Within five days, Upper Perkiomen's girls soccer teams posted two milestone victories. The team captured its first District One Class 3A championship and won its first state playoff game.

            The Indians are three victories from a PIAA Class 3A title following a dominant performance Tuesday night. They remained undefeated with a 3-1 victory

Upper Perkiomen goakeeper Ava Long, left, prepares to make a save during last week's District One Class 3A  title game.

over Northern York, in an opening round contest.  "The way this team is playing, I wouldn't bet against it," head coach Mike Freed said. "I like our chances."

            Sara Edwards and Sarah Fisher each finished with a goal and an assist for the host Tribe (23-0-1), which will take on Valley View, the District 2 champion which defeated Shikellamy 1-0 Tuesday, in the quarterfinal round Saturday at a site and time to be determined. Lauren Powers also scored for the team, which led 3-0 less with 9 minutes, 20 seconds left in the first half.

            "When we score early, the opposition is in trouble," Freed said.

            Powers' tally, approximately 10 minutes into the first half, triggered a three-goal flurry. She headed a cross from Erin Edwards from the right wing over the Polar Bears goalkeeper.  "The cross went right to my head," said Powers, a senior defender who lives in the Palm section of Upper Hanover. "I knew exactly what to do with it. It was perfect."

            A direct kick by Sarah Fisher led to the goal. She collected a deflection, and fed it to Erin Edwards along the right wing, who sent the ball towards opposite cross bar.

            According to Freed, the team, which rose to the rank of No. 4 in the final Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association poll issued Oct. 23, spends very limited time practicing set plays. He said the girls are encouraged to improvise.

            "We've been playing together since the 8U team," Power said. "Everybody always knows where the others are on the field."

            Just over three minutes later, Fisher extended the lead with a header off a pass from Sarah Edwards. Approximately 15 minutes later, Edwards delivered her school record 34^th goal of the season on one-timer from Fisher.

            Liv Gorteski avoided the shutout for Northern York (19-3-1), the No. 3 seed from District Three. The junior forward scored her team's only goal less than 15 minutes into the second half.

            Freed expressed appreciation for Upper Perkiomen's muted businesslike celebration. He said he expects that mindset to serve his players well moving forward.

            "The girls set some incredibly high goals, which included winning districts," the coach said. "We're going to take this ride as far as we can."

            Four days earlier, the team celebrated the program's first district championship. Following a 1-0 victory over Bishop Shanahan in the district title game on Nov. 3, the trophy received the Stanley Cup treatment.

            Players passed it amongst themselves. They posed for pictures individually and collectively along the track and on the edge of the playing field at Norristown High School.

"I'm thrilled to death for the girls," Freed said. "They worked so hard."

            The coach referenced the contributions of seven seniors – Kylee Casola, Sara and Erin Edwards, Kyra Lesko, Powers, Mary Kate Sitko and Jada Roderick – who have been on the team since ninth grade. He said he felt especially happy for them.

            Sara Edwards scored the only goal 6 minutes 22 seconds before halftime. A free kick from Powers deflected off her stomach past Eagles goalkeeper Sage Baillargeon.

            According to Sara Edwards, the shape of Powers' left-footed boot from the 25-yard line caught Bishop Shanahan's players by surprise. She said they were expecting a right-footed boot.

            The Tribe's defense – led by Powers, Elizabeth Proctor, Erin Edwards and Elyse Kreiner – stiffened down the stretch. The unit staved off several quality scoring chances by the Eagles during the final 16 minutes. Freed described its performance as rock solid.

            "The unit got a lot of pressure at the end," he said. "The defense came up huge, just as it has all season."

            Sara Edwards credited goalkeeper Ava Long, who finished with seven saves, for providing the decisive performance. Freed continued to rave about the first year goalkeeper, who posted her 10th save of the season.  "Ava made the difference," Edwards said.

            Long's toughest save came late in the first half, when she punched a direct kick over the crossbar to preserve her team's lead.  "I did what I had to do," said Long, a sophomore who lives in Pennsburg. "As soon as the [Bishop Shanahan] player hit the ball, I knew I couldn't catch it, so I stepped up and punched it over the net."

            The top-seeded Indians dictated play from most of the first half. They generated several high quality scoring opportunities during the initial 40 minutes, including a shot by Sara Edwards off a pass from Fisher less than two minutes into the game.

            According to Freed, Bishop Shananan's utilization of a deep defender disrupted the Tribe's offensive attack. The team failed to score multiple goals for only the second time this season.

            "I'd be lying if I said I didn't think we would have added an insurance goal," the coach said. "Sometimes these kinds of games can get kind of ugly in terms of being able to execute the offense."