Karen Anderson’s birthday wasn’t for another three hours. But there’s no harm in celebrating a little early.
The Paul VI High School girls soccer coach received a present she will remember forever as the Eagles defeated Immaculate Heart Academy, 1-0, in overtime Nov. 20 to win the Non-Public A state championship at Franklin High School, Somerset. It was the school’s first soccer state title in either boys or girls in school history.
“It’s an amazing birthday gift,” Anderson said after the team sang Happy Birthday to her on the field. “I told them a long, long time ago, and I’m surprised they remembered because I didn’t bring it up again. I wanted them to have this moment for themselves. They earned it.”
So did Anderson.
It was her third trip to a state championship with Paul VI — once as a freshman player in 1999 and again as head coach in 2022. Both of those meetings were against Immaculate Heart Academy as well. The third time proved to be the charm.
“We love coach Karen,” said junior Emma McCarthy. “She was in this title game as a player, so we knew it meant a lot to her. She’s put so much into us as people and as players. It’s awesome.”
McCarthy’s goal in the late stages of overtime was the difference as the University of North Carolina lacrosse commit finished off a persistent effort by teammate Daniela Vogel, who regained control of the ball along the left sideline and fired a left-footed crossing pass into the box. McCarthy knocked down the chest-high bouncer and swung around with a left-footed blast, drilling home a powerful, historic golden goal.
“Honestly, it’s like a blur, but I knew Dani Vogel was dominating all game,” McCarthy recalled. “She played me a perfect ball. It landed on my left foot, my non-dominant, but I took a chance and it went in. I couldn’t feel any happier for these girls. We’ve worked so hard since day one of preseason and to end up on top is the best feeling ever.”
Oddly enough, McCarthy wasn’t even playing her natural position of center attacking midfield. Talented sophomore Kylie Berk suffered a serious injury in the South Jersey championship, causing the Eagles to juggle the lineup. McCarthy moved to fill Beck’s spot at defensive midfield, and Hunter Kintzing effectively took over McCarthy’s normal spot.
Once they settled in, the Eagles dominated. The hero of the sectional championship Camryn Koerner almost got a goal in the second half, but hit the left post from in close. Then, Danielle Hennessy came inches away as her long free kick hit the crossbar late in regulation.
“It gets frustrating, but if there’s one thing about our team, we are relentless,” McCarthy said. “We said going into overtime that this is our game and let’s finish it. We did just that.”
Photo Gallery: PVI girls soccer wins state championship
The Eagles kept up the pressure in OT but nearly had it slip away as a loose ball found Immaculate Heart’s Hayden Edwards, who sent a laser destined for the bottom left corner of the net. Paul VI sophomore goalkeeper Chloe Krupa came diving to the rescue.
“It was a fantastic save, but she’s been doing that all season long,” Anderson said. “She’s come up big. That’s just Chloe. She deserves that moment, too. But I was sweating there.”
Minutes later, Vogel went to work and set up McCarthy’s goal that will be replayed on video and in the minds of PVI players for years to come.
Paul VI capped off a remarkable 20-2-1 season with a state title. And they did it at the expense of Immaculate Heart, which has 10 state championships in its trophy case, including two against the Eagles.
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“I’m just feeling over the moon right now,” said Kintzing, a sophomore. “We have worked so hard since the beginning of the summer, and this was our one goal. We had a poster up in our locker room that said, ‘Win states,’ with a star next to it. I’m really proud of us and this team.”
Now all the team has to do is figure out a birthday gift for their coach next year.
“I don’t see this as something that’s going to be one-and-done,” Anderson said. “We’ve had a lot of good players gravitating toward the program and wanting to be part of something like this.”
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