ALLENTOWN — After all the Allentown High varsity girls’ soccer players have been through this season, they were not about to let one tying goal deter them.
Rather, the Redbirds let that turning point light a fire under them, one which spurred them on to score twice in the last 8:32 Saturday to defeat Spotswood, 3-1, in the second round of the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II Tournament.
The victory sends head coach Kim Maurer’s fourth-seeded team (18-3-1) on to Wednesday’s sectional semifinal at top-seeded Cinnaminson (17-3), most likely a 2 p.m. start. The Pirates defeated eighth-seeded Manasquan, 3-0, Saturday.
After a scoreless first half in which A’town had spent most of the 40 minutes in the fifth-seeded Chargers’ end, the Redbirds got the boost they needed when junior Camryn Rossi centered a beautiful pass to sophomore Kaylee Feldman, who kicked in the go-ahead goal 2:21 after intermission for her 11th of the year.
Yet, despite spending the bulk of the second half deep in Spotswood’s end, Allentown saw the game get very interesting with 10:35 left when Chargers’ junior Savannah Tuma broke free along the sideline and worked a ball to her classmate Daniela Lyons, who finished the tying goal.
For some, that would have been a crushing turn of events. Not so for the Redbirds.
“I was not concerned because I truly trust our defense.” A’town senior Julia Ciodyk said. “The girls held their ground really well.”
Ciodyk, just back in the lineup after an injury, showed her confidence and poise two minutes later when she moved into the center of the box to track down a cross from Feldman. She and a defender arrived at the ball at the same time, but when it popped free, Ciodyk sent a shot past Spotswood freshman goalkeeper Kayla Lewandowski (10 saves) for the go-ahead goal.
“At first, I didn’t know where the ball went,” Ciodyk said. “I trapped it, then it went up. When I turned around, there it was, so I shot it. I guess I was in the right place at the right time.”
With the lead again, the Redbirds never took their feet off the accelerator.
“I wasn’t concerned when they tied it. I just didn’t want overtime,” Rossi said. “We’ve formed a really good chemistry as this season has gone on. It felt like we were on auto-pilot today.”
Rossi earned Player of the Game honors from her head coach after serving up a second assist with 1:07 to play. Rossi again centered a ball from the wing. This time, freshman Gabby Tate filled the void and knocked in her team-leading 13th goal.
“On that last one, I just prayed someone was there,” Rossi said. “We were really dominating in the first half, but this game is about capitalizing. We needed more quick passes and passes in the middle.”
By playing with poise and confidence, the four-time defending Colonial Valley Conference Tournament/Mercer County Tournament runners-up were able to play through a tough moment and get back to the Central Jersey semifinals for the first time since 2022 when Allentown was still in Group III.
Spotswood(13-7-1) 0 1 — 1
Allentown (18-3-1) 0 3 — 3
Goals: Lyons (S), Feldman, Ciodyk, Tate (A); Assists: Tuma (S), Rossi 2, Feldman (A).
Shots: 3 (S), 16 (A); Saves: Lewandowski 10 (S), DeCarlo 2 (A).
