Playoffs are just around the corner, and the girls soccer team managed to squeeze their way in as well as making history in the process.

After a few disappointing early-season games with an outcome that the girls didn’t particularly want, they were able to make a comeback at the end of the season to secure a third-place spot in the section bracket.

October 10 Beaver played Ambridge. The game took place at Ambridge’s field for Ambridge’s pink out game.

The Bobcats defeated the Bridgers in a crazy takedown winning 9-0. In addition to their win, Bobcat goalie, captain and senior Ana Avdellas, scored her first goal during a penalty kick in the last 30 seconds of the game.

The girls’ next game took place although at home October 12. It was time for everyone’s favorite game of the season: pink out!

What was so special about this game was that one of the team captains, senior Abby Noah, organized the event for her senior project.

Noah designed the soccer pink out t-shirts that the girls teams used for their warm ups. Shirts were $15 and Noah’s fundraiser raised over $1,400 to support breast cancer research.

In this game the girls took on Quaker Valley in a revenge game after they lost 1-0 to the Quakers in their previous match-up.

The pink-out game, though not a win, was an improvement with the end result being a 0-0 tie after double overtime.

After the game, Coach Nick Crivelli said, “It wasn’t the exact result we hoped for, but we’re still in this. A tie is better than a loss. If we would have won we would get three points towards our playoff spot, but a tie will still get us one point.”

October 17 the girls took on powerhouse North Catholic again. Last game the girls lost by one in double overtime.

This game the girls fought hard all game and were up by halftime 2-1. However, the end result happened to be 5-3 North Catholic which was a bit of a disappointment for the girls.

But a positive to the game is that the Bobcats scored more goals on North Catholic in this game than any in the section managed all season.

Although they didn’t get the result they wanted, a playoff spot was not out of question. In fact, a playoff spot was already secured at this time because of the team’s season collective results being just a bit better than others in the section.

Up for grabs was either the third or fourth spot.

In that last game of the regular season, Beaver Area played Hopewell October 18—the winner of this game would take the third place spot in the section.

Both teams would already go to playoffs regardless since section finishers one through four go to playoffs, but the third-place spot would have a better seed than the fourth place spot. Seeds determine who plays whom when it comes in playoffs. A better seed will give a better chance in the playoffs for the first-round game.

The girls got the result they had hoped for. The Bobcats beat the Vikings 4-0 thus securing them the third-place spot in the section.

Since the girls are ranked third in the section they have earned themselves the eighth seed are playing the ninth seed; if they had lost to Hopewell they would have gotten the thirteenth seed playing the fourth seed. The win against Hopewell was big.

entering post-season play, the game October 25 was one for the books. The girls played Burrell in a first-round playoff game and the winner would head to the quarter final.

The game was tied 0-0 until a game changer in the last five minutes. Sophomore Sydney Chontos scored a goal giving the Bobcats a 1-0 lead with little time remaining.

Chontos humbly stated how the goal could not have been scored without a team effort: “It was a great game and I’m so proud of everyone because without their energy we don’t score that goal. Huge shoutout to Ana Hahn for an incredible effort dribbling down the side to get the cross off.”

The girls played with heart as one collective unit and their efforts payed off. The girls beat Burrell 1-0 in a game that was historical—breaking an 11 year streak.

The last time the Beaver Area girls soccer won a playoff game was 2011.

“I am so insanely proud of us for coming together and making history last night. It was the most amazing feeling in the world, and I am so happy to have shared it with these girls,” senior captain Avdellas said about the big win.

The girls head to the quarterfinal against section competitor North Catholic October 29.

Check the next BASD ECHO for game coverage.