By Tom Robinson, NEPASportsNation.com
SCRANTON – Scranton Prep’s Hannah Curry scored twice and Wallenpaupack’s Jacqui Weber earned game Most Valuable Player honors with the help of the other goal Sunday afternoon when the Pink team defeated the Green team, 3-2, in the girls opener to the 20th annual Scranton Soccer Cup.
The senior all-star doubleheader for players from the Lackawanna League was played indoors at Riverfront Sports.
Green led 1-0 at halftime on a goal by Bryn Stiles from Abington Heights with six minutes left.
Curry tied the game with 32 minutes remaining and it stayed that way until 18:07 remained when Weber scored the goal that put Pink ahead after receiving a pass from Western Wayne’s Cyrah Bihler.
“I just got a beautiful pass from the center and I took it out wide,” Weber said. “I took a touch toward the middle with my right foot and I saw an open goal so I took the shot.”
Curry added an insurance goal when she Delaware Valley’s Sage Henry made a pass from the right side to find her about 15 yards out in front of the left post.
Green made things interesting late when Clarion University-bound Nadia Gill from Lakeland placed a shot just inside the left post with 5:55 left.
Pink, however, was able to protect the one-goal lead the rest of the way.
“I had a great team around me,” Weber said. “It was a great atmosphere and I’m so glad I came.
“I had so much fun.”
The winning Pink team was coached by Tyler Jakes from Western Wayne.
It included players from Valley View, Scranton Prep, West Scranton, Western Wayne, Wallenpaupack, Forest City, Honesdale, Delaware Valley and Holy Cross.
Dan Badyrka from Dunmore coached the Green, which included his players along with those from Lakeland, North Pocono, Abington Heights, Mountain View, Carbondale, Elk Lake, Mid Valley and Montrose.
Delaney Flannery, Shelby Kaschak, Avery Smola, Ryien Carroll and Ava Sherman made Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 3A state quarterfinalist Valley View the most represented team in the game with five players.
Bihler, Jaden Gregory and Eleonor Black were Jakes’ Western Wayne players in the game.
Curry was joined by Scranton Prep teammates Lena Ligorio and Laureen Shay. West Scranton also supplied three players with Emily Bresser, Courtney Hazelton and Jaeanna Topa.
The rest of the winning team consisted of: Gabby Pleska and Lily Zukosky from Forest City, Weber and Paulina Schmidt from Wallenpaupack, Anna Coar and Madison Meagher from Honesdale, Henry from Delaware Valley and Shannon O’Malley from Holy Cross.
Faith Bravo, Abbey Kopacz and Adeline Toole represented Dunmore on the Green team. North Pocono had Amelia Maros, Ainsley O’Donnell and Norah Wolff on the team while Lakeland was represented by Gill, Caitlyn Kerr and Ava Piraino.
The rest of the roster was: Taylor Neri and Alexis Turner from Mountain View, Madalyn Borders and Audrey Cobb from Carbondale, Delaney Curley and Caitlyn Kerr from Elk Lake, Madison Kizer and Courtney Rebar from Mid Valley, Hayley Pompey and Mya Snyder from Montrose, and Stiles and Emma Ratchford from Abington Heights.
