PCT women's football hopes to end successful season with UE title

After a record-breaking undefeated season, Pennsylvania College of Technology women’s soccer coach Ian Scheller now has his team focused on the biggest prize: a United East Championship.

Seeded second in the 12-team single-elimination tournament after a 7-0-1 win at UE and a 14-0-4 overall win, Penn College will host Wilson College in a quarterfinal on Saturday at 1 p.m. Wilson enters the match as the seventh seed with an overall record of 6-3 UE, 13-3-2, after beating 10th-seeded Cedar Crest 1-0 in double overtime in a first-round match on Tuesday.

“Our regular season has been one that has offered many surprises for me and our team. The team have done a great job and have continuously worked hard to keep the standard high, from the first match until now. We are a team that is still very young, with many freshmen and sophomores looking to make a big impact this season, but we have found a way to find stability despite this inexperience. This season is one that I think we will always look back on fondly as a springboard for our program.” Scheller said.

“We have had success in taking advantage of our opportunities and limiting the opportunities for our opponents. We have had thirteen different goalscorers and have managed to limit our opponents to just six goals. Our solid defensive record has allowed us to learn in big games even when our offense wasn’t clicking.” Scheller said.

In UE matches, the Wildcats have outscored their opponents 40-2. They have an 80-6 lead in all games.

The team’s statistical leaders include freshman Megan Kurian of Royersford, with 13 goals and six assists in UE play; senior Cassie Johnson of Richland, with eight goals and six assists; and Erie senior goalkeeper Nicole Lichtinger, who has allowed just two goals, has a 0.25 goals-against average, 15 saves and a .882 save percentage in UE games.

When the two teams met during the regular season, the Wildcats won 6-0.

In UE play, Wilson has outscored his opponents 33-14, with 10 goals and two assists from Halley Shaffer and seven goals and two assists from Annie Smith. In goal, Madison Ebersole has allowed three goals, a 1.15 goals against average, 18 saves and a .857 save percentage, while Rebecca Marakovitz has allowed eight goals, a 2.29 goals against average, 20 saves and a .714 savings rate.

In Tuesday’s playoff win, Marakovitz played 86 minutes and made four saves, while Ebersole played 19 minutes and had two saves. Smith scored the only goal.

“Our opponent for the quarter-finals is one we know very well, having played against them this year. Although we had a strong performance, we know that Wilson can cause us problems because of their ability to be strong defensively. We will have to be at our best to win and I expect home advantage to give us a boost on Saturday.” Scheller said.

“I think if we can keep our goalkeeper clean, we’ll have a chance in pretty much every game. There are a lot of great teams in the United East, and I’m excited to see how our young team handles the adversity that comes with a playoff atmosphere,” Scheller said.

“Regardless of what happens, the coaching staff and I believe this has been an overwhelmingly positive year, with the emergence of young talents Kurian, Ashley Gordon of Pottstown, Sierra Klinger of Herndon and Lucy Kontir of Bethlehem. These players came in as freshmen and made a ridiculous impact from the first minute. Scheller said.

The third-year coach continued, “We have also found stability in returning sophomores Wiley Egan of Northumberland, Brooke Klinger of Herndon, Sara Pecchia of Jersey Shore and Makayla Bucks of Lebanon, who are not (yet) seniors and have experience from previous years. the triumphs of the year.

“Our senior leadership, consisting of Johnson and Lichtinger, has been the glue that holds the team together, with Nicole keeping 11 clean sheets this year and Cass providing 13 goals and 14 assists (overall). This team is a perfect storm of great things and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.

“We completed an undefeated season campaign, something this team can now claim for the rest of their lives. For me as a coach, this has been a special season, because moments like this don’t happen often.

“Also, the fact that I am an alumni and have the most wins of any women’s soccer coach, at least in the NCAA era, is something I am incredibly proud of. I am extremely proud of this school and the team we have built. Overall, it has been an incredibly meaningful season for me, and I can’t thank the girls enough for giving me this special season so far.

“Hopefully we have a few more weeks to take our performance even further.”