By Erin O’Neil, Sports Editor

Expectations were high as ’Stoga soccer fans milled around the Teamer stands on Halloween, ready to watch what was expected to be yet another stepping stone on the way to a state title.

They cheered for Conestoga’s first goal 10 minutes in, and continued to smile even after Henderson scored one of its own. The score was still tied when the buzzer ran out, but ’Stoga remained optimistic as the rain started to fall and the two teams plunged headfirst into double overtime. But opportunity after opportunity fell through for the Pioneers and still no goals had been scored. Mental reassurance morphed into hushed anxiety as buckets of rain began to empty themselves onto the slippery turf and a select few stood ready to take their penalty shots.

“During the penalties, I was telling myself we were prepared for this,” junior Tamzin Ellerbeck said. “All we had to do was focus.”

In the end, Henderson capitalized on one more goal than ’Stoga to advance to the state tournament. The Pioneers wiped the rain off their faces, walked off the field and shook hands with the victors.

And then came the shock.

By Dolly Prabhu, Staff Reporter

It’s an intimidating sight for opponents, to say the least.

A seemingly-impenetrable line of classic maroon and white jerseys, it goes without saying that the ’Stoga girls’ soccer team is a force to be reckoned with. The Pioneers’ last two performances at the state level were both impressive and victorious, and based on results so far this season, the team’s standards haven’t dropped the slightest.

“The girls of Conestoga seem to have left off right where they finished last year,” Garnet Valley head coach Paul Costa said after an early encounter with ’Stoga this season.

But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end sooner or later. The girls recently suffered a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Downingtown West, their first regular season loss in more than a year. The first half of the game left the teams tied at 1-1, but with only seconds away from overtime Downingtown West scored the decisive second goal. Even so, ’Stoga certainly didn’t give its opponent an easy time.

“Conestoga is always an incredibly tough team to play against,” said Downingtown West head coach Wes Davis. “They were a very organized team with some great individual talent sprinkled in. I am sure they will get back on track and make another deep run on their way to challenging for their third title in a row.”

But the Pioneers have been quick to recover from the loss, and have put the game in the past.

“The game [against Downingtown West] allowed us to only become a stronger team by learning from our mistakes,” senior captain Kim Shoup said. “Downingtwon West is a great team and I know for sure that every single one of us would love a rematch.”

This loss, however disappointing, clearly fails to make ’Stoga any less of a threat; fans have yet to see the girls go down without a fight. And as for the storied state championship streak, a third title is, according to players, well within the team’s reach. The Pioneers’ chances look strong, as the girls beat Strath Haven by a score of 5-1 at home on Oct. 8 to clinch their twelfth win of the season.

“It would be amazing to win [the] state championship for a third consecutive year,” Shoup said. “[But] we only take it one day and one game at a time. We never strive for the future or dwell on the past. We live in the present day that’s right in front of us.”