Spartans do their best work when Izzy’s in the office
By Jason Guarente — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent
There’s a portion of the 18-yard box that has basically become Izzy Marshall’s office. This is where she shows up for work every game.
Many of the Wyomissing forward’s 21 goals were launched from there. One of the most important plays of the District 3 Class 2A girls soccer final was made there.
That wasn’t a goal or a shot. That was a pass.
Marshall’s assist to Hannah Hurleman was revealing in many ways. It displayed the senior’s team-first attitude and her personal connection to these teammates.
“It was a tough angle,” Marshall said matter-of-factly afterward. “She was clearly more open than I was in that situation.”
Find the open player. Simple, right? When a championship game is counting down in the second half, the adrenaline is flowing and the net looks open, it’s far from simple. It’s easy to rush. To try to be the hero.
Hurleman scored with 26:22 left. The insurance goal proved to be the decisive goal in Wyomissing’s 3-1 win over Bishop McDevitt at Hersheypark Stadium Saturday.
What prompted Marshall to make that pass was her mindset more than anything. She’s unselfish by nature. Scoring is great no matter who’s doing it.
“I feel like I can get the same rush from a really nice cross,” Marshall said two weeks before the district final. “It all comes together. A nice goal just feels good.”
Wyomissing (22-1) will begin pursuit of the PIAA championship against District 4 runner-up Montoursville at Flannery Field Tuesday at 3 p.m. It’s the only achievement missing for the Spartans, who lost to eventual champ Bloomsburg 1-0 in the quarterfinals last year.
Four wins and they make history.
There are certain skills that catch your eye if you watch the same team play often enough. In Marshall’s case it’s her left foot. The ball comes off it differently than most other players. Like a home run off a slugger’s bat.
If the defender backs off, she can find the frame from anywhere on that side of the field. If the defender pressures, she can pass to one of her star teammates.
A high percentage of Wyomissing’s attack funnels through the left side and the danger Marshall presents. Wyomissing set up its formation to take advantage of her powerful left foot. Her 14 assists are tied for fifth in the league.
“Being a natural lefty is a huge strength for her,” Wyomissing coach Rachel Hoffman said. “She has a very nice strike on the ball. It’s her technique. She may be short in stature but she’s strong.”
Marshall has scored 40 goals over the past two seasons. The only Berks players who have more are Wilson’s Natalee Vicari and Hurleman. Both All-State picks. Last season Marshall scored 19 goals and was second on the team to Player of the Year Abby Doyle.
Wyomissing’s players feel fortunate to have landed on this team at this time. It’s rare for a small school to be loaded with so much talent.
“We have so many people who are scoring so much that it doesn’t feel like the goals are mine,” Marshall said. “Last year so many of my goals were tap-ins. I was just there to finish. It’s more exciting when I see our big team stats. It’s just, ‘Wow, we did that as a team.’”
Wyomissing has scored 103 goals this season and had 102 last season. Marshall has played a direct role in 63 of them. That’s just counting her stats and not the space she creates.
“It’s fun watching her play,” said fellow captain Charlotte Lazarchick-Oberti, who has defended Marshall for years in practice. “She’s a good person and she has really good skill.”
Marshall is a two-time All-Berks selection and a four-year varsity player. Her 59 career goals place her among the county’s top finishers over the past decade.
During the week of the county playoffs, she stumbled across an old sweatshirt from a tournament she and her teammates played in when they were younger. It reminded her of how long this group has been successful together.
“We used to compete in that and we won it almost every year,” Marshall said. “Since we were freshmen, this was going to be our big year. We were the seniors, We’ve been playing for so long. It’s so nice that it’s finally coming together.”
One more tournament is waiting for Wyomissing. It’s one more chance for Marshall to get to work in her office.
| GIRLS | Tuesday’s PIAA openers | |||
| 1A | 3-1 Brandywine Heights (9-11) | vs. | 4-2 South Williamsport (17-2) | at Schuylkill Valley, 6 |
| 2A | 3-1 Wyomissing (22-1) | vs. | 4-2 Montoursville (17-2-1) | at Wyomissing, 3 |
| 4A | 3-2 Wilson (22-2-1) | vs. | 1-2 Owen J. Roberts (21-2-1) | at Pottstown, 7 |
| BOYS | Tuesday’s PIAA openers | |||
| 1A | 3-2 Tulpehocken (16-5-2) | vs. | 4-1 East Juniata (10-7-2) | at Selinsgrove, 5 |
| 2A | 3-2 Oley Valley (16-6-1) | vs. | 4-1 Lewisburg (17-1-1) | at Midd-West High, 7 |
| 3A | 3-3 Fleetwood (17-6) | vs. | 12-1 Archbishop Wood (11-2-1) | at Ukrainian Center, North Wales, 3 |
