Big goal part of big season for Tigers’ Groff

Both the Northwestern Lehigh boys and girls soccer teams won gold in districts this past season, and both came down to incredible plays that led their respective teams to victory.

For the boys, it was Jeff Garcia’s bicycle kick in overtime that won gold. For the girls, it was Bailey Groff scoring a goal directly from a corner kick that helped propel the Tigers to a 2-0 win over Allentown Central Catholic and give Northwestern its second district championship in three seasons.

That goal was part of an outstanding season for Groff — one that earned her the Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Networks Girls Soccer Player of the Year award.

The shot wasn’t one that she planned, but it certainly looked that way, especially since she came close to accomplishing the same feat on two other corner kicks later in the game.

When asked about the goal, Groff shrugged it off as just a goal that helped the team, when in fact, it was a goal that sparked the team and was a key part in their win.

As a defender, Groff wasn’t always the one getting the attention for Northwestern Lehigh. Instead, she just went about her business in a steady way, working to hold opponents off the board. She also played a role as a team captain, which helped motivate other players along the way.

“She is such a defensive presence, and she doesn’t get a lot of the attention,” said coach Kelly Bleam. “She is an All-State player for us, and she has been so good for us through her entire high school career.”

Groff’s role as a team captain is the one she relishes most, and cited being able to help other players as one of her accomplishments that she is most proud of. Her love for soccer started when she was about 3, as she followed in her mom’s footsteps of playing the sport. When she was 10, she moved to playing for the Lehigh Valley United club team, and that’s when her love for the sport really began to blossom. She remembers how people helped her and how she wanted to pay that help forward.

“There were a lot of people who helped me over the years,” Groff said. “Playing under coach Bleam was great, because she brought a positive energy to the team. It was a fun atmosphere, but we also wanted to win every time that we went onto the field. That stuck with me, and I always tried to extend that energy to other players.

“There are a lot of good players coming up at Northwestern, and I think that in some way I helped them and prepared them for what’s to come for both them as individual players, and as part of the team.”

Groff admits that it’s difficult to pin herself down to just one memory from her high school soccer days, as she has an entire collection that comes to mind, but believes that remembering the bond between teammates will likely be the most enduring. She also loved the competitiveness of playoffs.

“It’s always competitive, but in playoffs, you’re usually in that position of having to win or having your season end, and nobody wants that. It makes the game that much more competitive, and when you win those games, it’s special,” she said. “It feels great to win.”

Groff’s goal against Central Catholic wasn’t her only playoff highlight. As a sophomore, she remembers her first big playoff goal that came in overtime of the PIAA quarterfinal game against Boiling Springs which for her, was a key moment.

“I think that was when it really set in for me just how great it was to be a part of this team, and have the opportunity to play in games like that,” she said. “I guess that would be the one goal that really stands out because it was somewhat of a turning point for me when I look back. The wins in districts were really special, too.”

Bleam was especially happy that Groff got to wear a second district gold medal this past season, as it was a great way for her young defender to cap her high school career. While Bleam would have liked for Groff to get to play in a PIAA championship game, the semifinals in 2017 was the closest that she would get.

“I’m so happy for her to be wearing that medal,” said Bleam after this year’s district championship. “She works so hard, and it’s great to have that as a reward. I just can’t say enough about what she has meant to the program, both on the field and off.”

Groff will continue her soccer career at Elizabethtown College.