clock and celebrate.

“I don’t ever want this season to end,” Koch said. “I will play all summer if I have to. This team is a family and we seem to find a way every night. We have played so many people in front of me on defense due to injuries and illness. It was certainly nice to have Emma Mallets back in there now with Karli Luker. We really didn’t know what to expect at the beginning of the year but with Holly and Natalie, we knew we could score goals. I am just trying my best to keep the ball out of the net and give us a chance.”

“We just beat two quality programs from the L-L League in Hempfield and Conestoga Valley and shut them out,” Wildcat coach Tony Lougee said. “This team has battled all year and I thought that we played very well on defense tonight. We faced pressure but we didn’t face difficult pressure. They had the one shot that hit the outside of the goalpost but it was from outside. We had several chances — especially Holly’s rip and Powell’s rip that was deflected. We will celebrate and enjoy tonight but start getting ready for Red Land.”

Mechanicsburg earned its first trip to the Mid-Penn championship by edging Northern 3-2 in double overtime at John H. Frederick Field in Mechanicsburg Tuesday night.

The game was scheduled for the Northside Soccer Pitch, but heavy rains forced the game to the turf field at the park. Thursday night’s championship is scheduled for Northside on Thursday at 7 p.m., and the Wildcats will face Cumberland Valley, a 2-0 winner over Trinity.

Natalie Zelenky tallied all three goals for Mechanicsburg, including the game-winner with 7:48 left in the second overtime.

“This was a good game for us,” Zelenky said. “We get to play in the first Mid-Penn championship game as a team. We played better tonight than we did yesterday against Carlisle.“

The two teams played several weeks ago in the championship game of the Mechanicsburg Booster Club Tournament, with the Wildcats winning the game 4-1. Missing for the Polar Bears that day were top players Lauren Berry and Olivia Snare as well as goalkeeper Sarah Yunez, who were all injured.

This game was a bit different as all three played and were solid contributors to the Polar Bear cause.

“We really hoped we would get another chance at this team, especially after that Saturday,” Polar Bear coach Mindy Smith said. “ We really felt we could play with them if we had all of our parts. This was a great game between two good teams, and losing this way hurts. We gave (Zelenky) some space and you can’t give her space. She will make you pay and she did that.”

The first 15 minutes went back and forth with no dangerous scoring chances.

An innocent cross by Northern’s Shea Regan from the left wing bounded through the crease, but a Wildcat defender went to kick the ball and kicked it right into her own net. Brooke Sheibley was credited with the goal.

Mechanicsburg (14-4-1, 10-1-1 Keystone) started to add the pressure to the Bear defense. They earned two straight corner kicks but didn’t score. On the ensuing run back in on offense, Holly Burgard beat the defense and slid a ball across the crease. Zelenky one-timed the ball past Bear keeper Yunez for the score to tie the game.

Just minutes before halftime, a long ball came over the top and Lauren Berry beat Wildcat keeper Shelby Koch to the far corner for a 2-1 Bear lead.

The Burgard-Zelenky combination worked again early in the second half as Burgard slotted a ball through and Zelenky blasted the ball past Yunez to tie the contest at two.

At the 18-minute mark, Mechanicsburg had several opportunities to take the lead. Ally Powell sent in a corner kick, and Zelenky ripped a shot that hit Polar Bear Emma Gingrich on the right post. The ball deflected across and Burgard’s rip through traffic was somehow spotted and grabbed by Yunez for a fabulous save.

Zelenky had a key chance later in regulation, but her rip caromed off the goalpost.

Berry had a good chance in the first overtime as her rip was bobbled by Koch, but no one was there to follow up the shot and rebound.

Nicole Coons gave the Wildcats a chance, but her looper to Meghan Ross in the box was somehow gobbled up by Yunez.

In the second overtime, it was all Wildcats. Powell ripped a shot from about 25 that Yunez bobbled, but no one followed the shot. Zelenky had a rip from about 15 that bounded off the chest of Yunez, but again no one was there to tap home the rebound.

A minute later, Zelenky’s finish didn’t need any rebound to finish the contest. Hannah Mallets sent in a cross from the left wing, and Zelenky found the space, and her low shot beat Yunez to end the game.

“I have never scored a more important goal in high school,” saidd Zelenky, coming from a girl who is nearing 90 career goals with another season to play.

“I thought we played well in spurts,” Wildcat coach Tony Lougee said. “I thought the game would go in swings of momentum and we played well early and not so much in the second half. They played better in the first overtime, and we did what we had to do in the second overtime. Both teams played well on defense. Natalie is a special player and we also had several players step up to help with injuries and just to give people a breather. Meghan Ross used her speed and played well on the wing.”

Northern (15-4, 11-1 Colonial) will begin preparations for the upcoming District 3-AAA soccer tournament. Preliminary rounds start Monday at the site of the higher seed for teams seeded 13 through 20. First round games begin Wednesday at the site of the higher seeded team. Brackets should be released Thursday.

Burgard scored on an assist from Autumn Peters at 4:32, then Meghan Ross scored a pair of goals followed by a score from Zelenky, all within a three minute span starting at 30:23. The Cougars scored a pair shortly after halftime, but Nicole Coons and Tali Homick each scored for the 6-2 final. Kathryn Ruszkowski, Ally Powell and Zelenky each had one assist, and Hannah Mallets finished with two.

The Wildcats (13-2-1, 10-0 Keystone) will play in the Mid-Penn Tournament starting Tuesday.

Read more: http://cumberlink.com/sports/high-school/girls-soccer/girls-soccer-roundup-mechanicsburg-clinches-keystone-division-title/article_f00fa394-9400-11e1-b26e-001a4bcf887a.html#ixzz1tiHbXL64

For the full article, click here.

For photographs of the game, click here.

A year ago, Lower Dauphin won the Mid-Penn Keystone and made it to the semifinals of both the District 3-AAA and PIAA tournaments.

Many starters and role players returned this year, and after a 2-0 loss to Mechanicsburg Thursday at Northside Elementary that all but knocked the Falcons out of the division title hunt, they were understandably dejected.

That led to an extra-long postgame chat in the rain in which multiple players and all three LD coaches had something to say.

“I know they’re frustrated with this loss,” coach Nic Amici said. “I see the big picture, I think, a little better than they can. That’s why I wanted to try to keep their spirits up and keep our focus on our main goal, which is in the playoffs.”

On the other bench, the Wildcats took the victory in stride despite it essentially clinching the Keystone Division for them. Mechanicsburg would have to lose all three of its remaining games to not earn at least a share of the crown.

The Wildcats stand at 8-0-1 after nine league games, with each of their past seven contests being decided by two goals or fewer.

“This team has a level demeanor, for the most part,” Mechanicsburg coach Tony Lougee said. “They just kind of come and do their thing then go.

“We’re just focused on trying to play well, and when you add up the numbers at the end, it will work itself out.”

The Wildcats opened the scoring with the patented combination of Holly Burgard and Natalie Zelenky, who have teamed up for a number of scores already this season.

On this opportunity, Hannah Mallets found Burgard on the right side of the box, who slipped the ball in front of the net to a wide open Zelenky, who took one touch and put it in the back of the net with only 10 minutes gone.

LD would get only one shot on goal in the first half, with Mechanicsburg keeper Shelby Koch getting in front of some chances before they had an opportunity to become a shot.

The Wildcats put up an insurance goal quick in the second, as Mallets got another easy tap-in after a Zelenky cross.

The Falcons began upping the tempo not long after, rolling up another three shots on goal and a number of additional chances that went wide or were deflected.

“I think we just didn’t quite execute the way we wanted to tonight,” Amici said. “We had our chances, but we just couldn’t execute.”

The final 15 minutes was a flurry of action as LD held the ball in the offensive zone for much of the time, gathering five corners, but again couldn’t find the scoring touch.

Despite the workmanlike victory, the Wildcats still had something to work on.

“We’ve had some good results the last week or so, and we’ve been learning from a lot of different things. Tonight, I think we’ll learn about those last 10 or 15 minutes, whether it’s getting that third goal or at least matching their intensity.”

For the full article, click here.

MECHANICSBURG — The Mechanicsburg girls soccer team had a gameplan and executed it perfectly.

Natalie Zelenky had a goal and an assist, and the Wildcats moved a step closer to clinching the top spot in the Mid-Penn Keystone Division with a 2-0 victory over the Lower Dauphin Falcons on Thursday night at Northside Elementary School.

Hannah Mallets also scored for Mechanicsburg and goalkeeper Shelby Koch was outstanding in making seven saves as the Wildcats extended their unbeaten streak to 10 games.

“The girls have been playing well the last couple of weeks and I think they are fairly confident in one another,” Mechanicsburg coach Tony Lougee said. “They’re playing as a team and moving the ball pretty well.”

Holly Burgard added an assist for the Wildcats, who lead Lower Dauphin by three points heading into the final two weeks of the regular season. Mechanicsburg has three division games remaining compared to just two for the Falcons, meaning the defending Keystone Division champs are going to need some help if they wish to repeat.

Lower Dauphin coach Nic Amici said, “I thought we were a little bit unlucky tonight. Mechanicsburg is a good team, but we didn’t quite execute the way we wanted to. We had our chances, but a couple bounces didn’t go our way. I can’t blame the rain – it was slippery for both teams – but it didn’t help us either.”

The Falcons (11-5-0, 7-3-0 Keystone) had a two-game winning streak snapped in losing for the third time in five games. They were also shut out in recent losses to Bishop McDevitt and Cumberland Valley.

Amici said, “Obviously, we didn’t get the result we wanted tonight. But our goal is playoffs – we wanted to make it real interesting coming down the stretch, but we need to make sure we’re peaking at the right time. Everybody else in the division needs to help us out at this point – which I love – but it is what it is and we just have to focus on us.”

Zelenky needed only 10:31 to give Mechanicsburg a lead it wouldn’t relinquish, scoring her 12th goal of the season off a pretty cross from Burgard.

“Coach wanted us to come out and be assertive and let them know what we had,” Zelenky said. “We definitely did that, and I think that first goal really took some of the pressure off and gave us even more momentum.”

Any thoughts of a Lower Dauphin comeback were erased less than four minutes into the second half when Mallets took a pass from Zelenky and beat goalie Mackenzie Strubhar with a one-timer for her fifth goal.

Lougee said, “I was really pleased with the way we started both halves. Lower Dauphin was pressing pretty hard the last 15 minutes and I wish we would have responded. We had some chances, mind you, but I thought they were very dangerous and we needed to continue to play. We were composed, but maybe not as urgent as they were.”

After being outshot 6-2 over the first 55 minutes, the Falcons picked up their game, but they never solved Koch, who posted her fifth shutout of the year.

“I think Shelby is the unsung hero of this team both this year and last year,” Lougee said. “We’ve had a lot of great players and some good results, but she has just been so consistent for us.”

Strubhar stopped six shots for Lower Dauphin. Falcons’ leading-scorer Hunter Bracale (12 goals) took a pair of shots, but was held scoreless for only the seventh time in 16 games.

Mechanicsburg (11-1-1, 8-0-1) visits Hershey on Saturday at 10:00 a.m., while Lower Dauphin entertains the Trojans on Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.

Zelenky said, “We know that we have so much more to do, but this was a huge step – it keeps our momentum going and now we just have to keep it up.”

Notes: Mechanicsburg defender Karli Luker suffered a leg injury in the 27th minute and did not return … Lower Dauphin won the junior varsity game 1-0 behind a first-half goal from freshman Maddie Light.

For full article click here.

This week features two local athletes who have been much more consistent than mother nature has been recently. Our female Athlete of the Week, Natalie Zelenky, has been getting it done on soccer field while our male nominee, Ben Dunmire, has been red-hot on the baseball diamond.

Natalie Zelenky of Mechanicsburg is every soccer coach’s dream. She has contributed since her freshman season, and now as a junior has lead the Wildcats to a 10-1-1 record.

Last week Zelenky lead her team to two wins. She scored the game-winning goal against Susquehanna Township, followed by the game-winning goal in overtime against Hershey.

For the 2012 season the Junior has scored 13 goals and dished out 9 assists for the division leading Wildcats.

“Natalie is a playmaker,” Mechacnicsburg girls soccer coach Tony Lougee said. “She has the intangibles and finds a way to just make things happen. She has been nothing but consistent for us since her freshman season.”

For Natalie it’s not about the individual recognition.

“It’s exciting to score the game-winning goals, but I’m just happy I could help my team get two big wins,” she said. “It doesn’t matter who gets the credit just so we win.”

Winning is exactly what the Lady Wildcats do. Last year they became the first women’s team in school history to win their division.

Fast Five

Natalie Zelenky

Favorite Food: Ice Cream

Favorite Music: Zach Johnson & John Mayer

Interests/Hobbies: Student Council and Special Olympics

Accomplishment you’re most proud of: “Winning the division last year. We were the first girls team in school history to do so.”

Goals for this season: “An individual goal is to have more assists than I did last year. As a team our goal is to make it back to states.”

For the full article, click here.

For the full article, click here.

For photographs of the game, click here.

Mechanicsburg won the Mechanicsburg Booster Club Soccer Tournament Saturday at the Northside Soccer Pitch by edging Northern 4-1 in the finals.

Trinity beat Camp Hill 2-0 in the consolation game, while in the earlier games both were won by shut out. Mechanicsburg beat Camp Hill 7-0, while Northern shut out Trinity 4-0.

Mechanicsburg outscored two opponents 11-1 as both its offense and defense took charge.

Mechanicsburg (7-1-1, 4-0-1 Keystone) faced some early pressure from Northern in the championship game but finally found its game and kept the ball in the offensive end. Ally Powell ripped a shot from 25 that just missed the crossbar, and Northern’s Brooke Sheibley had a rip that just missed the near post.

Natalie Zelenky gave the ‘Cats the lead they would not relinquish. Her rip from near the right baseline somehow eluded Victoria Myers and snuck inside the near post.

The Wildcats extended their lead on an odd goal. Hannah Mallets sent in a cross that ended up in the back of the net. It appeared to go off a Northern defender, but Mallets was given credit for the goal.

Nicole Coons added a third goal as her rip from about 30 yards skipped into the net on the wet grass. Zelenky sent another through the box and Autumn Peters was on the far side to slide it into the net for the 4-0 lead.

Northern got a late goal from Dani Latham off a Shea Regan assist for the final score.

“I thought our kids played well considering who wasn’t in there for us,” Polar Bear coach Mindy Smith said. “I thought we gave up a couple of goals that weren’t good. Zelenky’s was from a bad angle and then the long cross that found the net and the last one was just a miscommunication among defenders. They fought hard and it will be nice to have several days off. We don’t play until Friday, so we get a chance to recuperate. I don’t know if I have ever been in a stranger game with so much adversity and I certainly hope I never see another game like today.”

Trinity shut down the Lion offense in the consolation game and got two goals from Micaela Oliverio to lead the Shamrock offense.

In the early game, the Wildcats didn’t allow a shot on goal against a disadvantaged Lions squad while six different players scored goals as Zelenky scored twice in less than five minutes early in the second half to break open the game.

The Wildcats knocked the ball around the field and were able to rest many of their players after the intermission and utilized some junior varsity players who got a chance to earn some varsity minutes and statistics. Bella Gelnett scored a goal and added an assist, while Elise Galinski tallied her first varsity goal and Samantha Powell earned an assist on Gelnett’s goal.

In the other early game, Northern was able to stifle the Trinity offense and get three early goals to hold off the ‘Rocks. Trinity, who was missing Trisha Clark due to a previous commitment, lost forward Sara Sajer to a possible concussion in a collision with Polar Bear Lauren Berry. Berry also suffered a possible concussion and needed stitches to close a cut on her head. Both players sat out the rest of the day, and Northern also lost goalkeeper Sara Yunez, who wasn’t able to play the later game against Mechanicsburg.

Berry scored the first goal and Brooke Sheibley added two other gaols for the Bears. Meghan Gallagher also scored for Northern.

Northern (7-3, 5-1 Colonial) controlled the first half and Trinity was able to put some pressure on in the second half behind Maggie McLaughlin, Micaela Oliverio and Addy Fitzgerald. They didn’t score but did put some pressure on the Polar Bears backup keeper Victoria Myers. Northern got good efforts from the Sheibleys – Brooke and Taylor – as well as Brandi Hoke and Mickenzie Snyder.

Each team was missing key players so it was a question of who had the supporting cast to step up. Zelenky scored three goals and Coons added two for the Wildcats as their supporting cast was able to step up the most.

“We played pretty well today,” Wildcat coach Tony Lougee said. “I thought our defense played very well — Emma Mallets, Katelyn Bohn, Karli Luker, Hannah Jones, and Amanda Crecelius, and Shelby Koch running the show. I also thought Nicole Coons and Ally Powell played very well in the center of the field — replacing Holly Burgard, who sat out with an injury. Holly is our engine and they stepped up to do the job tonight.”

All four teams return to action this week. Trinity travels to West Perry for a Monday clash, while Mechanicsburg hosts Middletown Tuesday and Camp Hill (2-5-1, 2-2 Capital) hosts Waynesboro Monday night. Northern has off until it hosts Greencastle-Antrim Friday night.

Trinity (7-2, 5-0 Capital) had four players named to the all-tournament team — Micaela Oliverio, Maggie McLaughlin, Ali Basom and Hannah Stiles. The representatives form Camp Hill included Julia Gartman, Jana Powars, Katy Watt, and Carly Schaefer. Northern’s included Brandi Hoke, Brooke and Taylor Sheibley and Mickenzie Snyder, while the Wildcat players included Natalie Zelenky, Nicole Coons, Katelyn Bohn and Shelby Koch.

For the full article, click here.

PALMYRA – When you’re facing talented players, all it takes is the smallest of openings for them to make you pay.

Palmyra closed those gaps as quick as they opened for 93 minutes against Mechancisburg Tuesday night at a blustery Buck Swank Stadium, but the combination of Holly Burgard and Natalie Zelenky finally broke through in the second overtime.

Burgard found Zelenky with a step on her defender, getting her the ball and then getting it back in just enough time to beat the Cougar goalkeeper, skipping a shot into the right corner of the net to send the Wildcats home 1-0 winners.

“Defensively, [Palmyra] just did a great job, and we weren’t able to combine and solve a lot of things,” Mechanicsburg coach Tony Lougee said. “We were looking for something like we got at the end all night, but they just did a good job of clogging it up.

“But they’re both just such good players, it’s hard to do that for 80, 90, 100 minutes.”

The win kept the Wildcats undefeated atop the Mid-Penn Keystone while Palmyra fell to 3-2 in league play.

The Cougars have been playing extremely well though, especially with key injuries to defenders Taylor Trusky and Kirsten Good and forward Beth Harvey. Their only other division loss came to co-leader Bishop McDevitt and their sole nonconference loss was a 1-0 setback to undefeated Carlisle.

Against the Wildcats, the backline of Callie Good, Kristen Smoluk, Katelyn Koser and Tabitha Fake allowed only four shots on goal, while counterattacks provided numerous chances for the Cougar offense.

Forward Maddie Good got her head on a trio of corners or throw-ins from Callie Good and had a breakaway opportunity with only 13 minutes left in regulation that was thwarted — like many other Palmyra chances — by the excellent work of Shelby Koch in the Mechanicsburg net.

“Mechancisburg we knew was going to be a tough team to beat the way they’re playing,” Palmyra coach Brian Stanilla said. “The girls did everything we asked of them, we just couldn’t find the back of the net. They shut down Maddie real well, and we couldn’t get anything else going.”

For the full article, click here.

HUMMELSTOWN — The final two unbeaten teams in the Keystone Division tangled at Lower Dauphin Thursday night, and the Mechanicsburg Wildcats parlayed two early goals from Natalie Zelenky to a 2-1 victory.

Lower Dauphin (4-2, 3-1 Keystone) controlled the second half and had the Wildcats on their heels on the defensive end, but goalkeeper Shelby Koch was there to bail the ‘Cats out time after time.

Mechanicsburg (3-1, 3-0 Keystone) had the first chance as Holly Burgard found Zelenky, but her rip was deflected and corralled by Lower Dauphin keeper MacKenzie Strubhar.

On the counter attack, the Falcons got a shot from Hunter Bracale, but it was scooped up by Koch to keep the game scoreless.

Mechanicsburg tallied its first goal as Burgard again found Zelenky, and her shot was behind Strubhar and bounced off her hands into the net.

Lower Dauphin got the equalizer moments later on a miscommunication among the Wildcat defense and Koch. It was the only mistake they made all evening. Rhiannon Miller benefitted from the easy goal as the Wildcat defense was shielding the defense and waiting for Koch to pick up the ball and at the last minute tried to kick the ball as Koch reached for it. It bounced behind the defense and Miller was the first on the ball with an open net.

The Wildcats took the lead again on a bounce that went right for the Wildcats but wrong for the Falcons. Burgard sent a through-ball toward the crease. It was deflected by the Falcon defense to Nicole Koons. Her shot attempt was blocked, but it rolled right to Zelenky who didn’t miss the net for the eventual game-winner.

Both teams tried to play long through-balls which forced the keepers to either guess right and come out quickly or get caught in no-man’s land where they were beaten.

The Falcons’ key chance was a header by Bracale with just under five minutes left in the first half and Mechanicsburg’s Amanda Crecelius behind Koch. Crecelius headed it away to clear the shot. This was only Crecelius’ second game as she missed the first couple due to an injury. The freshman didn’t seem fazed by the Falcons’ attack. She bit the turf a few times as she challenged players, but she got right back up to take the next one on.

The Wildcat defense, led by Karli Luker, Emma Mallets, Naseem Zomorodi and Crecelius, just stepped up and challenged every ball the Falcons tried to play to their leading-scorer Bracale. She had two shots in the game, but both were from long range. The Falcons took numerous shots from long range looking for Koch to bobble something. The sure-handed Koch handled every shot and cross in the final 40 minutes of play.

The Wildcat midfield of Ally Powell, Autumn Peters and Coons did a great job of gathering loose balls, intercepting passes or getting a foot on attempted passes to disrupt the Falcon attack. They proceeded to get the ball up top to Zelenky and Burgard.

“This win was huge for us,” Burgard said. “We needed this win with the five games we have next week and getting another division win. Our defense was on tonight. Amanda Crecelius headed that ball off the goal line and then got behind Koch to clear another ball out. We have five games next week so we need to be ready.”

The Falcon defense, led by Danielle Savage, shut down the potent Wildcat offense after the first 20 minutes. Zelenky did get another chance, but her rip was just wide left of the net.

“This was a great team effort,” Wildcat coach Tony Lougee said. “Our defense came up with play after play and did a nice job of challenging them tonight. The goal was unfortunate as the game should have been 2-0. This win is big for us to get ready for next week. Our mids did a real good job tonight of controlling the midfield.”

“This was a good high school soccer game tonight,” Falcon coach Nic Amici said. “Tonight the ball didn’t bounce our way. A ball off the knee, a different direction or two and it might have been a different game. My kids played very well and Mechanicsburg played better tonight as they finished two opportunities and we didn’t. We look forward to playing them again.”

Mechanicsburg returns to action Tuesday at Palmyra. It will also host their annual Booster Club Tournament next weekend. The other teams are Northern, Trinity and Camp Hill.