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Coming off a record-breaking unbeaten regular season, Pennsylvania College of Technology women's soccer coach Ian Scheller now has his team's sights set on the biggest prize: a United East Championship.
Seeded second in the 12-team single-elimination tournament after going 7-0-1 in the UE and 14-0-4 overall, Penn College will host Wilson College in a quarterfinal at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Wilson comes into the match as the seventh seed with a 6-3 UE, 13-3-2 overall record after edging 10th-seeded Cedar Crest 1-0 in double-overtime in a first-round match on Tuesday.
"Our regular season has been one that has offered many surprises for me and our team. The team has done a wonderful job, continuously working hard to keep the standard high from the first game all the way to now. We are a team that is still very young, with many freshmen and sophomores stepping up to make a big impact this season, but we have found a way to find stability despite this inexperience. This season is one that I believe we will always look back on fondly as a springboard for our program," Scheller said.
"We have found success in taking our chances and also limiting the opportunities for our opponents. We have had 13 different goal-scorers and managed to limit our opponents to just six goals. Our stout defensive record has allowed us to learn during big games, even when our offense hasn't been clicking," Scheller said.
In UE matches, the Wildcats have outscored their opponents 40-2. In all matches, they hold an 80-6 advantage.
The team's statistical leaders include freshman Megan Kurian of Royersford, with 13 goals and six assists in UE play; senior Cassie Johnson of Richland, with eight goals and six assists; and senior goalkeeper Nicole Lichtinger of Erie, who has allowed just two goals, owns a 0.25 goals-against average, made 15 saves and a 0.882 save percentage in UE matches.
When the two teams met during the regular season, the Wildcats won 6-0.
In UE play, Wilson has outscored its opponents 33-14, getting 10 goals and two assists from Halley Shaffer and seven goals and two assists from Annie Smith. In the goal, Madison Ebersole has allowed three goals, owns a 1.15 goals-against average, made 18 saves and has a 0.857 save percentage, while Rebecca Marakovitz has allowed eight goals, has 2.29 goals-against average, made 20 saves and has a 0.714 save percentage.
In Tuesday's playoff win, Marakovitz played 86 minutes and made four saves, while Ebersole played 19 minutes and had two saves. Smith scored the lone goal.
"Our opponent for the quarterfinals is one that we are very familiar with, having played them this year. Although we were able to put in a strong performance, we know Wilson is capable of causing us issues due to their ability to be stout defensively. We will need to be at our best to win, and I expect home-field advantage to give us a boost on Saturday," Scheller said.
"I think if we can continue to keep our goalkeeper clean, we will have a chance in almost any match. There are many great teams in the United East, and I am excited to see how our young team handles the adversity that comes with a playoff atmosphere," Scheller said.
"No matter what happens, the coaching staff and I believe this is a year that has been overwhelmingly positive, with the emergence of young talents Kurian, Ashley Gordon of Pottstown, Sierra Klinger of Herndon and Lucy Kontir of Bethlehem. These players have come in as freshmen and made a ridiculous impact from the first minute," Scheller said.
The third-year coach continued, "We have also found stability in returning sophomores Wiley Egan of Northumberland, Brooke Klinger of Herndon, Sara Pecchia of Jersey Shore and Makayla Bucks of Lebanon, who aren't seniors (yet) have experience from the previous year's triumphs.
"Our senior leadership of Johnson and Lichtinger have been the glue that keeps the team together, with Nicole recording 11 clean sheets this year and Cass adding 13 goals and 14 assists (overall). This team is a perfect storm of great things and I am looking forward to the remainder of the season.
"We wrapped up an undefeated (regular-season) campaign, which is something that this team now can claim for the rest of their lives. This has been a special season for me as a coach because moments like this do not come around too often.
"Also, being an alumni and being able to achieve the most wins of any women's soccer coach, at least in the NCAA era, is something I am incredibly proud of. I have immense pride for this school and the team we've built. It's been an incredibly meaningful season for me overall, and I cannot thank the girls enough for giving me this special season, so far.
"Hopefully, we have a few weeks left to take our accomplishments even further."