In 2018, LV girls were looking to take a step forward for the 4th straight year. As strong as they were in 2017, that step forward was hoping to lead to bigger and better things, some the likes of which they never achieved before.

Unfortunately, it was a year when seemingly anything that could wrong did and had an early end to their season, falling well short of the playoffs. On top of that, LV had an 11 player senior class which included 9 starters and all 11 letter winners. The 2019 version of LV girls soccer returns just 2 starters and 4 letter winners, the least experienced crew in the history of the program.

So, going to be another long year right? Not necessarily....

Hannah Long and Olivia Anto, the two returning starters, are primed and ready to be the leaders on the field with this great new crop of athletes. There's a renewed sense of passion and enthusiasm that you simply have to see to believe! Not that you wouldn't witness this in years past but it's a whole new level of focus, passion, connectedness, and toughness have the been the halmark of the girls throughout the offseason and into the first week of mandatory practices. 

This year's crew is already embracing the underdog role and wearing it like a badge of honor. In addition to Anto and Long, seniors Merril Neiderhiser, Katie Lawson, and Lindsay Kenyon have stepped to the forefront along with juniors Tatum Hoffman, Carol Woods, Zoe Ferry, and host of others. 

Realistically everyone knows they've got a lot of work and a tough road ahead but the spirit of this group is contagious and Coach V and his staff certainly won't bet against this group surprising a lot of people!

Here are some of the better moments from the past few years of LV girls soccer...

                    Ever since the playoff draw was released a lot of questions were about in the LV soccer family regarding the Central Martinsburg Dragons. Just how good were they? Were they 15-2-1 cause of a weak conference? Were they going to be dominant? Did they have a weakness LV could exploit? 

                    Well, it took maybe 15 seconds to soundly answer all those questions about Central. They are just GOOD, nothing soft, not cause of poor competition, they are a good team. Many teams in LV's position would have wilted and gotten blown out. Several LV girls playoff teams in years past have done just that (in 2003 and 2010, LV lost 2nd round playoff games 7-0, and 8-0 after first round playoff wins). This year's LV girls soccer team can hold their heads high as they fought and battled to the bitter end, they scrapped and clawed and kept themselves in the game for 80 minutes and a goal by star forward Ashley Negley in the 78th minute was the difference in a 1-0 defeat for LV in the district quarterfinals. 

                    For the first 10 minutes of the game, the ball didn't cross onto LV's offensive side of midfield. Slowly but surely, they started to gain a bit of possession, things started to open up a bit and they created a few chances. However, Central read a scouting report (or at least a box score) and had 2-3 girls targeting Mia Lynn all night long. Coach V and the LV offense tried many different strategies to generate offense; moving Lynn wider, moving her back to midfield with several other girls trying to the play the striker position, trying longer balls into space to outrun the competition. While all seemed to help a little and open things up a little, Central simply had a defense that wouldn't crack. Against strong teams this year, LV lived on generating offense on the counter attack which almost always involves capitalizing on a defensive mistake and Central quite simply didn't make any!

                     Throughout the 2nd half it was much of the same, 2/3 to 3/4 of the time LV spent defending but were relentless in their pursuits and through teamwork, heart, some lucky bounces, and inspired goalkeeping play, it stayed 0-0. Negley, the star for Central, finally cracked the scoring with 2.5 minutes to play. A late charge by LV with a minute to play resulted in a Rachel Caldwell shot falling just wide.

                    Caldwell played a great playoff game for LV, really cementing herself as one of the more improved girls on the team. The midfielders played their hearts out again led by Lindsey Stormer and Rachel Adams. The LV defensive unit was amazing; Hannah Long, Izzy Saloom, Morgan Glista, and Abby Frey proved again to be one of the best defensive units Coach V has ever been lucky enough to coach. Mikayla Homyak gave a champions effort in her final performance and keeper Lexie Petrof put on a show; she played her best game in her final performance and everyone on LV knew they loved their chances if the game went to a shootout with Lexie on their side.

                 The girls can certainly take heart in knowing they had a great year. The girls now have gone from 6-12 and out of the playoffs in 2015 to 8-10 and an early first round exit in 2016, to 8-5-5 in 2017 with a first playoff win in 7 years and a near upset in the 2nd round of the playoffs. 

                  Last year they finished 0-10 vs teams with winning records. This year vs teams with winning records they got two wins each vs Forest Hills and West Branch, beat Indiana in a pk shootout to win their tournament, tied North Star twice, tied Berlin once, and although they had a losing record, the most impressive result still may have been a 1-1 tie vs traditional AAAA WPIAL power Hempfield.

                Seniors Emma Ferlan, Lexie Petrof, Rachel Adams, and Mikayla Homyak were great leaders and wonderful role models for this program- leaving a legacy that won't soon be forgotten. That being said, there is a LOT of talent returning. LV returns  8 starters and 14 letter winners; their top 2 goal scorers in Lynn and Olivia Anto and their entire defensive backline that were so important in the playoffs. 

                           The LV girls were in a no lose situation Monday night. They had already qualified for the post-season after a hard fought win at Forest  Hills Thursday night. A slip up against United in their last home game ruled out the pressure of playing to go undefeated at home. And, most importantly, they were playing Hempfield! Hempfield Area is one of the biggest schools in the state. There's  a reason playoffs in high school have different classes and it's because school's like Ligonier aren't supposed to play even with schools the size of Hempfield. Well, Monday night, playing lose and with the no pressure, nothing to lose, attitude, the LV girls had one of the more impressive results in their program's history as they battled to a 1-1 draw with the Spartans after 2 overtimes.

                             Early on, and for much of the game, LV girls played defense. Well Hempfield didn't have a ton of wins in their very tough sections of schools their size, they were a great team with all girls who play soccer year round and LV knew they had a challenge ahead of them. All thru the first half LV defense was up for said challenge and kept them off the scoreboard. 10 minutes into the first half, on a counter attack, Mikayla Homyak played a great thru ball to Mia Lynn who surprised the Hempfield goalie and scored to make it 1-0 LV. Late in the half, Lynn nearly it again, this time from a Lindsey Stormer thru ball, only to hit the post.

                            A relentless Hempfield battled back even harder all throughout the 2nd half. Finally, with 5 minutes to play, Hempfield scored the goal schools like Hempfield score- a beautiful corner with a beautiful header and LV was left tied 1-1 heading into overtime. Both sides had chances in overtime but no more goals would be scored and LV would very much "win" a 1-1 tie. The LV defense was once again fantastic led by Izzy Saloom, Abby Frey, Hannah Long, and Morgan Glista.

                        In the history of LV girls soccer, this was their 12th game against a school in Hempfield's classification size (6A now, used to be 4A before 2015) and the first time they got any kind of result, they had previously been 0-11 with 9/11 previous games being shutout losses. 

                        Mia Lynn's goal was her 8th straight game on the scoreboard which is the 2nd most all time in LV girls history, trailing only Maddy Grimm in 2012 who scored in 12 straight games.

                          This is a rough week for LV as they turn around and play again this evening with a 7:00 affair vs United and, yet again, Wednesday with a 5:30 game vs North Star. Playoffs will start next week and brackets released by the end of this week.

          Historically, Forest Hills Stadium has not been kind to LV Girls Soccer. Before last night, they were 0-4 in 4 previous played on this field.  In 2010, 2011, and 2012 this was the stadium that ended their season. In 2010 and 2011 they lost playoff games to Forest Hills (6-0 and 7-0 respectively) to end their playoff runs. In 2012, the best LV girls regular season team ever, they played Somerset at Forest Hills stadium in the playoffs and lost a heartbreaking 5-4 game on a goal in the final minute of play. Finally, in 2015, a senior laden LV girls squad with high expectations were officially eliminated from even making the playoffs after losing a heartbreaking 2-1 game at Forest Hills.

               Needless to say, they were due for some success on the field. Thursday night, success is what they found. After falling behind 1-0, they battled back for an exciting 2-1 win that guaranteed they'd be back in the playoffs for the 2nd straight year.

                  Forest Hills entered the game having won 6 of 7 games and 3 in a row after a slow start to the year. If the playoffs began yesterday, LV girls would have faced Forest Hills so it was a good barometer for both teams.

                  After a lengthy senior night ceremony, Forest Hills came out flying ready to win on their home field on their senior night. An early Forest Hills goal was scored by their superstar Kourtney Walls. Walls entered the game on quite a run. She scored 10 goals in their teams last two wins including 6 in a game Wednesday night to set their school record. Well, after scoring goal number 1, she would be held off the scoreboard the rest of the game thanks in large part to LV defender Abby Frey who combined with Izzy Saloom, Hannah Long, and Morgan Glista to completely shut down what had been a high scoring Forest Hill attack after that first early goal.

                 While the halftime score was 1-0 Forest Hills, momentum had already shifted in LV's favor as they controlled much of the end of the first half. In the second, LV showed right away they were not going to let the ghosts of the past haunt them on this field tonight. Mia Lynn scored her team leading 11th goal of the year to tie the score just 4 minutes into the half. Lynn's goal was thanks in large part to Rachel Caldwell who did a great job beating a defender and playing a great cross to Lynn. As LV continued to dominate, another well-deserved emerged with 20 minutes to play. Hannah Long took a free kick for LV and, after the ball came out of the crowd, senior captain Mikayla Homyak buried the ball in the back of the net for a 2-1 advantage. The final 20 minutes were intense but LV never broke down and they sealed a great victory.

             After the Fort Ligonier Days weekend off, LV is back at it next week with games Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday to help sure up a playoff seed before Thursday's deadline.

           Monday night LV squared off against the West Branch Warriors. While furthest away in distance, this had been the team that had been the closest with LV throughout the early part of the season. Both teams came into the game with 5-7 records and the first game ended with LV winning in overtime. As LV squared off for senior night they hoped to stay out on top and secretly rooted that a senior would play a major role. Both would come true as senior Emma Frey would score the game winning goal in a 2-1 win.

               LV started off a bit slow but got rolling about midway thru the first half- leading to taking a 1-0 lead with 19 minutes left. Mia Lynn played a great drop pass to Rachel Adams and Adams scored her first goal off the year. 

              The second half LV started to dominate play. Lynn, Mikayla Homyak, Lindsey Stormer, and Olivia Anto created many chances but just couldn't score. The goal LV needed came when Emma Frey crashed the back post and chested in a cross from Homyak that put LV up 2-0. Midway thru the second half, West Branch got on the scoreboard when a long shot on a deflection slipped past keeper Lexie Petrof and it was 2-1. LV just couldn't break thru the Warrior defense. Late in the game LV nearly blew a 2-0 lead but Petrof made 2 great saves to seal the win. 

              It's been quite a 10 day period for Frey who's not won the title of Miss Ligonier, homecoming queen, and scored the game winning goal on senior night- all since October 1st!

               At 6-7, LV plays at Saltsburg tonight looking to even their record and set up a playoff run.

   18 LV girls spent the day Saturday fighting through the rain drops of the Conemaugh Township annual JV/Underclassmen tourney. When it was all said and done, LV would take home their 2nd trophy in as many years: this one unfortunately just a runner up trophy as they would lose to Bedford in the finals.

              There were 2 teams competing today. "Team Cassler" fought hard thru 3 games but was unable to record a win against Bedford, North Star, and Conemaugh Township. Sophomore Coralyne Devane had a great day in defeat- scoring her first 3 goals!! Also playing well for Team Cassler in defeat were Madison Beatty and Jane Garver.

                Team Daugherty had a much stronger showing. They opened the tourney defeating Bishop Carroll 4-3. Olivia Anto scored 3 goals while Merril Neiderhiser won the game- breaking a 3-3 tie with her first ever goal late in the second half. In game two, the girls cruised to a win over Central Cambria with Anto scoring twice and Rachel Caldwell scoring twice. In their 3rd pool play game, the girls beat Garrett County 5-3 with Anto scoring 2, Caldwell scoring 2, and Neiderhiser scoring 1. In the championship game, LV fell behind 2-0 quickly before Anto closed the gap making it 2-1. In the end, Bedford was just too strong as they would cruise to a 5-1 win. Izzy Saloom and Becca Chattaway played great defense all day for LV. Other members of the runners up included goalie Anna Walker, midfielder Marissa Tunstall, defender Julia Mason, and forward Greta Bergman who left after the first game with an injury.

                        The LV girls underclassmen headed to Davidsville Saturday for the Conemaugh Township annual JV Tournament, open to any and all underclassmen and any seniors who do not start. LV's team of 13 girls when it was all said and done emerged as the tourney champs, taking home the first place trophy with a win over Bedford in the final.

                     The girls started the day playing Bedford and would fall to a 2-0 score. LV had their chances but just couldn't get the better of a strong Bedford squad and two breakdowns were the difference as Bedford would score twice for the win.

                    LV next faced the host Indians of Conemaugh Township. LV jumped out to a 3-0 first half lead. Marissa Tunstall would score first giving LV a 1-0 lead. Mia Lynn scored the next two goals, both assisted by Rachel Adams and LV was ahead 3-0 at the half. CT got one goal back in the second half but it wasn't enough as LV would hold on for a 3-1 win.

                  LV's final preliminary game was against North Star. LV really came out hitting all cylinders in this game as they were dominant in the first half, cruising to a 5-0 halftime lead. Mia Lynn had the "hat trick" just in the first half with Rachel Adams and Mikayla Homyak assisiting on Lynn's goals. Homyak and Adams each would get on the scoreboard themselves to round out the 5 goals. The second LV sat Lynn completly and several others sat a bulk of the half and LV would hold on for a 5-0 victory, sealing their spot in the championship game.

              In the final, LV had a return bout with Bedford. The first half was very evenly played, if anything LV had the better of play, but they went into the half tied 0-0. In the second half, LV's fresh legs by having 13 girls who subbed in and out all day seemed to make a difference and they were dominant leading to Rachel Adams scoring the tournament winning goal half thru the half. Lynn had many near misses herself throughout the day. Morgan Glista, Lindsey Stormer, and Abby Frey were fantastic all day long for the LV girls as was goalkeeper Lexie Petrof. Other members of the tournament winning team included Gabby Jablonski, Nicole Carney, Emma Frey, and Sadie Hockenberry, and Rachel Caldwell.

              For the second year in a row, the LV girls soccer team was a very active participant in this Saturday's Miracles From Maggie 5K to benefit Pediatric Cancer. Last year the girls had a very impressive 10 team members and 3 coaches show up to run the race. This year, they truly outdid themselves. 23/28 LV girls showed up to run the 5K on Saturday with many of them bringing family to join in the support of such a great cause. The boys team was equally impressive with 23 representatives themselves making the LV Soccer 5K team far and away the biggest team in the race!

                LV girls were well represented on the podium as well, sweeping the Female 16-19 age division. Madie Glista finished 3rd in the age group, Jessica Anto finished 2nd, and sophomore Emma Frey was the fastest of all the soccer girls, winning the age group with a time of 25:40. Coach V ended up on the podium as well finishing 3rd in his age group (although he was admittedly pretty lucky there were only 5 people in his age group unlike the girls who had many many other competitors they had to beat!). Many of the boys soccer players were on the podium as well. Truly a great day for LV soccer!

This weekend was the 5th annual Ligonier Valley fall soccer tournament. For the very first time, one of the varsity trophies stayed home as the Ligonier girls came out on top. 

Friday the LV girls played Indiana. A close first half saw LV behind 1-0. Molly Horrell had several near misses for LV, including hitting the post wice, but couldn't convert.

LV knotted the game at 1 early in the second half when Anny Adams made a great play to put in a rebound off a Mia Lynn shot to make it 1-1. An intense, physical final 30 mins of play followed which saw Lexie Petrof make numerous game saving stops to keep LV in the game. LV girls were great to keep their cool even though the atmosphere was heated.  Finally with 5 to mins to to play LV was awarded a penalty kick when Horrell was hauled down on a breakaway. Madie Glista calmly converted to give LV the 2-1 lead. The drama wasn't over as Madies little sister, freshman Morgan Glista had to clear a ball off the goal line that had gotten past Petrof with just over a minute left. Emma Ryan, Lindsey Stormer, and Abby Frey all gave great minutes for LV in addition to the girls already mentioned.

The 2-1 LV victory was the first game in the varsity girls tournament. Saturday morning Burrell defeated Saltsburg 9-0. Indiana bounced back Saturday at noon to beat Burrell 3-0 meaning all LV had to do was beat Saltsburg to guarantee a tournament victory. 

In their second game of the tournament, LV used all 28 girls equally and scored early and often en route to an 11-0 tournament clinching victory. Molly Horrell, Rachel Caldwell, and Mia Lynn all scored twice. Single goals were scored by Madie Glista, Madee Lillicotch, Nicole Carney, Emma Ryan, and Emma Frey. Rachel Adams and Anna Walker combined for the shutout in goal for LV.

The JV girls would fall to Indiana 1-0 and Burrell 7-0.

No rest for the weary as the girls still play twice more before the season is over. The girls travel to Berlin Monday 10/19 for a 4:00 start before hosting United on Tuesday 10/20. 

                          Everyone had high expectations but nobody expected this! Thursday afternoon LV girls proved to themselves and anyone in attendance exactly how good they can be when they put a complete game together. A textbook example of playing the full 80 minutes and playing together as a team led to a shockingly easy 5-1 win over a very strong Berlin team. In 12 previous trips to Berlin, LV stood at 2-9-1 with only 1 win the last 8 years at Berlin (2012)

                      Jessica Anto got the scoring started for LV in the 8th minute when she would finish a Zoe Bergman assist to give LV the early lead. The game was back and forth for the next 20 minutes or so. LV had the better possession but Berlin were not without their chances as well. In the 25th minute, Molly Horrell scored a nice goal making a wide run forward off a Madie Glista assist to give LV a 2-0 lead which they would take into the half.

                    LV was expecting a fierce Berlin coming out in the second half and they got it but....they were even better. Rachel Adams got on the scoreboard in the 2nd minute of the 2nd half with an unassisted goal to give LV a 3-0 lead. Adams was at it again 10 minutes later finishing an Emily Long assist with a great shot into the far corner to give LV a 4-0 lead and, essentially seal the game. Anto would score the 5th goal with 20 minutes left off a nice assist from Emma Ryan to make it 5-0. Even though Berlin was able to get on the scoreboard with 7 minutes left, it did nothing to take away from an incredible win. Long led the way with 32 dispossessions followed close behind by Nicole Cramer and Emily Bucklen with 25 each. Long also led the way with 30 passes followed by Jenna Deem with 24 and Jessica Anto with 21.  Helene Bloom made 8 saves in the win.

                  Now standing at 4-2, LV is off until Tuesday when they will face conference foe Saltsburg at home.

15 LV girls soccer players and coaches,some of their families, and 10 LV boys soccer players and coaches took time off from the soccer field and entered the trail running course at Antiochian Village Saturday morning to support a cause very close to some LV soccer families: Miracles From Maggie (http://www.miraclesfrommaggie.org) .

           When it was all said and done, Sophomore Molly Horrell won her age group (girls 15-19) as did Coach Gula (male 20-24)- both with very impressive times. Also on the "podium" were Coach V- placing second in his age group (male 35-39) and sophomore Madie Glista- placing third in her age group girls 15-19). Also getting up early and taking time out of their weekend to participate in this great event were Madee Lillicotch, Nicole Cramer, Emily Bucklen, Zoe Bergman, Cait Michaels, Nikki Davis, Jessica Anto, Mackenzie Elder and her family, Sarah Meade and her family, Kaylin Myers, Helene Bloom, Jenna Deem and her mother, and the entire Glista family. 

Coach V challenged the LV girls to finally have a game where they can put a team away early and enjoy the. While they've had wins this year, they haven't had a single game where they took away all doubt from the first whistle. Today, they finally did that. Scoring in the first 26 seconds of the game and 3 times in the first 7 minutes, LV cruised to a 6-0 win. In the win Nikki Davis scored 3 times to make her the only Ligonier girl to have 50 career goals and 50 career assists and Coach Vogelsang earned career win number 100.

Davis scored the initial goal 26 seconds into the game on an assist from Molly Horrell for the early 1-0 lead. Jess Anto would score 2 minutes later on a Davis assist to make it 2-0. Davis scored her second goal of the name from a Cait Michaels assist and it was 3-0 just 7 minutes into the game.

Madie Glista continued her own streak scoring a goal in her 4th straight game with a blistering shot that hit side netting and gave LV a 4-0 lead, her goal was assisted by Davis. Jess Anto then set up DAvis for her third and record breaking goal to give LV a 5-0 lead at the half.

The second half began with LV letting some unsung heroes of the defense trying to score some goals. It worked finally when Nicole Cramer, when of the most admired unsung heroes of the team, scored her first ever goal off an assist from Emily Long for the 6-0 final. Bekah Pleskovitch recorded her 3rd shutout in 4 games stopping 4 shots.

In addition to the goal scorers, LV got great minutes from Anny Adams, Abby Salancy, and Madee Lilicotch.

LV's up next Monday with a tough match at home against Berlin.

It wasn't supposed to end this way. Their season wasn't supposed to be done yet, they were supposed to score the last minute goal. Unfortunately, sports occur on the field and Somerset had other plans for the LV girls Thursday night at Forest Hills. After a horrendous start, LV came charging back and seemed to poised to win on a miracle comeback, only to have the rug pulled out from under them yet again as Somerset scored a late goal.

Somerset started their quarterfinal clash with Ligonier as clearly the better team. For the second straight game, LV seemed slow, nervous, and tentative the entire first half. Somerset would end up scoring 3 times in the first half and easily could have scored more. Maddy Grimm gave LV at least a little bit of life when she would score a brilliant unassisted goal late in the first half and make it 3-1 at the break.

For the second straight game, the second half was ALL LV! A renewed spirit and energy led to total dominance on the field- it truly looked like two different teams. While Somerset worked to contain Grimm all night long, she finally broke free 10 minutes into the 2nd half and would score from a Madie Glista assist to make it a 3-2 game. Somerset got a quick break against the run of play and popped one past Breanne Wallace to make it 4-2. LV would not be denied. Glista got credit for a goal when she crossed a ball off of a Somerset defender to make it 4-3. With 10 minutes left, LV got the goal of the night when Kelleigh Huber played a magnificent cross that Grimm headed past the keeper and it was 4-4, the sttrong LV crowd went crazy and it looked like this was the script, LV was coming back. The next 8 minutes were nothing but dominance for LV with numerous near misses, it seemed like only a matter of time until the game winner was scored.

Then the unthinkable happened, with 1 minute 50 seconds left to play, a Somerset clear, an LV defender slipped, and Somerset scored the game winning goal.

Maddy Grimm truly played her heart out in the final game of her record breaking career. Freshman Madie Glista really stepped up in the forward role- filling in for injured Nikki Davis. LV got great minutes from Brooke Sieminkewicz and Nicole Cramer as well.

LV's record breaking season ends far too soon but still with easily their best record ever at 13-4-1. LV will lose 8 letter winners but will still return 11 letter winners for next years squad who hope to make a 5th straight playoff trip.

Thursday night was exactly why high school sports is a great thing. No quantifiable measure exists to say exactly, specifically, why it was a special game but every single person in attendance left Snyder Field in Berlin with the same feeling: they had just witnessed an absolute amazing soccer game.

Berlin came into their senior night with a 13-2 record and winner of 10 straight games. Ligonier Valley came into the game with an 11-1 record and winners of 11 straight games. When it was all said and done, LV would come out with a 4-2 victory that felt as good as any win they'd ever had.

Berlin struck first 25 seconds into the game. Confusion on the out of bounds line led to a foul throw-in by LV and a quick Berlin goal to make it 1-0 and fire up the Berlin crowd. Berlin had the better of play early and nearly scored several more times.

Berlin did their homework when getting ready for LV- they had 2-3 girls marking Maddy Grimm at all times. Finally, 20 minutes into the game, Grimm eluded all of her marks and snuck one past the keeper to tie the score. It was a back and forth game throughout the half with a very loud Ligonier crowd and even louder Berlin crowd. Although Berlin had the better of play, LV took advantage of a very late chance. With 35 seconds left in the half, Maddy Grimm launched a throw-in into the penalty box which Nikki Davis headed just past the keeper for a 2-1 LV lead.

The second half started out all LV. They truly took over the possession battle and passed the ball brilliantly but a feisty Berlin defense and some poor finishing kept the score at 2-1. With 15 minutes to play, against the run of play, Berlin converted a long ball into a goal and a shell shocked LV squad found themselves tied with 15 minutes left. Throughout their 11 game winning streak they had always cruised in the second half. This was a new challenge they'd have to face- coming back a second time.

Well, face it they did. Maddy Grimm and Nikki Davis were both hauled down in the box within two minutes of each other- Davis's resulted in a penalty kick being awarded to LV with 3 minutes to play and Maddy Grimm easily converted the penalty kick to put LV ahead 3-2. 90 seconds later an unsung hero emerged as Brittany Crowley took a loose ball from a corner kick and fire it past Berlin's keeper to ice the game and give LV the 4-2 victory.

So many LV girls played great games. The entire defense was rock solid, Katie DeMayo, Kelleigh Huber, and Jessica Anto were great in the midfield, and of course the forward combination of Davis and Grimm were great. Another unsung hero was junior Caitlyn Michaels who gave absolutely crucial clutch minutes off the bench and was not at all fazed by the intense atmosphere.

LV starts a brutal stretch Monday as they play 4 games in 4 days. Monday they travel to Rockwood for a 4:15 start against the Rockets.

They had a week off, they had not been truly tested since their tournament nearly 3 weeks ago. They were going up against a Hollidaysburg squad who had two 5-1 wins over Altoona, a team that beat LV 6-2 in the opening game in the season. Yet somehow, everyone on LV's squad had confidence they could play with this team. Play with them they did, LV once again use an inspired team effort to take down Hollidaysburg 4-1 and win their 10th in a row.

Hollidaysburg absolutely had the better of play early on and LV was lucky not to fall behind. As LV picked up their game, they began to get the better of the attack. After 30 minutes, we were still scoreless but LV soon changed that. Jessica Anto played a ball into the corner that Brittany Crowley quickly got to, made one move, and played a beautiful cross to Maddy Grimm who headed it past the keeper to give LV a 1-0 lead which is where it would stand at halftime.

An intense, playofflike, atmosphere prevailed all game long- certainly in the second half! LV would strike first when Nikki Davis set up Grimm and LV had a 2-0 lead with 30 minutes to play. 5 minutes later Davis set Grimm up again and it was 3-0. There was absolutely not an ounce of quit in the Hollidaysburg squad however as they pushed and pushed until they broke through with a goal with 15 minutes to play to make it 3-1. A determined LV squad, backed by a loud bench and a louder crowd would not be denied as they answered Hollidaysburg's goal when Kelleigh Huber blasted a shot off the goal post and Jessica Anto put in the rebound for the 4-1 final.

LV's defense proved just how far they've come since the opening game- they were relentless all afternoon long. Phebe Cornell, Michaela Long, Abby Salancy, and Madie Glista all played one of their best games of the year- as did keeper Breanne Wallace.

With her goals today, Maddy Grimm passes Brock Weaver to be the all-time leading scorer for LV , male or female with 104 career goals and counting. Maddy has 38 for the season- 3 shy of Emily Daugherty's 2009 record of 41.

The JV's fell to Hollidaysburg 10-0, playing many of the same girls the varsity did. Emily Bucklen, Caitlyn Michaels, Jessie Tucci, and Lexie Adams all played well for the JV girls.

LV is back at it Wednesday when they travel to United for a 4:00 start against the conference rival Lions.

Conemaugh Township 4 Ligonier 0, Conemaugh Township 5 Ligonier 2, CT 7 LV 0, CT 11 LV 0, CT 2 LV 0, CT 7 LV 1, CT 1 LV 0, CT 7 LV 0, CT 5 LV 2.
Coming into the game Tuesday at Davidsville, that was the previous 9 tries when Ligonier played Conemaugh Township. On top of that, the Lady Indians came into the game 6-0 with big wins over perenial powerhouses Richland and North Star while LV was a mere 2-1 without a "signature" win yet on their record.

That all certainly changed Tuesday. A brilliant team effort from start to finish led the LV girls to a stunning 4-1 victory over Township that all 36 girls played a role in.

It was clear LV was pumped for this game from the first whistle as they immediately controlled play. 2 minutes into this game, Jessica Anto played a short pass to Maddy Grimm who absolutely crushed the ball into the far post past the keeper for a 1-0 LV lead. LV was awarded a free kick 10 minutes into the game which Grimm fired past the keeper for a 2-0 lead. A stunned CT squad didn't do how to react. Phebe Cornell had the task of man-marking CT star forward Allison Lonas and frustrated her all day long- keeping her off the scoreboard entirely.

Late in the first half Kelleigh Huber played one of her signature pretty crosses that Grimm tapped past the CT keeper for a 3-0 lead. Nikki Davis would minutes later play a pretty cross of her own that Grimm headed past the keeper for a 4-0 lead at the half.

The second half was the perfect narrative to see if two things could happen that LV have been working on all year. Could the young defense "grow up" before their eyes? And could LV prove they're in better shape and are able to put away a team and not fold in the second half? Both ended up being a resounding yes!
A resilient CT squad stormed the LV goal in the second half, determine not to be on the wrong side of history. LV would not relent. Keeper Breanne Wallace was phenomenal, stopping anything shot at her- making most players/fans forget she's never played keeper before this year! Every LV defender and midfielder did their part to keep CT off the scoreboard. Michaela Long, Abby Salancy, Madie Glista, Nicole Cramer, Katie DeMayo, Brittany Crowley, and Kesley Sutter were briliant every time they needed to be!

CT finally found the back of the net with 12 minutes to go to make it 4-1. LV immediately huddled together as a team on the field, righted themselves, and controlled play the rest of the way. Grimm and Davis had several near misses and LV dominated the last 12 minuts of their incredible upset!

Great credit goes to the LV bench as they were louder than many if not all great student sections all day long and stormed the field at the final whistle! Truly all 36 girls can take great pride in this victory.

The JV would fall by a 3-0 score.

The girls are right back it today with a 5:00 home game against Rockwood. At 3-1 they still need 4 more wins to guarantee a 4th straight playoff trip.

After playing great for a half against Hollidaysburg before falling apart, playing great against North Star but losing because they couldn't finish and playing just good enough to win against United, LV was starting to wonder if their home field was cursed. Any thought of that was erased Thursday night. LV was strong from the very first whistle and cruised to victory against a 9-3 Rockwood team, 4-1.

Nikki Davis started the scoring for LV as she would finish a Maddy Grimm assist for an early 1-0 lead. Unlikely yesterday against United when they started to back down after an early goal, LV just poured it on. Jessica Anto would get on the scoreboard next- putting away a nice assist from Katie DeMayo and it was 2-0. Maddy Grimm and Alyssa Ulery would combine on the next two goals. Ulery set up Grimm with a long ball and Maddy finished to make it 3-0. Ulery would then set up Grimm with a thru ball and it was 4-0 at the half.

In the second half Davis, Anto, and Grimm all had many chances but just couldn't quite finish. Additionally, LV was able to get many younger girls in the game as there was no JV game. Everyone entering the game did well. Late in the half, Rockwood would put a free kick right over the LV wall and that would be there only goal of the game for the 4-1 final. In addition to the goal scorers LV got great minutes from defenders Daphne Chavez, Grace Yanits, and Jessica Davis in her new defensive role. Midfielders Brittany Crowley and Kelleigh Huber were also very strong for the girls.

When these two teams first met on 9/13, LV grinded out a 2-1 victory- scoring a late goal to get that victory. In the 14 previous times these two teams had met, LV had only won 3- all of them by 1 goal so needless to say, this was their most impressive performance against Rockwood that they'd ever have.

LV is now 7-4 and are off until Tuesday 10/18 against Windber. There will be a JV game at 5:30 on 10/18 against Latrobe followed by senior night festivities and a varsity game against Windber.

Since the season started, LV has had many really good results to be sure. However, they were still searching for that one signature win, that one great result to really be proud of. Everyone thought they could get a result like that if they played a complete game but they couldn't quite get it done against the elite teams. That all changed today! With a total team effort from top to bottom, LV shocked AAA powerhouse 3-0 on the Tigers home field!

Hollidaysburg controlled much of the play in the first half. LV's defense bent many times but did not break. Everytime a play needed to be made, LV made it. Keeper Sarah Youngblood made many fantastic saves in the first half to keep the game scoreless early.

20 minutes into the half Jessica Anto would get LV on the scoreboard. Brittany Crowley hustled into the corner and made a beautiful cross to a streaking Anto who virtually dribbled the ball right into the goal for a 1-0 lead. With 5 minutes left in the first half, LV would get a 2-0 lead on a similar goal to the first. Maddy Grimm dribbled the ball into the corner past two Tiger defenders and played a pretty cross to a streaking Nikki Davis who flicked the ball right past the Hollidaysburg goalie and LV was ahead 2-0 at the half.

While everyone was excited, no one expected an easy second half. They knew the last time they play Hollidaysburg they wilted in the second half against the powerful Tiger squad so they knew today had to be different.

Today certainly was different! LV's defense answered every call to the point where Hollidaysburg was both mentally and physically worn out by the last 15 minutes of the game. On top of that, Jessica Anto would "ice" the game with 13 minutes to play as she finished a Nikki Davis assist and blasted a shot right past the keeper for a 3-0 lead. LV's defense did the rest, shutting down the Tiger's completly.

It was absolutely a team effort! Marlena Tosh, Brittany Crowley, and Daphne Chavez gave great minutes off the bench for LV. All 11 starters had strong game for the girls as well! Truly a total team effort to be proud of!

In two previous meetings against Hollidaysburg the girls lost 8-1 (in October 2010) and 5-0 (September 15th of this year). The Lady Tigers made the district finals of the AAA tournament last year.

The JV girls lost a tough 3-0 decision. They had a hard time adjusting to the turf surface. For most of the girls it was their first time ever on turf. Playing well in defeat for the JV girls were Emmie Bucklen, Zoe Bergman, Kelsey Sutter, and Jenna Collins.

The varsity girls are back in action Monday 10/3 against Rockwood. One more victory and the LV girls clinch their 3rd straight winning season and 3rd straight trip to the post-season! The JV girls won't be back in action until Tuesday 10/4 against Conemaugh Township.

Thursday night at Johnstown High School, the LV girls soccer team know they had a lot to play for. They were playing for a 2nd straight trip to the semi-finals. They were playing to prove that their scrimmage victory against Westmont was no fluke. They were playing to show that even though Westmont improved, so have they.

And, finally, they were playing to help usher in a new era in the Ligonier Valley School District. They were, simply by the way the time worked because football and volleyball will be there too, the first of the new Ligonier Rams teams to play in a playoff game and they wanted to usher in that new era with a victory.

When it was all said and done, the Ligonier Valley Rams girls soccer team proved to be just enough better than the vaunted Westmont Hilltop Hilltoppers and they earned a second consecutive trip the district 6 AA semi-finals.

Westmont started the scoring just 5 minutes into the game with a goal by Melissa Walko- converting on a quick LV breakdown. LV answered back 5 minutes later when Jessica Davis would play a beautiful cross to Maddy Grimm who would find the back of the net to make it a 1-1 game. Westmont, unfortunately, struck right back on another Walko goal and it was 2-1 Westmont deep into the first half.

With 28 seconds left in the first half, Courtney Bridge would make a great hustling play to draw a penalty kick. Grimm converted the PK and it was 2-2 at the break.

Both teams came out energized in the second half. With 27 minutes to play, Grimm got her "hat trick" in style. On a free kick from approximately 35 yards out, Maddy fired a shot over the head of the Westmont keeper to make it 3-2.

After that, LV held on with their defense and their goalkeeping. Katie DeMayo and Lauren Nath were fantastic on the defensive end all game long- especially in the second half. Keeper Sarah Youngblood, for the second year in a row, stepped up big and made save after save when she needed it most.

In addition to the girls already mentioned, LV got great minutes from Jessica DAvis, Courtney Bridge, and Kelleigh Huber.

LV will play next Monday at 6:00 against Forest Hills at Forest Hills high school in Sidman, Pa. Directions are on this site under the directions tab.

LV and Forest Hills have not played for several years. The winner of Monday's game will advance to the district 6 championship game against the winner of Juniata and Somerset. Neither Forest Hills nor Ligonier has ever advanced past the semi-final round.

There are games that make you remember what's great about sports. There are games that remind you why you run all the sprints and do all the drills and put all the time in. LV had a game like that today.

Windber 3 LV 2, Windber 6 LV 0, Windber 5 LV 0, Windber 3 LV 1, Windber 10 LV 0. Until today, that was the history when these two teams met. The LV girls rewrote history today with an inspiring second half to come back from a 3-1 halftime deficit to beat Windber 4-3 in overtime.

The game did NOT start out the way LV planned. Windber 100+ goal scorer Amber Wozny would strike early- just 2 minutes into the game on a break away and LV was down 1-0 before many parents had time to even get to their seats. It went from bad to worse two minutes later when Wozny would again find the back of the net on a corner kick and LV was already down 2-0 only 4 minutes into the game. Immediately nightmares of games past came back to haunt the entire LV team and fan base. But...we all know the easiest way to fix a nightmare is to wake up which LV began to do slowly but surely.

Shawnise Frei scored on a great individual effort 10 minutes later to make it a 2-1 game. Frei's goal was assisted by Maddy Grimm. Unfortunately Windber struck right back to make it 3-1 which is where it would stand at the halftime break.

Heading into halftime, the LV girls all knew that if they changed a few things they could be back in the game. Regardless of history or probably most fans in the stands suggesting otherwise, LV knew they were not out of the game. All year long LV had been waiting for a stage to prove what kind of team they are this year. We soon found out, Windber Athletic Fields would indeed be that stage.

Early in the second half Jessica Davis would finish a corner kick from Shawnise Frei with a beautiful shot into the far corner making it 3-2. LV absolutely dominated the second half on all ends of the field. Defensively Katie Demayo shut down Wozny while Lauren Nath, Michaela Long, Erica Lattanzio, Emily Payne, and Chelsey Hropovich shut down the rest of the attack. LV got great offensive push from Davis, Grimm, Frei, Nikki Davis, Courtney Bridge, Megan Crowley, and Grace Yanits. LV generated countless chances but didn't quite find the net for the tying goal until Maddy Grimm stepped up. With 10 minutes to go Grimm fired a shot from 25 yards away past the Windber keeper tying the score. Despite chance after chance LV could not win the game in regulation and we'd head to overtime.

It was clear from the VERY first whistle in OT LV wasn't giving up the chance to make history. A Windber attack was quickly thwarted. Sweeper Lauren Nath passed to Shawnise Frei who played a pretty ball into space and Maddy Grimm did the rest- finishing a breakaway 26 SECONDS into overtime giving LV the great victory! Truly a team effort and one that will hopefully lead to many great things after some early season struggles. Windber is the defending District 5 Champion and finished last season 19-3 on top of all their successes against LV.

The one damper on the evening was the JV game being cancelled so the JV girls unfortunately didn't get a chance for the first ever JV win against Windber.

LV's back in action Thursday with a game at Johnstown Christian at 5:15 PM.

Thursday night LV traveled to Richland's turf facility to face defending District 6 runner-up Penns Valley. Penns Valley came out on fire, putting all sorts of pressure on the LV defense and they looked prime to strike first as LV was a victim of some playoff jitters. Thanks to goalie Sarah Younblood and the LV defense, LV kept Penns Valley off the scoreboard and the LV girls were lucky it was 0-0 at the half. Any logical soccer fan had to assume it was only a matter of time before the veteran Penns Valley squad found the back of the net and sent the young LV squad home.

However, LV girls proved yet again that they thrive on defying logic! The "second half girls" struck again! LV was an entirely different team in the second half- literally from the first whistle- which saw Maddy Grimm nearly score the first goal of the half. With 28 minutes to play, Grimm would score first as she blasted a free kick from 40 yards out past the goalie, giving LV a 1-0 lead. Just a few minutes later, senior Emily Daugherty would get her 40th goal of the season off a Grimm assist to make it 2-0. Daugherty would score again with 15 minutes left off an assist from Shawnise Frei to make it 3-0 and deflate the psyche of the mighty Penns Valley squad. Frei would tack on an "icer" with 3 minutes to play for the 4-0 final. Frei's goal was assisted by Grace Yanits who played a phenomenal game.

In additon to the above, LV got great minutes on offense from Leah Pleskovitch, Courtney Bridge, and Jessica Davis. Defensively, LV played easily their best game of the year- led by Alysa Derk, Katie DeMayo, Lauren Nath, and especially keeper Sarah Youngblood. LV was the first and only team this year to shut out Penns Valley!!

LV now moves on to the District semi-finals Tuesday November 3rd. The girls will play at Point Stadium in Johnstown against Bishop McCort, the perenial powerhouse in district 6 girls AA soccer!

It was their 4th game this week. It was their 4th straight game against either a district champ or district finalist from a year ago. More than half of the starting 11 were nursing an injury of one kind or another. And...they fell behind 2-1 at the half against a strong North Star team. Game over right? Not with this years LV girls! Showing the heart of a champion, LV came roaring back for 3 second half goals and held on for a 4-3 thriller against North Star, only the second win ever for LV against the Cougars.

LV came out on fire and would score in the first minute when Emily Daugherty would put one past star Cougar keeper Lakin Nicholson to make it 1-0. Unfortunately, that's exactly how their last match against North Star started and, just like their last match against North Star, the Cougars would score twice in the 1st half to go up 2-1 at halftime and all the momentum seemed to be on their side.

LV came out in the second half a team possessed! 8 minutes into the 2nd, Daugherty would score her 10th goal of the year off a pretty assist from Leah Pleskovitch who hustled after a Maddy Grimm throw and played a pretty ball to Emily. It would be a back and forth game until there was only 11 minutes to go when Daugherty would play a beautiful feed to Grimm who would score what would be the game winner to make it 3-2. Sophomore Shawnise Frei tacked on an "icer" minutes later and it was a good thing she did as North Star got a goal in the final minute but it was all for naught and LV got the W. Aside from the offensive scoring, LV would not have won without the play of defenders Alysa Derk and Lauren Nath who were absolutely astounding defensively against a strong North Star team!

The JV's won a shortened game 2-0. Kelleigh Huber scored her 8th JV goal of the year off a Jackie Berry assist and then Huber returned th favor setting up Berry to make it 2-0. Defenders Daphne Chavez and Michaela Long played strong games as did midfielder Megan Crowley and forward Brittany Crowley. The JV's improved their record to 3-2.

LV is back at it yet again tomorrow with a 4:00 matchup against Windber at Laurel Valley High School. Windber is a strong team who LV has never beaten but...if they can play like they did tonight and carry some momentum into the game, Windber better be prepared!

LV girls soccer started the season in style! In what was certainly their most exciting season-opening game ever and one of their most exciting games ever, LV knocked off Derry Area 3-2.

LV was playing without star freshman midfielder Maddy Grimm so they were worried they might be in for trouble. Derry is led by senior midfielder Tiffany Downey who's one of the elite players in the WPIAL.

LV got the scoring started when senior striker Emily Daugherty would score an unassisted goal late in the first half to make it 1-0. Derry had many near misses but just couldn't quite finish.

LV did a nice job defending Downey all day but she would finally strike early in the second half to tie the score at 1-1. The final 5 minutes is when the excitement really kicked in. Daugherty scored again off a gorgeous Courtney Bridge assist to give LV the lead 2-1 with 4 and a half minutes left. Just one minute later Derry would answer to tie the score 2-2. Not one of the LV girls had any quit in them however as Daugherty would play a beautiful cross to Bridge with 2 minutes left and Courtney scored the game winner for LV! It was a stressful final minute the defense held strong and LV got a great first game win!

In addition to Daugherty and Bridge, LV got great offensive play from midfielders Jess Davis, Grace Yanits, and newcomer Shawnise Frei. Defensively, Erica Lattanzio and Katie DeMayo gave great efforts along with Emily Payne giving great defensive effort off the bench. Sophomore goalie Sarah Youngblood was rock solid in the net for LV.

The girls have a long weekend and are back in action this Tuesday at 4:00 against United at Laurel Valley High School. This is an exciting, never say-die group who took a great first step towards advancing back to the playoffs!

2008 may go down as the year of 1-0 for the LV girls. Thankfully, they now have been on right side of the last two as they would prevail on senior night against Meyersdale- winning 1-0 in overtime! The JV girls would win by the same 1-0 score making it 7 varsity games and 3 JV games for the year which ended with scores of 1-0.

It was an even first half with both sides creating lots of chances. Emily Daugherty had several chances for LV but just could not finish. Lindsay Heider made several nice saves on near misses by Meyersdale.

The second half looked bleak when star forward Daugherty and star defender Ashton Burns both went down with an injury. On top of this, forward Leah Pleskovitch and defender Margo Lattanzio were playing hurt and probably also should have been sitting out. When the game went into overtime things did not look great for the LV girls with all the injuries piling up as well as it being their 5th game in 7 days. LV answered all the non-believers with inspired play. Erica Lattanzio was rock solid at sweeper filling in for Burns and freshmen Courtney Bridge and Katie Knupp gave great minutes filling in for Daugherty.

The game would end just 1 minute into overtime. Senior Sam McKnight went into the corner and played a great cross to the middle. Pleskovitch, playing with a noticeable limp, dug deep and found the wear with all to head the cross over the keepers end and slowly rolled into the goal to end the game for LV.

The JV girls also won by a 1-0 final. Freshman Marlena Tosh scored a great goal early in the first half that held up for the 1-0 final. In addition to Tosh, LV got great minutes from Hannah Henderson, Jessica Davis, Brianne Bloom, and keeper Sarah Youngblood who recorded her second straight shutout for the JV's.

Monday afternoon LV traveled the long trip to Patton to face the Cambria Heights Highlanders. In the history of LV soccer they had gone their twice before. In 2002 LV lost an 8-1 decision to Heights in Patton only to win 6-1 in Ligonier. In 2005 LV played to a 1-1 tie in Patton only to win 2-0 at home. LV was well on their way to more heartbreak in Patton Monday, well on their way to a crushing loss until...Lauren Cassler stepped in. LV would pull out a 4-3 victory that they will certainly remember for years to come.

LV was up 2-0 at halftime although they hardly played their best game. Laura Kennedy scored the first goal on a nice finish off a Lauren Cassler cross to make it 1-0. Cassler would score the second goal when sophomore Leah Pleskovitch went deep into the corner to dig out a ball and play it right to Cassler to make it 2-0.

The first 20 minutes of the second were like a nightmare for LV. LV seemed to be going in slow motion and before they knew it Cambria Heights had scored 3 times and were a missed penalty kick away from scoring a 4th time. LV's chances looked bleak, Heights was dominating the game and LV looked like they were going to see heartbreak again in Patton in and lose a game that could severely damage their season.

Then, when it looked like all was lost, Laura Kennedy would play a beautiful cross to Cassler who would score her second goal of the game to make it 3-3 with 3 1/2 minutes to play. As the final minutes ticked away everyone on LV was a little apprehensive about going to overtime with LV playing their 3rd game in 4 days. However, that's where it seemed to be headed as Cambria Heights cleared away an LV chance with 20 seconds to play and it looked like the final whistle wwould blow.

However, Emily Daugherty had other ideas. Daugherty, who was nursing an injured knee and ankle and could barely walk at this point, would come out of a crowd at midfield with the ball and play an amazing pass right to Cassler's feet. Cassler took off down the right side as the seconds ticked down and miraculously would bury one past the Heights keeper with 3.6 seconds to play for the 4-3 victory! Cassler's 3 goals now put her at 47 for her career, 1 goal shy of tying the LV all time record held by Kelly Morrisey.

The JV girls lost a 3-1 decision with Leah Pleskovitch scoring the lone goal for the JV girls.

LV's marathon stretch of the schedule ends today as they face Jeanette at 4:00 at Laurel Valley before an off day, one practice, and a 4:00 Friday showing at Latrobe.

7-0, 4-0, 5-0, 4-0, 5-0, 6-0. Up until yesterday afternoon those had been the scores of past LV/Richland girls soccer games. The Rams of Richland have one of the better programs around and are perenially contending with schools like Westmont for district titles. Heading into the game yesterday it seemed like it'd be more of the same when LV and Richland suited up for a 4:00 contest at Weller Field- especially since LV was coming off a disheartening 5-0 defeat in their home opener while Richland was coming off a 6-3 victory against a strong Bedford squad. However....someone forgot to tell the LV girls!

In the first half Richland started out dominant but simply could not score. Strong marking by LV defenders gave the Rams little opening and they got more and more frustrated as the half wore on. With that, LV's offense started to pick up. Anita Boyd created several chances with her speed and was helped by Lauren Cassler and Rachel Blistan to put lots of pressure on the Richland defense. Finally...late in the first half....captain Kassie Enos would play a free kick into a crowd that Amy Pompelia would play to Cassler for the first goal of the game and a 1-0 lead for LV. As the teams went into halftime, even the staunchest of LV supporters still felt it was only a matter of time before the Richland offense took over and this fun little dream ended.

LV started the second half dominating play but then Richland woke up. The Rams would score the tying goal with approximately 23 minutes to play and it, again, seemed to be the beginning of the end. However, the LV girls had other plans. A moment of weakness on Richland and hard work on LV would lead to newcomer Brooke Piper scoring the game winning goal with 11 minutes to play- putting LV ahead 2-1. In the final 11 minutes LV withstood every bit of the Richland charge with a wonderful team effort on defense. The 1-2 punch at center midfield of Piper and Laura Kennedy were instrumental in controling the final 10 minutes.
LV's JV girls played to a 0-0 tie against a MUCH more experienced Richland JV squad. Megan Bennett gave a stellar performance defensively and Emily Daugherty keyed the chances for the JV offense!
With the win, LV moves to 1-1 with a date against Derry coming up Saturday morning. Last season, LV lost to the Trojans for the first time so they will be looking to exact a little revenge this Saturday and hopefully momentum from today's huge win will carry into Saturday's game!

Pulling off an upset in the playoffs in soccer requires several things. First and foremost it requires a team that believes it can win. LV certainly had that. Secondly it requires a team with good senior leadership. LV had that. Next you need a team that plays good defense. LV had that. Next you need a goalkeeper that plays amazing. LV absolutely had that. And finally you need some luck. LV had that for the first 74 of the 80 minutes but...in the end....the strong Crusher squad from Bishop McCort would finish when it mattered and LV would be sent home with a 1-0 setback.

LV got a quick breakaway early in the game which would have, obviously, been a huge difference had they finished but it just wasn't meant to be. Much of the first half was spent in the LV defensive end with LV not able to generate more than a few counteratttacks. But...McCort was not getting any quality chances to amount to anything and Lindsay Heider was there to answer the call anytime there was. At the end of the half Heider made a brilliant save to keep McCort off the scoreboard in the first. As they went into the break 0-0 LV knew they were a second half team and knew that maybe, just maybe, they could even be a second half team against a powerful 18-1 McCort team.

The second half started out pretty even with LV simply unable to capitalize on counterattacks. After several minutes it returned to McCort dominance but...LV would not relent and stellar defense and amazing goaltending still kept them off the scoreboard and with 8 minutes play it was still 0-0. Finally...everyone on LV started to think that maybe this was their night...maybe it was fate. But...just a minute and a half later those hopes were dashed when McCort superstar junior Marissa Basille played a cross to Maggie Nokes who finally slipped one past Heider for the 1 goal the game would have.

LV had nothing to be ashamed of. Defenders Kassie Enos, Nichole Derk, Alex Grab, and Heather Kraus all played brilliantly in their last game ever. Heider and sweeper Cassie Nath also played amazing games and showed that, while there will be some tough losses, there is still plenty of hope for the future! Offensively Anita Boyd and Rachel Blistan turned in strong games as well as Rebecca Sharbaugh- all in their last games ever. And LV got break bench help from Brooke Piper, Mariel McMarlin, and Sam McKnight. McCort will move on Wednesday to face Westmont in the district title game. The one goal was McCort's lowest offensive output of the season!

Everyone from LV girls soccer would like to thank the wonderful crowd in attendance last night. It really helped the girls play their best and almost pull off the upset.

LV finished the season at 13-7- a far cry from last year's 4-12-4 record. Their semi-final game last night was the furthest they've ever advanced in the district playoffs. LV loses some invaluable seniors from this special team but returns enough strong players and enough players wanting to work hard in the off-season that they hope with an off-season full of hard work that they will be right back in this spot if not further next year!

Snyder Stadium in Berlin, Pa just seems to bring out the best of the LV Girls and the Berlin Lady Mounties. Every time these teams have met on that field it's been a classic matchup. Last night was no different as the LV girls rallied from a 3-0 deficit to play to a 3-3 tie after 2 overtimes!

The game started out all Berlin. LV had issues marking their strong attack and just didn't come out with the intensity needed against a tough Berlin team. Berlin scored 3 times within the first 15 minutes of the game. It was 3-0 and looked like it was going to be a long night ahead for the the LV girls and their strong contingent in the crowd. Laura Kennedy was able to catch Berlin off-guard on a free kick and quickly play a ball to Rachel Blistan who finished it for to make it a 3-1 game. Slowly but surely LV was picking up their game but it was still 3-1 at halftime, on the road, against a 5-1 Berlin team- certainly a tall order for any team.

But, throughout the year, LV has been a second half squad. The defense played MUCH better and shut down most of their attack. Kassie Enos made countless big plays. Freshman goalie Lindsay Heider was absolutely outstanding stepping up against the big competition with many great saves herself. Once again off a free kick, LV would strike next. Laura Kennedy played a ball into crowd where midfielder Amy Pompelia was able to redirect it towards the goal where Lauren Cassler would finish it to make it a 3-2 ball game. Minutes later Kennedy played a beautiful ball into space to speedster Anita Boyd who would put the ball past the keeper to tie the score at 3-3. This is where we could remain after regulation.

In overtime, Berlin stepped back up and their ferocious attack returned. LV answered the call every time. Seniors Kori Tetkoski and Jeanne Simons stepped up big in OT. Midfielders Rebecca Sharbaugh and Kenzie Harbison also made big plays in the extra period. LV got their chances but just couldn't finish another and settled for a 3-3 tie. Not a bad result at all considering how the game started.

The JV girls lost a 3-1 decision with Priscilla Chavez scoring a pretty goal for the lone score for LV.

The girls home to use this momentum to carry them into Friday's game against North Star- scheduled for a 4:00 kickoff at Laurel Valley!

The LV girls have certainly played their share of exciting soccer games this season. However, none was as exciting as their first playoff game tonight against Central Cambria. LV ended prevailing 3-2 in a shoot-out after 4 overtime periods!!
The first half was all LV as they jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Kelly Morrisey scored the first goal off of a Gitti Bertalan assist to make it 1-0. Morrisey's goal was her 19th of the season and her 37 of her career tying her with LV alum Rachel Springer for most all time for the LV girls soccer team! Freshman Rachel Blistan, who played a great game off the bench, scored the second goal making it 2-0.
Central Cambria came back strong in the second half scoring 2 goals to make it 2-2. Nina Graham made many great saves to keep LV in the game
LV and Central Cambria would then battle through 4 overtime periods: 2 10-minute and 2 5-minute and there was still no scoring!
The game then moved on to a penalty kick shootout. This was all LV from the start! Kelly Morrisey and Katie Little scored for LV and, the story of the night was goalie Nina Graham who stopped EVERY penalty kick Central Cambria would attempt and LV won the shoot-out 2-0 to advance to the second round of the playoffs for the second straight year! Liz Zorch, Amanda Barnhart, Kassie Enos, Rachel Blistan, and Gitti Bertalan all played very strong games but LV had great efforts by every single girl leading to the playoff win!
LV now moves on to top seeded Westmont Thursday: site and time to be determined.