Wvw Wins Title, State Berth Spartans Nip Coughlin In Overtime To Capture Their Third District 3a Championship In Four Years.

By STEVE SEMBRAT [email protected]
Thursday, November 01, 2001 Page: 1B

MOOSIC – When Maribeth Brozena saw her coaches face down on the turf at
Lackawanna County Stadium, she knew she had messed up.

When the junior forward was carried off the field by her Wyoming Valley
West teammates moments later, she knew she had done something good.
Something very good.

Brozena took a pass from Jill Rosick and scored three minutes, 42 seconds
into overtime on Wednesday, giving Valley West a 1-0 victory over Coughlin in
the District 2 Class 3A field hockey championship game. The victory gave the
Spartans (15-2-3 overall) their third district title in the past four years,
and a berth in the PIAA Class 3A state playoffs.

Valley West will open the state tournament on Tuesday, and will play the
fifth-place finisher from District 1 at either noon or 2 p.m. at Betzler
Fields in Wilkes-Barre Township. Council Rock will play Upper Perkiomen
tomorrow in the District 1 fifth-place game.

Coughlin (16-6) was eliminated in the same fashion that Valley West was
last season, with an overtime loss.

“Last year our season came to such an abrupt ending and we didn’t want to
see that happen again,” Rosick said. “We really pulled together in the
overtime.”

So after the Crusaders held the upper hand during regulation, the Spartans
went for the quick kill. When Brozena missed a tap-in, though, it was the
Valley West coaching staff that looked as if it experienced sudden death.

“After Maribeth missed that one, the whole coaching staff hit the dust.
Flat out,” Valley West coach Linda Fithian said. “We couldn’t believe she
missed it, because she has been our go-to person on offense. We knew she was
going to make it up to us.”

Brozena was down, figuratively, but not out.

“I was a little disappointed in myself because we had practiced tip-ins so
much,” she said. “You can’t let that get to you. You have to keep playing
your game and they’ll go in.

“When I saw the coaches laying on the turf, I knew I had to make up for
it.”

She did after Rosick and Lunda Dickson created a turnover about 30 yards
from goal by cutting off a Crusader clearing pass. Rosick gained control, then
scanned the horizon.

“I wanted to look for anybody who was open,” Rosick said. “Maribeth is
our leading scorer, but we have a lot of confidence in everybody on our
team.”

Rosick slipped a pass through to Brozena, who gained control, moved in on
Crusader goalkeeper Krystle Nagle, and drilled a shot just inside the left
goal post.

“It was a good game,” Coughlin coach Colleen Wood said. “We couldn’t get
that lucky tip.”

The Crusaders had the edge in play during regulation and they dominated the
second half, spearheaded by sparkling performances from midfielders Stephanie
Uhas and Amanda Jez.

“I think we did control the game,” Uhas said.

Valley West hung on during regulation, thanks to great defense.

“Our defense has played well all year,” Rosick said. “Mary Jean (Britt)
is a great goalie, and our defense plays really well in front of her.”

After getting off all 14 of its shots on goal in the second half, Coughlin
found it takes just one to end it in overtime.

“We lost to them 2-0 in the regular season,” Uhas said of her team’s
first meeting with Valley West. “This shows that we are just as good a team
as they are. We played our hearts out, and it ended in a hard way.”