Check out the recaps for SOL soccer teams in action Monday, CR South/LM photos provided courtesy of Greg Zesinger. Check back for a gallery of photos.
Boys
SOL Patriot Division
BENSALEM 1, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0
The Owls won a nail-biter against their neighboring rival.
“What a game,” coach Rob Brown said. “It could have gone any way, and we were on our heels at times.”
Hunter Shay capitalized on an opportunity in the second half, and one goal was all the Owls would need.
“Brian Gibson was able to settle a ball off a header from South, beat a defender inside and sent a perfect ball to Hunter Shay, who was streaking down the flank,” Bensalem coach Rob Brown said. “He knocked it around the keeper who had come out to Nikita Schaefer who was open in the middle, and he half volleyed the ball into the open net. It was a beautiful play for what would be the game-winner.”
Both teams had their chances, and early on, it was the Golden Hawks taking it to the Owls.
“We were able to get back to our game to some degree, and South continued with some very physical play and got a bunch of early fouls against them,” Brown said. “We weren’t able to capitalize on any chances and neither did South. It was back and forth, but I felt South outplayed us early in the first half and then we were pretty even.”
Neither team scored in the opening half.
“After halftime, they came out really strong,” Brown said. “Our back line played awesome. All four starters – Matt Corr, Kyle Maloney, Chris Russo and Jeremy DePinto – as well as Mike Boyle when he came in to give Matt a breather were a huge part along with goalkeeper Alihan Turkmen in net.
“Together they were able to hold South to zero and Alihan earned his first clean sheet in his first start. Both of our keepers have played well and are making it difficult on the staff to name a number one keeper. ”
The groundwork for Shay’s game-winner, according to Brown, was laid at halftime.
“I had a talk with Hunter Shay about what they were doing and I asked him what he wanted to do to better our situation, so we made a minor change and it worked out,” Brown said.
Armed with a 1-0 lead, the Owls held off South the rest of the way.
“We had some chances to put it away, but South was able to hold us off from a second score,” Brown said. “It was a great game and we are both looking forward to the next match.
“I have a lot of respect for Coach (Alan) Nicholl. He was there when I was an assistant with the South girls’ program for the first years the school was open. He was always such a good guy and ran a respectful program and we share an admiration for playing the game the right way. I was lucky enough to walk away with the W but it will be even harder when we go to South. We are not going to celebrate for long, we host Neshaminy (Tuesday) for another classic SOL battle for a win.”
Bensalem (2-0) will host Neshaminy in a 3:30 p.m. contest, and Council Rock South (1-2-1) will host Holy Ghost Prep in a non-league contest.
Council Rock South 0-0 0
Bensalem 0-1 1
Girls
SOL Patriot Division
PENNSBURY 3, NESHAMINY 0
In a battle of the neighboring rivals, it was the Falcons erupting for three first-half goals on their way to the impressive shutout win.
“We are really proud of the effort from our girls today,” Pennsbury co-coach Kim Lindemann said. “We wanted to see the team come out with a strong start and set the tone for the game from the first whistle.
“We had been having some trouble finding goals in the run of play, and it was great to see our attack take off today.”
Six different players contributed either a goal or an assist, and striking first was Taylor Mays, scoring off a volley from Grace Palmieri.
“The second goal was from one our defenders, Darrien Furiness, finishing off a Sarah Lohrey corner kick,” Lindemann said.
Kendall Palatine’s tap-in finish from a Lauren Dignan cross closed out the scoring.
“So many players contributed to the attack today and it was a total team effort,” Lindemann said. “We were also impressed with how adaptable the team was today.
“With quite a few last-minute and in-game injuries, we had to ask some players to step up in positions they might not usually play. They all had one another’s back and it was a total team win today.
“Emily Welsh had a big game in the middle for us and our back line was solid today from start to finish.”
Pennsbury (2-1) will host Council Rock North Tuesday, and Neshaminy (1-1-1) will host Bensalem Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Pennsbury 3-0 3
Neshaminy 0-0 0
Non-league
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 2, LOWER MORELAND 0
Goals didn’t come easily for the Golden Hawks, who found themselves locked in a scoreless halftime tie, but they found the net twice in the second half to earn the non-league win.
“We wanted to control possession today, and I felt we did a really solid job of that,” Rock South coach Nick Heim said. “Playing on the turf took some getting used to as we would string a few passes together and one would just roll into space a bit further than we are accustomed to on grass.
“About halfway through the first half, you could see some frustration setting in with no goals coming. To Lower Moreland’s credit, they were very organized on defense and dropped numbers back quickly, condensing the field. Their goalie made some really nice saves and we had some close calls on set pieces.”
Aubrey Hondros had a hand in both Golden Hawk goals in the second half.
“At halftime we wanted to just relax in the final third,” Heim said. “We got an early break when Carley Irvin made a great run that Aubrey (Hondros) found her on. Carley was very composed and had a nice one-touch finish to the corner.
“Midway through the second half, Aubrey found the back of the net on a low driven set piece. Our defense and midfield were solid and really limited chances going forward to keep possession in their half. Overall, a good win against a solid, young program.”
Sydney Mandel and Miranda Cantor combined for the shutout in goal for the Hawks.
Council Rock South (3-1-1, 2-1-1 SOL) returns to action Thursday when the Golden Hawks will host Neshaminy. Lower Moreland (2-1-1, 2-0-1) will celebrate Senior Day Tuesday when the Lions host William Tennent on Tuesday.
Council Rock South 2-0 2
Lower Moreland 0-0 0
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