The Wyomissing girls' soccer team visited Pequea Valley on Friday, September 30, coming into this non-league match unbeaten.

"They were ranked first in District Three Class 2A and were 11-0 coming into Friday's match," Pequea head coach Steve Morris noted.

The Braves (7-4-1), on a great goal by Abrielle Fisher, took a 1-0 lead and held off the Spartans making that the final score.

"We did not get many chances - four shots total, and no corners," Morris pointed out. "Abrielle made the most of her chance from a long ball in from Ellie Rishel. She touched between two defenders and finished it off with a great shot 12 minutes into the second half."

Sophomore goalkeeper Carissa Mulder made 12 saves on the day to record a shutout.

"This was a big win for us," said Morris. "We defended very well across the field and Mulder turned away 12 shots. Our strength and conditioning really paid off."

Tuesday, October 4, it was another 1-0 Braves victory. This time, the goal came in the opening minute of the match against Annville-Cleona and the Braves held on for the victory. Trinity Rosa scored and the defense, along with Mulder (5 saves), did the rest. Pequea Valley improved to 4-2-1 in the Lancaster-Lebanon League.

FOOTBALL

Pequea Valley defeated Columbia 16-0 in a Section Five battle on a drizzly Friday night, September 30. It was Pequea Valley's first win of the year.

And what led to the teams' first victory?

"It was the first game all year where we put all phases together," head coach Mike Choi said, referring to offense, defense, and special teams. "We have been working hard on special teams. Even though we missed one extra point, we had a key field goal. Also, Peyton Leitch had a huge punt for us in the fourth quarter. It was a 44-yarder that landed inside their five-yard line."

Offensively, Dantae Petersheim and Orlando Stoltzfus led the rushing attack.

"Both of those kids provided us with good hard runs," said Choi. "It kept the clock going and the sticks moving. It was great to watch their one-two punch."

Petersheim finished with 111 rushing yards on 22 carries while Stoltzfus ran for 70 yards on 12 carries. They also each had one reception from quarterback Peyton Temple, who engineered the offense nicely.

"Peyton did a great job running our offense and managing the game," Choi said. "Peyton was a steady influence and leader who kept us on schedule. He also had an interception on defense."

Petersheim's two-yard rushing touchdown and the extra point by Leitch put Pequea up 7-0 in the second quarter - a lead the Braves held up to halftime.

Leitch added a 22-yard field goal in the third quarter and a big 35-yard rushing TD by Stoltzfus capped the scoring in the fourth.

"Petersheim also had a huge run that closed out the game for us," Choi added.

Three of the Braves' first four losses this season were games in which they were mostly within striking distance. They had allowed only an average of 21 points per game going into the Schuylkill Valley game on September 23.

The Braves fell 55-7 in that one, then bounced back to record not only a victory, but a shutout.

"Sometimes when you lose, it can be a good thing," said Choi. "In that loss to Schuylkill Valley, we looked at the film and saw what we needed to improve upon. We had played pretty good defense up to that point. Our kids watched that film then went out and worked hard at practice."

So, defensively, Pequea came up big against the Crimson Tide on Friday night.

"Columbia is a talented team," Choi added. "They moved the ball on us and got into the red zone. Twice we took the ball away - a fumble and an interception. Another time we just kept backing them up.

"Cameron Bergman was matched up against their best receiver all game and was a stalwart on defense," added the coach.

Asked about the effect this victory has on team morale, Choi replied, "You could see our kids growing week to week. The win solidifies how the process has worked. You can believe in the program and believe in your coaches. When you get the win, you see how it all works for you."

BOYS' SOCCER

Joel Pieffer took an assist from Jackson Neff and scored for the Pequea boys' soccer team on Friday, September 30 at Wyomissing. The goal came three minutes into overtime and earned a 2-1 win to reward the Braves' great effort in this non-league road game.

The Spartans scored with only three minutes remaining in regulation to spoil a shutout bid by Bryce Goodroad (5 saves).

Levi Pacella had given the Braves a 1-0 lead nine minutes into the second half, scoring off a Tony Martinez-Ortiz assist.