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Strohecker’s hat trick lifts Huskies

Mifflin County punches ticket to D6 final

By William Whisler 6 min read

BELLEFONTE -- The Mifflin County girls soccer team dominated the opening half of play but still was starring at a tie game on the scoreboard deep into the contest.

With a spot in the District 6 Class 4A championship game on the line, Mifflin County's Aubrey Strohecker led a spirited final 20 minutes of play that resulted in two goals as she finished her hat trick with 10:59 left in the game to lift the Huskies to a 3-1 victory over rival State College at Rogers Stadium in Bellefonte.

Strohecker's third goal came after back-to-back shots by Lily Yoder and Sarah Henry clanged off the crossbar, but Strohecker stepped up and buried the key insurance goal to punch Mifflin County's ticket to the District 6 4A title game.

"It was super exciting when (Aubrey) scored it," Henry said. "I don't know how we hit the crossbar twice in a row. It was good that we had people following there to finish it. Once we got that second goal it was really nice. The second goal made us comfortable and third made us really happy."

Mifflin County (8-8-1) will face Altoona (14-4) at Bald Eagle Area on Wednesday night at 5:30 p.m. The win marks the second straight season that the Huskies have reached the District 6 Class 4A final, but the team was unable to play the game last year due to a COVID-19 shutdown.

Returning to the District 6 championship was one of coach Barrett Knepp's biggest goals for his team and for a team that had its postseason taken away from it before it could truly begin a season ago, the championship berth sparked a chance at redemption.

"That was something that was on their radar for sure," Knepp said. "Since it was taken away from them last year, to get right back to where they were, that's big. They're happy to be back."

Strohecker got things started off early with a goal just 1:13 into the game as she broke free on the left sideline and finished a breakaway in the lower left corner of the net to give Mifflin County the early edge.

From there, the Huskies dominated the opening 30 minutes, using strong play in the midfield from Ella Kammerer, Brynn Knepp, Yoder, Strohecker and Henry to effectively keep possession and continuously apply pressure on State College keeper Celine Matthews.

"We did a great job in the midfield," Knepp said. "We were first to most of the balls all night and that's set us on the right foot going forward."

The Little Lions (2-15-1) didn't panic after finding themselves down early, as a great ball from the State College back line resulted in a strong rush at the Mifflin County net. Mia Reese finished the play, scoring off a deflection after Huskies' keeper Bailey McNitt made a diving save to her right with 7:19 left in the opening half.

Knepp was pleased with how his team navigated things after failing to convert multiple chances in the first half. Strohecker got free on a breakaway after a great pass from Henry that went just left of the goal, the Huskies were offsides on a goal and had multiple chances to put the game out of reach early. Lily Yoder and Henry each had great opportunities that were stopped or went wide.

"We were finding the through balls well there and we found Aubrey through there and she just put one wide one-on-one with the keeper and that doesn't happen very often," Knepp said. "We were offsides once or twice there when it was in the back of the net. It was nice to execute there in the second half and get the goals in for sure."

Still, the Huskies did a good job of surviving State College's strong surge in the final 10 minutes of the opening half.

"They bounced back nicely," Knepp said. "I thought we regrouped, and we didn't give them anything quick after that to give them more momentum. Us getting the next goal was key too in the second half."

The game was even until the final 20 minutes, as Strohecker finally broke the 1-1 tie with a goal off a brilliant assist from Henry. The duo had formed a strong connection, as the two constantly gave each other good through balls and opportunities to score. Henry assisted on two of Strohecker's goals.

"We just kind of know how each other play since we have been playing for so long," Henry said. "We're really good friends and we just know each other and have that connection."

For Strohecker, the hat trick was just the latest standout performance in what's already been a storied career for the Huskies' striker.

"It's a great feeling," Strohecker said. "It really gets the blood pumping."

Knepp knows that Strohecker is going to continue to be a focal point for opposing teams and was pleased with how she was able to help facilitate Monday night. He was also pleased with the opportunities that his other attackers were able to generate when she drew extra attention or broke free.

"You kind of hate to expect that, because against better competition they start to take (her) away and we have to rely on other girls to pick it up," Knepp said. "We did well otherwise and did good things to get (Aubrey) the ball in space. She was the one that finished them, but we did things around her to get her in those spots."

With players attending school virtually to avoid quarantines, the Huskies are excited to finally get a chance to play for their first District 6 gold.

"It's good to know that we're going, and we are able to stay home to not have to worry about quarantining or anything," Henry said.

"It feels like a comeback season," Strohecker said. "We're ready to get back there after last year."

Mifflin County 3, State College 1

MC 1 2 -- 3

SC 1 0 -- 1

Goals: Aubrey Strohecker 3 (MC); Mia Reese (SC). Assists: Sarah Henry 2 (MC). Shots: 10-2, MC. Corners: 4-3, MC. Saves: Celina Matthews 7 (SC); Bailey McNitt 1 (MC).

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