McDowell ends Norwin’s girls soccer playoff run

By: Josh Reilly
Tuesday, November 5, 2019 | 9:17 PM

The Norwin girls soccer team suffered a 3-2 loss to McDowell in a PIAA Class AAAA first-round matchup Tuesday night at Dollinger Field in Erie.

Katelyn Kauffman and Madison Rose scored goals, helping the Knights to a 2-0 halftime lead before the Trojans stormed back with a pair of second-half goals by Kylee Cross. Alayna Wicker provided the game-winner in the second overtime period.

“It’s definitely disappointing,” Norwin assistant coach Lesley Kaminski said. “You try to play your best and you try to play with as much heart as you can.

“If you lose a ball here and there, that can be the make-or-break moment this far into the playoffs.”

With the wind at their backs, the Trojans controlled the action for much of the first half, but had little success. Norwin’s defenders, led by goalkeeper Liz Waszkiewicz, thwarted a number of early McDowell rushes to keep the game scoreless.

The Knights broke through when Kauffman gave them their first lead 18 minutes into the game. Rose found Kauffman with a bouncing pass that eluded McDowell’s defenders. Kauffman then finished the play into the top of the net.

Later in the first, Rose pushed Norwin’s edge to 2-0 shortly before intermission. From the right corner, Kauffman sent a cross into the McDowell 18-yard box. The Trojans were unable to clear, allowing Rose to pounce on the errant ball.

With his team trailing by two goals at intermission, McDowell coach Jason Perkins knew he needed to instill belief in his players.

“I couldn’t be more proud of these girls,” Trojans coach Jason Perkins said. “We talked at halftime and even though we were down, you got to still believe. With all the chances we had in the first half, we knew that we could score on (Norwin).”

Early in the second half, a defensive misplay by Norwin helped McDowell break the seal on the Knights’ net. Cross forced a turnover inside the box before cutting the Norwin lead in half.

Cross netted the equalizer with 4 minutes, 14 seconds left in regulation. A number of players converged on Norwin’s half of the field before Cross one-touched the ball away from the group and emerged behind the Knights defenders.

Wicker scored the golden goal 25 seconds into the second overtime period. Cross slid a through ball in Wicker’s direction on the right wing, and Wicker hammered the ball into the left corner of the net.

Despite the loss, Norwin’s coaching staff was certainly pleased with how its team performed in 2019.

“It was a wonderful season,” Kaminski said. “We couldn’t have been happier for these girls. They really worked hard. They wanted to go all the way. They just kept pushing. It’s not exactly what we wanted, but it’s special to be among the top 16 teams in the state.”

Tags: Norwin