Nov 11, 2014 3 min read

CHAMBERSBURG – With every postseason victory, Canon-McMillan’s girls soccer team made history.

And the Big Macs didn’t stop Tuesday night. Canon-McMillan used a strong possession game and two timely goals to defeat Central Bucks East, 2-1, in a PIAA Class AAA semifinal at Chambersburg High School.

The Big Macs advance to their first state championship, where they’ll face the winner of Elizabethtown and Central Bucks West Saturday (4 p.m.) at Hersheypark Stadium.

“They used a lot of long balls up the field, so we knew they were going to try to go over the top of us,” Big Macs coach David Derrico said. “We advised our center mids to get the ball, get it out wide and push it up the field on the outside.”

The strategy worked. The Patriots (19-4-2) managed only seven shots, just five of which were on goal, and barely got into their attacking third in the second half.

“Even though we were up, we keep it the same at every halftime and act like it’s a new game,” Canon-McMillan’s Aideen O’Donoghue said. “We really wanted to keep the intensity up, and we needed everyone to play even harder than they did in the first half.”

The Big Macs (19-4-1) went up midway through the first half on a beautiful touch from O’Donoghue. She sent a long ball to Sabrina Bryan, who split two defenders and scored on a breakaway.

“Sabrina and I have been playing together for a long time, so I know where she is even without having to look,” O’Donoghue said. “When I saw the ball coming in, I knew she would be making that run, so I just flicked it right to her.”

After coming out in the second half with a new sense of urgency, Canon-McMillan racked up seven shots in the final 40 minutes and added insurance with 23 minutes remaining.

On the second of back-to-back corners, Ashlyn Whipple took the kick, and O’Donoghue got a foot on it, sending the ball into the back of the net.

“We defended them well on the set pieces, but it only takes one,” CB East coach Paul Eisold said. “We gave up too many, and the more set pieces you give up, the more you have to defend. It becomes that cycle where we were unable to plug it up and get it done.”

The Patriots did manage one goal late in regulation. Emma Loving hit a hard shot that was stopped by Big Macs goalkeeper Kyra Murphy, but Loving scooped it up and scored on her own rebound. Other than the one blemish, Murphy was unstoppable, finishing with four saves.

“Kyra is outstanding technically, and she’s big, she’s physical and she commands her goal,” Derrico said. “In front of her, we have three very strong defenders, so that makes it easier for Kyra to pick her times. She doesn’t give up very many goals.”

CB East’s tally was just the 12th against Murphy all season.