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SHICKSHINNY — With a leap and a prayer, Sydney Franchella sneaked home another goal.
It turned out to be just enough to get the Northwest Rangers to the brink of first place.
Morgan Gregory scored the game’s first goal, Franchella scored the second and Northwest pulled within a half-game of first place in the Wyoming Valley Conference Division 2 by holding off Lackawanna Trail, 2-1 at the Northwest football field.
“It was a very important game,” Franchella said. “We expected it to be a very tight game. It was a crazy game.”
It was also a game that moved the defending division champion Rangers closer to the top.
Lackawanna Trail still holds a slim lead in Division 2 with a 6-1 record, but Northwest is now right behind at 5-1 with a makeup game against Tunkhannock set for Oct. 3.
More importantly, the victory kept Northwest right in the title chase after an early-season, 2-0 loss at Lackawanna Trail left the Lions in control of Division 2 and the Rangers chasing for the last few weeks.
“Obviously, we were upset, but we knew the next time we came in contact with them, we’d come out harder than we did the first time,” Franchella said. “We really wanted to get that win.”
It appeared Franchella sealed it when she went diving for her eighth goal of the season with 6:47 to play to give the Rangers a 2-0 lead.
But Trail came back with a goal by Maggie Martin off a penalty corner with a tick under three minutes on the clock, making for a frantic final few minutes.
“The adrenaline level was increasing, because they could tie it,” Franchella said. “But we held them off to the end.”
So it was Franchella’s end-around goal that she dove to get a stick on and kissed off the left goal post that proved the difference in the game.
“She dove,” Northwest coach Ashley Sorber said. “Sydney’s always diving. She’s going to fight to get it in.”
The score came during a furious battle in the circle, and gave Franchella — already Northwest’s all-time leading goal scorer — her eighth score of the season and 77th of her career.
“I kind of leaped, and prayed it went in,” Franchella said. “It hit the corner and just went over the line. Faith was on my side.”
Trail, though, wasn’t finished.
After Rangers goalie Cassidy Gray turned away a point-blank attempt earlier in the second half, Bella Jagoe fed Martin for a goal that gave Trail hope for the final few minutes.
“It’s always a good game. That’s a real good team,” Sorber said. “But we were ready to fight through that.”
Gregory delivered the first punch, scoring the game’s first goal she tipped in a shot by Megan Harvey with 3:21 remaining in the opening half and giving the Rangers their first lead in more than 86 minutes of play against Trail this year.
“They are a phenomenal team,” Franchella said. “But we just went in with our heads up and came out with a win. We’re going to go out, play our game and hopefully make it to the division title once again.”
That would have been difficult with a second defeat to Trail, but the Rangers are now tied in the loss column heading into the regular season’s final few weeks — with a third showdown between the two looming Oct. 7.
“I thought it was a great game, very competitive game,” Trail coach Gary Wilmet said. “We’re tied (in the loss column). We have a bit of an advantage because they have to come and play at our place again. Our kids are already looking forward to that. They played hard and tough, we played hard and tough. And that’s what you’re going to get, a 2-1 game.”
This time, tough, the Rangers got what they needed — a chance to spend the remainder of the season fighting the Lions for first place.
“It’s kind of fitting,” Sorber said. “It always seems like both of us are right there, us and Trail are even (in losses). It makes for an exciting division championship (race).”
Valley West 2, Wilkes-Barre 1
Rina Tsioles and Cameryn Forgash both scored in the first half and the Spartans remained in the chase for a WVC Division 1 title by holding off the Wolfpack.
Tsioles and Forgash scored 69 seconds apart midway through the opening half to put Valley West up 2-0. Hannah Chocallo pulled Wilkes-Barre close with a goal 9:27 into the second half.
Sydney Rusnock made six saves to preserve the victory as Valley West moved to 6-1 and closed to within a half-game of 6-0 Wyoming Seminary at the top of Division 1.
Briannah Lee made 15 stops for Wilkes-Barre, which fell to 4-2-1.
Nanticoke Area 4, Tunkhannock 0
Olivia Nice scored two goals and Grace Reed chipped in with a goal and an assist to spark the Trojanettes.
Riley Baird also scored for Nanticoke Area off a feed from Reed and Lillian Galazin added two assists.
Hanover Area 3, Berwick 0
Megan Davis scored a goal and added an assist and Kimberly Shreve made eight saves in goal as the Hawkeyes upended the Bulldogs.
Marina Ciavarella scored the first goal and Abby Korba hit the last for Hanover Area.
Jackie Nevel finished with 21 saves for the Bulldogs.
Northwest 2, Lackawanna Trail 1
Lackawanna Trail`0`1 — 1
Northwest`1`1 — 2
First half — 1. NW, Morgan Gregory (Megan Harry), 3:20. Second half — 2. NW, Sydney Franchella (Irelyn Kishbaugh), 6:47; 3. LT, Maggie Martin (Bella Jagoe), 2:59.
Shots — LT 4; NW 8. Saves — LT 6 (Lilly Rejrat); NW 3 (Cassidy Gray). Penalty corners — LT 6; NW 9.
Valley West 2, Wilkes-Barre 1
Valley West`2`0 — 2
Wilkes-Barre`0`1 — 1
First Half — 1. WVW, Rina Tsioles (Ariane Rupnik), 16:33; 2. WVW, Cameryn Forgash (Chloe Pisack), 15:24. Second Half — 3. WB, Hannah Chocallo (Abie Sorokas), 20:37.
Shots — WVW 17; WB 7. Saves — WVW 6 (Sydney Rusnock); WB 15 (Briannah Lee). Corners — WVW 13; WB 5.
Nanticoke Area 4, Tunkhannock 0
Tunkhannock`0`0 — 0
Nanticoke Area`2`2 — 4
First Half — 1. NAN, Olivia Nice (Lillian Galazin), 25:00; 2. NAN, Riley Baird (Grace Reed), 8:52. Second Half — 3. NAN, Nice (Galazin), 26:57; 4. NAN, Reed, NO TIME.
Shots — TUN 10; NAN 6. Saves — TUN 2 (Iesha Hartmann); NAN 10 (Alexus Nichols). Corners — TUN 11; NAN 9.
Hanover Area 3, Bewick 0
Berwick`0`0 — 0
Hanover Area`2`1 — 3
First half — 1. HAN, Marina Ciavarella (Megan Davis), 26:19; 2. HAN, Megan Davis (Riley Corbett), 8:14. Second half — 3. HAN, Abby Korba (Rhiannon Danko), 8:11.
Shots — BER 8; HAN 24. Saves — BER 21 (Jackie Nevel); HAN 8 (Kimberly Shreve). Penalty corners — BER 5; HAN 13.