4th Times the Charm! Hopewell Defeats Avonworth in Double Overtime

HOPEWELL TOWNSHIP– The Hopewell Girls Soccer team has certainly faced its share of intense battles this season.

For the fourth time, they found themselves heading into overtime in a hard-fought match against Avonworth. This time, however, the Vikings came out on top, securing an epic and hard-earned victory.

The Vikings battled to a scoreless draw in the first half, largely thanks to the outstanding performance of goaltender Allison Ramaley, who made over 13 saves in just the first half alone.

Hopewell had their own chances as well for offensive opportunities, which included a deep kick from senior Ella Ritchart from the 40-yard line, which was blocked by an Avonworth defender. The Vikings continued to push offensively, with Hayley Gruber and Caylee Sundy trying to score for Hopewell but Avonworth’s defense held firm.

The second half opened with Angela Campbell setting up Sundy for a chance for their first goal, but her shot was just wide of the net.

Tensions ran high as Avonworth’s coach was ejected after receiving a second yellow card.

The Hopewell girls remained resilient, and it paid off. With less than 13 minutes left in the match, Sundy was able to break the scoreless game when she had a breakaway and scored, giving Hopewell a 1-0.

Despite ongoing pressure by Hopewell and tremendous goaltending by Ramaley and a very strong defensive game from Kelsey Williams, the game remained 1-0.

However, with 1 minute remain in the match, Avonworth scored the equalizer to tie things up at 1, which meant this was heading to overtime.

The two teams battled during the first ten-minute overtime period with the match remaining scoreless.

In the second overtime session, Hopewell was determined to pull off the win. Clock was once again winding down when Campbell drew a penalty in the box with less than 4 minutes left.

With the game on the line, Campbell came up clutch and buried the game-winning goal, giving Hopewell a 2-1 double-overtime win!!

Congrats to the players and coaches for continuing to work and play hard!!

The girls’ soccer team will share a doubleheader with the boys’ soccer team on Wednesday. The girls match against Ambridge will start at 6 PM and the boys will take on Ellwood City immediately after.

This is a fantastic opportunity to come out and support both your high school soccer programs.

Go Vikings!!