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By now, the mental agony, physical toil and pure elation of last Wednesday’s District 2 Class 2A girls soccer championship wore off for Coughlin. The Crusaders needed 110 minutes and 15 rounds of penalty kicks to shake off Scranton Prep for its first district championship since 2004.
Coach Joe Spagnuolo Jr. and his Crusaders travel to Central Columbia High School Tuesday to face District 4 winner Midd-West at 7 p.m. in the first round of the PIAA girls soccer playoffs.
And for their opponent? A mirror image of themselves.
“The system they play is almost identical to the one that we run,” said Spagnuolo, who watched the Mustangs defeat Lewisburg in the District 4 title game Thursday. “It’s like looking in a mirror. It’s going to be a really good game. It’ll come down to who can execute it the best. They almost play it the exact way.”
Like its opponent, Coughlin (17-1-1) has never played in a state playoff game with its current roster. Before they could begin preparing for their PIAA run, the Crusaders had to curb the enthusiasm that followed their 2-2 (12-11 PK) win over Scranton Prep. Coughlin punched its ticket when Hailee Dumont made her Round 15 shot, and Prep’s Eileen Casey shot wide left to send the team into a frenzy.
“We were a little bit excited,” Spagnuolo said. “We gave them Thursday off. When we came back to practice Friday, we told them, ‘The district final is over; it’s in the past. We have to focus on Midd-West and states now.’”
The Coughlin/Midd-West winner will advance to the quarterfinals to face the winner of reigning state champion Villa Julie Marie and Northern York Saturday. Coincidentally, the Jems and Polar Bears both played Dallas in the state playoffs in the past two years. VJM eliminated the Mountaineers (5-0) in the quarterfinals last year, and Dallas knocked off Northern York 1-1 (4-3 PKs) in the first round of the 2014 playoffs.
Scouting Coughlin
Mary Tona earned her second-straight all-state nomination after an 82-point season. Tona leads the Crusaders from the mid-field with 31 goals and 20 assists. She lent a hand in each of the two Coughlin goals in the district final against the Classics.
Skyler Panattieri (16g-7a) and Kendall Pearage (18g-20a) both fired up in the playoffs to the tune of three and four goals, respectively. Bri Georgette and Emma Sukowaski will present problems for the Mustangs in the defense. Coughlin has defending First Team All-Conference keeper Paige Davis in front of net.
Expect big things from Hailee Dumont (6g-10a) and Caroline Majeski. Majeski evolved into her defensive role that gave her the liberty to take the reins off and come forward offensively. She either assisted or scored in three of the four district playoff games, despite having just one assist in the regular season.
Scouting Midd-West
Midd-West also has a two-time all-state player in Keli Beiler (30g-13a) at the center-midfield position. Both she and Tona will be battling each other for (at least) 80 minutes. Her sister, Brianna, is the Mustangs’ second-leading scorer with nine goals and seven assists.
Two unsung heroes for Midd-West are Chloe Wagner, a District 4 champion sprinter with seven goals, and Mackenizi Kauffman, who tagged eight goals and four assists this year. Both are specialty players – Wagner gets ahead of the ball on fast break chances and stretches defenses, while Kauffman’s presence is made on corners and free kicks.