A hat trick for Olivia Moyer, a dream come true for the Bullets
By Jason Guarente — MikeDragoSports.com senior correspondent
HERSHEY — They were the first two players to hug after Brandywine Heights finally did it. Emily Savitz and Olivia Moyer. Close friends and sports sisters.
The Bullets have counted on them as an attacking one-two punch since Moyer arrived last season. Savitz believed great things were coming after that first day of practice.
“You could see right away that she was going to be a really good player,” Savitz said. “I knew this was going to happen at some point.”
Maybe not this. Who could have predicted this?
Moyer scored three goals and lifted No. 6 Brandywine over top-seeded Harrisburg Christian 3-0 in the District 3 Class 1A girls soccer final at Hersheypark Stadium Wednesday night.
A hat trick to clinch the school’s first district championship. That’s not the dream. That’s beyond any player’s wildest dreams.
“It’s unreal,” Moyer said. “I came into this game really nervous. You can ask any of my teammates. Then I came out and I was completely calm. And it worked.”
A back-and-forth tussle, which featured Harrisburg Christian hitting the crossbar and Brandywine dinging the post, started to lean the Bullets’ way during the final 10 minutes of the first half.
Moyer bounced a shot from 25 yards into the left corner of the net in the 33rd minute. The second goal was the game changer. It was a crusher for Harrisburg Christian and a jolt for Brandywine.
Addison Benner’s cross hit Moyer in the chest as the sophomore made her run. It bounced directly in with 45 seconds left before intermission. Brandywine suddenly held a 2-0 lead.
Savitz wasn’t the only one who knew Moyer could blossom into a team centerpiece. Coach Sarah Soffa realized Moyer was special. It was hard to miss.
“She is one of the most technical skill players to come through that I’ve seen in the last 15 years,” Soffa said. “She’s going to be a stud player. She already is a stud player. She’s going to continue to grow in her role and develop this program.”
Moyer tacked on her third goal when she took Kaitlin Taylor’s pass and rolled home a shot with 8:03 remaining in the second half.
Savitz and Moyer are teammates in both soccer and basketball. Moyer was a starter as a freshman in both sports. Their bond extends beyond the court or field.
“I’m honestly more proud than if I did it myself,” Savitz said of the three goals. “I’m so happy for her.”
“Ever since freshman year I thought of her that way,” Moyer said. “When I’m nervous, when I’m upset, she’s always there for me. Whether that’s for soccer, for another sport or life in general.”
Riley Unger and Ashley Nace, Brandywine’s center backs, helped preserve the shutout. They contained speedy striker Hanna Costa, who was a threat each time she touched the ball. Dana Wartzenluft made two key saves early to keep it scoreless.
Soffa, a 2015 graduate who has been on the coaching staff at Brandywine since she stopped playing, always wanted to compete on this field. Guiding the Bullets to district gold was even better.
“To be here with such an amazing group of girls is emotional,” Soffa said. “I’m so proud of them. I see so many positive attributes in this team. It’s just a great feeling. It has been a whirlwind and it has been a crazy week.”
Brandywine (10-11) lost 10 of its first 13 games and was in danger of missing the playoffs after a six-game losing streak carried the Bullets into early October.
A switch flipped in the playoffs. They knocked off No. 3 Delone Catholic, No. 2 Fairfield and No. 1 Harrisburg Christian.
“We went through so much this whole season,” Savitz said. “We all knew this could happen but when it did it just felt surreal.”
Moyer called it unreal. Savitz called it surreal. When the two hugged just outside the 18, it was actually real.
Brandywine was the district champ.
