The fall season means that it’s time for soccer here at JHS. Coming into preseason this year, there were 16 girls rostered. With this in mind, two-a-days were focused on fitness and smart play to save players’ legs during the quick turnaround of regular season games.
Girls soccer finished their regular season games this past weekend, ending with a 10-7 record. Led by senior team captains, Ashlyn Pannebaker, Emma Pannebaker, and Hailey Kepner, they opened their season in the annual Raiders Classic Bellefonte Tournament. There, they lost to Hollidaysburg (1-0) and beat Bellefonte (2-1). Throughout the season, the team, already low in numbers, had to battle quarantines and injuries. However, the girls battled through the season, and after some tough overtime losses, they managed to pick up a big overtime win against Mifflin County (3-2). The girls are currently ranked 6th in District 6 AA. If these standings remain, they will play Westmont Hilltop for their first round of districts.
Districts are set to begin no sooner than October 25th, so the next week will be spent preparing and striving to get every player back to full health. The district tournament is single-elimination, so in order to keep playing, the girls will need to come out and play their best soccer yet! Their Coach, Garrick Paden, has been stressing that “the team that comes out and plays the best soccer that day gets to move on.” Although there are some tough games ahead, the coaching staff believes that the girls have a chance to compete with many teams in the district.
Good luck in the District 6 AA Playoffs Ladies!