Photos/Videos: Marc Narducci, Donna Eckert & Zack Beavers
BY: MARC NARDUCCI
They were clearly the two best girls’ soccer teams in the regular season, and they played the most exciting game then. Now they will be meeting for the Catholic League championship.
Defending champion Archbishop Wood, the No. 1 seed, will meet second seeded Lansdale Catholic in Saturday’s 1 pm. Championship at the Northeast Supersite.
Wood was 8-0 in the regular season, while Lansdale Catholic was 7-1.
These two played a classic in the regular season with host Archbishop Wood earning a 1-0 win, securing the victory on Ava DeGeorge’s goal with 38 seconds left in regulation.
Both teams were spent after that game, having left everything on the field and the intensity will likely be intensified for the championship matchup.
Each owned impressive shutouts in Tuesday’s semifinals at Cardinal O’Hara.
Here is a look at the semifinals.
Lansdale Catholic 3, Archbishop Ryan 0
Megan Steinbach is pure lightening.
The Lansdale Catholic senior forward-midfielder plays with such explosion.
She has a quick burst, an arsenal of moves to break down defenders, and oh can she strike a ball. And like all accomplished finishers, she has a serious nose for the goal.
All the skills were readily on display in the semifinal 3-0 semifinal win over Archbishop Ryan as Steinbach stepped up in yet another big moment.
She scored two goals and hit the post on another blast to lead the Crusaders to victory.
Both teams were threatening in the first half, but neither could cash in until Steinbach opened the scoring with a 25-yard rocket that dipped inside the near post.
The accuracy, the velocity and the ferocity were all on display.
That broke the ice with 15:37 left in the first half and neither team was the same after that.
“We definitely were tense and it kind of showed on the field a little, but after that first goal I think it brought momentum and some rhythm to our team and our game and just showed who we are when we are playing,” Steinbach said.
Steinbach was right. After that goal, Lansdale Catholic settled down. The Crusaders scored another goal a few minutes later when Delaney King, from the right side near the corner flag, curled a shot inside the far post.
Lansdale Catholic vs. Archbishop Ryan - PSD Semifinal Highlights by Zack Beavers
Lansdale Catholic vs. Archbishop Ryan - PSD Semifinal Gallery by Donna Eckert
The angle and degree of difficulty were high. The execution couldn’t have been better.
Early in the second half, Steinbach tried to top King’s degree of difficulty. Shooting at a angle from the right side near the end line, Steinbach sent it inside the far post, for the game’s final goal.
If there was any thought of a Ryan comeback, it ended on that shot.
Shots like that third goal seemed a little impossible until one realizes how much Steinbach works at shooting at all angles.
“Nobody works harder than Megan, she is out there training every day, she is there after practice for another hour striking the ball,” said Lansdale Catholic coach Bree Benedict. “You know what makes her special with her size is she is almost like a (Lionel) Messi and can sneak through tight little spaces and defenders aren’t ready for it.”
A Rhode Island commit, Steinbach drives fear through any opposing defender. Even her own teammates don’t relish facing her in practice.
“I cannot defend her in practice, to be honest,” said ace Lansdale Catholic center back Liv Boccella laughing. “She is awesome.”
Boccella may have trouble stopping her friend in practice, but she’s pretty good at shutting down virtually everybody else.
Against Archbishop Ryan, Boccella was a tower of defensive strength along with fellow center back Casey Sabolsky.
Megan Steinbach talks about her two goals - PSD video by Marc Narducci
Megan Steinbach is so proud of her team, especially her senior class, on making it to the PCL championship - PSD Video by Zack Beavers
After being eliminated in last year’s semifinals, the Crusaders are off to the championship.
Besides her obvious skill, Steinbach has a toughness that adds to her impressive soccer profile. She is marked so tightly and often is the recipient of hard fouls, something that comes with the territory for all accomplished finishers.
Yet in the second half against Ryan, there was major concern when Steinbach was fouled and fell face-first to the ground.
She lay in pain, eventually left the game, but then returned to action later in the half.
“I hit the side of my head and needed a minute to regroup,” she said.
There was a sense of relief when she was able to return to the game.
Now she is hoping her final Catholic League game will be a memorable one.
“It’s so exciting to be in the championship game,” she said.
Sort of the excitement soccer fans experience when Steinbach is showcasing her skills. Not so exciting, however, for any opponents of Lansdale Catholic.
Archbishop Wood 3, Conwell-Egan 0
This was one scoreless at halftime against Conwell-Egan, but Archbishop Wood coach Tom DeGeorge said it only made his team that much more determined.
“I thought we could have easily been up 2 or 3-0,” DeGeorge said. “We had our opportunities, and I told the girls to be patient, our time was going to come.”
DeGeorge proved to be prophetic, although the Vikings had to overcome some adversity when a second goal was called back early in the second half.
Senior Daryn Savage hit a rocket, but the officials ruled it was an indirect kick and only Savage touched the ball.
Savage was apparently upset to have her goal taken away, so she took things into her own hands. Actually, it was her head.
A Bloomsburg commit and one of the area’s top defenders, Savage headed a corner kick from junior Ava DeGeorge for the game’s first goal in the 3-0 win.
Then DeGeorge fired a shot from about 20 yards out to make it 2-0 and she later scored on a penalty kick for the final outcome.
No surprise that two of the league’s top players, Savage and DeGeorge, took turns in starring roles.
They were a big part of last year’s Catholic League championship. Even though is this a relatively young Wood team, the fact that there are veterans who were major contributors to last year’s PCL championship, is definitely an advantage for the Vikings.
Archbishop Wood vs. Conwell-Egan - PSD Semifinal Highlights by Zack Beavers
Archbishop Wood vs. Conwell-Egan - PSD Semifinal Gallery by Donna Eckert
Wood junior Ava DeGeorge said that the championship is going to come down to "who wants it more" being that two talented squads will be competing for the title - PSD video by Zack Beavers
“I think you need to be in those environments if you want to continue to win,” said DeGeorge, whose team beat Conwell-Egan, 2-0 Oct. 13 on a rainy day. “The ones that keep going have something special and that is what we are trying to create at Archbishop Wood.”