Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action Thursday.
SOL American Conference
Hatboro-Horsham 5, Abington 4 (2 OT)
Maggie O’Neill really seems to enjoy playing against Abington.
The Hatters junior scored the lone goal when Hatboro-Horsham handed the Ghosts their only SOL American loss last season. She upped the ante in the big way on Thursday, carrying the first-place Hatters in an instant classic in a series that’s produced three gems since Abington joined the conference.
“It’s just the hype, I don’t know, it’s crazy, it’s the pressure and you want to come out on top,” O’Neill said. “You just have to take some shots and hope it goes in.”
O’Neill’s left-footed rocket finished a two-goal, one assist night that kept the Hatters unbeaten on the season as they edged the Ghosts with 3:18 to play in the second overtime. Getting there was a litmus test in resiliency by both sides that featured no shortage of big moments.
Abington jumped out quickly, riding a goal by freshman Maura Day and a header from Casey Touey off a Day free kick to a 2-0 lead just 10 minutes in. But the Hatters rallied back to tie the game, then twice took a lead before Abington’s Grace Quinn scored with 40 seconds left to force extra time.
“One of our biggest things as a team is we never get down on ourselves,” Hatboro-Horsham coach Kelsey Daley said. “After we went down 2-0 within 10 minutes, I was a little nervous but the team bounced back and responded. At halftime, it was 2-1 but we scored 30 seconds into the second half and from there it was an even game.”
Despite the high goal total, there were some good defensive moments for both teams. The Hatters tasked Sophia Liott to man-mark Touey, and Liott did about as good a job as possible on the prolific Ghosts junior.
“Our strategy was to shut down Touey, we knew their offense was a big threat so we man-marked her,” Daley said. “Props to the Abington coaches for recognizing that and adjusting their lineup so we had to adjust again in the second half.”
Ally Eutermoser scored the first of her two goals to cut the Ghosts’ lead in half before the break. O’Neill started the second half with a bang, making a quick move to lose a defender then launching a mortar to the far post to tie the game in the first minute of the second half.
O’Neill then found Sophia Liott for a header off a corner kick to give the Hatters their first lead. Knowing Thursday would be their most difficult test of the season thus far, the Hatters put all their energy into winning it.
“They keep saying they want this to be their year and I truly believe that,” Daley said. “We said winning this game was going to be a big pivot point for us and they don’t ever want to lose on their home turf.”
Touey struck again with about 19 minutes left, turning Camille Mugnier’s corner into a 3-3 tie, but Eutermoser put her side back in front with 15 minutes to play.
Grace Quinn was determined to not lose either, and showed plenty of composure to settle then strike home a ball that bounced through the box off a corner kick with 40 seconds left.
Hatters keeper Martine Royds made the defensive play of the game, coming out to stuff a shot by Day after the Ghosts freshman got in alone with four minutes to go in the first overtime.
Finally, on a sequence started by Gabby Liott winning a ball in the midfield and kept alive by Peighton Toale and Emily Thomas, O’Neill scored to send the Hatters home happy.
“Maggie is an unbelievable player,” Daley said. “She stood out for us last year, but this year she’s just having as good as year as she possibly could. Her speed is unreal, her touch on the ball is always the right touch. She’s scored in every game this year and she’s always in the right spot at the right time.”
“This game, we’ve been so excited leading up to this game, it’s our home turf and I said ‘we’re not losing this game,’” O’Neill said. “They scored with 40 seconds left, we put our heads down for a second but then we just kept going, kept fighting and we knew it was coming.”
The Hatters (7-0, 6-0 SOL) take on Plymouth Whitemarsh next Tuesday to finish the first half of SOL conference play while Abington (4-3, 4-2) duels neighborhood rival Cheltenham.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 1 3 0 1 – 5
ABINGTON 2 2 0 0 – 4
Goals: HH – Maggie O’Neill 2, Ally Eutermoser 2, Sophia Liott; A – Casey Touey 2, Maura Day, Grace Quinn
Wissahickon 2, Upper Dublin 1 (2OT)
Chris McDaniels had been waiting for a result like Thursday’s ever since he took over the program last year.
For every stride the Trojans made, for every inch closer they seemed to claw, that breakthrough win always seemed just out of reach. After a couple close calls, Wissahickon stopped toeing the line and crossed it thanks to senior Carly Amato’s winner.
“A win to build on has been two years in the making and that was it,” McDaniels said. “It was a really hard-fought battle that could have gone either way. To be honest, it would have been fair 2-1 them with the way the game was even back-and-forth.”
Amato played a part in both Wissahickon goals, having a shot saved but not covered in the first half that Kylie Friedman was able to pounce on and tap home as it rolled along the goal line. The goal came against the flow of play as Upper Dublin had been applying plenty of pressure from the start of the game.
That turned into the equalizer about seven minutes after the Wissahickon opener thanks to a quality build-up. Senior Laura Pendleton worked a one-two combo with Anna Desch in the right corner before Desch whipped a cross into the box that senior Mia Wright headed in at the far post.
From there, it was a quality showcase by both teams’ keepers. UD’s Rachel Adelman made a couple superb saves, including a leaping denial of Natalie Ryan in the first overtime. On the other end, Wissahickon’s Quinn Klessel organized her defense against 10 Cardinals’ corner kicks.
“The defense we run in front, everybody has a responsibilty and there’s accountability and everybody did there job,” McDaniels said. “Quinn did a really nice job of keeping everything in front and making it smart and simple all day.”
Wissahickon took the helm in the second half and pushed the flow of play back their way. While Upper Dublin’s opportunities came mostly from set pieces, the Trojans built better through the run of play.
“The second half settled in and when we had our run, we were able to find Carly and Kylie and play their feet,” McDaniels said.
Friedman paid Amato back for her earlier goal with a precise pass that the senior needed just two touches on to tuck away in the far side of the net for a win the Trojans have long sought to have.
“Carly is going to be trouble, that’s her eighth goal of the year,” McDaniels said. “If she gets a head of steam coming at you, she’s got some good one-v-one abilities and some pace. She found a pocket there, Kylie fed her, she didn’t have to slow down and the pass was perfect.”
Wissahickon (4-3, 4-2 SOL) visits Upper Moreland on Tuesday while Upper Dublin (2-5-1, 2-3-1) is on the road at Springfield Twp the same day.
WISSAHICKON 1 0 0 1 – 2
UPPER DUBLIN 1 0 0 0 – 1
Goals: W – Kylie Friedman, Carly Amato; UD – Mia Wright
Cheltenham 3, Springfield Twp 2
Cheltenham coach Mark Woodcock knew his players were giving everything they had, but it just wasn’t translating into wins.
Still, they never gave up and their fortitude was rewarded in a hard-fought game against an equally tough opponent Thursday. Fittingly, it took extra time to decide a winner as both sides chased their first conference victory.
“Credit to Springfield, they came out, worked hard and got the better of us in the first half,” Woodcock said. “We talked to the girls, they dug deep and in the second half we really improved and got to 2-2 by full time and probably deserved to be there.”
Lia Marquette scored just a minute into overtime to hand the Panthers their second win of the season and first in SOL American play.
“I’m glad we came out on top, but I feel badly for the Springfield girls, it was a good opportunity and a lot of credit goes to them, I thought they tried really hard,” Woodcock said.
Woodcock would never fault his team’s effort, but he noted some of the Panthers’ matchups in conference play pit them against stronger sides where they may struggle to find results. But the Panthers just continued to work and improved with each passing match.
“I think we probably earned it with our last couple weeks of effort,” Woodcock said.
Springfield Twp scored first and held a 1-0 lead at the half. Woodcock said his team played sloppy in the first half, missing passes and tackles and not communicating through mistakes that gave away chances.
At the break, the talk was just about small improvements but across the board.
“It wasn’t that we had to have a major overhaul,” Woodcock said. “We just weren’t firing on all cylinders and in the second half we started to do much better.”
Cheltenham heavily features underclassmen, with about four or five freshmen and the same number of sophomores on the field at a given time.
“I’ll give every kid I’ve got a ton of credit, whether they’re seniors or freshmen, they’re working hard and they’re learning,” Woodcock said. “Whatever role I give them on the day, sometimes you’ll get all 80 minutes, sometimes you get 15 or 20 minutes but they all give me all they’ve got whenever I ask them to and you can’t ask any more than that and it says a lot to the personalities of the players I’ve got.”
Donya Baxter continued her run of good form for the Panthers, notching her fifth goal in six games.
“She’s so fast and so physical and never gives up so she kind of epitomizes everything I like in a soccer player,” Woodcock said. “It’s a never say die kind of attitude and people see that. She’s only a sophomore but she plays with such excitement and intensity, she gets so excited playing the game it rubs off on everybody.”
Mimi Williamson scored Cheltenham’s other goal.
Woodcock also praised the middle section of his back line.
“We these center backs who are just two rocks,” Woodcock said. “Elin McLaughlin is one of our co-captains and is doing an outstanding job and a sophomore, Sophie Peck, is doing a nice job of learning on the fly. They’re getting better game by game.”
The next step is taking Thursday’s lessons and turning them into more wins and then hopefully, several wins in a row. Woodcock wants teams that see Cheltenham coming up not to just see another fixture, but a match against a team that is going to make their opponents work for everything they can get.
“Winning is a learned thing,” Woodcock said. “Some clubs, winning is the expectation but learning to win is a tough thing. When you have skills, you’re still fighting for it because you’re learning to get over the line. Today was big for us because it was the first chance we had against a good team to show our mettle. We proved to ourselves we could get over the line.”
Springfield Twp (1-7-1, 0-6 SOL) hosts Upper Dublin on Tuesday. Cheltenham (2-6, 1-5) hosts Penn Wood on Friday afternoon.
CHELTENHAM 0 2 1 -3
SPRINGFIELD TWP 1 1 0 – 2
Goals: C – Donta Baxter, Mimi Williamson, Lia Marquette
Plymouth Whitemarsh 2 Upper Moreland 1
The Colonials made it two wins in a row, but not without a battle.
“Momentum was the topic of discussion during our pregame,” PW coach Ryan Zehren said. “Although we didn’t score in the first half, we came out with the same energy and same intensity as we did Tuesday. The chances were there all half, but we couldn’t find the back of the net.”
Much like Tuesday, where the Colonials bagged a pair of quick goals, they did so again to start the second half. Max Leszczynski scored off an Ava Schreiber assist and Anni Shula added a fast second to make it 2-0 six minutes into the half.
“It’s new to us this year. They want more,” Zehren said. “That’s what I like best about this group.”
After going down, the Golden Bears threw everything they had at the Colonials to try and get back in the game.
“Competitive is an understatement to describe today’s match,” UM coach Lisa Benvenuto said. “Both teams played strong, both teams possessed the ball and had dangerous opportunities–but you can only have one winner, and today it wasn’t us. I again though am proud of our girls responding and coming back being two goals down.”
“Credit Upper Moreland for being physical and composed the entire game and getting themselves back in it,” Zehren said. “They fought us all the way to the end.”
Brigid Ounan scored about 10 minutes after the second PW goal to make it a tense finish.
Benvenuto described the final seven minutes as a “nail-biter” and said PW fought as hard as possible to clear the ball while her side pushed for an equalizer.
“It is play like that when a coach can see just how dedicated their team is to the game,” Benventuo said.
Upper Moreland goalkeeper Jaclyn Martino had a superb effort, making 15 saves and drawing praise from both coaches.
“She played an amazing game,” Zehren said.
“Jaclyn Martino played a phenomenal game for us today. She knew coming into this game that PW was going to take a lot of shots, and she was able to read the ball, the angle, and used her pure athleticism to stop them,” Benvenuto said. “Jackie leads our defense and today she was huge game changer.”
Upper Moreland (3-4-1, 2-3-1 SOL) hosts Wissahickon on Tuesday while the Colonials (5-3, 4-2) tangle with Hatboro-Horsham.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 0 2 -2
UPPER MORELAND 0 1 – 1
Goals: PW – Max Leszczynski, Anni Shula; UM – Brigid Ounan
SOL NATIONAL
Council Rock South 2, William Tennent 1 (2 OT)
Coming off a shocking loss to Pennsbury, the Golden Hawks dug their heels in and fought for a win Thursday.
“They definitely made us earn it,” CR South coach Nick Heim said. “We started with great intensity and got out to a lead four minutes in. To Tennent’s credit, they kicked it up a notch and scored on a great header from a corner to tie it heading to half.”
Sammy Jones notched her fourth goal in the last two games as the opening tally, thanks to an assist from Sydney Mandel.
The Hawks chased a second goal through the second half and the first overtime but continued to be held in check by a gritty and determined Panthers defense.
“We generated chances but couldn’t quite finish, in part to some great saves by their goalie and a goal line clearance by their back,” Heim said. “As the second OT approached we said the game is going to come down to who wants it more and our girls answered, generating numerous chances and we finally broke through.”
Aubrey Hondros found a will to win late, putting away a chance with 1:14 left to hand CR South a needed win.
“Aubrey Hondros was having a tough go at one point and I talked to her about calming down a bit and staying patient to her game,” Heim said. “She got on the end of a great cross, beat a defender and despite the goalie making a great save, continued her run for the tap-in rebound.”
After being handed their first setback in the SOL National on Tuesday, the Hawks were able to regain their footing on Thursday.
“I was pleased with us rebounding off a tough loss the other day. We knew WT wasn’t going to feel sorry for us and it would be a tough win at their place,” Heim said. “I told the girls after that it may not have been pretty but good teams find ways to win and we were proud of them fighting for all 98-plus minutes.”
Council Rock South rode plenty of contributors to the extra time victory.
“Lauren Smith and Claudia Steinmetz gave everything they had and were all over the field,” Heim said. “We got a lot of contributions from our midfield and forwards Kimmie Herritt and Sammy Jones. Karly Wunder and Dana DeDominicis were great in the back end.”
William Tennent (2-5, 1-4 SOL) visits Harry S Truman on Tuesday. CR South (3-4, 2-3) is home on Monday.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 1 0 0 1 – 2
WILLIAM TENENNT 1 0 0 0 – 1
Goals: CRS – Sammy Jones, Aubrey Hondros
Council Rock North 3, Bensalem 0
The Indians used a robust team effort to pick up the clean sheet win over a tough Owls side.
“It was a very pleasing team performance today,” Indians coach Gavin Flannigan said. “While there were no standout individuals every player made contributions to the game.”
The first half was a bit rugged for the Indians, who weren’t able to maintain possession and needed some time to make adjustments on their end. Bensalem also stood firm on defense and stymied CR North a few times.
Finally, the Indians broke through and got a critical first goal.
“In the 35th minute, we were able to find the opening goal through Paige Addis in a scramble around the net,” Flannigan said. “While it wasn’t the prettiest of goals, having the advantage at halftime gave us the confidence to possess more in the second half.”
Kaleigh O’Donnell doubled the lead after she broke into the 18-yard box and played a ball that deflected off a defender and into the back of the net. After that, the Indians upped their possession and moved the ball much more consistently.
“The third and final goal was scored by freshman Julianna Lanigan on a breakaway from midfield. It was her first goal on varsity, and it was definitely deserved,” Flannigan said. “To see the reaction of Julianna and her teammates in that moment was a great finish to the game for us.”
CR North (6-1-1, 3-1-1 SOL) hosts Lower Moreland on Friday. Bensalem (1-6, 1-4) will host Central Bucks East in a crossover on Tuesday.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 1 2 – 3
BENSALEM 0 0 – 0
Goals: CRN – Paige Addis, Kaleigh O’Donnell, Julianna Lanigan
Pennsbury 10, Harry S Truman 0
PENNSBURY 7 3 – 10
HARRY S TRUMAN 0 0 – 0
Goals: P – Gabby Zalot 2, Gianna Durle, Emily Welsh, Rosie Bostian, Taylor Mays, Erin Butler, Jillian Haley, Emily Heyman
SOL CONTINENTAL
Central Bucks South 3, North Penn 2
The Titans snapped a string of tough results with a win under the lights at North Penn that didn’t come easily.
“It has been a tough few games losing two OT games, but this group never gives up. They play with heart,” CB South coach Betsy Bullock said.
Set pieces would play a prominent role for the Titans, who used a corner kick to set up their first goal 15 minutes into the contest.
“Center Back Maddie Tantum pushed up from her defensive position and sent a long ball into the back of the net,” Bullock said.
The Knights roared back on their home turf, sparked by speedster forward Emily Varilla. The Titans knew the Knights presented problems with their speed up top and tried to contain North Penn’s front line as much as possible.
A fortunate deflection helped send in Varilla on the first effort, while passes by Lauren Blanch and Grace Sacchetti capped off a long sequence to set up Varilla’s go-ahead goal.
“They were able to channel their players away from the goal and played off one another’s shoulder eliminating some of their combination play,” Bullock said. “They are very speedy and we lost Emily Varilla on the first goal following a quick restart.”
South came back after halftime, again spurred on by a set piece.
“The Lady Titans battled back in the second half, showing tenacity and perseverance,” Bullock said. “Bridget Curtis earned a free kick at the corner of the box and Lauren Ewell served a perfect ball across the box that Bridget headed in for the tying goal.”
The Titans nabbed the winning goal with less than eight minutes to play in regulation. Applying high pressure, Ally Cutter slotted a pass to Colby Roach who put away the opportunity.
“Janessa Watson and Bridget Curtis controlled the middle of the field and the defending unit of Emalee Day, Lauren Ewell, Maddie Tantum and Lauren Spear kept a potent North Penn offense at bay,” Bullock said.
Shannon Snyder was a standout between the posts for the Titans, making nine saves in goal.
“She is a presence on the field and helps direct the defenders,” Bullock said of the keeper.
North Penn (4-4-1, 2-2-1 SOL) hosts District 11 power Parkland Saturday morning. CB South (3-4, 2-3) hosts CB West on Tuesday.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1 2 – 3
NORTH PENN 2 0 – 2
Goals: CBS – Maddie Tantum, Bridget Curtis, Colby Roach; NP – Emily Varilla 2
Pennridge 4, Central Bucks East 0
Winning the midfield often equates to winning a match.
Pennridge has quite the foundation to its midfield with seniors Chance Hendricks and Maddie Anderson, and they showed up big time on Thursday.
“Maddie Anderson and Chance Hendricks were pretty much the key to us being able to control the tempo of the game,” Rams coach Audrey Anderson said. “They were everywhere in the midfield, pretty much won every ball and connected with each other. The second half, we just meshed really well and they were able to play off each other and get forward, it was fun to watch those two.”
Emily Kriney led the Rams attack with a hat trick, the first coming off an assist from Lindsey DeHaven while the team’s third starting forward in Leah Malone assisted Abby Brown on the game’s other tally. Liv Lowery and Riley Helpler also added assists on Kriney’s other goals.
“They’re starting to figure out where each other make their runs to and we try to find Lindsey with the ball because she’s crafty around the 18,” Anderson said. “If Chance, Maddie or any of our midfielders can get Lindsey the ball, Kriney and Leah are going to be making runs into space.”
Anderson is also happy with the depth the team is developing, with players like Hepler, Brown and Lowery in the attack and younger players are settling into and embracing their roles.
Rams senior Meghan Kriney posted her sixth straight shutout win and hasn’t allowed a goal since early in the second half of the season opener.
“The girls feel very comfortable with her back there, you hear her voice a lot and she’s comfortable having the ball played back to her feet,” Anderson said. “She knows how forwards think because it’s the position she played the last two years for us. She’s in a good groove, she trusts her teammates and her teammates trust her.”
Pennridge (7-0, 5-0 SOL) will host North Penn on Tuesday, and Central Bucks East (2-5-1, 1-4-1) will be on the road at Villa Joseph Marie for a non-league game Friday.
PENNRIDGE – 4
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST – 0
Goals: P – Emily Kriney 3, Abby Brown
Central Bucks West 1, Quakertown 0
The Bucks rebounded from a loss on Tuesday with a narrow win over an organized and tenacious Quakertown team.
“We came out and played really well in the first half. We had numerous chances but we just couldn’t finish,” Bucks coach Mike Moyer said. “Ryan Fitzsimmons got the lone goal of the game on a great individual run and hit a frozen rope from 20 out that was unstoppable.”
CB West had a lead but had to work hard to keep it.
“Quakertown came out determined in the second half. Whatever Mike (Koch) said to them at halftime really worked,” Moyer said. “The were relentless and were giving my back four all kinds of trouble. If it wasn’t for some unbelievable saves by Jenna Abaza, they could of easily got the equalizer.”
Moyer cited the combination work of his front line for creating chances and the players coming in as subs for lifting the energy of the entire team.
“I thought we got some great play tonight from girls that came in off the bench. Allie Evan, Becca Hauser, and Maeve Shiffler gave us a burst of energy,” Moyer said. “We had some great combinations in the offensive third with Erin Fitzsimmons, Tori Albrecht and Taylor Moyer. They were really connecting well tonight.”
Quakertown (4-5, 1-4 SOL) hosts Souderton on Tuesday night while CB West (5-3, 3-2) has an away nonleague match on Saturday morning.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1 0 – 1
QUAKERTOWN 0 0 – 0
Goals: CBW – Ryan Fitzsimmons
Non-league
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 4, ST. HUBERT 1
Elena Hincapie scored a pair of goals – one to open each half – to lead the Spartans to their first win of the season.
Hincappie found the net with an unassisted goal in the third minute, and Emily Smith’s unassisted goal in the 27th minute sent the Spartans into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
Hincapie opened the second half with a goal in the opening minute, and Josie Thorp closed out the scoring for her team with a goal in the 74th minute, using an assist from Smith to the put the Spartans on top 4-0. St. Hubert scored its only goal in the closing seconds.
Coach Dan Malora credited the standout play of Allison Briggs.
“Allison dominated the 18 and did not let up a goal during her 70 minutes of work,” the Spartans’ first-year coach said.
St. Hubert 0-1 1
Springfield Twp 2-2 4
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