CUMBERLAND: In a match that included the area’s leading goal scorers Emma Hostetler and Avery Miller, the defenders won out. At Greenway Avenue Stadium, top-ranked Northern and No. 3 Allegany battled to a scoreless draw after 100 minutes on Monday due to a dearth of scoring opportunities.
“Allegany had a really strong performance.”I don’t think we played a good game,” Gregg Hostetler, the head coach of Northern, stated. “We seemed to be off all night,” I said. When things could have gone wrong, I’ll give my girls credit for standing up and pulling out a tie.” Northern (4-1-1) defeated Mountain Ridge, the previous No. 1 team, 2-1, on Monday to become the newly anointed No. 1 team in the area.
Northern got the best play
However, Allegany (2-1-2), a team that Northern has not lost to in the regular season but has fallen three times in the postseason, has emerged as its greatest adversary over the past three years. There have been four ties and three victories for each team versus the other since the 2021 season began.
The two teams combined for just 11 shots on goal on Monday, although there were few and far between dangerous opportunities. In the first overtime, Northern got the best of play. Ainsley McHenry-Sober almost scored in the 82nd minute when Kaylee Bowser’s 51-yard free kick found him in the box. Head coach Mat Schartiger of Allegany commented, “We played the best team.”
“Hopefully, they believe they were the best squad to play. It was evident. The winner was defense. Everyone found it difficult to get through it. Northern and Allegany have had the top offenses in the area thus far, regardless of the final score. Northern had an area-high goal average of 6.6 going into Monday’s match.
Best scoring possibilities
They do possess some speed, according to coach Hostetler. “It appears that we were attempting to construct there. Whether that’s because they were in the proper locations or because we didn’t make the right pass. To be honest, it probably combines elements of both. The best scoring possibilities for Allegany came from set pieces. On a corner kick in the thirteenth minute, Myia Miller discovered Avery Miller’s head in the center of the box.
“We have excellent defense. We don’t commit many errors, according to coach Hostetler. “We’re just solid, and they look for that long ball for Avery to run on.” We don’t see too many of those balls passing by. Ada White, the Northern goalie, made seven saves to preserve the clean sheet, while Brilynn Beatty of Allegany made four stops.
On Thursday at 7 p.m., Allegany travels to No. 2 Mountain Ridge (4-1). On Thursday at four, Northern is at Rockwood. “We’re sitting at the one seed right now,” coach Hostetler remarked. “There is still a lot more soccer to be played. We know that in the end, Allegany and Mountain Ridge will all remain here. It can literally come down to how recently we have played together.