Ryan retains Catholic soccer title

Senior midfielder Christina Zambito scored with two minutes left last night to give Archbishop Ryan a 1-0 win over visiting Archbishop Wood, lifting the Ragdolls to their second straight Catholic League girls' soccer playoff championship and first berth in the PIAA playoffs.

It also marked the second straight year they have beaten the Vikings for the title. But last year's win was a little easier at 3-0.

Ryan, the third seed in the playoffs, lost twice to top-seeded Wood in the regular season, by 1-0 scores.

"I told the girls that if they won two straight championships, they could call themselves kings of the Catholic League," Ragdolls coach Ryan Haney said.

"I know that's not politically correct - it should be queens - but they can call themselves kings," he said with a laugh.

Haney, in his fourth year as coach, has directed Ryan to three straight appearances in the championship game. In his second year, Ryan lost to Little Flower on penalty kicks.

The Ragdolls (15-5-1) have been on a roll since a 1-0, nonleague loss to Nazareth Academy on Oct. 10. They won their next three games, outscoring the opposition by 15-0. They followed that stretch with a 2-1, double-overtime win over Little Flower in Monday's semifinals.

Zambito said her goal was a case of being in the right spot at the right time. Sophomore Kelsey Stevens put the ball in the scoring box, but it bounced off several players, including goalie Marikate Cook, before Zambito got her foot on it.

"I got pushed and kind of dragged the ball into the goal," Zambito said. "Coach said we wanted to get the first goal of the game. We did. It just came late in the game."

As the District 12 representative, the Ragdolls will play the No. 2 Class AAA team from District 1 in the opening round of the PIAA playoffs.

"We had the opportunities," said Wood coach Bill Cappo, whose team finished 17-3-1. "We just didn't finish."

Wood last won the title in 1999.

Archbishop Wood 0 0 - 0

Archbishop Ryan 0 1 - 1

Goals: AR-Christina Zambito

Saves: AW-Marikate Cook 6. AR-Jess Koci 7.