Five SOL girls soccer teams earned win in Tuesday’s District One AAA opening round. To view photos of the CB East/Interboro, CR South/Wissahickon and CB West/Bishop Shanahan games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
#20 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 1, #13 DOWNINGTOWN WEST 0 (4-3 PK’s)
The Indians upset the 13th-seeded Whippets in penalty kicks after their 0-0 game remained scoreless through two overtimes.
“It was a good battle, a really evenly matched game,” said Indians’ first-year coach Ginna Lewing. “We certainly played well, and I thought they did as well. We both had our share of chances.”
In the first minute of the second half, Lewing saw a play developing that looked like that chance had finally arrived, and it was going to end up in the back of the net.
“We played the ball forward and had a dangerous opportunity, but Rachel Ledbetter ended up with a bad angle shot and the keeper was there to stop it,” the Indians’ coach said.
After that missed chance, the Indians had three back-to-back corner kicks that they were hoping to put away, but they never found the net and neither did the Whippets who had a few good fast break opportunities.
After both overtime periods expired without a goal, the teams went to penalty kicks to decide the winner. Danielle Samson was in goal for the Indians, and when the Whippets stepped up to take the first shot, Samson saved it and essentially clinched the victory. The Indians scored on their next four in a row while the Whippets connected on three PK’s, but they couldn’t catch up to the Indians who didn’t miss any kicks. Anna Budney, Emily Mackin and Michaela Finneyfrock scored the first three penalty kicks and Tori Hill drove in the game-winning fourth attempt.
“The kids were really ecstatic about today,” said Lewing. “When we show up and play and play with heart, we can compete with everyone. We had the mentality that we could step on the field and win and we hope the same carries over on Thursday.”
The Indians, 7-7-4 overall, have the daunting task of traveling to fourth-seeded Boyertown for their second round game.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0-0-0-0
DOWNINGTOWN WEST 0-0-0-0
#9 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 3, #24 BISHOP SHANAHAN 1
The Bucks cruised through the first round of District playoffs, claiming a 3-1 victory over the #24th-seeded Eagles. The Bucks scoring weapon, junior Shae McCarty, put West on the board in the 10th minute when she converted a Maddi Shaw assist.
“They (Shanahan) came out pretty good the first 2-3 minutes,” said Bucks first-year coach Jorge Rodriguez. “But after that goal, we scored 10 minutes later, and I don’t remember the last time we scored two goals in a half, let alone three goals in a game.”
Kelsey Horst (Elli Manca assist) scored that second goal for the Bucks, who have actually never scored three goals in a game this season. In the second half, Shaw sent her corner kick to Gwen Harvey, who added the final goal before the Indians snuck one in the net in the last 30 seconds.
“Harvey was excellent in the back,” said Rodriguez. “Also, Shaw was very good in the middle and Grace Bendon (5 saves) was a big presence in the back not just as a keeper but organizing the back.”
Rodriguez was pleased with his team’s performance as they eased past their first postseason opponent.
“I thought it was the first time we put everything together,” said Rodriguez. “Not just effort and possession, but we stuck to the game plan and executed well and everyone played the best we’ve played all year.”
The ninth-seeded Bucks travel to seventh-seeded Spring-Ford, a 5-1 winner over Wissahickon, for a game under the lights on Thursday night.
“I know it’s going to be a really good game,” said Rodriguez. “They have a player equally as fast as Kelsey (Horst), so it will be a tough game. We are probably going to tweak our formation a little, but if we go in as organized and disciplined as we did today, we will have a good chance at winning.”
CB WEST 2-1 3
SHANAHAN 0-1 1
#12 PENNSBURY 1 , #21 GARNET VALLEY 0
The Falcons defeated the Lady Jaguars 1-0 on Tuesday afternoon to advance to round two of district playoffs.
“The first 10 minutes both teams had playoff jitters,” said Falcons coach Kim Voorhees. “Then we settled in and had the majority of possession.”
Ten minutes into the second half, Amy Blazejewski crossed a ball that landed dangerously in the Jags’ box and Jadyn Peto followed the ball all the way into the net along with freshman Mary Webb who ensured the ball went in the goal safely.
“I was confident the whole way through we would score,” said Voorhees. “After we scored, we played a little more of a defensive-minded game to get the win and get to the second round. I was proud of how the girls played today. To have a home game and get a win was a good result for today.”
The Falcons, who upped their record to 11-4-4, will travel to fifth-ranked Pennridge on Thursday for a battle between two strong Suburban One League programs.
PENNSBURY 0-1 1
GARNET VALLEY 0-0 0
#10 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 6, #23 WISSAHICKON 0
The 10th-seeded Golden Hawks soared to a convincing win over the 23rd-seeded Trojans. Taylor Dillon opened the scoring for the Hawks midway through the half after her team gotten over their early-game nerves.
“It was our first game in districts, and we had a tough time getting settled,” said Hawks’ coach Kimmy Francis. “But once we got the ball on the ground and starting passing around, everything started to click.”
Jesse Magee added a goal before halftime, but the Hawks weren’t comfortable with a 2-0 lead and planned a second half push to add more to the scoreboard. The Hawks were successful in their scoring surge, adding four second half goals from Magee, Nikki Caffey, Shannon Boyle and Lindsay Hirsh.
The Hawks, who improved to 12-4-2 will face seventh-seeded West Chester Rustin for the second time this season. They lost to them 1-0 in an evenly matched non-league game during the regular season.
“I’m excited about the second round,” said Francis. “Being familiar with them (Rustin) is a good thing. It’s a game that if we show up and we are the Council Rock South that knocks the ball around and has the energy to play a full 80 minutes, then we can come out on top.”
The Hawks will travel to Rustin on Thursday for a 7 pm start.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 2-4 6
WISSAHICKON 0-0 0
#6 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 5, #27 INTERBORO 0
The Patriots controlled the tempo of their decisive 5-0 win over the Bucs on Tuesday night.
“We felt very comfortable,” said Patriots coach Paul Eisold. “We had the majority of the play in their end, and they had very little opportunities coming at us. We were pretty confident we could take care of business.”
Shaun Kane led the sixth-seed with her second hat trick of the season - her first she recorded in the Patriots’ season-opener. Kane, who Eisold described as “playing brilliantly,” opened up the scoring in the seventh minute to set the early tone (Abby Emmert assist). Nicole Pannella added another goal before the half off an Emma Loving assist.
The Patriots added to their 2-0 lead steadily in the second half as Kane connected for back-to-back goals in the 47th and 49th minutes, both off Loving assists. Kennedy Cusato closed out the scoring in the playoff victory when she converted a Jen Pope assist into a goal.
Eisold was impressed with Annie Axenroth’s possession of the ball in midfield and the performance of Patriots’ keepers Paige Marcinkowski and Katy Dolf, who combined for the shutout. The Patriots upped their record to 16-1-3 and moved to the next round to face an 11th-seeded Conestoga squad that defeated Mount St. Joe’s in the first round.
“If we continue to stick to our game plan, I am confident it will be a very good game,” said Eisold. “We want to get in there and take care of business and move forward. They are going be a very good opponent and they are from a well-respected league who plays good competition.”
CB EAST 2-3 5
INTERBORO 0-0 0
#19 UNIONVILLE 1, #14 UPPER DUBLIN 0
The 19th-seeded Indians eked out a 1-0 win over the Lady Cardinals with a late second half goal, bringing an end to their season in the opening round of playoffs.
Coach John Topper applauded the play of Lexi Rama, Dominique Greene-Coleman and Rebecca Watson. The American Conference champion Cards finish with a 13-5-1 record while the Indians move on to face third-seeded Strath Haven who had a bye for the first round.
UNIONVILLE 0-1 1
UPPER DUBLIN 0-0 0
#8 SPRING-FORD 5, #25 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 1
The eighth-seeded Rams pounced on the 25th-seeded Colonials, downing them 5-1 in the opening round of district playoffs. Crissy Terraces scored the lone goal for the Colonials, who end their season with an 11-6-1 record overall. The Rams, now 18-1-1, will host ninth-seeded Central Bucks West in the second round on Thursday.
SPRING-FORD 4-1 5
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 0-1 1
#15 OWEN J ROBERTS 2, #18 QUAKERTOWN 1
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