CB East and CR North advanced to the District One AAA semifinals while Pennsbury remains alive in the battle for the final state berth.
#1 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 2, #24 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1
The Patriots made it four in a row.
Saturday’s hard fought win over their conference rival ensured Central Bucks East a berth in the state tournament for the fourth time in as many years.
“The first page was to get to districts, and winning the league, for us, was just unbelievable,” coach Paul Eisold said. “Winning it in the fashion that we did – being undefeated – was unbelievable.
“Being able to win today and to get that guaranteed seed in states in unbelievable. Four years in a row for the program, and it’s absolutely huge for the girls.”
Beating a tough and determined Central Bucks South squad for a third time was no easy task.
“It’s very difficult to play somebody three times,” Eisold said. “That being said, we knew we had to do certain things to be successful.
“We really prepped them about (South keeper) Sophia Boggs, and we prepped them about their defense, we prepped them about their midfield and their key players. The bottom line is this – you can prepare a team all you want, but they have to execute it, and the girls executed it tonight.”
In the 28th minute, Emma Loving put the Patriots on the scoreboard, using a Hannah Zach assist. The goal, according to her coach, was vintage Loving.
“Emma beat a player about 25 yards out to the left of the goal, touched it and took a shot,” Eisold said. “Sophia Boggs did not even have an opportunity to make the stop. It was just such a nicely placed ball, and it was a dart. There’s such power and strength in her shot. She doesn’t give people a chance to react.”
The Patriots took that 1-0 lead into halftime. They went on top 2-0 in the 51st minute when Megan Mannato’s shot after a corner kick deflected off the post and a South defender into the net. Three minutes later, South’s Kelly Senour scored to make it a 2-1 game, and that score held until the final whistle.
Central Bucks East (19-0-1, 13-0-1 SOL) will face fourth-seeded Spring-Ford in Wednesday’s district semifinal on Wednesday (7 p.m.) at Council Rock North.
Central Bucks South (12-7-2, 7-5-2 SOL) will travel to Pennsbury on Wednesday, one of four teams battling for the fifth and final state playoff berth.
Central Bucks South 0-1 1
Central Bucks East 2-0 2
#10 DOWNINGTOWN WEST 2, #2 PENNSBURY 1
Morgan O’Loughlin was a game changer in Saturday morning’s district quarterfinal game at Pennsbury. The Whippets’ keeper negated a 23-5 Falcon advantage in shots, collecting 14 saves in a standout effort.
Emily Feeney put the Whippets on the scoreboard in the 22nd minute, and they took that lead into halftime. Five minutes into the second half, Pennsbury knotted the score when Meredith Webber turned a Karina Raykova pass into a goal. The Whippets went ahead in the 53rd minute, and although the Falcons – who held a 13-1 advantage in shots in the second half – pressured, they could not get one past O’Loughlin.
Pennsbury (19-2, 13-1 SOL) is one of four teams battling for the fifth and final state berth. The Falcons will host 24th-seeded Central Bucks South on Wednesday in a playback game.
Downingtown West 1-1 2
Pennsbury 0-1 1
#15 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 2, #6 WEST CHESTER HENDERSON 0
Wendell Beres knew all about the dangerous weapons Henderson boasted in the midfield.
Topping the list was Sydney Zandi, a member of the U17 National Team and the player that ignites the Warriors.
But if it seems as though the Indians’ coach would have assigned his best defender to mark Zandi, guess again.
“The key when they have special players is to not put it all on one person,” Beres said. “If the entire team defends well and you know where someone like that is, you’re going to be okay, especially with the group we have.
“If we assign one person to mark her and she gets beat, panic sets in whereas here if she beats the one person who was marking her and it wasn’t her individual responsibility, everyone else knows they have to come in. I thought we did a great job.”
Great hardly covers it.
Thanks to the Indians’ defensive effort, the usually explosive Warriors never really generated dangerous opportunities, and at the other end of the field, the Indians’ offense was amazingly efficient. Seven minutes into the game, junior forward Kayla Robinson (Tori Hill assist) lofted a shot from the right corner that found the opposite corner of the net to spot the Indians – on their first shot – an early 1-0 lead.
“Kayla’s had a really good couple of weeks,” said Beres. “She can score goals. She’s big, she’s strong, she’s fast and she’s physical. She’s come through in big moments this year, and this group knows that if they go up, they have a pretty good chance of winning.
“That goal builds the confidence a little bit. They were a little nervous when they saw Pennsbury lost. They didn’t want to see them in an elimination game Wednesday, so that goal kind of lifted the pressure off their shoulders and gave them a little more confidence. I’m pretty happy with the way that went.”
Late in the opening half, Mia Scalamandre stepped in to thwart a Henderson breakaway down the right side by Dayla Jackson. A few minutes later, goalie Jeri Belard, after momentarily bobbling a strong shot on goal, secured the ball for one of her five saves in the shutout.
The Redskins spent the better part of the game playing defense, but their defensive unit – spearheaded by Belardo, Scalamandre, Casey McAlister, Brielle Reich and Lauren D’Amelia – was impenetrable and created all sorts of problems for the Warriors’ attack.
“We have some pretty good forwards in our league, specifically Gabby Farrell of Neshaminy, and we didn’t man mark her either,” Beres said. “We’ve had plenty of experience with dangerous forwards, but I’ll be the first to tell you – we have one of the best defenses around, and that’s as a team. The entire team defends, they get behind the ball, and they take a lot of pride in shutouts. We picked a good day to have our best game.”
Robinson gave the Indians some insurance when – after receiving a ball over the top from Mackenzie Siverd – she beat goalie Jenna Maratea on a breakaway with 14:41 remaining for the 2-0 final.
The win propelled the Indians into states for the first time since 2011.
“We set a goal to get to states, and Wendell definitely thought we were crazy,” Belardo said. “W didn’t have the best beginning of our season at all – it was rough. We were not doing our best, but definitely we kept thinking about the goal.
“We had goals to beat the top teams, to win the games that needed to be won, not let any bad games go. In my four years, we’ve never made it to states, and it’s incredible. It means so much because we worked so hard, and it’s finally paying off now.”
“We just took it game by game,” Robinson added. “I’m only a junior, but it does mean a lot because you see these girls every day and you work so hard. It’s high school soccer, it’s not an academy team. It’s a great feeling.”
And after a 2-3 start, the Indians lost just once in their next 16 games. In their last two games, the Indians defeated both Ches-Mont League champions – third-seeded West Chester Rustin and sixth-seeded West Chester Henderson.
The players point to their 1-0 win over SOL National champion Pennsbury as the turning point of their season.
“We wanted that game, and we knew if we beat the team that was undefeated for two years (in the conference), we could beat anyone,” Belardo said.
Council Rock North (14-4-3, 9-3-2 SOL) will face 10th-seeded Downingtown West in a district semifinal game on Wednesday (5 p.m.) at William Tennent.
Council Rock North 1-1 2
West Chester Henderson 0-0 0
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