Tigers fall in state opener

HERSHEY - Nobody can accuse the Northwestern girls' soccer team of taking it easy this postseason.

The Tigers battled through the new single-class district playoff bracket in order to earn a PIAA tournament berth, knocking off a few of their bigger brethren in the process.

Their reward for that run: a first-round state date with talented Mechanicsburg, the District 3 runner-up and a returning state qualifier.

That latest challenge proved to be the toughest, as Mechanicsburg rolled to an 8-1 victory on a sweltering Thursday evening on the turf at Hershey Park Stadium. The loss closes out the season for Kelly Bleam's Northwestern club.

"Obviously, we played an outstanding opponent," Bleam said. "We came in knowing we were facing a terrific soccer team, and that's very much what we saw. I'm proud of the girls for hanging tough, and I'm very proud of them for coming through the AAA tournament and getting to the state tournament."

Mechanicsburg wasted little time in asserting itself, and the Wildcats pushed the pace right from the opening whistle. Midfielder Ali Matisse cut through the Northwestern defense down the left side and knocked a cross to striker Megan Mateja, who got a piece of the ball amid a scrum in front. It popped in the air and found the Northwestern net off a bounce.

The goal came just 70 seconds into the contest.

"We needed to jump on them off the bus before they got comfortable," Mechanicsburg coach Tony Lougee said. "That goal was really important. The girls did a nice job."

The Tigers stabilized after the opening salvo, but Matisse would do more damage later in the half. With just over 15 minutes gone by, she broke through the defense again and drew a foul while in the box. Matisse buried the ensuing penalty kick in the lower left corner of the goal for a 2-0 Mechanicsburg lead.

The Pittsburgh recruit struck again with just under 10 minutes remaining. She initially overran a lofted pass, but gathered herself, backed up, and drilled a 22-yard shot into the back of the net. The Wildcats' Natalie Zelenky got in the act just over a minute later, netting a goal off an assist from her sister Jodie that made it 4-0 with nine minutes before half.

"We've been on the other side of this many times," Bleam said. "It's humbling to watch a team as good as Mechanicsburg play. It's very good for the team, especially a young team, to get out and see what District 3 soccer looks like."

The Tigers played their best soccer of the day following Zelenky's goal. Kathryn Hallingstad put Northwestern on the board less than a minute later when she picked up a loose ball and popped a shot over the head of Wildcat keeper Shelby Koch.

Northwestern kept challenging for the remainder of the half, with Anna Fricchione forcing Koch to come up with a save with just over five minutes remaining. That kept the margin at 4-1 heading into the break.

The Wildcats quickly dashed any comeback hopes though, with Natalie Zelenky tallying her second goal just 40 seconds into the half. Mechanicsburg stretched it to 6-1 with a Holly Burgard goal, and Zelenky later completed her hat trick with a highlight-reel one-on-one goal.

"Natalie is dangerous," Lougee said of his sophomore. "You know if she gets a chance to create, she can do that. Once she gets going, she's tough."

Northwestern finishes its season with a 15-5-1 mark, a record that included a postseason full of lessons for a small-school squad that trotted out just three seniors among its starters.

"It can be a defeating postseason mentally if you allow it to be," Blean said. "Whether it's 4A schools, or 3A, or 2A, there's 11 girls on the field at all times, so let's just go out there and do the best we can. That attitude has worked for us."