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Girls' soccer: Elizabethtown and Conestoga Valley punch tickets to L-L finals


MANHEIM- Elizabethtown and Conestoga Valley punched their tickets to the L-L girls' soccer finals Tuesday night after they both edged out their opponents with one-goal victories.

In the early matchup, E-Town earned their first ever trip to the finals after downing Manheim Township, 1-0 thanks to a quick goal by Sierra Reed 80 seconds into the contest.

After a Talia Grynkewicz cross pass from the right side of the net, Maddie Mohr headed the ball towards the goal. After Township goalie Katy Hollinger got a hand on the ball, Reed got just enough on the rebound to push the ball across the goal line.

"The goalie fumbled it and I finished it," Reed said. "It just kind of backspinned across the line."

The 1-0 win acts as retribution for a 3-1 loss to Township in the 2014 quarterfinals.

"We always remember it. It was probably our worst game last year," E-town junior Elise Forrey said. "We just wanted it so bad this year and it paid off."

Despite the Bears' success last season, Forry explained how the league tournament is something they've been looking forward to. "We have never passed the first round of leagues in history so this is crazy. I'm so excited," she said.

There was an equal amount of drama in the late contest as well.

After battling to a draw in regulation, Conestoga Valley needed less than two minutes in overtime to defeat defending league champion Hempfield, 2-1.

Freshman Juliana Bedoya was the hero of the night for the Buckskins, heading the ball into the net after Hempfield failed to clear it away on a corner play.

"At first, I thought the goalie was going to have it but I made sure to follow through on the other side and once I saw it bounce off her, I just tried to run through it and it went in," Bedoya said.

"Set pieces are huge, especially in the playoffs. Unfortunately it went against us today," Hempfield coach Jason Mackey said.

Bedoya also scored Conestoga Valley's initial goal to put them on top with 29:29 remaining in the game.

"Once I saw a clear opening, I put my head down and just took the shot and chipped it over the goalie's head," Bedoya said.

Less than three minutes later, Hempfield would tally the equalizer thank to a goal by Sammy Helgeson off a Schyler Ackerman corner kick.

"We didn't put our heads down. We never do," Bedoya said. "We're a team and we know we'll make it through at some point."

The two teams would play scoreless soccer until Bedoya's golden goal early in the overtime period.

"I was stunned. At first, I thought we had to keep playing and then when I realized it was the golden goal, it hit me and I was so excited," Bedoya said.

"You can be disappointed and feel bad, that's great. At the end of the day, leagues isn't the end-all, be-all. Learn from it and move on to districts," Mackey said. "Hopefully we'll be a better team and better prepared."

Tuesday marked Conestoga Valley's second OT win in the 2015 L-L playoffs with Gianna Yurchak scoring late in double overtime in the quarterfinals to push the Buckskins past Cocalico, 1-0.

"I'd rather get that early since Gianna waited until the last minute on Saturday and now we can go home a little earlier," Buckskins coach Keith Nagley joked after the game.

Elizabethtown and Conestoga Valley will square off for the 2015 L-L title on Thursday at 5:30pm at Warwick High School.

"You never know what next year brings. You may not make the playoffs so once you get there, you have to get it done," Nagley said.