Girls Varsity Soccer

Blue Devils fall to Knights 2-1

By Austin Mitchell

SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE

TITUSVILLE — The Cambridge Springs Blue Devils and Eisenhower Lady Knights met for the third time this season in the quarterfinals of Class 1A girls soccer playoffs in Titusville on Tuesday.

The Blue Devils lost a nail biter 2-1 to end their season.

Eisenhower came to play and as soon as the whistle blew, culminating with Julia Gesin scoring just two minutes into the game.

“Judging by our body language, the other team was more ready to start the game than we were. I couldn’t sense that before the game started,” Cambridge Springs head coach Geoff Bristow said. “They passed a ball through everybody and I thought the ball was on its way out but a Eisenhower girl made the run to save the ball and put it in a perfect spot. That took the winds out of our sails two minutes into the game.”

Cambridge Springs coming into the night had tied (0-0) and beaten Eisenhower (1-0) in their two games between each other on the season.

“We have played them twice already prior to this and held them scoreless both games. So we felt really confident coming in that we would be able to play some solid defense. Unfortunately we have struggled with injuries this year and we had some key players that were not in the positions that we would normally have them in,” Bristow said. “I don’t want to use that as an excuse but it certainly was a factor in our confidence going down the stretch there and was also a factor in not having the bodies to put in to keep up with the energy level in the game.”

The Lady Knights’ next and last score on the day came just 15 minutes after their first when Katie Bunk scored a miraculous shot over Blue Devils goalkeeper Maddie Yanc to put Eisenhower up 2-0.

Even with these quick goals, the Blue Devils did not give up. The game was evenly matched and both teams fought for position at every turn, making it a chippy game.

The second half brought a rejuvenated Blue Devils team coming out on all cylinders. Makenzie Yanc particularly was not going down without a fight. Yanc scored on a penalty kick with four minutes left in the game. But key injuries and some iffy whistles ultimately led to the end of the Blue Devils season.

“We knew that in the second half if we could get the next goal that we would be right back into the game. We got it (the next goal). But it was just a little too late and we couldn’t get possession. A lot of credit to Eisenhower for being able to maintain possession in that last 15 minutes of the game,” Bristow said. “To really kinda ice the game for them and prevent us from getting in and getting any close shots.”

A questionable call came with 23 minutes left in the second half with Yanc receiving a pass that put just the goalie between her and the net, but the back referee’s whistle blew for a handball.

“That was our chance to get back in the game right there. The furthest away referee made the call. I don’t doubt that there was a handball but you are supposed to wait and see. We had an advantage. The ball fell and it was basically her and the goal,” Bristow said. “She is our best scorer. He blew and stopped the play, which is really discouraging because she was working so hard to get that ball. It doesn’t come down to one call or missed call or unfortunate call. It doesn’t come down to an injured player.

“It comes down to in the first two minutes of the game we weren’t quite ready. They got a quick goal on us and it set the tone. It brought their energy level up and it pushed ours down.”

It was a respectable season for Cambridge Springs finishing with a 5-5-2 record, and a bright future ahead of them.

“We are a young team,” Bristow said. “I feel really good that if we get our players back who have been injured we get them back for next season. I feel really good about next season.”

Eisenhower will play Seneca Thursday for the Class 1A championship.

Last season, Cambridge won the program’s first district championship and made a deep state playoff run to the state semifinal.

“We thought this was going to be our year because last year we were coming back with 10 starters from that team. Then the injuries started preseason and they just started piling up and we were kind of in some ways just a shell of the team we were last year,” Bristow said. “The seniors helped us climb into the playoffs this year and they accomplished more than any other Cambridge Springs team did. They were our leaders last year and that’s what I’m asking them to focus on, because that’s the memory they are gonna keep in the long run.”

Familiar foe

Bobcats top Blue Devils in regular-season finale

By Alex Topor

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

SAEGERTOWN — The Cambridge Springs girls soccer team battled the undefeated Seneca Bobcats to a 2-1 loss on Wednesday in the regular-season finale.

The loss gave the Devils a 5-4-2 overall record and 4-2-2 Region 3 record on the season. Seneca ended undefeated both overall and in region action.

Cambridge scored first at about the 15 minute mark when Isobel Yasenchack booted one from right in front of the net. Makenzie Yanc lobbed a ball near the corner of the penalty box on a throw-in, which made its way to a waiting Yasenchack. She capitalized and gave the devils an early lead on region foe Seneca.

Seneca tied the game just before halftime when a ball took an odd bounce and glanced over the gloves of all-region goalkeeper Maddie Yanc.

In the second half the teams traded possessions near the middle of the field without either team getting a good shot on goal. With about 20 minutes remaining a Blue Devil turnover deep in their side of the field resulted in a Bobcat goal.

“We couldn’t clear the ball when we had an opportunity to and they got an unfortunate bounce in front of the keeper which made it so she was unable to handle it,” Cambridge Springs head coach Geoff Bristow said.

Facing a 2-1 deficit, Cambridge Springs made several deep runs into Seneca territory but were unable to find the back of the net. The Seneca defense held off the Devil attack for a win.

“We played awesome and the game was an absolute battle. We knew they were a good team with good ball skills and good possession, but we were prepared for it and had a game plan for it and it worked,” Bristow said. “We gave up a late goal before half and then unfortunately we couldn’t clear that ball in the second. We have pretty even teams as far as I’m concerned and there’s a good chance we’ll see them again in the playoffs.”

Seneca beat Cambridge by one goal in both meetings between the teams this season. The Bobcats won the region and its likely the two teams meet a third time in the postseason.

“When you play in regions this small it’s like every team becomes a rival,” Bristow said. “You see them twice a year and you know what they’ve got, how they play and they know how you play so it becomes somewhat of a rivalry.”

The Blue Devils have played a unique season. After opening the season on Sept. 7, they faced a two week reprieve due to COVID-19. After getting used to gamespeed and battling through the region, the team is ready for some days off before the playoffs begin on Tuesday.

“I think we’ve got some nicked up players who could use a week of rest before the next game,” Bristow said. “The core of our team last year we went very deep in the playoffs and they know what it’s like and what it takes. I think we can go in with a lot of confidence.”

Last season, the Blue Devils advanced to the state semifinals and won the program’s first District 10 Championship against Seneca. Bristow likes his team’s chances over the next couple weeks if they can eliminate one thing — bad goals.

“We tend to give up one bad goal every game on a ball that shouldn’t score. It’s no individual’s fault, but it always seems to be a loose ball that the other teams picks up and gets to first and gets a shot off of it. In our last five or so games that’s happened,” Bristow said. “If we stop giving up those bad goals I have a lot of confidence in this team.”

Girls soccer Blue Devils top Braves

SAEGERTOWN — The Cambridge Springs Blue Devils defeated the Iroquois Braves 6-2 in a Region 3 match on Monday.

Paisley Mangold scored in the 12th minute to get the scoring started, but Iroquois responded three minutes later to tie the game 1-1.

Makenzie Yanc answered by taking the ball by herself about 70 yards and beating the goalie for a goal.

Isobel Yasenchak scored three quick goals and Yanc added her second goal to give Cambridge a 6-1 lead at halftime.

Cambridge is now 5-3-2 overall and 4-1-2 in region action. The Blue Devils host an undefeated Seneca Bobcat team today. The Bobcats beat Cambridge 1-0 earlier this season.

Girls soccer Blue Devils down Tigers 3-1

TOWNVILLE — Cambridge Springs used a big second half to beat Maplewood 3-1 in a Region 3 soccer match on Tuesday.

Maplewood’s Natalie Kurt scored a goal in the fifth minute to open the scoing and give the Tigers an early lead.

The 1-0 lead held until early in the second half. Isobel Yasenchack scored off a corner kick with Makenzie Yanc recording an assist.

Yanc added another assist when she set up Paisley Mangold. Yanc scored a goal herself with about ten minutes left to play.

Cambridge Springs is now 4-3-2 overall and 3-1-2 in region play.

Maplewood is 3-8-1 overall and 1-4 in the region.

Blue Devils stay unbeaten

RUSSELL — The Cambridge Springs Blue Devils kept its undefeated season alive with a 2-0 win against Region 3 opponent Eisenhower on Saturday.

The teams battled to a 0-0 draw at halftime.

“The game in the first half was mostly played in the middle of the field with each team unable to generate much offensive threat,” Cambridge Springs head coach Geoff Bristow said. “The closest opportunity in the first half came when sophomore Nola Zook delivered a free kick from just inside the half field line to the far post where Yanc headed it just barely wide.”

In the second-half, Aly Reyes reached a ball behind the Knight back line from a long Makenzie Yanc throw-in. Reyes scored on the breakaway to give the Devils a lead.

Reyes scored again in the 62nd minute to give Cambridge a 2-0 lead.

In goal, Madison Yanc recorded her second-consecutive shutout.

Cambridge Springs moved to 3-0 overall and 2-0 in the region while Eisenhower is 2-3 overall and 0-2 in region play.

Cambridge will face an undefeated Seneca on Tuesday with an opportunity to take control of the region.

Back in action

Blue Devils take down region rival 3-0

By Alex Topor

MEADVILLE TRIBUNE

SAEGERTOWN — The high school girls soccer season began about three weeks ago, but the Cambridge Springs Blue Devils have only played two games.

A two-week COVID-19 shutdown of Cambridge Springs Junior/Senior High School forced the team to the sidelines. Despite not playing since Sept. 7, the Blue Devils shook the rust off to beat Maplewood 3-0 on Thursday in a Region 3 matchup.

“We absolutely had some rust to shake off. We haven’t played a game in two and a half weeks. We played one game before today while all our competition has played five, six, seven or so games,” Cambridge Springs head coach Geoff Bristow said. “There is a mental and physical toughness you develop from playing. We are fortunate that everyones healthy, but I was concerned about intensity tonight.”

For the first 15 minutes, neither team made a deep run to the opposing end of the field.

“Early on we did a lot of passing the ball to the other team,” Bristow said. “We weren’t quite tuned into game speed.”

Once the Blue Devils got accustomed to playing again, they started firing.

Junior midfielder Makenzie Yanc drilled a ball just above the head of Maplewood’s goalkeeper to break the game open.

Cambridge held onto the 1-0 lead into halftime. At the break, Cambridge outshot Maplewood 14-2.

Yanc scored a second goal when she cut off a pass from a Tiger defender back to the keeper. Her shot found the back of the net and put the Devils up 2-0.

Defensively, Cambridge was solid See RIVAL, Page B3

Cambridge Springs midfielder Makenzie Yanc (46) and defender Finley Rauscher (28) celebrate after a Yanc goal during Thursday’s 3-0 win against Maplewood.

SHANNON ROAE/Meadville Tribune

Rival

Continued from Page B1 when it needed to be, but it didn’t need to be very often. The Devils dominated possession for most of the game.

“As the game wore on we had a wind advantage and we were able to keep the ball in their end for most of the game,” Bristow said. “That’s what we’re after, a possession game.”

On the other side, Maplewood head coach Ted Eriksen wasn’t pleased with his team’s ability to keep the ball out of his team’s end.

“In the back end we were strong. We just have some work to do on making the transition,” Eriksen said. “We played too many balls into their defense and it came right back at us too quick.”

Morgan Harris, off an assist by Paisley Mangold, added a third goal to Cambridge’s total late in the game when she converted from a tough angle.

For the Tigers, Eriksen said there were great individuals performances, but as a team they need to improve.

“Andrea Palotas amazed me on defense today, she held up really well. Madyson Banik did a good job. Our sweeper Jordyn (Ploski) did a good job and our goalkeeper (Natalie Slagle) always does a good job,” Eriksen said. “I’m happy with part of the game, but there are things we need to keep working at.”

Maplewood is now 3-4-1 overall. In the region, they are 1-2-0. The Tigers host Meadville on Saturday in a non-region game.

“Cambridge always gives us a good game. It’s always competitive and we’ve developed a nice rivalry with them, though they’ve been winning it recently,” Eriksen said. “We’ll see next time we play them. They did a very nice job today.”

Cambridge moves to 2-00 overall and 1-0-0 in region play. The Devils play on Saturday against Eisenhower.

“I give Maplewood a lot of credit for switching things around on their schedule so we could have this make up game and I appreciate that. They played hard, but eventually we were able to take control,” Bristow said. “We played well for the circumstance and having been off so long. There’s a lot of little things we need to keep working on with ball possession and cutting down on turnovers.”

Blue Devils down Grove City 5-2 in late flurry

CAMBRIDGE SPRINGS — The Cambridge Springs girls soccer team beat Grove City 5-2 in a non-region match at Cambridge Springs on Tuesday.

Senior Makenzie Yanc lead the team with three goals scored. Morgan Harris and Alexis Clayton each added one goal. Nola Zook, Paisley Mangold, Ali Reyes, Kylie Beck and Clayton each recorded one assist. The Blue Devils struck first when Harris pounced on mishandled ball by Grove City goalkeeper Cassie Mushrush. The Eagles fought back and Victoria Badowski scored twice in three minutes midway through the first half.

Grove City held a 2-1 lead until the final 15 minutes of the game. Yanc scored three of the team’s four goals in the closing minutes.

Sophomore Elora Dillinger recorded her first varsity start at goalkeeper because keeper Maddie Yanc was unavailable for the game.

The Blue Devils begin the season 1-0 and will play Sharon on Thursday in a non-region game.

Cambridge Springs girls soccer team young with plenty of depth

By Mary Ann Mook

SPECIAL TO THE TRIBUNE

Cambridge Springs girls’ soccer coach Geoff Bristow knows last season was a banner year – one for the books – and will be a tough act to follow.

The 2020 season saw the team, which includes players from Saegertown High School through a cooperative agreement, not only make its first ever District 10 Class 1A playoff appearance, but also win the District 10 title. The team jumped into the PIAA playoffs, winning the western quarterfinals over Redbank Valley. Unfortunately, the team lost to Greensburg Central Catholic in the PIAA semifinals.

They also finished with the most wins in a single season at 14.

That was then; this is now. Bristow enters his 17th year as a coach, 13th as head coach. He says every year is a building year; every season is a building season.

“It’s like starting all over again,” Bristow said. “We’re rebuilding team chemistry; we’re rebuilding a winning attitude.”

But there’s good news – the team only lost one starter to graduation – Ella Nicholson, a forward and team captain. With 26 names (12 of them new) on the roster, almost the entire team returns.

“So far, we’re very excited about this season coming up,” Bristow said. “After winning the district and going to the state semifinals and having the almost entire team back – there’s a high expectation for us.”

A top returnee is senior goalie Maddie Yanc, who made first team all-region and the all-district team.

“We have one more year of having such a great goal keeper,” Bristow said.

Other returning seniors are Paisley Mangold (forward/ midfield) and Ally Reyes (forward), Returning juniors are team captain Makenzie Yanc (midfield, first team all-region, leading scorer), Ella Worley (center back, first team all-region), Isobel Yasenchack (midfield, second team all-region), Kylie Beck (midfield), Finley Rauscher (outside back) and Ava Greenwalt (outside back).

Bristow said, fortunately, the team’s entire back four are returning, along with Maddie Yanc, and with a solid midfield that produced the majority of team goals throughout last season. Bristow also said Mangold and Reyes provide a strong physical presence in striker positions.

Returning sophomore is Nola Zook (center back, second team all-region), Other players looking for some playing time and starting positions are freshmen Kaelynn Astor (midfield) Midfield), Mallory Zook (defender and midfield) and Hannah Berlin (midfield) and sophomores Lexi Clayton (midfield/forward), Moira York (defense/midfield) and Danica Escalante (defense/midfield).

“We have a strong starting lineup and a lot of depth, and we have a good group of players we can develop,” Bristow said.

Bristow said it’s been 10 years since the roster has had as many players as this year.

“We will be able to have junior varsity games,” Bristow said. “That’s exciting.”

Last season, the schedule was not composed of teams the Cambridge/Saegertown girls normally would be up against. Bristow said, this year, the Region 3, Class 1A teams will be ones familiar to them before COVID-19: the Crawford County team of Maplewood, the Erie County teams of Seneca and Iroquois and the Warren County team of Eisenhower.

As Bristow looks back on the 2020 season, he says, “It was a great season. It’s going to take a lot of hard work to regenerate that.”

He believes his players are up to the task.

“It’s going to be a battle,” he said. “’We’re focused on trying to get back to the top of the region, then we’ll look to get to the top of the district.”

Makenzie Yanc, the leading goal scorer last year, is a key starter returning for the Blue Devils.

Copyright (c)2021 The Meadville Tribune, Edition 8/27/2021