Women’s Soccer Team Plays in the Second Annual Unity Cup

The Central Penn College women’s soccer team received an invitation to play in the Unity Cup sponsored by the Harrisburg Heat. The Lady Knights played as “New Zealand” in the tournament which is designed in a World Cup format.  The Lady Knights played on the Heat’s new turf field located in the Equine Arena at the Pennsylvania Farm Show complex.

From their website, “The Central PA UNITY Cup is a World Cup style adult recreational tournament featuring teams from Dauphin, Cumberland, York, and Franklin counties. Central PA joins Philadelphia (the original and largest site) and Boston as the third Unity Cup in the United States.”

The organization is using soccer to enhance opportunities to learn about the different cultures represented in South-Central Pennsylvania. The tournament brings teams, families, and friends together to play and watch a competitive soccer tournament.

The Lady Knights battled and played hard in all three of their matches, winning just one of the three games, by the score of 1-0. Mariah Bair scored the game winning goal and Goalkeeper Alison Quinn and the Knights defense earned the shutout.

According to Coach Grubesky, “This was an awesome opportunity for our team to play in a great soccer environment and for a good cause. It was also a good team bonding opportunity for our student athletes as they had time between games to spend together and we were also able to watch the Heat’s professional match after the tournament. Overall, it was a fun day.”

Coach Grubesky added, “The owner of the Heat, Carl Delmont, and Kevin Healey, their general manager, are consummate professionals and do a lot of great work for youth, college, and pro soccer in our area. Our team really appreciated their invitation to play in the tournament and for the hospitality shown to our players and coaches.”