Pine Creek girls soccer captures historic 300th win with 2-1 victory over Liberty
Pine Creek players exited the pitch to a shower of applause and cheers from their fan section.
The Eagles had just earned a 2-1 victory against Liberty at District 20 South and occupied lane 8 of the facility’s track while fans up top in the bleachers gathered for a picture.
As players scooched closer for the photo Thursday and used their thumbs and index fingers to make a “W,” coach John Frederick, in a cavalier manner, delivered a message.
“This is Pine Creek’s 300th win,” Frederick said.
That message lingered as players absorbed the words their coach spoke. When players realized their accomplishment, another round of applause began.
“We had no idea,” Brenna Hallam said. “This is obviously exciting for us because it was a close game and it was closer than it’s been for us (against Liberty) in a while. It’s good to get that competition and it feels good to come out on top.”
Frederick also saw the Eagles’ first girls soccer victory. When the school opened in 1998, Frederick took the reins of the program and has amassed a 300-112-26 record in his 28 years as coach.
He said this milestone isn’t possible without formidable players buying into the Eagles’ program each year.
“We had our first D-I kid, Erika Palmer when we opened the school and we had our first player who played (for) the U21 World Cup national team in Sarah Wagenfuhr,” Frederick said. “I’ve been lucky to have great players come through. We say that the better person you are, the better teammate you are. And the better teammate you are, the better team we become. I think we’ve always shown that.”
The Eagles have five consecutive seasons of at least 10 wins and can keep that streak alive after their match against the Lancers.
Pine Creek (9-1-2), 5A’s No. 9-ranked team, battled to establish its attack in the opening half, and Liberty (7-2-2) foiled any offense the Eagles attempted to build, until Hallam scored her 20th goal of the season and made it 1-0 in the 33rd minute.
The Eagles held that lead and appeared ready to improve to 15-0-3 all-time against the Lancers. Eventually, the Eagles did just that, but the Lancers kept it interesting. Liberty’s Gretchen Krammes tied it at 1-1 in the 60th minute with a header placed in perfect position by Addison Brandon’s corner kick.
“We didn’t come into this with the mindset that this was going to be a close game,” Hallam said. “When they equalized it, that woke us up a little and we realized that we needed more energy.”
Vanessa Colella said players felt the shift after Liberty tied the game and needed to reclaim that momentum. She seized that opportunity shortly after the Lancers knotted the match.
Hallam fired a shot toward the Lancers’ goalkeeper, which was deflected but not far enough out of play for Liberty’s liking. Colella collected the ball and netted a goal in the 65th minute to give the Eagles a 2-1 advantage.
“I was up with another teammate, but she yelled my name, so the pressure was on me to finish it,” Colella said. “I was able to and that made the difference.”
This marked Pine Creek’s fifth consecutive win and, since giving up six goals in the first four matches, the Eagles have ceded just three over the past eight games. The Eagles are grateful for that success, but their focus will soon shift to the postseason.
“We tend to get stuck in the quarterfinals a lot, but we’re building a strong mindset and culture this year to show that’s not our finish line,” Hallam said. “We can make it past that.”
A state title has eluded Frederick throughout his tenure at Pine Creek, and while 300 was the magic number Thursday, he said “eight” is the new goal. Three regular-season wins and five in the postseason would carry the Eagles to a 13-game winning streak and a coveted state championship.
“Eight is absolutely the goal,” Frederick said. “They definitely believe in themselves, and it would be so special for them if they could do that.”