Wyoming Area edges Wyoming Seminary for District 2 Class A field hockey crown

KINGSTON — Rylee Muniz stood her ground on hard drives off penalty corners.

She rushed out of the goal to meet fastbreaks head on.

When Wyoming Seminary put together a comeback attempt worthy of a multi-year defending champion, the freshman goalie made all the right moves necessary to protect Wyoming Area’s lead, securing the school’s first District 2 field hockey title with a 1-0 victory in the Class A final on Tuesday night at Spartan Stadium.

Ella McKernan’s goal less than six minutes into the game stood up, ending years of frustration for Wyoming Area, a state semifinalist two of the past three seasons, in its attempt to overtake Wyoming Seminary in either Wyoming Valley Conference or District 2 title pursuits.

While the result was a first for the Warriors, it represented the end of Wyoming Seminary’s streaks of five straight District 2 championships and four straight PIAA state titles as well as the coaching career of Karen Klassner.

Klassner is the winningest coach in district history with more than 750 victories, including 10 state titles, nine of which have come since 2006. The four straight state championships is a PIAA record.

“It’s been a good run for District 2 and for Wyoming Seminary, so I’m proud of the whole area,” Klassner said. “ … For me, it’s been a great career.

“I tried to perpetuate the sport. That was my goal and I think the district and everyone involved did a great job of doing that.”

Wyoming Area had lost a pair of one-goal games, one of them in overtime, trying to rally from behind against Wyoming Seminary. This time, the Warriors broke in front and had the advantage in possession, scoring chances and penalty corners through three quarters.

The Blue Knights applied pressure right from the start of a fourth quarter in which they produced six of their 10 shots and earned four of their seven penalty corners.

Muniz made sure it did not matter.

Not naturally aggressive, according to a self-assessment, Muniz knew she needed a different approach with the district title and this year’s only state berth from the district on the line.

Muniz charged out and dove head-first to break up a breakaway with 8:30 left. She came out from the cage and into a crowd for another stop and created enough of a nuisance raising her leg pad that an attempt to flip the rebound over her went just wide with 6:22 left.

“In the fourth quarter, I wanted to take it home,” she said. “It meant a lot to me and my team.

“I knew how much they were relying on me.”

Muniz made four of her six saves in the fourth quarter.

The teams wound up even in shots and penalty corners for the game.

Neither team took a shot for nearly six minutes until Lyla Rehill slipped pass behind Wyoming Seminary goalie to Nina Angeli racing toward the left post.

Angeli had an open cage, but was still moving fast and approaching the end line. She sent a shot toward the right post where McKernan had also gotten behind Cabell and was ready to stuff it into the cage uncontested from close range.

“At first I thought it was going in,” McKernan said. “I just had to make sure.”

DISTRICT 2 CLASS A CHAMPIONSHIP

Wyoming Area 1, Wyoming Seminary 0

Wyoming Seminary`0`0`0`0 — 0

Wyoming Area`1`0`0`0 — 1

First — 1. WA, Ella McKernan (Nina Angeli), 9:05.

Shots on goal — SEM 10, WA 10. Goalie saves — SEM 2 (Laine Cabell), WA 6 (Rylee Muniz).

Defensive saves – SEM 0, WA 1 (Addy Dragwa). Penalty corners — SEM 7, WA 7.