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NEWTOWN – Courtney Lynch wasn’t exactly sure what had happened in the chaos in front of Council Rock North’s goal cage. Teammate Aubrey Bossert – who was in the middle of the fray – wasn’t really sure either.
“It was kind of a scramble with the goalie, and we weren’t sure if the ball went over the line or not,” said Lynch, who watched from midfield.
Bossert – with a reverse stick – somehow tapped a pass from teammate Alyssa Tourdot into the cage at the 13:07 mark of sudden death overtime in Friday’s non-league opener against Rock North, giving the Trojans a dramatic 3-2 win.
“It was kind of hard to see the ball,” Bossert said. “There were all these players, and the goalie was right there. We didn’t realize it went in until the ref whistled.
“It was awesome. You work really hard out there, and when they come back and you have to go to overtime, it sucks, but you know you have to keep going after it.”
Bossert’s goal salvaged what could have been a heartbreaking tie – or loss – for a Trojan squad that dominated play and opened up a 2-0 lead early in the second half only to watch the Indians come roaring back.
“We were obviously disappointed that we had let them come back,” Lynch said. “We needed to get ourselves going again. We needed to win this to set the tone for our entire season.
“We went out there with the mindset that we were going to score, and we were going to win instead of putting our heads down.”
While the Trojans were happy to escape with a win, the Indians – who fell to the Trojans 2-0 in last year’s season opener – were pleased with their ability to come back against the defending American Conference champs.
“We were able to stay with a very competitive team,” Rock North senior captain Sara Clark said. “For the most part, we were able to shut down their offense.
“They did get a few in, but overall, we were very happy with the way we played as a team and came together on the field. We have good things ahead of us, I hope. This is a good start. We know we’re capable of good things. Hopefully, that will carry us far this year.”
A key to the game was the standout effort of Rock North’s defense and goalie Amanda Krause in the first half. The Trojans lived in the Indians’ striking circle but could not convert. Late in the half, Lynch sent a pass ahead of the pack to Gretchen Guaglianone, whose breakaway was thwarted by Krause’s slide tackle at the top of the circle.
“That slide tackle was amazing, and I’m a goalie, so I can appreciate how amazing that save was,” Rock North coach Heather Whalin said. “I cannot tell you how proud I am of Amanda. She was working some kinks out, and she just stepped up today.
“Our defense was phenomenal today. They really came together solidly. I was really proud of them. They have a tough offense. It was a good showing.”
The Trojans finally got on the scoreboard with 6:04 remaining in the half when Jacquelin Coupe turned a Bossert pass into a goal, sending the Trojans into halftime with a 1-0 lead. It could have been a whole lot more had it not been for the 10-save effort in goal of Krause and the Indians’ relentless defense.
“We have just been really working at staying low and staying tight on our marks, and we really came together as a defensive unit today,” said Clark, who along with Rebecca Houser anchored the Indians’ defense. “We’re starting to connect, and it’s definitely a change for the better this year.”
Still, it looked as though the Trojans would be able to cruise to a win after Guaglinone (Tourdot assist) pushed the ball into the cage just over a minute into the second half, but that only served as a wake-up call for the Indians, who drew four corners in a four-minute span shortly thereafter. They capitalized on the second when Sarah Rowland scored on the rebound of a goalie save.
“I think we were shaking the nerves off a little bit,” Whalin said of her team’s slow start. “We have a couple of younger players playing for us – we have a freshman and two sophomores starting.
“Ninety percent of the team that’s back from last year is playing different positions, and just getting our feet wet and realizing it is our first game – we started a little slow, but we turned it on at the end.”
The Trojans came up with back-to-back highlight reel defensive plays to maintain their one-goal lead. First it was Coupe making a spectacular stop on the goal line, and then goalie Jess Scannapieco – a field player recently pressed into emergency duty – came up with a dazzling hand save of a beautiful lift shot by Cornell-bound senior Elly Plappert on a corner.
Before the Trojans had finished celebrating the big save, sophomore Hannah Plappert came out of nowhere and slammed home a goal from the top of the circle, knotting the score with 4:25 remaining in regulation and setting the stage for overtime.
“In the huddle, we had a little team talk,” Bossert said. “We knew we had to go out and give everything we had left.
“It was our first game of the season, and we really wanted to get it in the cage, and we did.”
But not before the Indians had managed a pair of shots that were turned away by Scannapieco. The game winner was set up on a pass from the left side by Zoe Kale, and it was Tourdot and Bossert finishing it off for the big win.
“If they had scored, it would have absolutely been a completely different story,” Lynch said. “We would have come off the field with our heads down. We would not have had a very good weekend.
“This put our spirits up, and we’re looking forward to our next game.”
EXTRA SHOTS: For the Trojans, playing on grass posed a challenge. “We’ve been practicing the last couple of days on grass, and it just takes so much more effort to play on grass than it does on our turf where you just push and it goes 100 miles,” Gil said. “They’re exhausted right now.”
WISSAHICKON 3, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 2 (OT)
Wissahickon 1 1 1-3
Council Rock North 0 2 0-2
Goals/Assists: Wissahickon – Aubrey Bossert 1-1, Jacquelin Coupe 1-0, Gretchen Guaglianone 1-0, Alyssa Tourdot 0-1. CR North – Sarah Rowland 1-0, Hannah Plappert 1-0.
Shots: W-16, CRN-11.
Corners: W-11, CRN-6.
Saves: Jess Scannapieco (W) 6, Amanda Krause (CRN) 11.
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