Another tough divisional battle today. I have a lot of respect for Bob and the program he has put together at Bensalem. They are always a tough battle, and they can play some really good soccer if you allow them to.
I thought we started well and were able to create some good moments early in the game, midway through the first half we were able to find a good final ball for Mia Cairone to break away and finish for the lead. Credit to Bensalem, they came back strong and equalized closer to half time on a rebound after Mairin made a good save. At half time we made some adjustments in trying to string together more passes and unbalance their defense, and I thought we did a better job of being composed. I thought we were more threatening in the second half but couldn't find a breakthrough. At this stage of the season every game has more pressure with the playoff standings, and OT really adds to the intensity. Mairin Coghlan came up with a huge save in the first few mins of OT on a breakaway, and we scored the winner when Amber Yuan hit a great cross into the box that ended up deflecting of a Bensalem defender. Definitely a cruel finish but this was our 5th OT game of the season and it was nice to come away with a win this time!
Our group effort was very good today, Olivia Ralston and Alexa Pikul gave us a boost from the bench, their work rate and execution was good and those minutes are critical in tight games, Mairin made 2-3 really good saves that helped keep the game even, especially in OT.