Daniel Boone started out a little nervous and grew a little complacent near the end of its District 3 Class 3A girls soccer first-round game against visiting Palmyra at Birdsboro.
But in between, the Blazers got some dynamic play from Gabby Fontana and the rest of their front line to defeat Palmyra 5-4 Monday night in a game that was delayed for more than an hour because of lightning.
After falling behind less than 20 minutes into the game, seventh-seeded Daniel Boone (14-6) stormed back to score five straight goals and held on to eliminate 10th-seeded Palmyra (9-8-1).
“When we’re moving off the ball we’re fun to watch,” said Daniel Boone coach Mark Reightneour.
The victory moves the Blazers to the quarterfinals on Thursday to play the winner of the Susquehannock vs. Elco game that was postponed until tonight at 6 at Cedar Crest.
Daniel Boone started slowly as Hope Starolis was forced to make two big saves in the first 10 minutes. But she was unable to stop a shot by Maddie Julian with 21:25 left in the first half that gave Palmyra a 1-0 lead.
The Blazers didn’t take long to respond. Montana netted a direct kick with 19:07 left in the half to tie it. Fontana assisted on a goal by Maggie Holloway with 5:05 left in the first half to give the Blazers a 2-1 lead.
That lead held through the rest of the half and a long lightning delay. When the teams returned to the field to play the second half in the rain, the Blazers dominated.
“They were ready to play when we got back on the field,” Reightneour said.
Fontana scored on another direct kick less than eight minutes into the second half, Amy Schafer scored off an assist from Holloway and Fontana scored her third goal with 16:21 left to give the Blazers a seemingly comfortable 5-1 led.
But Palmyra batted back. Julian scored on a pair of penalty kicks, the first one off a rebound, to make it 5-3 with 9:16 left. It became a one-goal game when Katelyn Monette scored with 5:17 left.
“We were a little nervous in the beginning and I guess were got a little complacent,” Reightneour said. “But give them credit, they never stopped playing.”
Palmyra had a chance to tie it with 39 seconds left. But off a free kick from 25 yards out, a shot floated about a foot over the goal as Daniel Boone hung on for its first District 3 playoff win since winning the 3A title in 2015.
