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Fairfield girls top York Catholic, need one more win to earn share of division title


Fairfield didn't have any pie, so the Knights celebrated with the next best thing.

Freshman Emma Snyder ran up to coach Phomma Phanhthy with a cupcake in hand, minutes after her team's 3-2 win against York Catholic, and tried to smear the icing side of the cupcake into her coach's face. He ducked, and Snyder's attempt left icing smeared around the side of his head.

The coach didn't mind.

He deemed the celebration worthy of the Knights' biggest win of the season, one that pushed Fairfield (14-1, 10-1 YAIAA Division III) into a first-place tie with the Irish (10-3, 10-1) in the division standings. The win also avenged a 6-2 loss to York Catholic earlier this season, and could very well vault the Knights from No. 3 in the District 3 Class A power rankings past the Irish and into the No. 2 spot.

Fairfield and York Catholic will share the title if both programs win their regular-season finales. Fairfield plays at Biglerville Thursday. York Catholic (10-3, 10-1) hosts Delone Catholic (9-6, 8-3) Thursday.

Fairfield junior Hannah Logue, who broke the career 100-goal mark earlier this season, scored the winning goal by knifing through the York Catholic defense and shooting past keeper Amelia Strayer with 11:25 left. Members of the boys team, which played at York Catholic earlier in the day, jumped up and down on the bleachers singing "Olè! Olè! Olè!"

Phanhthy said that goal opened up for Logue because she made an effort to be more of a facilitator earlier in the game.

"They know she can score, she's a top scorer in this league, so I've asked her to be more of an assister," he said. "When she takes the ball down, she draws two or three (defenders) and I wanted her to come in. Once she starts doing that, I knew she was going to get her goals."

The teams traded goals in the first half, when York Catholic scored first, and again early in the second half, when York Catholic's Liz Johnson tied the game, 2-2, after Fairfield's Sarah Heinbaugh scored a penalty kick four minutes earlier.

"This group of girls, they just keep on playing," Phanhthy said. "It doesn't matter if we're up or we're down. That's what I like about this team, there's no panic in them and they just keep playing. We've kind of been doing that all year."

York Catholic11—2Fairfield12—3

First half — YC, Macayla Welsh, 14:49. Ff, Kacey Shaffer, 2:17.

Second half — Ff, Sarah Heinbaugh, 36:39. YC, Liz Johnson, 32:17. Ff, Hannah Logue, 11:25.

Shots on goal — YC 10, Ff 14.

Corners — YC 3, Ff 2.

Goalies — YC, Amelia Strayer (11 saves). Ff, Kathlyn Kreitz (8 saves).

JV score — Fairfield, 3-2