By Tom Robinson, NEPASportsNation.com
DALLAS TWP. – Maddie Olshemski connected on a once-in-a-lifetime goal and Laine Cabell made sure it stood up as the game-winner.
Olshemski and Cabell led the way as Wyoming Seminary nailed down its sixth straight Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 championship with a 2-1 victory over Wyoming Area in a playoff Sunday afternoon at Dallas High School.
Wyoming Seminary was already up 1-0 when Izzy Pisano wound up outside the circle and ripped a low bullet into a pack of players in the middle of the circle.
There, Olshemski got her stick on it, changing the direction of the deflection without slowing the ball down much, and sending it into the cage.
“She said ‘I could never do that in another 100 years’,” said Karen Klassner, who is retiring as Wyoming Seminary coach at the end of the season with more than 750 career wins. “It was interesting because the scores today were just rockets and things you didn’t expect to happen.
“They weren’t drawn up that way.”
Nor, was the way Wyoming Seminary protected the lead.
Wyoming Area never slowed down while trailing 2-0 and did not seem to get discouraged about being behind after a first quarter in which it had all eight of the penalty corners.
The Lady Warriors finished with 20 shots and 16 penalty corners, with a dozen of the shots and half the penalty corners coming in the second half.
Cabell made 17 saves, including 9 in the last 27 minutes after Wyoming Area had closed to within, 2-1.
Wyoming Area needed just 18 seconds of the third quarter to earn its first penalty corner of the second half. Less than three minutes later, it scored on another corner.
Lyla Rehill inserted to the top of the circle where Alexys Moore was able to rip a shot past Cabell.
“Wyoming Area had great offensive circle play,” Klassner said, “so they were going to have a shot or they were going to get a corner.”
Wyoming Seminary managed only six shots and five penalty corners, but was more efficient.
Freshman Emmy Swartz knocked in a rebound for a 1-0 lead after one quarter.
“It was a well-played game; a crowd pleaser, which is good for the sport of field hockey,” Klassner said. “I think people enjoyed the game.”
Wyoming Seminary, the four-time defending Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class A champion, may have to get past Wyoming Area again to return to state play.
The Lady Warriors (17-2) are the top seed and have a bye when the District 2 Class A playoffs open with three quarterfinals Monday. They are likely to wind up in the final against either second-seeded Lake-Lehman third-seeded Wyoming Seminary.
“To beat them twice is pretty amazing really,” she said, referencing a 3-2 overtime win at home that allowed Wyoming Seminary to also hand Wyoming Area its other loss.
