Ava Ondecko’s header caps a stunning comeback as Northern Girls beat Central Dauphin in the semi-final

The deck felt stacked against the Northern girls soccer team heading into 2024.

New coach. New players. New classification. So much was different from the 2023 season, when the program won a District 3 title

But the Polar Bears decided to shuffle.

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The No. 4 seed Polar Bears earned their biggest win of the season in their first season in the 4A classification in the District 3 playoffs on Tuesday night, upsetting No. 1 seed and defending district champion Central Dauphin 2-1 on a heroic freshman’s play to advance to the 4A championship game.

Here’s how Northern did it.

The stars

Junior Allison Bechtel and freshman Ava Ondecko were the Bears’ two scorers. Andrea Black had both assists, while Tae Townsend put a handful of shots on goal.

Claire Youtzy had a strong game in net recording six saves.

Jazmine Zakhar scored Central Dauphin’s only goal after a feed from Nadia Acri.

Game-decisive moments

Northern battled early, but the game seemed to be tilting towards the Rams, and that feeling was heightened when Acri delivered a perfect lob pass to Zakhar, who leaned in and fired for a goal in the 19th minute.

But something slowly started to happen as the match progressed: Northern began to create more and more chances.

Townsend began to increase the pressure and used her speed to break through the CD defense to create looks.

Ultimately, that pressure resulted in the game-tying breakthroughwith Bechtel taking a feed from Black off a turnover to level the match at 1–1 with 13 minutes to go.

Northern continued to march forward, with Townsend again getting a clear view with seven seconds left.

But the biggest play of the night would come from a free kick, which Black fired, remembered a deflection and went into the box, where Ondecko pounced and headed in to give Northern the lead.

Central Dauphin would get one last chance, with Erika Murphy getting a free kick with over a minute to go. But Northern’s wall up front forced a high shot, and the Polar Bears would come away with the win.

Next

The Polar Bears head to Landis Field on Saturday for the District 3 4A championship game, where they will face No. 2 seed Manheim Township.

Central Dauphin has qualified for states and will now await its pairing for the opener.

They said it

“I’m just going to say (I felt) joy. After last season, a lot was unknown. All we knew was that we were going to be the hardest workers we could. Our hard work shows so much lately. It’s such a moment to be proud of.” – Northern’s Andrew Black on the emotions of winning the semi-final against Central Dauphin

“For me it’s just excitement. Last year I wasn’t on the field doing anything. I was sitting in the stands watching. When I see how all the girls win last year and do so great, it motivates me to do just as (well) as last year.” — Northern’s Ava Ondecko on the opportunity to contribute as a freshman for another Northern District finalist

“It seems like we’ll just keep doing it. Yeah, we just keep getting into that position. And as the girls say here after the midfield matches: they don’t lower their heads, they don’t lower their shoulders, they just keep going. They simply face that setback head-on. And they are persistent, they just don’t stop.” – Northern head coach Keith Munshower on his team’s ability to stay calm late in games

“It may be a little too early to say. I think we’re licking our wounds a bit. So I think we just have to regroup and find the mentality of, ‘Our season isn’t over yet.’ You know, we still have states to get through, so maybe the path will be easier, maybe it will be just as difficult as it has been in the past, but I think we just have to lick our wounds a little bit. – Central Dauphin head coach Chris Jones on how his team will try to bounce back from the heartbreaking loss

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