In workmanlike fashion, the Bishop England girls soccer team easily captured its second straight Class AAA state championship with a 4-1 win over Powdersville on Saturday.
Dominating play from start to finish, the Bishops won their 12th state championship and gave head coach Dave Snyder his 10th championship. Bishop England finished the season at 24-3-1 while handing Powdersville its only loss of the season.
“We decided we were just going to put the ball on the ground and use our assets,” Snyder said. “Just have some fun. Hopefully the girls would be relaxed enough to just play our system and not break stride. This was fun.”
The fun began in the 11th minute of the contest when freshman Lauren Berrigan put the Bishops on the board. The goal capped a furious start that saw Bishop England push hard offensively with several shots on goal.
Senior Kelly Drummond scored off a penalty kick in the 29th minute as Bishop England carried a 2-0 lead into the half.
“We knew they would come out hard, but we tried to set the pace early,” said Drummond, who also was a member of Bishop England’s state championship basketball team during the winter. “We kind of knew what to expect, but we try to play our game, possess the ball and move it around. I’m not surprised. We are a super good team.”
Sophomore Kayla Vroman made it 3-0 with a goal in the sixth minute of the second half. Senior Anya Carney upped the advantage to 4-0 before Powdersville dented the scoreboard with a goal in the 58th minute.
Bishop England advanced to the title game after a marathon against Academic Magnet in the Lower State finals, winning in a penalty kick shootout. Saturday’s contest was not nearly as competitive.
“After beating Academic Magnet, we were determined, we were going to make sure we took care of business,” Snyder said.
Saturday’s championship could be the start of a run for the Bishops. Snyder had only three seniors on this year’s roster.
“We have more coming,” the coach said. “We have two senior captains and two junior captains, and next year they will step up and take over. It’s always kind of a tradition never graduates thing. We keep building.”
