Lombardi, Brady shine in senior game – Wilkes-Barre Citizens’ Voice

FLAT TWP. — Mary Lombardi knows how hard it is to score on her Holy Redeemer teammate Amira Pirrone.

Pirrone set the Wyoming Valley Conference record for career clean sheets with 35, and has been one of the league’s top goaltenders over the past three seasons.

So when Lombardi had the opportunity to put one past her Royal teammate, she didn’t hesitate to shoot.

“Honestly, I just played as hard as I could regardless of who the goalie was, but it was satisfying to put one on my own goalie,” Lombardi said with a smile. “I will carry this with me forever.”

Ella Brady of Lombardi and Crestwood each scored two goals to lift Team Black to a 7-0 victory over Team Red in the 2024 Wyoming Valley Conference Senior Classic on Thursday night at Wolfpack Stadium in Wilkes-Barre Area.

“Considering this is my last football game ever, it was great to score two goals,” Lombardi said.

Team Black consisted of Holy Redeemer, Crestwood and Wyoming Valley West. Schools that made up the Red team were Dallas, Hanover Area, Lake-Lehman, Wilkes-Barre Area, Wyoming Area and Nanticoke Area.

“We play Valley West every year and they always have a good team. We’ve never played Holy Redeemer before, so it was fun to see and play with the talented girls on their team as well,” said Brady.

Lombardi’s first goal was a chippie. Valley West’s Jordayn Dermody ripped a shot from the right that was deflected by the keeper. But Lombardi hung around the near post where she gobbled up the rebound and hit the open net for the 2-0 lead.

But it was her second goal that gave her lifelong bragging rights over her royal teammate. Once again, she controlled a rebound after a deflected shot and beat Pirrone for Team Black’s first goal of the second half.

“When I came here today, everyone was just really nice. It was great meeting and playing with new people,” said Lombardi. “The game was great.”

For Brady, it was the long-distance connection that paid off.

For her first goal, the Comet took a great pass on the right and launched from 29 yards out, going high to beat the keeper.

Her second score was even further, ripping a rocket from 33 yards near the right sideline.

“Making those long shots has never really been my thing,” Brady said. “This season I’ve had a lot of goals from outside the box, which is pretty cool for me because that’s something new for me. I wanted to shoot it every time I got it. I definitely wanted to score a goal tonight.”

It was Maria Smith who started the scoring seven minutes into the match. With a beautiful touch pass from Syracuse, Lola Wojciechowski scored the goal and a 1-0 lead.

Dermody’s top score with seven minutes left gave Team Black a 5-0 halftime lead and Holy Redeemer’s Avery Kozerski crossed right for the game’s final goal, making the final score 7-0.

“The game was a lot of fun, but in a way it’s also a little sad because I’ve played with these girls forever. So it’s our last time together, so from that perspective it’s sad,” Brady said.

Originally published: November 14, 2024 at 8:44 PM EST