Panthers slip past Slaters in soccer, 2-1

Coaches talked about the winds of change in the Colonial League in preseason interviews.

But little has changed two weeks into the regular season. Bangor and Saucon Valley join Southern Lehigh and Northwestern Lehigh as the early front-runners.

There was change throughout Friday afternoon's CL showdown between the host Slaters and Panthers, and it had everything to do with the wind.

Every 40 minutes, the match's momentum changed when the teams changed ends of the field.

Saucon senior Lauren Fowler won the biggest 50-50 of the day, the coin toss to determine possession and which goal to defend in the overtime.

Fowler and the Panthers chose to give up possession and take the wind and the slope of the Bangor Middle School field.

Almost halfway through overtime, Saucon made that decision pay off when Quanie Lightner ran over the top of a Bangor defender to chase down teammate Sammy Marri's pass and found the left side of the net for the game-winner in a 2-1 victory.

It was Saucon's first win in the series since 2003.

''I think this win will really boost our confidence,'' Lightner said.

The Panthers (4-0 overall, 3-0 CL) stayed unbeaten thanks in large part to wind direction and field tilt.

''It's no coincidence that every goal was scored at that end [of the field],'' Saucon coach Stevie Ochse said.

Saucon scored first on Megan Stack's shot that hit the crossbar and went in at 33:48 of the first half. Lightner assisted on that goal.

There were a few other shots by each club that hit either a post or the crossbar but didn't cross the goal mouth.

Fowler's shot on an indirect kick at the 30:50 mark of the second half hit the crossbar, and her Saucon teammates couldn't retrieve the rebound.

Bangor's Monica Weil did the same thing at 23:10, but she had better luck with her head at the 11:06 mark of the second half. She headed in a Jess Wain corner kick to tie the match at 1.

Lightner nearly gave the Panthers the lead back in regulation, but her shot after fighting off Slaters defender Emily Boyle hit the right post at 9:57.

Bangor had two good scoring chances late in regulation, but Kaitlin Kuchar's blast from the right side of the box was saved by Saucon goalie Kelly Shoenberger at 7:57.

With 1:06 left, Bangor was called for a handball that found the back of the net.

''Every time the ball went in the air, you just held your breath because something could happen,'' Ochse admitted.

Something almost did happen less than a minute into OT when Weil's blast from 40 yards out nearly carried over Shoenberger's head.

At 6:45, Lightner had another good scoring chance but hit the crossbar after receiving a feed from Katie Burns.

But Lightner got another chance less than two minutes later.

''I was able to settle the ball and hit it [where I wanted to], the left side of the net,'' the junior said.

Saucon Valley 1 0 1 -- 2

Bangor 0 1 0 -- 1

SV: GOALS: Megan Stack, Quanie Lightner. ASSISTS: Lightner, Sammy Marri. Shots: 14. CORNERS: 7.

SAVES: Kelly Shoenberger, 9. REC: 4-0 overall, 3-0 CL.

B: GOAL: Monica Weil. ASSIST: Jess Wain. SHOTS: 10. CORNERS: 10. SAVES: Steph Wain, 12. REC: 4-2, 2-1.

Tom Housenick is a freelance writer.