Rhyan Morris capped a fourth-quarter rally that lifted top-seeded Delaware Valley to a 12-11 win over No. 2 Hazleton Area on Monday in the District 2 Class 3A championship match at Warrior Stadium.
Morris scored the final and deciding goal with 6:41 remaining for the Lady Warriors (8-10), who overcame an 11-9 deficit. Savannah Liz scored her second goal off an assist from Mackenzie Heath with 8:54 remaining to make it 11-10. Brooke Palmeri tied the game with a goal with 7:43 remaining.
“I am so proud of how we rallied in the fourth quarter, especially with the heat on the turf,” Delaware Valley coach Bernadine Salak said. “Holding Hazleton Area scoreless for that long was a big deal because of their explosive speed and hustle to the loose balls. Rhyanne Rettinger came up with a huge ground ball with about 1 minute to play and ran it the length of the field to secure the win.
“Both teams battled, and it came down to a possession at the end.”
Palmeri finished with four goals to lead Delaware Valley, which scored three goals in each of the four quarters. Rhyanne Rettinger added three goals, Liz also had an assist, Heath had two assists, while Morris and Josie Lordi each scored one goal.
Jaida Palacious made nine saves for the Lady Warriors, who will play the winner of the District 11 Class 3A tournament on May 23 at a District 11 site for the subregional title and a berth in the PIAA playoffs.
Macie Maylath led Hazleton Area (7-11) with six goals. Lauren Hamonosky had two goals and an assist, and Gia Doganiero, Addy Bobrowski, and Anna Shafer each had a goal.
Nadya Marycz made 11 saves for the Cougars.
HAZ goals: Maylath 6, Hamonosky 2, Doganiero 1, Bobrowski 1, Shafer 1; Assists: Hamonosky. Saves: Marycz 11. DV goals: Palmeri 4, Rettinger 3, Liz 2, Heath 1, Morris 1, Lordi 1; Assists: Heath 2, Liz 1; Saves: Palacios 9.
