Minersville's Abby Schoffstall and Palmerton's Monica Wood are two of the most prolific goal-scorers in District 11. And you can bet that both competitors were the focal point of the opposing defense when the two teams met on Friday.

Powered by four Schoffstall goals, Minersville ousted Palmerton in the first round of District 11 Class A playoffs, 9-3."Any game when we score first, we always play a lot better," explained Schoffstall, who scored twice in the first half. "When we got down early in other games, we didn't play well. The fast start was a big key for us. We're really starting to gel more as the season goes on."Palmerton had just one real scoring opportunity in the first half and it came with eight minutes left as Wood was led on a beautiful lob pass - but her left-footed shot sailed just high of the crossbar from a tough angle.But, just like Schoffstall, Wood is capable of changing the game in an instance."We put a mark on her (Wood) with one of our best players (Emily Kriston)," explained Minersville head coach Jeff Rinaldo. "I thought we could confuse her. She was our main concern and I know that they did a lot of one-two stuff with her. Monica Wood is a great threat, and as you can see, she can turn a game around real quick."Wood wasn't confused.The senior leader took matters into her own hands as she masterfully glided in and out of dribble-lanes down the field for at least 40 yards on two of her separate, creative, well deserved scoring plays - a true showcase of high-end talent. She tallied a hat-trick during an eight-minute sequence in the second half.Unfortunately for Palmerton, the Miners' scored four times in the second half, and the game was well out of reach despite Wood's great offensive effort. Palmerton had an injury-ridden season, but there is plenty to look forward to in the near future for this soccer program."At times you saw the inexperience take over, and at times you saw the veterans take over," explained Palmerton head coach Nate Petrosky. "When you look at a school of our size, and you have one or two girls go down, it's a big deal. When you look at the number of injuries we had - we lost three of our starters for the season. Our girls kept fighting, and fighting and we made Districts for a second year in a row."They deserve to win it all, but unfortunately, you don't always get what you deserve. It's tough to find an identity - last year, we were looking to make a name for ourselves. This year was very ambiguous which led to some of our struggles. In the end, every girl on this team stepped up big time. A lot of these girls may not have the skills of a superstar, but gave it everything they had this year."MS. RELIABLE ... The Bombers' Kendra Pekurny never came off of the soccer pitch for a single minute of any single game in 2015.SHARING IS CARING ... Minersville's Marlena Purcell not only scored three times, but dished out three assists. "She's our core player and everything comes from her," said Schoffstall. "When we get key passes from her, she really makes everything else goes."TURNING THE CORNER ... Palmerton has made the District 11 playoffs the past two seasons. Before Petrosky took over the program, Palmerton didn't qualify for the postseason in 15 years.