FOUNTAIN SPRINGS — Just as the Blue Mountain boys’ soccer program did earlier in the evening, the Blue Mountain girls’ soccer team continued its Schuylkill League dynasty Thursday night at Ghosh Orthodontics Field at Spartan Stadium.
The Eagles claimed their fourth straight Schuylkill League championship, defeating Schuylkill Haven 2-0 behind goals from Ella Smith and Hailey Scheuer. In goal, Karley Koch stopped two shots to seal the shutout victory.
While goals from Smith and Scheuer secured the title, Blue Mountain’s suffocating defense against a high-powered Hurricanes attack proved to be the story of the match. The Eagles’ back line of Kyra Moran, Phoebe Glenn, Sophia Spolski, and Addyson Fishburn kept Schuylkill Haven pinned back for long stretches and rarely allowed the Hurricanes to penetrate their attacking third or generate clean looks against Koch.
“That’s one of our main goals is to keep the ball away from the other players,” Blue Mountain head coach Matt Kenitzer said. “Just passing and moving constantly all through this season. Last year building up to this season just faster and faster and faster. And that’s the style of play that we play is just ball in and out, in and out, in and out and try to not let them touch it.”
To keep possession heavily tilted in their favor, the Eagles have prioritized selfless play from the opening day of practice—a core tenet Kenitzer emphasized all autumn.
“This is something that we drilled into their heads in previous years, but especially this year because our talent has gotten even better,” Kenitzer said. “With that, we need to play as a team. The way that we play involves passing in and out, constant movement, all of that—especially building through the attacking third, playing those little passes here and there, and setting each other up. I was looking at our stats, and we have a bunch of players who have scored a bunch of goals. It’s awesome to see. I love it.”
Following a scoreless opening 23 minutes, the Eagles broke through when Smith pounced on a loose ball in front of the net off a Scheuer free kick. Scheuer’s service into the penalty area was initially deflected by a Hurricanes defender, but the ball landed right at the feet of Smith, who deposited the rebound past Schuylkill Haven goalkeeper Ally Becker.
After taking that 1-0 edge into the break, Blue Mountain doubled its lead in the opening minute of the second half. Scheuer worked her way deep into the attacking third before slotting a shot past Becker to make it 2-0.
“I knew we had to come out super hard in the second half. I’m drilling into my team: we can’t let up at all, because they will capitalize on that. Our next goal is a big goal; next goal is a big goal,” Scheuer said of her mindset coming out of halftime. “So I just get the ball, I’m running, and I find someone in the middle. They slot it back to me, and I run onto it. The next thing I see is me just behind the defense and the back post of the goal, and I just slot it in with my right foot.”
While a multi-goal cushion provides comfort to most squads, Scheuer knew the job was far from finished.
“After the goal, I was relieved, but I was still a little antsy—2-0 is the worst lead,” she said. “It’s dangerous because if we get lax and concede a goal, the other team gets up. It just takes one goal.”
Scheuer’s performance came as little surprise to Kenitzer, who has watched the multi-sport standout anchor the program for four seasons.
“She’s such a strong player. So technical, so smart, so selfless,” Kenitzer said. “She broke our school record for assists a little while ago, two weeks ago or so. She’s just such a good team player and she’s so strong on the ball and just great footwork. She’s an amazing player and she has been a leader from day one ever since freshman year. It’s so fun to watch them blossom and just get better and better.”
For Scheuer and eight of her classmates, the victory marked their fourth Schuylkill League title in as many years.
“I definitely think it’s a really big deal for us,” Scheuer said. “Huge game, Haven’s a really good team. I think four in a row is incredible. I’m super proud, especially of the seniors going through freshman, sophomore, junior, senior year. It’s just a big deal winning four in a row.”
Kenitzer noted that a big part of the Eagles’ sustained success stems from the developmental pipeline feeding the program.
“A big, big hand to our clubs,” Kenitzer said. “Our local clubs, especially Blue Mountain local club, all the way to all the outer clubs that all these girls play with. They’re just playing constantly and building from there.
“And then when they get to us in middle school, we have so much to work with, building even more just to tighten up so much stuff so that when we get to varsity, it’s just phenomenal. It’s so fun to coach them and just watch how they’re just getting better and better and better. It’s awesome to see.”
For Blue Mountain, the Schuylkill League crown is another goal crossed off the checklist. The Eagles dominated league play with an unblemished 11-0 mark during the regular season and now sit at 16-2-2 overall following Thursday’s championship run.
Next up on the docket are the District 11 playoffs, which begin next Wednesday. The Eagles will enter the tournament as the top seed in District 11 Class 4A as they chase their second straight district championship.