Check out the recaps for all of Wednesday’s SOL girls’ lacrosse action. CB South/CB West photos provided courtesy of Lisa Henderson, and CB East/CR South photos provided by John Gleeson. CLICK HERE for a gallery of both games.
SOL National Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 8, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 7 (OT)
Janique Craig had all but lost her voice. It was easy to understand why. Craig’s Titan squad had just pulled off a win they’ll be talking about for a long time.
Not so much because the Titans defeated the defending National Conference champions but rather because of how they did it. The Titans fell behind 4-0 and still trailed 4-1 when – after a save by goalie Laura Robinson – they employed an unusual strategy that not only stemmed the tide but might well have changed the course of the game.
“I made my goalie hold the ball close to six minutes,” South coach Janique Craig said. “I spread out my entire team on the field. I wanted CB West to drop on my goalie so then I could get a transition break.
“Since no one was open and we needed a rest – CB West is so talented, and as long as we had the ball, they can’t score, so that was our game plan because every single one of them from point to first home, they’re all talented. Their skills are definitely above ours, so our work ethic, our mindset and our strategy had to be there.”
The strategy paid off. The Titans tacked on a goal and trailed by just a 4-2 score at halftime.
“CB West won the majority of the draw controls,” Craig said. “They did a fantastic job on the draw control and their transition, but our defense played fantastic.
“Every single one of the attackers on CB West can score, so we couldn’t just mark one or two girls. We had to play as a team. Laura Robinson, our goalie, played a fantastic game.”
Robinson was credited with nine saves, but she had plenty of help, and Craig lauded the standout effort of her defense: Sofia Sonnet, Ashley Gammon, Megan Weeks and Olivia Himmelstein.
“We were on defense 80 percent of the game,” Craig said. “We forced turnovers on the defensive end, and our goalie made saves. We won a couple of draw controls.
“There were rarely any fouls. It was a very clean game on both ends. Our defense played amazing. We played solid team defense.”
And when they had a chance to score, the Titans capitalized – Anna Green connected on 6-of-7 shots, and Kasey Dietzel converted 2-of-3 opportunities.
“When we shot, we shot to score,” Craig said. “We knew they would double Kasey and Anna, so we wanted to make sure we would get the other girls open. They were working hard. We were trying to get the ball to supporting players.
“We didn’t shoot much, but we wanted to make sure we got a good shot. We were the underdog, and at the end of the day, work ethic and mindset are so important, and I think the energy we had coming into the game was so important. The heart was there, and the key was to be disciplined.
“It was really hard for them to be disciplined sometimes, but a lot of it is strategy. By holding the ball for that long of a time, we kept the score tight. We wanted to have minimal turnovers, especially on the attacking end as we have less experience there. We had to make sure we were smart and passed the ball properly and took care of it. That was the strategy – no fouls, minimal turnovers, spread out, only shoot when you’re open, don’t force it. We were very patient.”
The Bucks, according to the Titans’ coach, won 12 of 15 draw controls.
“We kept switching it up, but they kept beating us,” Craig said. “The key was in overtime Anna Green getting that draw control. We got down there and worked some time off. Anna had the ball in the corner by my sideline, and Kasey was there.
“We were going to go in if the opportunity was there or wait until the last 10 seconds of overtime to go in. That was our strategy – to hold the ball and not pass the ball unless we had to. We wanted to force our opponent to double and triple us because we knew Anna could get by two players because she’s so speedy.”
And it was the opportunistic Green scoring the game winner in the first overtime to propel the Titans to the heartstopping win.
The combination of patience, strategy and work ethic paid dividends but perhaps even more important, according to Craig, was the teamwork the Titans displayed.
“Every single player played as a team,” the Titans’ coach said. “If the other players on attack didn’t move the way they did off ball, we wouldn’t have had those opportunities.
“I know Anna scored six goals, but everyone worked really hard and contributed. I’m really proud of the girls. They did great.”
Green scored six goals, and Dietzel finished with two goals and three assists for a Titans squad that was playing its third game in as many days.
“Anna Green played fantastic defense – she played Dani Dundas,” Craig said. “Kasey Dietzel was matched up on Finley Ueland. Sofia Sonnet and Francine Richick were matched up on Maddie Maio. My attackers were playing the hard defense too. They deserve a lot of credit.”
Finley Ueland led the Bucks with two goals and two assists, and Maddie Maio also had a pair of goals. Emma Haring contributed a goal and an assist while Dani Dundas and Liv Fitzgerald each had one goal.
“We were beat with 1v1 challenging, no passing, just hard challenges or isolations which we expected but simply couldn’t stop tonight,” West coach Tara Schmucker said. “Anna (Green) did a great job of using her speed and breaking apart our defense.
“We had some issues converting and taking the smart shots, but we just didn’t click everywhere tonight, and I think the emotion got the better of some players. We are not done, we just need to learn from our mistakes and come back West strong.”
Central Bucks South (12-3, 5-2 SOL) will travel to Gwynedd Mercy for a non-league game Friday at 4 p.m., and Central Bucks West (12-2, 5-1) will be on the road at Downingtown East for a non-league game on Saturday at 3 p.m.
Central Bucks West 4-3-0 7
Central Bucks South 2-5-1 8
NORTH PENN 12, PENNSBURY 11
It was the story of two halves.
The Knights had the better of play in the first half of Wednesday’s “Lax for Leukemia” game, opening up a 9-5 lead and appearing to be very much in command. The Falcons proved otherwise, outscoring their hosts 6-3 in the second half. Maddie Spratt almost sent the game to overtime after Pennsbury’s Emily Engeland intercepted a clearing pass with about five seconds left and then fed it to the freshman in front. Spratt then scored, but the goal came just after the final horn, as North Penn escaped.
“We were up 4-0, 5-0, and we were playing well,” North Penn coach Heather Mellow said. “We were feeding off each other offensively, we were stopping them defensively.
“They put in a couple goals, and at halftime, I think we just relaxed. We relaxed too much. Pennsbury is a team that has some good players, and that’s a team that’s not going to give up. They’re a good program this year. I think we just took them a little too lightly in the second half. We were back on our heels.”
Pennsbury battled from behind all night after falling behind 4-0 in the first three minutes, finally tying it 10-10 on a Nolan free position goal with 13:19 left. Even after North Penn went back up 12-10, the Falcons didn't give up, as Maddie Spratt made it a one-goal game with 4:46 left.
“We just didn’t take care of the ball,” Mellow said. “We took some time off the clock, but we did not take care of the ball well enough at the end of the game and just made some silly mistakes.
“When there’s eight seconds left on the clock, you just throw that ball to the other end of the field or run it and keep on going. They scored right after the buzzer went off – the buzzer went off and they scored. It was that close to going into overtime. I felt bad for them because they fought so hard to come back and tie it up, and they did a good job. That’s a tough one to swallow. It all happened within a split second. We’re lucky we walked away with that.”
The Knights were led by the four-goal, one-assist effort of Kelly Macnamara. Heather Shannon added three goals and an assist, and Bri O’Donnell had two goals and one assist. Kristin Varilla had two goals, and Grace Sacchetti had one. Ashley Lambert recorded 10 saves in goal for the Knights.
Pennsbury was led by Lily Nolan, who had four goals and five draw controls. Annie Price had two goals and two assists, while Emelie Curtis and Maddie Spratt had two goals and one assist each. Brooke Weaver had a goal and two assists.
“I have to give Pennsbury a lot of credit,” Mellow said. “They put together a really nice second half compared to us.
“We did fight back, but we came out a little flat in the second half and didn’t take care of things and got burned. I’m not sure how many of their players are seniors, but it seems as though they’ve been playing together and playing off each other for some time, and you can tell. They played very well together. They fought back,”
Making the win especially sweet was the fact that it came on the Knights’ “Lax for Leukemia” game.
“We had never won ‘Lax for Leukemia,’” Mellow said. “It’s always been these really hard fought games against good teams, and this is the first time we came out victorious.
“We started this event four years ago in honor of a former North Penn lacrosse player, Alyssa Oxenford, who lost her battle with leukemia two years ago. The symbolism behind the meaning of tonight’s game – and how we had to fight to win, couldn’t have been more apropos.”
North Penn (7-6, 5-1 SOL) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Friday, and Pennsbury (6-6, 2-4) will host Jenkintown in a non-league game on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Pennsbury 5-6 11
North Penn 9-3 12
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 20, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 1
Eight players contributed goals to a balanced Patriot attack. Eleven of East’s 20 goals were assisted.
Sophomore Riley Forman had a nine-point game to lead the Patriots, scoring four and assisting on five others. Senior Erin McGovern added three goals and three assists for six points, and sophomore Quinn Ferry had three goals and two assists. Junior Brigitte Bishop also had a five-point game with five assists. Senior Mackenzie Boyle had two goals, and sophomore Kieran Fink had one goal and one assist. Junior Ava Lisle and sophomore Katie Powell each had one goal.
Freshman Fiona Henderson turned away three shots in a winning effort in goal for the Patriots, who led 12-1 at the intermission.
Central Bucks East (9-5, 5-1 SOL) will travel to Jenkintown on Friday for a non-league game, and Council Rock South (4-6, 2-4) will host Villa Joseph Marie on Friday in a non-league game.
Central Bucks East 12-8 20
Council Rock South 1-0 1
SOL American Conference
SOUDERTON 22, CHELTENHAM 1
The Indians had plenty of reasons to celebrate on Wednesday. Not only did they earn a big win on Senior Night, but one of the seniors – Sarah Goodwin – notched the 100th goal of her career.
Goodwin finished a memorable night with five goals, one assist and four draw controls. Junior Riley McGowan led the Indians with six goals, three assists and one caused turnover, and senior Carlie Doughty also had five goals to go along with one assist and four draw controls. Anna Anello had a pair of goals, and adding one goal each were Amanda Boisico, Avery Doughty, Kylie Norbek and Randi Hess. Doughty also had a draw control.
Liz O’Hara had one caused turnover and three draw controls. Ceci Puente and Jackie DeAviz each had one caused turnover while Juliana Borisow and Kayla Moyer both had one ground ball. Mariah Bainbridge had one draw control.
Souderton (10-4, 6-1 SOL) will host Council Rock North in a non-league game on Friday at 5 p.m., and Cheltenham (0-11, 0-7) will host Baldwin School in a non-league game Thursday.
Cheltenham 1-0 1
Souderton 15-7 22
UPPER DUBLIN 10, WISSAHICKON 7
The Flying Cardinals celebrated Senior Night with a win over their neighboring rival, and it was the team’s senior goalie Sarah Herchenroder delivering some big saves early to set the tone.
“She absolutely set the tone tonight,” UD coach Dee Cross said. “Wissahickon got three quick shots off, and she saved point blank shots right in the beginning of the game.
“That helped us get possession and just really got everybody fired up and set the tone for the whole half. We had a really strong first half, and it started with Sarah Herchenroder. She was great.”
Herchenroder was the difference maker in Wednesday’s win, turning away 15 shots. She also had three caused turnovers.
All five seniors contributed in a contest that saw the Cardinals open up a 7-3 first half lead. Charlotte Smith opened both halves with a goal.
“Charlotte Smith doesn’t usually start, but she started tonight and scored the first goal of the first half and the first goal of the second half, so I was really happy for her to get in there and to be part of the offense,” Cross said. “She’s got a great attitude. She’s the type of player that every coach wants on their team.”
Lindsey Schreiber’s four-goal effort led the Cardinals. Mack Moore had a hand in five goals, finishing with two goals and three assists. Jackie Rama added a goal and an assist, and senior Caroline Wall had one goal. Maddie Templeton and Becky Browndorf each had an assist.
Cross lauded the efforts of her seniors.
“Lindsey had a steady game – she had four goals, and I was happy to see she got involved in the offense tonight,” the UD coach said. “Maddie Templeton is all over the field and gives her heart and soul. She might not have the best stickwork, but as a senior, she definitely leads and wants the ball in crunch time, and she did that tonight too because it got pretty close. She was great clearing the ball through the midfield.
“Same with Caroline Wall – she came up with some big stops at the end, so I think our seniors really stepped up tonight and helped us keep control of the game.”
For the Trojans, Kelly Dickson scored two goals and had three assists. Sam Intrieri scored a pair of goals, and Sophia Chiodo Ortiz scored one goal and assisted on two others. Abby DeGroat and Quinn Gaffey both scored one goal.
“We lost a tough game tonight,” coach Jamie Kane said. “It was a heated game with lots of transition plays.
“Ultimately, Upper Dublin put the ball in the back of the net three more times than Wissahickon. Both teams played hard and put in 110 percent.”
Upper Dublin (10-4, 4-2 SOL) will host Quakertown on Monday, and Wissahickon (4-10, 2-4) will travel to Springfield Township on Monday.
Wissahickon 3-4 7
Upper Dublin 7-3 10
ABINGTON 11, UPPER MORELAND 4
The Ghosts led 6-4 at halftime and then did not allow a goal in the second half, outscoring the Golden Bears 5-0 after the intermission.
“We came out very strong, but with some errors on transition, Upper Moreland was able to come within two goals,” Abington coach Mary Liz Klepper said. “We had a strong second half to own possession and capitalize on our shots.
“The season’s going by super quickly, and the girls know they need to take care of the ball if we want to make it in the playoffs.”
Kaley Ehnow led a balanced attack with three goals and one assist to go along with five ground balls and five draw controls.
“Kaley Ehnow had an outstanding game,” Klepper said. “Jamira Mashore also had a standout game, earning six points.”
Mashore contributed two goals and four assists. Sam Simon added a pair of goals while Shea Gormley, Abby Johnson and Taheera Rodgers scored one goal each. Rodgers also had an assist. Becca Gable, Anna Joseph and Kelly McCallister each chipped in an assist.
Abington goalie Ella Hughes recorded 11 saves.
Abington (9-5, 5-1 SOL) will travel to Radnor Friday for a non-league game. Upper Moreland (9-5, 3-4) will host Pennridge in a non-league game on Thursday.
Upper Moreland 4-0 4
Abington 6-5 11
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 18, QUAKERTOWN 4
The visiting Spartans raced out of the gate to a 13-0 halftime lead on their way to the convincing win.
Ellie Hamilton (three goals, two assists, four draw controls) and Lindsey Smith (three goals, three draw controls, two ground balls) led a balanced Spartan attack. Emily Walsh and Ella Marino each added two goals. Walsh also had one assist, eight draw controls and one caused turnover while Marino had one assist and one ground ball. Contributing one goal each were Allie Cottone, Sophia Perry, Charlotte Henry, Ellie Lynch, Molly McGoldrick, Maddie Yoder, Caroline Shelly and Abby Baughan. Perry also had one assist while Henry had one caused turnover. Lynch had one ground ball, and McGoldrick also had one assist, one ground ball and one caused turnover.
Gracie Woron led the defense with one ground ball and two caused turnovers. Goalie Carissa George had two saves.
Springfield Township (8-6, 3-4 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy on Friday for a non-league contest, and Quakertown (1-13, 1-6) will be on the road at Upper Dublin on Monday.
Springfield Township 13-5 18
Quakertown 0-4 4
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 14, HATBORO-HORSHAM 3
Ali Diamond led the Colonials with an eight-point game that included three goals and five assists. Vic Betterly added three goals and two assists while Sophie Kolkka and Max Leszczynski both had three goals and one assist. Lexi Petrakis added one goal.
The Hatters received single goals from Gabby Liotts, Audrey Liebried and Hughes.
For the Hatters, Audrey Leibfried and Cam Hughes both had a goal and assist. Gabby Liott also had one goal.
PW goalie Meghan Ely recorded four saves. For the Hatters, Arielle Hammer had five saves.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (12-3, 7-0 SOL) will host Souderton in a key conference battle on Monday at 7 p.m., and Hatboro-Horsham (2-10, 2-4) will travel to North Penn on Friday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 9-5 14
Hatboro-Horsham 1-2 3
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 17, NESHAMINY 5
Anna Green and Kasey Dietzel both had 11-point games to lead the Titans to the convincing win. Green finished the game with six goals and five assists, and Dietzel had seven goals and four assists. Adding one goal each were Deanna Bongarzone, Katie Jennings, Janessa Watson and Sofia Sonnett. Watson, Sonnett, Ashley Gammon and Francine Richick all had one assist. Laura Robinson recorded eight saves in goal.
Central Bucks South 11-6 17
Neshaminy 3-2 5
About the Author
