A pair of overtime games highlighted SOL girls’ soccer action on Wednesday.
SOL National
Council Rock South 1, Council Rock North 0 OT
The latest chapter of the battle for the Unity Cup did not disappoint as the sister Council Rock schools battled deep into the night before the Golden Hawks found a winner off a corner kick.
On short notice, Hawks coach Nick Heim was able to move the game's start time back a few hours to make a doubleheader with the boys' game, and the teams used it to celebrate the life of Eddie Leigh, the late director of FC Bucks who coached countless players across the entire area, including the Council Rock programs.
"He was a great coach and a better person," Heim said. "He will surely be missed.
"It was a great atmosphere for the community and for the girls to experience. Both teams really battled."
Aside from getting to compete in a fierce rivalry game under the lights, North coach Gavin Flannigan was equally glad to be included as part of the memorial.
"Nick did a wonderful job with that," Flannigan said. "It was a little rushed with the turnaround of games but it was nice to be able to honor him. We were glad to be a part of it."
As for the match, the two teams poured everything they had into it. While the Indians came out on the losing side, their coach couldn't fault their effort.
"We played with a lot of heart," Flannigan said. "We competed well, our energy and desire were unbelievable. It was a tremendous team effort. I think South created more opportunities overall, but in games like this, it only takes one moment. There were some gaps we thought we could exploit, but we couldn't quite get one."
South got the winner with about three minutes left in the first overtime when Sammy Jones played in a corner kick, a scramble happened in the box and the ball hit off a North player for an own goal. While the Hawks remain unbeaten in SOL National play, Heim knew his team would be challenged on Wednesday.
"North is a tough team. Mia Scalamandre is a fantastic player that helped keep our offense off the board," Heim said. "Becca Margolis is a dynamic player that can take over a game, and she played very well in the midfielder, causing us problems. We made some adjustments at halftime and had some solid chances in the second half."
Aside from Margolis and Scalamandre, Flannigan noted the play of midfielder Abby Kollar and defender Lilly Ries.
"Abby did a great job of denying space in the middle of the field," Flannigan said. "We gave Lilly Ries a very specific assignment tonight and she did fantastically well."
The Hawks were led by their back line and turned to the midfield to help contain and create.
"Julie Rebh really played well in the midfield, helping contain their threats and create chances for us," Heim said. "Paige Mikula created multiple opportunities, as did Sammy Jones."
Set pieces are a great equalizer in high school soccer, and the Hawks talked about creating more corners for themselves going into the overtime period.
"We devote practice time to them often. I think as our team has gotten more experienced, they really see what a difference they make in the high school game," Heim said. "That motivates them to stay disciplined on both offensive and defensive set pieces."
The Golden Hawks have been good at scoring goals late in the game this season, which Heim attributes to his team's experience, competitive nature and the training they've done to get to this point in the season.
"They're a competitive group that has put in a tremendous amount of work to get to these situations," Heim said. "They're reminded late in the game why we run extra sprints in preseason or why we work on certain aspects of a game regularly. They're going to compete a full 80 minutes and more, if needed. They've prepared themselves for these late-game situations through hard work."
Council Rock South (13-0, 9-0 SOL) travels to Harry S Truman on Friday at 3:30. Council Rock North (7-5-1, 4-4-1) is off until next Tuesday when it faces Abington.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0 0 1 – 1
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0 0 0 – 0
Pennsbury 3, Abington 1
Play Pennsbury soccer.
It was a phrase Falcons head coach Kaitlyn Battiste and her assistants repeated several times to their team after it had won at Abington's Schwarzman Stadium. Winning on the Ghosts' grass field is never easy, so the Falcons weren't taking their victory lightly.
"Abington has speed, they have players who are looking to battle for every single ball and every play, every opportunity we had, there was always an Abington player there putting that pressure on," Battiste said. "It was a really good game, I was very proud of the three goals that were scored. It's tough because this is a team that never goes away."
The first half was one of waves of momentum, with Abington starting well, only for Pennsbury to take over and back and forth until the break. What set the two sides apart was the Falcons' ability to put chances away.
Jenna Peters put her team on the board 10 minutes in when Lizzy Kirk found her wide to the left and Peters was able to slide the ball past Abington's oncoming keeper. Peters hit the bar about eight minutes later as part of a flurry that saw the Falcons put three shots on net but none of them in the net.
Evie Ciaccia made up for it with 16 minutes left in the half when she buried a hard-hit and low shot from about 20 yards out for a 2-0 lead.
"We were doing a lot of communicating for the center midfielders, telling them to communicate and as they figured out and saw what type of environment they were working in, began to make adjustments on the field," Battiste said. "We were able to rise to Abington's level. I think Abington set the tone at the start but our girls were able to match that and take advantage of that."
The Ghosts did get a goal back late in the first half when Issy Mugnier followed up a Lexow free kick and hammered the ball in when Phillips couldn't control it.
Pennsbury got a solid game out of its back line in dealing with Abington's various threats like Cam Lexow, Kailey Horton, Casey Touey and Elizabeth Tracey. Keeper Kerry Phillips made six saves, including an impressive stop on a curling Touey shot with about 12 minutes left.
"We weren't able to shut them out either time we played them this year," Battiste said. "Their defense also didn't make it easy for any of our attackers."
Christine Cataldo-Smith scored Pennsbury's third goal with about 20 minutes left. Hope Drewes' free kick found the sophomore with space in the box, where she was able to put it past the charging keeper.
The Falcons got excellent play from its outside mids in Peters and Dani Cady. Cady didn't score or assist any goals, but her runs into space led to a number of good crosses and passes that opened up the critical space.
"Both of our outside mids did a great job of taking their players on, winning 1-v-1 battles and earning corner kicks, throw-ins and restarts that gave us those opportunities," Battiste said.
Abington heads to Neshaminy on Friday. Pennsbury resumes play next Tuesday.
PENNSBURY 2 1 – 3
ABINGTON 1 0 – 1
Goals: P – Jenna Peters, Evia Ciaccia, Christine Cataldo-Smith; A – Issy Mugnier
Neshaminy 2, Bensalem 0
Neshaminy hadn't played a match in a week and it showed in a scoreless first half Wednesday.
The Owls also didn't make it easy with their defensive style, but by halftime, Neshaminy had found some energy and found its way to a win. Neshaminy coach Chelsea Lovelace said it was a team effort and all 11 players helped spark the second half turnaround.
"It's always tough playing Bensalem because they put all their players behind the ball, so the first half was a bit of an adjustment," Lovelace said. "We encouraged the girls to play quicker and changed a few things around in our formation which gave us a lot more looks at goal in the second half."
Nicole Palmer scored the game winner on a 51st minute penalty kick while Madyson Bolli's finish off Jackie Ziegler's corner kick put the game away in the 63rd.
Lovelace was reassured by her team's ability to find energy when it needed to.
"It's always encouraging seeing our girls grind it out for 80 minutes to get the win to carry us into our next game," the Redskins’ coach said.
Neshaminy (6-4-1, 4-2-1 SOL) hosts Abington on Friday. Bensalem (2-10-1, 1-9) will host Harry S Truman on Friday.
NESHAMINY 0 2 – 2
BENSALEM 0 0 – 0
Goals: Nicole Palmer, Madyson Bolli
SOL Continental
Central Bucks East 1, Souderton 0 2OT
Every team in the Continental is going to finish with at least two conference losses and none of them will be a fluke.
The Patriots used one of their best defensive efforts of the season to quiet a potent Souderton offense as they swept their two regular season meetings with the Indians. It took a while, but when Delaney Kennedy found herself with the ball after a deflection in the second overtime, she made it count.
"Delaney Kennedy fired a bullet from 22 yards out," East coach Paul Eisold said. "She found herself with the ball off a deflection and converted."
The Indians left frustrated they weren't able to convert at least one of their chances.
"We knew going it to this game that the ball would be played in the air by East a lot. 50/50 balls were a big part of this game, which we dealt with well throughout," Souderton coach Chris Felber said. "First half, we struggled to get the ball forward to our attacking mids and forwards. (It was) 0-0 at halftime, so we switched up our formation, which gave us more space in the midfield and more scoring opportunities. (We) had several chances to score off of low driven balls across the net, but were not able to convert."
Kristen Obetz pitched the shutout for the Patriots, who turned to a unit-wide effort to defend Souderton.
"Katie Bloom was asked to adjust her game in the OT and Marissa Plack stepped up huge defensively," Eisold said. "Souderton is a very good team but could not capitalize with their potent attack. They moved the ball nicely and kept us off balance most of the game. We were able to hang in there and took advantage of an opportunity."
Eisold also cited the work of Kate Schlotter in the midfield.
"We tried to continuously disrupt their rhythm and win the challenges we could control," Eisold said.
Bloom got the tall task of trying to contain one of Souderton's outside forwards in the extra sessions.
"We asked her to play on the outside and shut down one of their lethal forwards," Eisold said. "She played as an outside back as a sophomore but generally put her in the middle last year and this year. Her speed and tenacious ability to defend is outstanding."
The win moved CB East into a tie with CB South for second place in the Continental.
East (7-3-3, 4-2-2 SOL) travels to Pennridge on Friday. Souderton (9-3, 5-3) hosts Pennridge next Tuesday night.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0 0 0 1 – 1
SOUDERTON 0 0 0 0 – 0
Goals: CBE – Delaney Kennedy
Central Bucks South1, Pennridge 0
The Titans lost to Souderton on Monday, but coach Betsy Bullock felt her team's second half effort would carry over to Wednesday.
While the Rams made it a back-and-forth game, Bullock was proven right when her team edged out another close win in the ongoing battle between the two sides. Aleksa Peev scored in the 41st minute to separate the two teams, who played to a 0-0 draw back in September.
"Aleksa received the ball from defender Margot Centofanti, dribbled across the box and placed a perfect shot into the corner of the net," Bullock said. "We are starting to play more possession soccer. We have been really competitive in all of our games this season but have had five overtime games."
South got a strong performance from its midfield, especially Brooke Steigerwalt and senior Mackenzie Ehresman, who has just recently returned from an ACL injury.
"It has been a huge help having Mac back on the field," Bullock said. "She is one of the senior captains and leads the team on the field."
Controlling Pennridge's numbers in the midfield proved to be a deciding factor in the match.
"They contained Pennridge's midfielders, especially one of their more dominant players," Bullock said. "We tried to disrupt their combination play in the middle."
Pennridge (7-2-1, 4-2-1 SOL) hosts CB East on Friday. South (6-3-3, 4-2-2), which is tied with East for second in the conference, faces CB West on Friday.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0 1 – 1
PENNRIDGE 0 0 – 0
Goals: CBS – Aleksa Peev
Central Bucks West 3, North Penn 2
SOL American
Upper Dublin 2, Quakertown 1
The Cardinals kept themselves perched atop the American standings with a hard-earned road win on Wednesday.
"We knew going up there that it's a tough place to play and they're a very solid, very organized and very well-coached team so nothing was going to come easy," UD coach John Topper said. "We were happy with the way we came out. We moved the ball forward and created some chances the first 15 minutes before the game evened out."
Topper said both teams had their run of chances throughout regulation and credited his entire back line of Erin O'Brien, Laura Pendleton, Sascha Keitz, Kaitlyn Brown and Katie King for helping to neutralize Quakertown's various offensive options.
Fittingly, it took almost the entire match for either team to find an opportunity. UD midfielder Tina Haig, on a pass from Keitz, broke the deadlock with a stellar effort in the 71st minute.
"It was an especially nice effort because they were doing a good job of making sure that every time she touched the ball, they had two or three players right on her," Topper said. "She didn't have a whole lot of room to operate the whole game, so it was pretty impressive she was able to get some space and bury a shot from outside the 18.
"Their keeper (Morgan Small) is not an easy keeper to beat, but Tina struck it pretty cleanly."
Emily Booth scored the eventual game-winner three minutes later on a feed from Aidan Hopkins. Booth, a converted winger, has really settled into her role.
"She was always very good at getting into 1-v-1's, but as she's gotten more comfortable with the position, she's been able to move off the ball and find herself in some dangerous places," Topper said. "She's making proactive runs."
Ashley Gluck scored in the 77th minute, assisted by Brenna Foster, to give the Panthers some life.
"We wanted to get a lot of bodies behind the ball and make sure we were very definitive in our clearances," Topper said. "We just wanted to play direct and smart the last few minutes because Quakertown, when they went down two goals, they did not give up at all and fought back."
Upper Dublin (10-1-1, 9-0 SOL) goes to local rival Wissahickon Friday afternoon while Quakertown (9-4, 7-2) visits Hatboro-Horsham.
UPPER DUBLIN 0 2 – 2
QUAKERTOWN 0 1 – 1
Goals: UD – Tina Haig, Emily Booth; Q – Ashley Gluck
Plymouth Whitemarsh 4, Wissahickon 1
Alyse Caffrey and Sarah Putsch led the Colonials to a needed bounce-back win on Wednesday.
Putsch scored twice after halftime, while Caffrey scored a goal and assisted on two more as PW got back on the right track. It was a particularly good showing from Putsch.
"She stayed focused and composed throughout the game," PW coach Ryan Zehren said. "When Sarah does that, she can be very tough to deal with for other teams. It's been the spark we have been looking for from her all year."
Zehren said his players realized off games happen and stayed confident even after Monday's loss to Upper Moreland while keeping their belief that they're a strong team.
Ani Shula also scored for PW while Haley Zygmunt and Ali Diamond provided assists. For Caffrey, the team's leading scorer, providing two assists was a sign she's taking the next step as a player.
"When a good player can draw attention like she does and then starts to realize that opens things up for her teammates, it makes it difficult for other teams to defend," Zehren said.
Carly Amato scored the lone goal for Wissahickon, which was playing for the third day in a row.
"This team has kept its head high, returning to the field with encouragement and a mantra to get better every game they play," Wissahickon coach Shannon Creamer-Franke said.
Wissahickon (3-8, 3-6 SOL) hosts Upper Dublin on Friday. Plymouth Whitemarsh (9-4, 6-3) goes to Springfield Township on Friday afternoon.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 1 3 – 4
WISSAHICKON 0 1 – 1
Goals: PW – Sarah Putsch 2, Ani Shula, Alyse Caffrey; W – Carly Amato
Hatboro-Horsham 2, Upper Moreland 1
The Hatters have started the second half of the season well, winning two straight.
"The intensity and desire to find a way to win carried over," HH coach Ike Onyeador said. "We did it in difficult conditions on Monday and had to do it again today."
Playing a well-organized and determined Golden Bears team meant the Hatters had to put away their chances.
"They do play hard, are well organized and well-coached," Onyeador said. "We got in a few times and wasted some chances, and their keeper made some quality saves, but thankfully we were able to convert late in the second half."
Cam Ryan scored the opening goal for the Hatters, who got a fantastic effort from Kerryn MacBride on Ally Eutermoser's game-winner.
"She drove our offense and basically created the game-winner on her own. She carried the ball 50-60 yards, beat a couple of defenders and served a great ball for Ally to finish on a one-timer," Onyeador said. "Kerryn was like that the entire second half. She played inspired today and she was inspiring to watch."
Hatboro-Horsham (6-5, 6-3 SOL) will host Quakertown on Friday, and Upper Moreland (4-8, 2-7) will host Cheltenham on Friday.
Springfield Township 5, Cheltenham 2
After leading 2-0 at the half, Springfield saw Cheltenham come back to tie things up.
That only served to fire up the Spartans.
“I was most pleased with the fact that after they tied it up, we fought harder and we overcame. I switched things around a little bit because we were kind of stagnant there," Springfield coach Suzette Wolf said. "It was kind of a low-key game, and when they got two goals, we needed a spark, so I moved Lindsey Smith, who’s our senior captain, up into midfield, and a few minutes later she scored, and that gave us life."
Smith had the game winner, while Elena Hincapie scored twice to lead four different Spartans goal scorers. Josie Thorpe and Emily Guichteau each added single goals.
Springfield Township (4-8, 2-7 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday, and Cheltenham (1-9, 1-8) will travel to Upper Moreland on Friday.
SPRINGFIELD TWP 2 3 – 5
CHELTENHAM 0 2 – 2
Goals: ST – Elena Hincapie 2, Lindsey Smith, Josie Thorpe, Emily Guichteau
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