Girls’ Soccer: Helwig lifts Spartans past Vikes, Eagles top Dawgs
North Schuylkill's Lilah Helwig maneuvers with the ball during Saturday's Schuylkill League girls' soccer quarterfinal at Blue Mountain's Eagles' Nest. Helwig scored a pair of goals in the Spartans' 3-1 victory (Photo by North Schuylkill Athletics).
ORWIGSBURG — North Schuylkill freshman Lilah Helwig has made waves across the Schuylkill League girls’ soccer circuit all season.
Saturday, she helped the Spartans make history.
Helwig scored a pair of second-half goals to lift North Schuylkill to a 3-1 victory over Williams Valley in a Schuylkill League girls’ soccer quarterfinal at Blue Mountain’s Eagles’ Nest.
The victory was North Schuylkill’s first-ever Schuylkill League playoff history — the NS boys accomplished the same feat earlier in the day — and earns the Spartans a semifinal date with Division II champion Schuylkill Haven at 5 p.m. Tuesday at the Eagles’ Nest.
In Saturday’s second quarterfinal, Blue Mountain routed Tri-Valley 7-1. The defending league champion Eagles will square off against Division I champion Pottsville in the second semifinal Tuesday at 7 p.m.
North Schuylkill (15-4) opened the scoring at the 12:42 mark when Addy Balicki converted a feed from Addie Urban. Williams Valley (7-11-1), the Division II third-place team, tied the game just less than four minutes later when Quin Smeltz blasted home a shot from the middle of the field from 30 yards out at 16:26.
The game remained tied until Helwig scored an unassisted goal with 13:48 remaining. She upped the lead to 3-1 with 11:29 left on a penalty kick for a foul in the box.
Blue Mountain was also sparked by a freshman scorer.
Lexi Waschko tallied three goals and Hailey Scheuer added two as the Eagles (13-6) scored the final six goals of the game.
Waschko’s first goal midway through the first half broke a 1-1 tie. She added two more goals over the final 14 minutes of the first half as the Eagles pulled away. Gianna Chipriano and Alex Warke also scored in the run, while Scheuer netted a second-half goal.
Tri-Valley’s goal scorer was not provided.
Schuylkill League Girls’ Soccer Playoffs
At Blue Mountain
Saturday’s quarterfinals
North Schuylkill 3, Williams Valley 1
Blue Mountain 7, Tri-Valley 1
Tuesday’s semifinals
North Schuylkill (15-4) vs. Schuylkill Haven (15-2-1), 5 p.m.
Blue Mountain (13-6) vs. Pottsville (13-4-1), 7 p.m.
Thursday’s Championship
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m.
Game Summaries
Schuylkill League Girls’ Soccer Quarterfinals
Game 1
North Sch. (15-4) 1 2 — 3
Wms. Valley (7-11-1) 1 0 — 1
NS — Balicki (Urban), 12:42
WV — Q. Smeltz, 16:26
NS — Helwig, 66:12
NS — Helwig (penalty kick), 68:31
Shots on goal: North Schuylkill 17, Williams Valley 5. Saves: North Schuylkill (Moyer) 4, Williams Valley (S. Smeltz) 14
Game 2
Tri-Valley (12-6-1) 1 0 — 1
Blue Mtn. (13-6) 6 1 — 7
BM — Scheuer, 1st half
TV — Unknown, 1st half
BM — Waschko, 1st half
BM — Chipriano (Scheuer), 1st half
BM — Waschko (Alex Warke), 1st half
BM — Alex Warke, 1st half
BM — Waschko (Koch), 1st half
BM — Scheuer, 2nd half
Saves: Blue Mountain (Keck) 3.
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