DuBOIS, Pa. (EYT/D9) — It wasn’t pretty.
But the Karns City girls soccer team and coach Tracy Dailey will take it.
“We had one more than them,” Dailey said. “That’s all we needed to have.”
That one more came off the toe of freshman Phoebe Brandon in overtime as the Gremlins pulled out a 2-1 win over Brockway at DuBois on Thursday night for their 25th District 9 championship in 29 years.
This one was in Class A against pesky Brockway, who Karns City cruised past last season for the crown.
“We had multiple shots on goal — tons of shots on goal — no luck,” Dailey said. “In overtime we got a through ball into Phoebe Brandon for the game-winner. It was a battle. It was definitely not a pretty game of soccer for us. It was a game that we had to keep pushing, pushing and the frustration set in a bit. The second half was much better than the first.”
Bree O’Donnell put Karns City up 1-0, but Brockway managed to tie the match and eventually forced overtime, where Brandon was able to finish it off.
“They got in a few times on us defensively,” Dailey said. “I don’t think we were sound defensively tonight as we have been in the past. There was some miscommunication going on. It was just a night where we battled and never gave up and came out with a win.”
Of all the titles Dailey herself has won of those 25 for the school, this one is one of the most satisfying.
Karns City has no seniors on the roster and had to replace some legacy players who were lost to graduation.
A slew of sophomores and freshman stepped into that void and got the Gremlins another championship to put on a wall full of banners.
“I have to keep telling myself, I gotta keep reminding myself, all these girls are young,” Dailey said. “They’re still learning and improving on the field and I’m seeing that each day. They are tremendous. They want to work and they work hard. That take chances and do things that maybe they aren’t comfortable doing, but they do them. They do what I ask for and I can’t fault them for that.
“Hopefully this is a learning experience for them as we move forward,” Dailey added. “Nothing is ever handed to us. That’s a life lesson. I think it does mean a lot to win the District 9 title with these girls just because they see tonight that anything can happen on any given day.”
