Villa Maria loses in state final

WHITEHALL - After winning its first three games of the PIAA Class AA field hockey playoffs by scoring 13 goals and yielding just one, Villa Maria Academy couldn't figure out how to stop Wyoming Seminary's Kristian Stefanides.

Stefanides, a 5-foot-2 senior forward, scored all of her team's goals in a 3-2 victory over Villa Maria on Saturday in the state championship game at Whitehall High.

The Blue Knights (18-5-2), with the win, defended the state title they won last year by defeating Lehighton, 5-0. They have won five state titles.

Stefanides, who had a hat trick early in the season, said she couldn't have imagined another one in a state final.

"We weren't even supposed to be here - we have five losses - but I managed to be in the right spot at the right time today," she said. "Remember, my teammates had to bring the ball up to me."

The three goals brought her season total to 17 for the District 2 champs.

Stefanides opened the scoring with a little less than six minutes played, the goal coming seconds after Villa had the game's first offensive penalty corner. The Hurricanes couldn't connect on it.

Lauren del Valle tied the score, 1-1, with 23 minutes to go in the first half.

"Getting that first goal is so important," said Villa's Caroline Troncelliti, a 40-goal scorer who was shut out Saturday. "We came back, but we didn't play our best game. We didn't come out with a lot confidence."

Stefanides' second goal gave the Blue Knights a 2-1 lead entering halftime. She received plenty of help, as three of her teammates - Kristen Mericle, AshLeigh Sebia, and Emily Granger - got a stick on the ball before it went in.

"Those taps are big," said Seminary coach Karen Klassner, who has a career record of 566-137-44 in 40 seasons. "Kristian has been working on them.

"And Emily Granger did a nice job of taking No. 3 [Troncelliti] out of the game. They depend on her a lot."

Stefanides poked in the winning goal with 23:44 left. She put another ball in the cage, but the officials ruled they had blown the whistle for a foul before the ball trickled into the net.

There was nothing trickling about Villa's second goal, by junior Olivia Bolles. The ball banged off the backboard so hard that everybody in the stadium could hear it.

The loss ended a 14-game winning streak for Villa (22-3), which was seeking its first state title since 1994. The Hurricanes won a record fifth straight District 1 championship this fall.

"I don't know what it was - probably nerves - but that wasn't the same team I'm used to seeing," Villa coach Maurene Polley said after the loss. "The girls got here by their own hard work. But we were very tentative today. We put pressure on them at the end, but ran out of time."

Villa Maria Academy   1 1 – 2

Wyoming Seminary   2 1 – 3

Goals: VMA- Lauren del Valle, Olivia Bolles; WS-Kristian Stefanides 3.

Saves: VMA-Maddie Joyce 8; WS-Hannah Dressler 6.