By Kenny Varner

BELLEFONTE –  In a defensive dogfight, Bellefonte’s Sydney Miller hit two second half goals to complete a 2-1 comeback win over Huntingdon Thursday at Rogers Stadium.

Defense was the name of game Thursday when 9-2 Bellefonte went up against 8-3 Huntingdon in girls soccer Laurel Highlands action.

“We’ve been struggling the last couple games. We’ve been battling some sickness and some injuries. So we’ve been in a down moment,” said Bellefonte coach Stacey Miller. “I think is a huge win for them. In the second half they came together as a team. They dug deep and I’m really proud of them and I’m hoping we move onward and upward from here.”

Despite the early defensive stalemate in the first, Huntingdon took little time as they took their first shot of the second stanza and found the back of the net.

Grace Buonaccorsi found herself open in front of the net and blasted an unassisted goal to the corner of the net at 38:11.

Bellefonte stepped up their game offensively, pushing the ball deep into the Bearcats side of the field.

The transition game of the Lady Raiders was working at a fever pitch as they continued to push the ball trying to sneak one past Huntingdon goalie Molly Millar. Millar and her defensive backline held strong as the game clock dipped below the 25-minute mark of the contest.

After several unsuccessful tries, Bellefonte got the run they needed as Sydney Miller hit her first goal as she got in front of the defense and faked out Millar and sent it home, tying things at 1-1 with 20:37 left in regulation.

Both teams dug in, defenses were in full protect mode as the intensity level grew with each tick of the game clock.

At 8:14, the Red Raiders hit the eventual game winner when Madyson Miller found a sprinting Sydney Miller for the go ahead goal.

In the first period, both defenses stole the show as shots were at a premium as the two teams combined for eight total shots on goal in the period.

Bellefonte’s transition game was held in check early on but as the period got going so did the Lady Raiders.

Early on it was a battle at the midfield as both teams were trying maneuver to take the momentum.

The Bearcats had two early corner opportunities and both were squashed by the backline consisting of Annie Cernuska, Brooke Whitman, Madyson Miller, Reese Patterson and   Madelyn Fallon.

Bellefonte picked up their first shot at the 25-minute mark. However, the ball was stopped by goalie Molly Millar.

Bellefonte just missed putting the first points on the board when Madelyn Fallon broke loose and blasted a shot that hit the side pole, keeping the game still tied.

With the win, the Lady Raiders improve to 10-3.

Bellefonte 2 , Huntingdon 1

HUN  0 1 – 1

BEL   0 2 – 2

Scoring

Second half

HUN – Grace Buonaccorsi, unassisted, 38:11.

BEL – Sydney Miller unassisted, 20:37.

BEL – Sydney Miller from Madyson Miller, 8:14.

Shots on goal: HUN –     11, BEL –  17.

Corners: HUN – 5, BEL –  3.

Saves:  HUN – Molly Millar 6, BEL – Rory Pelipesky 5.