Sentinel photos by MIKE GOSS
Mifflin County’s Lily Yoder, second from right, tries to work around the outstretched arm of Altoona’s Lia Sankey to get to the ball.

WINGATE — The Mifflin County girls soccer team racked up milestone after milestone this season and for most of Wednesday night, it looked like the Huskies were going to be able to add their first District 6 Class 4A championship title to the trophy case.

Instead, a deflating 24 seconds saw Mifflin County’s lead evaporate and turn into a one goal-deficit, as the Huskies never recovered from Altoona’s surge as the Mountain Lions grabbed the District 6 Class 4A title, 3-1, at Bald Eagle Area’s Alumni Stadium.

The Huskies went on the attack early and put consistent pressure on Altoona keeper Quinn DeAntonio, but the Mountain Lions truly looked like the No. 1 seed they were in the second half.

Bailey McNitt did everything in goal she could to keep the Huskies ahead but once Altoona finally broke through, things snowballed from there for Mifflin County.

The first goal for Altoona (15-4) came off a penalty kick by Ashtyn Hileman with 31:55 left in the game after a foul in the box, before the second goal came just following the restart by Nicole Hawk, as the two goals in a 24-second period put the Huskies behind for good.

Hannah Vancas added another goal with 18:52 left to end any hopes of an equalizer for Mifflin County.

“You can’t give a team like that momentum,” Mifflin County coach Barrett Knepp said. “That is sort of what the PK started there. It was unfortunate, but I felt like we could have had one early as well with a hand ball in the box. It didn’t go our way.”

Mifflin County wasted no time on the attack to find the back of the net as a beautiful through ball from Sarah Henry to Aubrey Strohecker allowed Strohecker to score less than four minutes into the game.

The goal sent the large contingent of Mifflin County students and spectators into a frenzy and that energy stuck with the Huskies through the first half until Altoona was awarded its penalty kick nearly 50 minutes into the game.

Mifflin County (8-9-1) did a fantastic job of creating constant pressure and fought hard from the start, which seemed to stun the Mountain Lions. The Huskies won the ball early in the midfield as Ella Kammerer and Kate Bickhart consistently helped work the ball up field to Strohecker, Henry and Lily Yoder in Altoona territory.

“I don’t think that they were quite expecting that. It was good,” Knepp said. “When we played them earlier in the season (in Altoona) we had to come back after getting down by two and tonight we just weren’t able to overcome that.”

Altoona dialed up its intensity in the second half as it recorded seven shots on goal in the half alone on the way to a 13-12 advantage in shots. Twelve of the Mountain Lions’ shots were on goal while Mifflin County had five shots on goal.

McNitt came through in a big way at times in the opening half to keep the one-goal lead and was able to make some dramatic saves in the second half to keep the deficit from ballooning. The junior keeper mishandled a few balls that led to some shaky situations but was able to recover more often than not. She had 10 saves in defeat.

“Bailey has kept us in some games all year,” Knepp said. “She’s really played well for most of the season. It’s a long season and everyone has a down game, but she’s been solid pretty much all season.”

While the end result was disappointing for Mifflin County, the 2021 season presented many memorable moments, including Tuesday’s 3-1 first-round victory over State College, a school record for wins in a season and its first District 6 Class 4A game in which it was able to play. The Huskies qualified for the District 6 final a season ago, but were unable to play due to COVID-19 protocols.

“No other team from Mifflin County High School has had the chance to play in this game, so to be the first to be able to do so is a step in the right direction for the program,” Knepp said. “Hopefully it can help the program in the future.”

The night also marked the final game for the Huskies senior class that contributed to the most wins in school history, including Morgan Breon, Shae Bagrosky, Kate Knable, Maddie Finkenbiner, Lily Yoder and Leah Bickert.

The Huskies will also return a strong core that should put it right back in contention for the District 6 title next season.

“Experience is dangerous,” Knepp said. “Hopefully this is a steppingstone for next year. We lose a good group of girls, but we also have a big returning class and some good up and coming players. Hopefully this is a yearly thing coming up.

“It’s a fantastic group and I can’t say enough about them,” Knepp added. “They battle until the end no matter what.”

Altoona 3, Mifflin County 1

A 0 3 — 3

MC 1 0 — 1

Goals: Ashtyn Hileman PK, Nicole Hawk, Hannah Vancas (A); Aubrey Strohecker (MC). Assists: Sarah Henry (MC). Shots: 13-12, A. Shots on goal: 12-5, A. Corners: 5-2, MC. Saves: Bailey McNitt 10 (MC); Quinn DeAntonio 4 (A).