Central Bucks East fell to top-seeded Downingtown West in a District One 4A semifinal while Central Bucks South defeated North Penn in a playback game to earn a state berth. CB South/North Penn photos courtesy of Donna Longacre. To visit the Photo Gallery, please click on the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/g/103117_north_penn_vs_central_bucks_south_district_playback_-_dl
#1-1 DOWNINGTOWN WEST 3, #1-5 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1
They knew just about everything there was to know about the top-seeded Whippets – firsthand from their Sept. 15 non-league contest at Downingtown West (a 2-0 loss) and also from everything they’d read and heard.
The Patriots didn’t defeat a skilled Whippet squad, but they didn’t back down and scored the first goal of the postseason against them. They also felt a whole lot better about Tuesday’s meeting than they did about their early season game.
“We fell apart a little at the end, but I think we played a lot better as far as being a whole team,” said junior Kyleigh Talomie. “We watched the video of our last game yesterday, and there was a lot of individual play. We were a lot more together today.”
“I think we came out a lot different this game than the first game,” senior Riley Donnelly said. “We were disappointed with how we played the first time we played them. We allowed them to do whatever they wanted.
“They’re very skilled, so they still did a lot of things, but I think we took away a lot of the things we were looking to take away. We came into the game with two goals, and I think we accomplished those goals even if we didn’t win.”
The Whippets are not only skilled, they play the game at a speed that is rarely – if ever – seen over the course of the regular season.
“Every single one of their players has skill, and when they bring it all together, they’re hard to defend,” Talomie said. “We were in this game. I don’t think the score reflects how the game went.”
“Every position on their team – they all have very skilled stick work, and they all work together,” Donnelly said. “When you get past one, there’s another defender there to make the next tackle. If you beat one, there’s another one is still right on your back.
“It’s definitely disappointing to walk away with a loss, but I think we know that we can play with them.”
The diminutive Talomie earned star of the game honors for the Patriots for her relentless defensive performance against the high-powered Whippets.
“She’s very quick, she has a good stick, she has a very good defensive stick, she has good block tackles, and she has good stick work, so when she comes up with the ball, she’s able to maneuver her way out of traffic and make a good pass,” coach Michelle Finegan said of Talomie. “I like the way she plays. She’s a very strong defender.”
The Whippets, who drew five first-half corners, scored the only goal of the first half when Claudia Jaszczak scored midway through the first half. The Patriots, who did not manage a shot in the half stunned the Whippets when Donnelly scored on her team’s first shot of the game at the 29:11 mark of the second half.
That 1-1 tie stood until midway through the half when the Whippets were awarded a penalty stroke when the ball hit a defender on the goal line. Romea Riccardo, a UNC commit, made it count, upping the Whippets lead to 2-1.
With 10 minutes remaining, the Whippets – after coming up with an interception near midfield – capitalized on a corner when JJ Smyth scored on a deflection. Five minutes later, the Patriots drew their first two corners of the game. After goalie Caitlin Coker turned away back-to-back shots by Mackenzie Boyle and Cailey Lever on the first, Donnelly fired a shot that found the cage on the second, but the goal was waved off as dangerous.
“I knew it when it came off my stick that it was high, and it was a bad shot,” Donnelly said. “I was hoping they wouldn’t notice, but the ref noticed.”
The Whippets were assessed four green cards while the Patriots were given one. Despite the outcome, no one on East’s sideline was hanging their head.
“Downingtown West has extremely talented players, but I thought we played very well,” Finegan said. “When it was 1-1, I thought we were going to come back and take them. When it was 2-1, I thought we were still going to come back, but when it was 3-1, we lost a little bit of our steam.”
Central Bucks East (17-4, 11-1 SOL) will host Owen J. Roberts in the third place game on Friday at 3:30 p.m. Downingtown West will face third-seeded Conestoga in the district title game.
Central Bucks East 0-1 1
Downingtown East 1-2 3
Playback
#1-15 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1, #1-11 NORTH PENN 0
The third time was the charm.
After falling to North Penn 2-0 in the initial meeting between the two teams, the Titans battled the Knights to a 3-3 tie in the second. In Tuesday’s playback game with a berth in states at stake, the Titans notched their first win of the season over the Knights.
“Working together the whole entire game, keeping the momentum up – that won the game for us,” senior captain Kasey Dietzel said. “Coming from a really big win against Methacton and a good game against Owen J. Roberts, it really gave us confidence.
“Going into today’s game – we’d played them twice, and we knew we had the potential to win. We really just pulled it together.”
The Titans scored the only goal of the game two minutes into the second half, capitalizing on a corner when Mel Dunton turned an Ally Fitts pass into a goal.
“We figured they would focus in on somebody else, and Mel got enough of an edge that she got the ball in,” coach Pat Toner said. “I always believed that corners need to be precise and we work on them. Every team that I’ve ever had – I’ve been fortunate they’ve bought into it too.
“If you have good corners, it doesn’t matter – even if a team knows what your corners are, all you need is one or two opportunities. We’ve just preached the basics, and it’s these kids that have done it. They just do believe in themselves. They believe in what we’ve been telling them, and they believe in themselves.”
Both teams had five corners – in the last meeting between the two teams, both had 18 corners.
“We changed up a little bit how we play, so I think we threw them off,” Toner said. “We just had a couple different things we did – we wanted to control the tempo of the game.
“They’re a very dangerous team with fantastic players. Their goalie is strong, and we just needed one chance, and we got that one chance.”
The Titans’ defense continued to excel. Megan Gillard, Sarah Duimering, Dakota Hurwit and Annie Brady play in front of goalie Jillian Heilig.
“Jillian Heilig, our goalie, played well, and the entire defensive squad played very well,” Toner said. “Our mids played well also, but that back defensive group played out of their minds.
“Both teams were able to shut down the other team, but I felt this time we controlled the game more than we have against them in the past. We have nothing to lose, so we’re able to play a lot looser.”
Heilig was credited with four saves while North Penn’s Anissa Gardizy had eight.
Central Bucks South (13-8-1, 6-5-1) will travel to Unionville for Friday’s fifth place game. North Penn closed out its season with a 14-7-1- record (9-2-1 SOL).
Central Bucks South 0-1 1
North Penn 0-0 0
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