Buckskins oust Mounts

LEBANON — Utilizing the “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” approach, Conestoga Valley advanced to the Class 4A semifinals of the District Three girls soccer championships with a 3-1 victory over Ephrata on Saturday at Cedar Crest.

Eleven days after the Buckskins (19-2-1) topped the Mountaineers 1-0 in the L-L tournament semifinals, CV used the same defensive pressure, with the same success.

With Bucks backs Jacque Thornton and Megan Slingluff denying the Ephrata attack of Abby Weist, Maddie Root, Reagan McCarty and Annie Slovak open space on the wings, they funneled them into a central space.

That space was owned by center backs Adalee Broadbent and Jordyn Hock and holding mid Alexis Spencer, who kept the Mounts (19-3) off the scoreboard until the 76th minute of the match.

“CV is very mature and, the way they play, they keep it simple and make it difficult,” said Mounts coach Wes Deininger.

“We just have to communicate,” said Broadbent, a James Madison recruit. “If we’re organized, if we defend as a team, that’s the best solution.”

That’s when Weist found the solution to the scoring dilemma, her ball from the middle of the attacking third finding its way over keeper Lauren Yoder, putting Ephrata on the scoreboard.

Unfortunately for Ephrata, CV had scored three times prior to the Weist goal and was well on its way to a Tuesday showdown with Central Dauphin, a 1-0 winner over York-Adams champion Central York.

It’s the deepest postseason run for this group of eight seniors, thus far.

“We’re riding their coattails as long as we can,” said Bucks coach Keith Nagley. “One more (win) and we’re definitely in states.”

The teams played the first half scoreless, but that quickly changed when Ephrata was assessed a foul off the second- half tap, 42 seconds in.

Broadbent, whose free kicks have a range of 60 yards-plus, served the ball from 45 yards out, placing it in the six-yard keeper’s box.

“Right where I wanted it,” she said.

And right where Emily Clapper was arriving.

“I ran in after it,” Clapper said. “The keeper wasn’t sure to come out or not. The ball came in on a bounce and and I was able to head it past her.”

The Bucks doubled their advantage on Gabbie Barone’s 20-yarder from the right wing, 16 minutes later.

And, in the 75th minute, Maddie Delgado collected a spinning clearing pass from Spencer, carried it 50 yards up the right sideline and buried her shot.

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