ASHLAND — A second-half scoring explosion benefited the Greencastle-Antrim girls soccer team Tuesday evening.

Tied 0-0 with Pottsville in a first-round game of the PIAA Class 3A Tournament, the Blue Devil attack put three goals on the board in the final 40 minutes and sent the Crimson Tide to a 3-1 defeat.

Haley Noblit

Greencastle (20-2-1) now plays Saturday in the state quarterfinals. Its opponent will be Archbishop Wood, the District 12 champion, a 2-1 winner over Bishop Shanahan. Pottsville is eliminated with a 13-6-2 record.

“The girls seemed so tight last week in the District 3 final, but today they were different, more loosey-goosey,” G-A coach Chris Noblit said. “And they played well. It was a defensive struggle in the first half, but really opened up in the second.”

The Blue Devils won despite having one of their star players, Rylee Henson, go out in the first half with an injury.

“That was  big loss,” Noblit said. “We had started her in the midfield and we still weren’t getting balls to our forwards enough. In the second half, we moved Mia (Libby) up front with Haley (Noblit) and then things started clicking and we started to threaten them.”

Haley Noblit fed Libby with a pass that Libby turned into the game’s first goal eight minutes into the second half. With 16:50 left in the game, Greencastle made it 2-0 when Brooke Guthrie popped a shot into the net.

Shaina Overcash

However, Pottsville responded quickly. Just 22 seconds later, Jess Siminitus took a pass from Grace Evans and scored.

Chris Noblit said, “After the kickoff, we tried to drop a pass backward and they stole it and scored. Momentum really shifted and it got interesting.”

But the Blue Devils were not to be denied. With just over six minutes left, Haley Noblit crossed the ball into the middle and Maddie Koons was there to redirect the ball past the keeper for a 3-1 lead.

Noblit said, “That goal really seemed to deflate them, and then we were able to play defense.”

With Henson, normally a center back, out, Greencastle got a good game from the other center back, Shaina Overcash.

“She stepped up and played well,” Noblit said. “She had a really good game.”