Morgan’s late goal sinks Ambridge

By JEREMY SELLEW

jsellew@yourmvi.com

For the first 65 minutes of its WPIAL first-round playoff game, the Belle Vernon Area girls soccer team was a mess. 

Frustration was setting in and Ambridge’s stout defense was taking its toll on the Leopards.

But the final 15 minutes were a different story.

BVA’s Chloe Morgan scored the game-winning goal with 32 seconds remaining to cap off a three-goal outburst in a span of 14:45 that stunned the Bridgers, 3-2, as BVA advanced in the playoffs for the first time since 2015.

After fighting back to tie the game with 4:25 to go, the Leopards took advantage of an Ambridge miscue in the final minute. The Bridgers’ Rachel Guthrie tried to clear a ball as the Leopards mounted an attack, but instead of kicking it out of bounds she kicked it back across the goal line to give BVA a corner kick.

Morgan Einodshofer laid a boot on the ball, which glanced off a player’s head and took a short bounce right in front of the Leopards’ Chloe Morgan, who buried it into the net for the golden goal with 32 seconds remaining.

“It hit the ground in front of me and I said, ‘I have to score this ball to win,’” Morgan said. “It felt so good. I was so excited. I was so proud of our team for fighting back.”