Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action Tuesday. Abington/Hatboro-Horsham photos provided courtesy of Greg Zesinger. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL LIBERTY
Abington 3, Hatboro-Horsham 1
The Ghosts had to wait an extra week to get on the field, but their debut helped make up for it.
Despite playing through sometimes heavy rain on a slick grass field, Abington was able to execute its plan, according to coach Rick Tompkins.
“We managed the conditions pretty well and the girls did some things we’d been working on in practice,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “All three of our goals were off things we tried to emphasize with bringing the ball in deep and getting it back across the goal so we could get on the end of it.”
Lesha Karaba netted a brace in her first game of the season while Lily Gray tallied the third goal for Abington. Senior Casey Touey, a Drexel 
recruit, assisted the first goal while setting the pace for Abington all afternoon.
The Ghosts carried a 2-1 lead into the half and kept the potent Hatters’ offense in check over the final 40 minutes.
“Our defense did really great,” Tompkins said. “They won a lot of 50-50 balls, and when the Hatboro forwards did collect the ball, the defenders didn’t let them turn so those things were good. They’re definitely dangerous, they’re going to be hard to stop when we see them on turf.”
Freshman Emma Levin recorded the lone goal of the day for the Hatters, getting an assist from Mia Malofiy.
“Conditions were really tough and we struggled to adjust,” Hatboro-Horsham coach Kelsey Daley said. “We had moments of good play, but things just did not go our way. We have some adjustments to work on and we will bounce back stronger.”
Daley cited the play of veterans Izzy de la Torre and Sophia Liott on the defensive end.
Tompkins summed up Touey’s play as “ridiculous.”
“We went up 3-1 and I put her at defensive midfield to help shut things down. She’s just a pleasure to have,” Tompkins said. “She does everything right and works hard, she doesn’t take time off on the field.”
Abington also got notable debuts from Ashley Reilly and Carly Slavin. Both played their first varsity games, with Reilly slotting in at right back on defense while Slavin got a surprise start as a center midfielder with senior Abby Bautista unable to play due to an injury.
“Carly played mostly in the defensive role, but I moved her up when Casey moved back and she did a nice job up there as well,” Tompkins said. “She’s a sophomore, never played a varsity game, Hatboro’s putting some pressure on and she did fine.”
Abington (1-0) travels to Plymouth Whitemarsh for a Thursday night contest. Hatboro-Horsham (1-1) will be hosting Quakertown on Thursday for Senior Night.
ABINGTON 2 1 – 3
HATBORO-HORSHAM 1 0 – 1
Goals: A – Lesha Karaba 2, Lilly Gray; HH – Emma Levin
Quakertown 1, Wissahickon 1
The Panthers and Trojans battled to a rainy draw on Tuesday.
Emma Baker tallied her first goal of the season for Wissahickon on what coach Chris McDaniels called a “tidy left-footed finish.”
The Trojans also got an engaged defensive effort.
“Seven different players contributed to the effort and allowed very few chances,” McDaniels said.
Quakertown’s tally came from Callie Abel assisted by Kara Kreuz. The Panthers’ defense was also stout, with keeper Morgan Sipprell making 11 stops in goal and getting solid play from the duo of Cori Pursel and Gianna Monastra.
“They were very compact in front of goal,” McDaniels said of Quakertown.
Wissahickon (1-1-1, 0-1-1 SOL) visits Upper Dublin on Thursday night. Quakertown (1-2-1, 1-1-1) travels to Hatboro-Horsham for a Thursday night clash.
WISSAHICKON 0 1 0 0 – 1
QUAKERTOWN 0 1 0 0 – 1
Goals: W – Emma Baker; Q – Callie Abel
SOL PATRIOT
Council Rock South 2, Pennsbury 0
The first week of the season saw the Golden Hawks starting slow, so coach Nick Heim pushed them for more.
The start of the second week saw that challenge answered.
“I asked the girls to answer the first whistle and set the tone,” Heim said. “To their credit, they did exactly that. Obviously, we know our opponent well. After three one-goal games last year, we knew it would be a battle and especially with the weather.”
Heim felt the difference in the match was in the margins. Things like effort, winning 50-50 balls, making the runs back to recover defensively and everything else that doesn’t get charted started to add up in the Hawks’ favor.
Last year, CR South squandered a late lead to the Falcons, and with Pennsbury usually excelling at those in-the-margin aspects, the Hawks didn’t want to repeat it.
“Pennsbury is always good on 50-50s, and if you let them get going, they can steamroll you,” Heim said. “Our seniors had a bit of a bad taste in their mouth from last year’s home game against Pennsbury. Our girls were able to avenge it in the playoffs a year ago, but there was still something extra about opening our home schedule with the ability to make amends for that loss.”
The Hawks graduated a stellar class after last season but had nine battle-tested seniors in the starting lineup Tuesday. However, it was a newcomer who provided the Hawks’ first goal of the season.
Cameron Blatz not only opened the season account with her first half tally, she made her first varsity goal a game-winner.
“Great moment for the freshman,” Heim said. “(Monday) at practice we were working on forward runs and the play looked exactly like a practice session. Skylar Scarborough did a great job driving at the defense, and Cameron peeled off to create space for Skyler to play her a through ball. It was a nice, composed finish with the goalie coming out.”
Heim felt all nine senior starters brought something important to the field Tuesday. The Hawks are building depth with quality underclassmen, but there’s no replacement for the way a senior just knows what it takes to get their team going.
“Neither Kimmie Herrit or Lauren Smith will show up in the box score but were phenomenal in the midfield for us,” Heim said. “Karly Wunder and Kate Hanlon won’t get many headlines, but they were terrific in the back going against a very, very dangerous forward in Taylor Mays.
“Kim Speiser, Emily Davis and Kennedy Kuechler were also massive contributors on the defensive end, keeping a potent offense off the mark.”
Not to be lost was the effort of keeper Sydney Mandel, who posted her second shutout and has allowed just one goal in 260 minutes of soccer this season.
“Syd came up with a massive save in the second half to keep the lead at two,” Heim said. “It’s little things like that which add up to a positive result.”
Senior Aubrey Hondros added the insurance with a second half strike.
“Aubrey was dangerous all day,” Heim said. “I yelled from the sidelines a few times for her to be more selfish and finally started pulling the trigger on shots from 25-30 yards out.”
Slow starts hurt the Hawks in the first week. They hope Tuesday’s effort will be the normal going forward for the rest of this condensed season.
“Programs know we graduated some studs and that’s always hard to replace. However, it also opens new opportunities for kids that played behind last year’s class,” Heim said. “It’s great to see them have the confidence to make their own mark. Hopefully this is one step in them doing so.”
CR South (1-1-1) will host Bensalem on Thursday. Pennsbury (1-1) is idle until Monday, Oct. 5, when the Falcons face Neshaminy.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 1 1 – 2
PENNSBURY 0 0 – 0
Goals: CRS – Cameron Blatz, Aubrey Hondros
SOL COLONIAL
Souderton 4, North Penn 1
Katie Pazdziorko had herself an afternoon.
The Indians’ speedster junior netted all four goals as Souderton spoiled North Penn’s home opener and rebounded from a loss to CB East last week. Pazdziorko may have been the finisher, but her teammates put her in position to do it.
“The team came out of the gate with a hunger to get back on track, and it showed from the very first whistle,” Souderton coach Ian Smith said. “Souderton was able to control the midfield and get themselves on the front foot and looking to get behind the high line from North Penn.”
Souderton’s early surge led to a first half brace for Pazdziorko.
“Pazdziorko’s first goal was probably the most impressive,” Smith said. “After picking up the ball just inside her own half, Pazdziorko made an impressive solo run past the last line of defense all the way in for the opening goal.”
The Indians midfield continued to press and won a ball in prime territory, thanks to some work from senior Leah Mowery.
“Mowery then found Pazdziorko on a breakaway for her second goal,” Smith said.
Becca Richardson, a co-captain for the Knights, gave her team a spark with a free kick goal for the second straight match. Richardson’s service skipped off the rain-slicked surface and went in at the far post to slice the lead in half early in the second half.
Souderton held its lead until the final 10 minutes when the Indians found a final wind to close the contest.
“Junior Kaitlyn DiCandilo won the ball in the midfield and found senior Averie Doughty down the sideline,” Smith said. “Doughty found herself in on goal, but decided to slip a well-placed pass to Pazdziorko to complete her hat-trick.”
A few minutes later, Pazdziorko again found herself in behind the defense and again put the ball in the back of the net.
Souderton (2-1) will host Pennridge on Thursday afternoon. North Penn (0-3) will host Central Bucks South on Thursday.
SOUDERTON 2 2 – 4
NORTH PENN 0 1 – 1
Goals: S – Katie Pazdziorko 4, NP – Becca Richardson
SOL FREEDOM
Upper Moreland 3, Springfield Township 1
Rainy days are tough on any goalkeeper, and throwing in a slick turf field only makes their job tougher.
The Golden Bears may have graduated an All-SOL keeper in Jaclyn Martino, but her understudy has been up to the task so far this fall.
“Our goalie Natalie Walton had a tremendous game, 12 saves, including a PK and the rebound in the 32nd minute of the game,” Upper Moreland coach Lisa Benvenuto said. “When your goalie is making saves like that, the rest of the team has to step up.”
The Bears found a way to step up in front of their standout stopper on Tuesday. Kathryn Morrow set the tone, scoring in the 14th minute off an assist from freshman Kyra Favors.
“Kathryn leads our team by example and work ethic, she is continuously pushing for more from herself and her teammates,” Benvenuto said.
Springfield tied the game up on a free kick goal from Hannah Potocki in the 26th minute, but thanks to Wilson’s effort in goal stopping the penalty kick and follow-up, the Bears held the tie at the break.
“Going into the half we acknowledged how strong Natalie was playing, and that we needed to finish,” Benvenuto said. “We continued to have opportunities, as did Springfield.”
Next, it was Upper Moreland’s turn to capitalize on a free kick. Freshman Devin Bush served the ball in, with junior Angelena Martino reading its flight perfectly to put it home.
The Bears would have to fend off a wave of Spartans pressure before finding their third goal.
“Credit needs to go to Dan (Malora) and his girls—here is the thing about Springfield, it doesn’t matter what the score is, they will keep on coming at you, and that is exactly what they did,” Benvenuto said. “We were able to ward off the attempts, and in the 65th minute, Emma Frasca received a through ball from Kyra Favors and finished with her first goal of the season.”
Upper Moreland (1-0-1) will host William Tennent on Thursday. Springfield Township (0-3) will host Lower Moreland in their first meeting as SOL opponents.
UPPER MORELAND 1 2 – 3
SPRINGFIELD TWP 1 0 – 1
Goals: UM – Kathryn Morrow, Angelena Martino, Emma Frasca; ST – Hannah Potocki
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