Hughesville’s players knew what they were capable of as the Spartans closed last season on a four-game winning streak. So naturally, there was reason to believe they could build off that success this season.

It didn’t take long for Hughesville to start getting wins this year and the momentum has definitely carried over.

The Spartans are 7-7 and are only two wins away from clinching a District 4 playoff berth for the first time since 2013 when the Spartans finished 11-8-1. It was also the last time Hughesville had double-digit wins.

“I think that’s always been in the back of their minds driving them forward this season. They realize that. We’ve even kept track, even with South game canceled that week, we were like ‘Hey guys, we can get No. 7 this week,'” Hughesville coach Caitlin McClintock said. “So they know it’s coming. That definitely has been driving them forward.”

Hughesville has come up with some big wins, including over Central Columbia, 4-3, and Loyalsock, 3-1. Both are solid District 4 Class AA teams. The win over Central was one of just two losses for the Blue Jays this season.

“We were just excited that we’re almost caught up with last year’s wins,” McClintock joked. “Clinching district, it’s one of our team goals. It’d be something we’d definitely celebrate.”

In years past, an early deficit may have deflated the team and been tough to bounce back from. But now? McClintock jokes the Spartans should start the game down a goal because it motivates the team.

Hughesville fell behind to Loyalsock earlier in the year, 2-0, in the first half and scored twice in the second half to tie it before the Lancers won, 3-2. In the Spartans’ game against Loyalsock two weeks ago, the Lancers went ahead within the first few minutes and put Hughesville down, 1-0. But the Spartans kept at it and took the lead and shifted the momentum with two goals in a 4-minute span.

“The wonderful thing about this team is we’ve never had that problem of giving up. The girls are always picking each other up, and they just keep trying their hearts out until the game’s over, until that final buzzer goes off,” McClintock said. “We’ve never had that issue of just kind of completely breaking down. We’ve had our breakdowns, but usually if we end up losing a game close like the 3-2 loss to (Loyalsock) earlier in the season, those girls pushed themselves up and they pushed. They kept going.

“So that’s something our team has always done: just picked each other up, get it together and try to course correct. We’re trying to teach them skills other than just playing soccer. You need to be able to channel your focus and get the job done.”

A NEW BREED OF DAWGS

That above title is the hashtag I see on Twitter when I get Jersey Shore scores tweeted at me this season, and it’s a fitting hashtag given how first-year coach Darrin Bischof is getting the program on the right track.

With the season slowly winding down, the Bulldogs are above .500 with a 7-5-2 record. The seven wins are believed to be the most since Jersey Shore went 6-13-1 in 2007 and 2006.

The win improvement has been nice, but for Bischof and the Bulldogs, it’s all about getting to the playoffs.

“We don’t talk about the past. We talk about competing and achieving something here that has not been done in a long time: qualifying for playoffs,” Bischof said. “I cannot be more proud of this team. They just play hard and hopefully it will be enough to reach that goal.”

The Bulldogs have tough games remaining on the schedule, including having played Tuesday against Danville, a home game with Lewisburg and a road contest at Mifflinburg. But the Bulldogs have shown they can compete with teams and could make a postseason push.

And has it been a bit of a surprise for Bischof in his first year coaching soccer?

“Yes, it has been a bit surprising, however every time we challenge them to compete even after a tough loss, this team has responded,” Bischof said.

GOING IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

Much like Bischof has started to turn around Jersey Shore, first-year coach Rod Harris has done the same in one year so far at Milton.

The Black Panthers (7-7) have won more games so far in 2018 than they did the last three seasons combined. The seven wins are also the most for Milton since going 7-10-1 in consecutive seasons in 2011 and 2012.

Milton hasn’t made the postseason since Caitlin Landis was a senior in 2009 and Milton went 14-3-2, but Harris said before the season started he expected the Black Panthers to be contenders at the end of the year.

“The Milton girls have been working very hard this year and have united as a team. They have set their goals high and are willing to work hard to achieve them. They are also learning how to deal with adversity when it hits and are now able to work through it instead of letting it swallow them up,” Harris said. “Our freshman class also is very large and has a lot of talent and potential. The large numbers we have out for our team allow for very intense practices and encourage all of the girls to work hard. We have very good leadership from our captains: Taylor Snyder, Leah Bergey, and Lexie Bennett.”

That prediction Harris had in mid-August is looking like it may happen if Milton continues playing this way. The Black Panthers have to win three of their final five games to qualify for the playoffs.

The losing records the past year or two aren’t reflective of the talent that the Black Panthers had coming into this year. The talent was there, such as goalie Kamryn Snyder or scorers Bergey, Crystal Hamilton, Leah Walter and others.

“The talent level is here. The number of players out for the team is large, and the goals for the season have been set high. We as a program — players and coaches — believe in each other and are willing to trust and work hard for each other,” Harris said. “We have an incredible coaching staff that blends and works very well together. I am very proud and honored to stand on the sideline with not only my co-coaches (Brian Hunter, Courtney Kovilaritch and Bing Pursel), but also that team of 33 amazing young ladies.”

50-GOAL SCORERS

Montgomery’s Jessica Umpstead became one of the latest area players to record her 50th career goal, doing so with three goals in a 4-3 win on Montgomery’s senior night Monday against Towanda.

Umpstead has 51 career goals and 21 this year. The senior Red Raider trails only Sam Andrews (75) and former teammate Kiara Fry (77) on the school’s all-time scoring list. Umpstead was a freshman when Fry became the school’s all-time leading scorer in 2015.

“I think that was extra special for her on senior night and I think it also boosted the girls in general. They played exceptionally well together. Jess continued to feed the ball even though she was fighting for that 50th goal,” Montgomery coach Melissa Balliet said. “She was patient with it and kind of waited and wasn’t forcing it. I think it was definitely extra special for her. She sang the National Anthem before game, had senior night festivities and got her 50th goal. It was definitely an awesome night for her.”

On the same night, Wellsboro’s Emma Poirier joined the 50-goal club in an 11-0 win over Williamson. Poirier’s hat trick put her at exactly 50 for her career and 16 for the season. Alexis Getty is the only Wellsboro player ahead of Poirier (82) on the school’s all-time scoring list.

FRESHMAN SPARK

If you go to any Montoursville girls game this year, there’s a solid chance you’re going to see Lily Saul getting shots off for the Warriors, and possibly scoring.

Saul may be only a freshman, but she’s quickly established herself this year as one of Montoursville’s threats and has speed to help out as well. Her impact wasn’t a surprise for the Montoursville coaching staff, which works with the junior high team. The staff knew what they were getting with Saul as a freshman.

“She still has a lot of developmental stuff to do, she has some skill sets to still learn, but we knew she plays really hard,” Montoursville coach Vic Gorini said after Montoursville’s 1-0 loss Thursday to Selinsgrove. “She has a lot of speed and she can go 80 minutes for us. We have big expectations for her. She’s still learning how to kick the ball, so once we get that skill set down, she’s going to be a real effective player in the next few years.”

Saul is Montoursville’s top scorer with nine goals.

Jon Gerardi’s Top 5 teams

1. SOUTH WILLIAMSPORT (12-0)

The Mounties beat Bloomsburg, Benton and Hughesville last week to keep their undefeated season going. Haley Neidig had a game-winning goal with two seconds remaining in overtime to beat Bloomsburg, 1-0, and Lexie Yerger scored in a 1-0 win against Benton. Neidig scored on a breakaway with 5 minutes remaining to win. Alyssa Johnson continued to show why she’s one of the area’s top goalkeepers by posting shutouts against Bloomsburg and Benton and allowed only one goal to Hughesville, a team with some good offensive threats such as Morgan Hopkins and CC Getz.

2. LEWISBURG (7-6-2)

The Green Dragons are two wins from clinching a postseason berth a year after missing the playoffs for the first time in the 2000s. Amelia Kiepke scored a goal on Thursday in Lewisburg’s 2-0 win against Danville and Allie Reed had a goal in the Green Dragons’ 1-1 double overtime tie against Loyalsock on Saturday. Chloe Michaels played excellent defensively against Loyalsock’s Charlotte Neylon, routinely preventing the speedy player from capitalizing on breakaways.

3. WILLIAMSPORT (8-3-1)

The Millionaires suffered two losses, both coming on the road. First the Millionaires lost to a talented Selinsgrove team. It suffered a loss two days later against an improved Milton squad. Lila Vogelsong played well in goal in both contests, recording six saves against the Seals and seven against the Black Panthers. The two losses were also the first time all year the Millionaires lost consecutive games.

4. SULLIVAN COUNTY (10-3)

The Griffins have reached double-digit wins for the third consecutive year. The Griffins defeated Muncy, Millville and Sayre this past week. Sullivan County had success spreading around the offense with six players tallying a goal or assist.

5. LOYALSOCK (6-5-2)

The Lancers suffered a bit of a losing skid, dropping four straight. It snapped that skid with a 1-1 double overtime tie against a tough Lewisburg team. Elisa DiNicola came up with a huge sliding goal near the 6-yard box in the second half to tie the game, and Mari Houseknecht played solid throughout the second half and both overtime periods to prevent Lewisburg from winning.

Player of the week

Bethany Beinlich, Sullivan County

Beinlich came up big for Sullivan County in all three of the Griffins’ victories. She had a goal and assist against Muncy, had the lone goal in a 1-0 win over Millville, and scored two goals and had two assists in a 5-0 win over Sayre on Saturday.

Jon Gerardi covers girls soccer for the Sun-Gazette. He can be reached at 570-326-1551, ext. 3127, or by email at jgerardi@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JonGerardi.