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Jon Gerardi on soccer: Regardless of scoreboard, South boys keep battling each game

By Jon Gerardi 16 min read

The results haven't gone the way that South Williamsport had hoped this year. The Mounties are sitting at 4-12-1 entering Tuesday and obviously had hoped for more success this year, and a possible playoff push late in the season.

But the results aren't due to a lack of effort. The Mounties keep fighting each and every game, it's just the end result doesn't always go South Williamsport's way.

That was evident in a tough 2-0 battle against Montgomery last week. South Williamsport played well from start to finish. Montgomery put in two goals in the first half for a quick 2-0 lead. But the Mounties kept pressing and trying to get a goal until the final horn went off.

"They never quit. That's the great thing about this team is their determination," South Williamsport first-year coach Howard Woodruff said. "Whether they're down 10-0 or up 2-0, they play good and play with intergrity. I'm very proud of them for what they do."

The Mounties opened the year with six tough losses with some lopsided scores, but started playing more tightly and competitive after that. The Mounties were without some key players early on in that stretch, but have been playing together trying to get those wins.

"We finally got them back and just got them all working together," Woodruff said. "It's just very disappointing (some of the losses). Just wanted the kids to unload and have a lot of goals."

After an 0-6 start, South Williamsport beat Mid-Penn rivals Muncy, 1-0, and Montgomery, 2-0, in back-to-back road games before edging out Sullivan County in a tight contest, 3-2.

A loss to Loyalsock was followed with a league win over Millville, 2-1.

The Mounties haven't posted a win since that Millville contest in late September, but the effort is there.

South Williamsport tied a good Muncy team, 1-1, and lost that rematch to Montgomery just 2-0. There was a narrow 3-2 loss to Sullivan County and a loss on Saturday to a very talented Montoursville team, 2-0.

Holding Montoursville to just two goals speaks to the determination from South Williamsport's players to compete against tougher schools in higher classifications.

"We've done well all season at doing that. We just cannot finish the ball. We can't put the ball in the net for some reason," Woodruff said. "If we're not kicking it over, were kicking it right to the keeper."

South Williamsport has just two games left on the schedule and aren't able to try to get to a .500 record this year. The Mounties' offense has struggled a bit this year, scoring just 14 goals all season, but no one can deny the Mounties put in effort and compete.

50 ASSISTS

Muncy's Ava Eyer has established herself the last few years as a talented forward/midfielder who can score and dish out assists seemingly at will. She was a key member of Muncy's team last year which won the District 4 Class A title and reached the PIAA Class A semifinals.

This year, she's been just as dominant. Eyer became the school's all-time goal scorer as she has 79 goals and counting. While Eyer knew she was approaching that record, one milestone she didn't know was near was reaching 50 career assists, which the Muncy standout did last week.

"It thought I was pretty far away from it, so I didn't think about it much. I knew I was closer to the record for goals," Eyer said. "So when I knew I was like five away, I was like 'OK, I need to get some girls some goals.'"

Eyer became just the third girls player to ever reach the 50-assist mark, joining former Muncy standouts Emilie Nagle and Ella Nagel, who reached the milestones in the past few years.

"It just shows how much of a complete player she is. She's not just a one-trick pony, she's not just about speed. She's given up some this year, she dropped to midfield after being forward for three years to really help settle down the midfield and she's hunting assists and I couldn't be happier with the mentality of it's team first," Muncy coach Jason Gresh said. "She's coming off of some big goal seasons. That's not most important, what's most important is winning and she's showing it."

And Eyer is happy to have the milestone too, adding to her already impressive resume, but is focused more so on team success than her own accolades.

"It's good," Eyer said with a laugh. "I've been just trying to work hard and the accomplishments just come with it. It's just we're working as a team. That's all I really care about, and if I break some records and have some assists, then that's just a plus."

SCHOOL'S BEST KEEPER

Wellsboro keeper Jadyn Dunlap goes out every game and does everything she can to keep Wellsboro in games. And, more times than not, she comes up big between the pipes and does just that. She's a huge reason the Green Hornets are 10-2-1.

Goalie is a difficult position to play, and keepers don't always get a lot of credit for what they do. But Dunlap is getting the spotlight because she reached two milestones.

One, she became a 500-save keeper, which isn't easy to do. Second, and more importantly, she is the school's new all-time saves leader. The talented keeper moved past former standout Kailee Clymr's mark of 536 as Dunlap is approaching 550 for her career.

"It definitely means a lot to me. Breaking the school saves record was a goal that I didn't know I had the ability to accomplish. It was super exciting getting to break this record with this team and have these coaches because they have been pushing me to accomplish things like this ever since they stepped on the field with me," Dunlap said. "It also shows that you don't have to have been playing goalie all your life, or always had your main focus on soccer, or even always have loved soccer to achieve these things if you put your mind to it.

"I've definitely gone through my ups and downs with soccer and even ddin't play a few years ago, so it can help lead the way for anybody who feels like they haven't done enough yet, because there is always time to get better," Dunlap added.

Dunlap entered this year with a list of 15 goals that she wanted to complete during th season, but the all-time saves record was not on it. She was more focused on her shutouts and goals against rather than saves. In addition to being the school's all-time saves leader, she also tied the school's all-time shutouts record -- for boys and girls -- on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Jersey Shore. She has eight shutouts this year and 23 for her career. And, with a few more league games left, she has a good chance to break that record.

Funny enough, Dunlap's goalie coach is the current record holder: Jake Mitchell.

"Ending my career with the shutout and saves record would show that I did my job as a goalie the best I could. The current record holder also happens to be my goalkeeper coach, Jake Mitchell, so it would be so cool to see him pass that milestone on to me through all of the time and practices he has spent working to get me to where I am now," Dunlap said. "If I don't get this record, it's nothing for me to be upset about because I will know that I put forth my best effort towards my team. As of right now, I'm just trying to get into each game, forgetting that this record exists so I can just play my game with no stress attached."

MOVING UP THE LADDER

Lewisburg boys soccer is synonymous with great defense and superb goalkeepers. Lewisburg prides itself on outstanding defensive play and in goal, they routinely have unbelievable goalies.

Christian Gallager. Logan Cho. Tony Burns. And Gabe Pawling these last four years.

Pawling had already etched his name alongside those keepers as being great, but he now is in elite company.

On Saturday, Pawling recorded his 52nd career shutout in a win against Warrior Run and, in the process, because the second all-time shutout leader in Lewisburg's long history. He moved past Gallager's mark of 51 and sits behind only Cho's state record mark of 64. Pawling was in goal on Monday in a 6-0 win vs. Hughesville for shutout No. 53.

"Gabe is the kind of person, player and young man that is easy to root for. Gabe tries to help the team in anyways and doesn't look for the spotlight," Lewisburg coach Ben Kettlewell said. "I believe Gabe is the best goalie in school history. I love Logan (Cho), but Gabe has an extra special element to his game."

That's high praise from Kettlewell, who was an assistant coach when Cho was in goal as Lewisburg won back-to-back state titles in 2014-15.

PLAYOFF PUSHES

Muncy and Loyalsock's girls soccer teams both entered Saturday's game at Muncy in need of a win in terms of playoff pushes. Muncy got the win to move to 6-6-2, but the Lancers are still hoping to make a push themselves after now being 3-7-4.

And the Lancers are still motivated to get to districts.

"Honestly, they're extremely motivated. I think they were motivated today, but Muncy's in a similar spot. Got two teams playing each other toward end of season both fighting, they went .500 after winning today," Loyalsock coach Pete Ruhl said. "Both teams needed that win and they just fought a little bit harder on a few plays to put it in. We had those chances in final minutes to tie it back up, we just couldn't put it in."

Loyalsock suffered a tough 2-1 loss to Muncy on Saturday. The Indians have had a number of injuries this year and had a brutal stretch of six games early on against talented schools in a ten-day span.

Muncy went 1-4-1 in that stretch, but are now sitting at .500 with a few games left knowing they have to still play well to get to districts.

"We definitely had a rough beginning, but we definitely worked so hard as a team together to get our defense especially, rotation wise and everything together," Muncy's Mikaila Ganoe said. "Offense is doing amazing now just trying to get things in the back fo the net, keep putting pressure on their defense and their keeper."

"It was just a brutal stretch to start. You start 1-4-1, you got a lot of work to do, and they did and we have," Muncy coach Jason Gresh said. "You got some work ahead of you. We're starting to turn the corner. We have some things we have to clean up and get better at, but we're starting to turn that corner."

PLAYING WELL ON THE BACK LINE

At times, Hughesville's offense can steal the show. The Spartans have put up 40 goals in 15 games and have scored three or more goals five times in a game this year. A lot of that success has come from players like Kat Temple (nine goals, five assists), Regan Sellers (eight goals), Jaysa Keiss (five goals, three assists) and Sierra Dewire (four goals, four assists) among many others.

But while the offense is rolling, so is the back line and the defense.

Hughesville's defense continues to play well game after game and has given up just 24 goals this year, six of those coming to powerhouse Central Columbia and three to a talented Crestwood team.

Following a 1-1 tie with a good Williamsport team, Hughesville posted back-to-back shutouts, which included a tie against a 10-win Selinsgrove team at home, 0-0.

That defensive success is in large part from Leah Lehman, Addi Shirvinski and Jadyn Temple, a trio who have played together for awhile and know each other's strengths.

"They've been playing together with each other since I had them when they were 10. They really understand how each other shifts and when other people are stepping to the ball," Hack said. "It's weird because they don't have to talk to each other. Everbody always wants you to, but they don't have to say anything. They just know. It's like a type of intuition, it's really nice to see."

There's also Kalia Hack in goal, a talented keeper who leads the area in shutouts with seven and 129 saves, second-most in the area.

Jon Gerardi is the sports editor at the Sun-Gazette and covers high school soccer. He can be reached by email at jgerardi@sungazette.com. Follow him on Twitter/X at @JonGerardi.

JON GERARDI’S TOP 5 RANKINGS

BOYS SOCCER

1. Lewisburg (13-1): The Green Dragons keep rolling after a 6-0 win over Hughesville. Give the Spartans' defense credit early, as they held a potent Lewisburg offense to just two first-half goals, but Lewisburg kept pressing and added four in the second half to cruise. Lewisburg has 66 goals so far this year through 14 games and is getting goal production out of a number of players.

2. Williamsport (10-4): Williamsport showed resilience and grit on Monday. The Millionaires fell behind to Selinsgrove 1-0 in the first half and kept coming up shy early on with opportunities. But Williamsport kept playing its game and it paid off with a penalty kick before an athletic goal by Isaac Balza. The Millionaires never count themselves out with a deficit, and Monday was a great example of that.

3. Warrior Run (12-3): The Defenders suffered back-to-back losses, but they came to perennial district powers Midd-West and Lewisburg. The Defenders played Midd-West tough, falling just 2-1, before a tough 4-0 loss to defending state champion Lewisburg. That's a tough two-game stretch for any team to play. The Defenders have three games left, including a road trip against a tough Selinsgrove team.

4. Montoursville (7-4-3): Following a 2-0 win at Loyalsock, Montoursville had a 1-1-1 stretch with a 2-2 draw at Millville, a tough 3-0 loss to Warrior Run and a 2-0 bounce-back win over South Williamsport. Montoursville knows it has some really tough games left, including a trip to Williamsport on Oct. 19 and a regular-season finale at home against Lewisburg.

t-5. Wellsboro (13-1-2): The Green Hornets are riding a six-game winning streak after a tie to Williamson. Wellsboro's given up just two goals in that span: one to Towanda and one to N.P.-Liberty. John Shaffer has shown in the past he's a good coach and gets the best of his players, and this year is no exception as Wellsboro is clicking on all cylinders.

t-5. Loyalsock (9-6-1): Since losing to rival Montoursville at the end of September, Loyalsock has not yet lost a game and on Monday, clinched a playoff berth with a 4-0 win against Bloomsburg. The Lancers are playoff bound for a third straight year, and eighth time in the last nine seasons.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK -- Connor Hofstrom, Williamsport

Hofstrom seems to always find a way to score a goal and routinely shows up in Williamsport's results. Last week, he put up a hat trick and assist in a 4-0 win against Mifflinburg, having a hand in all four goals. On Monday, he converted a huge penalty kick to tie the game against Selinsgrove and help spark the offense en route to a 2-1 victory.

GIRLS SOCCER

1. Montoursville (7-3-2): Montoursville came up with a huge win last week against Warrior Run to catapult the Warriors to the No. 1 spot ahead of the Defenders, who held it. Khaya Bennett was clutch in that win, scoring all four goals in a 4-3 victory as Abby Strassner helped prevent a go-ahead goal late.

2. Warrior Run (10-5): The Defenders had a string of three straight losses, but look who they came against: Southern Columbia, Central Columbia and Montoursville. That's a tough three-game stretch to play, but the Defenders rebounded with a win against Mifflinburg to get back on track.

3. Hughesville (8-5-2): Hughesville had a great defensive battle against Selinsgrove last week which saw the back line and keeper Kalia Hack come up big in keeping it 0-0 through 80 tough minutes. Hughesville's offense gets a lot of the spotlight, but as noted in my column, the defense is just as tough.

4. Muncy (6-6-3): The Indians secured a huge win on Saturday against Loyalsock, 2-1, to move to .500 and make a push towards the playoffs. Muncy battled South Williamsport to a 3-3 draw, but give the Indians credit, they trailed 3-1 and fought to tie it and not end up with a loss.

t-5. South Williamsport (6-4-4): Like Muncy, South Williamsport is also pushing for a playoff berth late in the year. The Mounties are 6-4-4 with four games left on the schedule. South Williamsport also has to play all four games on the road against Montgomery, Shikellamy, Lewisburg and a season-finale at Muncy. Marc Lovecchio is a good coach who's players always play their best under his coaching, so expect the Mounties to battle in all four games.

t-5. Montgomery (8-6-2): Montgomery is once again playoff bound for a third consecutive season. The Red Raiders have plenty of playmakers up top this year as Aubrey Staggert (seven goals, eight assists), Aleah Grimm (seven goals, six assists), Miranda Staggert (six goals), Aleaha Grimm (six goals, five assists), Ryleeanne Rupert (six goals) and Brooke Knoebel (six goals, three assists) all are able to strike.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK -- Kiki Woodward, Muncy

Woodward had herself quite a week. First, she put up an outstanding five-goal, one-assist performance in a rout of CMVT. She added a goal against a talented Loyalsock defensive unit in a 2-1 win and then Monday, she put in a game-tying goal late which netted her goal No. 50 for her career. Not a bad week for Woodward.

Starting at /week.