GIRLS SOCCER: Gust finishes off teammate Steinberg’s excellent run in OT as Lower Merion knocks off Spring-Ford 1-0 in district quarters

ROYERSFORD — In Lower Merion’s second-round district matchup against Perkiomen Valley on Thursday, Harper Gust watched helplessly from the sideline with bursitis in her right knee as senior teammate Dylan Steinberg willed the Aces to victory with the game’s only goal.

In Saturday’s semifinals with a determined Steinberg and the rest of her team needing a win at No. 4 Spring-Ford to punch the program’s ticket to the state tournament, there was no way that Gust was missing this one, too.

With regulation ending in a scoreless tie, Lower Merion knew it had to dig deep. Deep in their own zone following a Rams corner kick, LM’s Ryan Cromer cleared the ball toward the sideline that housed the team benches, simply trying to get her team out of harm’s way. With the ball racing toward the end line and a Spring-Ford throw-in, Steinberg had other ideas, sprinting 30 to 40 yards to meet the ball just before it went out of bounds, then settling it and beating two defenders with a head of steam. Maintaining possession all the way inside the SF box, she flicked a pass to the far post to an open Gust, who managed to blast a shot into the open right corner of the net past a diving Riley Reavy with 7:37 left in overtime, delivering the Aces a thrilling 1-0 road win in the 4A quarterfinals.

The result stunned PAC champion Spring-Ford on its home field, where the Rams had not lost a game since late August.

“Ryan had an awesome clear and it stayed in (bounds) by the tiniest bit,” Steinberg recounted afterward. “I got it at the 50, took a touch around the girl, cut the next defender and Harper was there for an easy pass to finish. In my head, I knew we needed to score – it was sudden death in overtime, so yeah, it’s pretty surreal.”

It was a surreal finish as well for Gust, who played the game with a brace wrapped around her balky right knee.

“I was going to put everything into getting back on the field because every player counts and I really wanted to be back for my team,” Gust said. “This matters so much to all of us, so I was rehabbing every day and making sure I could get back.”

It was only the fourth time all season that Spring-Ford (17-4-1 overall) was shut out, and first at home since the last week in August. Equally as impressive as Steinberg’s masterful run to start the winning goal was the Aces’ defensive effort against an explosive Rams offense that features more than a few capable goal-scorers. On Saturday, Spring-Ford didn’t have many meaningful offensive chances until late in regulation and the first half of overtime, and when they finally threatened, the Aces’ (17-1-1) back line and keeper Cate Cantu calmly turned away the danger.

“Shoutout to Cate, our goalkeeper, and senior center back Kendall (Baker), both captains who have been brick walls in the back line all season,” Steinberg said. “We watched film on this team and knew they had some talent up top and in the midfield. We knew we needed to contain them, especially in the second half when we started getting more opportunities. Our defense was kind of able to shut down anything they got and our momentum went up a lot.”

Gust spoke of a near telekinetic connection between her and Steinberg. Once Steinberg took off in a dead sprint toward Cromer’s overtime clear, Gust reacted by following suit up the opposite sideline. Running parallel to the ball, she knew her path would converge with Steinberg’s should her teammate be able to beat the backpedaling Spring-Ford defenders while maintaining control of the ball.

“Every game, Dylan and I try to rely on each other a lot,” Gust said. “If she’s making a 100-yard sprint down the field, then I’m making a 100-yard sprint. We’re together hand in hand, especially at the end when we’re putting our all into everything. When I see her playing the ball then we’re both on the ball and making sure we get the best chance possible to put the game to an end.”

Both goalkeepers were exceptional and were the main reasons why the game stayed scoreless for nearly 90 minutes of game time. Reavy made a diving stop on a corner kick insert with two minutes left in the first half and followed it with several more lunging, leaping stops in both the second half and overtime. When the Rams started ratcheting up the pressure at the end of regulation and the start of overtime, Cantu was ready for the challenge. On a direct free kick with 9:30 left in OT, Spring-Ford’s Erin Buckley blasted a rising missile headed straight toward the top right corner of the net that an airborne Cantu punched away.

Less than two minutes later, the game was over and the fifth-seeded Aces were bound for the semifinals and a Tuesday meeting at No. 1 Pennridge.

“They caught us on a counterattack and we were a little bit unfortunate,” said Spring-Ford head coach Blake Hornbuckle. “It’s important that our players understand what happened today and that they have the ability to come back from it. We’ll get back to training on Monday and do the things that have made us successful all year. We’ll get back to what we do well and be prepared.”

The Rams have to win two playback games to capture fifth place in the district and earn the final ticket to the state tournament next month. Their first opportunity will come at home on Tuesday night against No. 8 Neshaminy, and the winner of that one will take on the victor of Conestoga-CB East on Friday.

Pennridge will represent a stiff challenge, but at this point of the season the Aces know it will never be easy. The difficulty of the challenge is what makes the mission so fulfilling to begin with.

“Historically LMGS has been such a strong program,” said Steinberg, a Cornell University recruit. “It comes from the heart. Our coaches (Kevin) Ries and (Brian) Feeney want it so much, and their mentality makes us want it so much more. We’re like a family that makes everything come together so that it always works out for us in the end.”