Check out the recaps for the SOL girls’ lacrosse teams in action Monday. Pennsbury/CR North photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos. CB West photo provided courtesy of Marge Bullock (http://www.margebullock.com)
NATIONAL CONFERENCE
Central Bucks West 11, Souderton 10
“Trust the Process.”
It’s the motto that the Philadelphia 76ers used for years while they built up a legitimate contender.
Turns out, the motto works well in lacrosse, too. After several near-misses in the early stages of the season, Central Bucks West remained focused on the fundamentals and team mentality and finally earned a defining victory, upsetting a Souderton team that was in the hunt for the top spot in the conference.
“I’ve been asking them to trust the process and stick to our game plan and play together, and I know the reward has been almost coming, almost there,” said West coach Nicole Fisher. “This was a well-deserved win, a hard-earned win, a huge team win and a big shift in our momentum that I hope to continue.”
West jumped out quickly, taking a 9-4 lead into halftime, but Souderton battled back to knot the score at 10-10 before West freshman Kate Weyer scored her second of the game—and likely the biggest of her high school career—on an 8-meter shot with about a minute left in regulation.
“We had a card for the last two minutes of the game, so we were playing down a man,” Fisher said. “Margot Harring had an amazing save, and we were able to transition the ball down. Kate drew a foul and was able to put the ball away. Margot also had a big stop as the clock expired. She was phenomenal.
“It was a gritty win, a character-building win.”
Weyer added three assists to go along with her two goals. Her sister, senior Meg Weyer, also scored twice. Paige Gilbert led all scorers with four goals and two assists. Erika Evan added two goals and Shelby Hahn chipped in with one. Harring made 11 saves to earn the victory in the cage.
“At halftime, we talked about that we’re going to still go into the second half as if it was 0-0 but still play with confidence as though we were up,” Fisher said. “We did, but Souderton definitely came out hungry and had a couple of quick goals right after the half, and that boosted their momentum.
“But I was really proud of our girls. They kept their composure, held their confidence, and stuck to our game plan and really played with a lot of discipline to carry out that win. It was a very good team win. I’m proud of them. It was a great game.”
Fisher also noted the outstanding efforts of the Weyer sisters for their success on draws.
“The draw was amazing,” Fisher said. “Kate and Meg Weyer deserve a shoutout for outworking Souderton, going for the ball, making adjustments on the draw and just working together. They really have a special sister connection. Paige Gilbert had a great showing on the draw as well. Those three midfielders had 13 draw controls between them, if not more.”
For Souderton, Lauren Hallman led the offense with five goals. Isabel John scored two, Clark Trowbridge and Avery Farina each had one goal and one assist, Ang Borisow scored once, and Reiley Knize registered an assist. Courtney Mallon (six saves) and Tegan Farina (five saves) split time in the cage.
West Souderton (3-3 National, 3-5 overall) looks to continue its winning ways when it visits Pennsbury at 3:30 pm Wednesday. Souderton (4-2, 7-3) hosts Central Bucks South at 6:30 pm Wednesday.
Souderton 4-6 10
CB West 9-2 11
Council Rock South 11, Pennridge 10
Down a player for the final 18 minutes of the game, Council Rock South leaned on its defense, scored when the opportunities presented themselves, and earned a hard-fought 11-10 victory over Pennridge.
“The defense was incredible with Sophia Kutsaya in goal with Amy Loving, Karissa Smedley, Lauren Smith, Montanna Chambers, and Emma Franchini in front of her,” said Council Rock South coach Madison Hurwitz, whose team trailed 4-2 early. “The defense was huge for us. They played poised, fast, and confident while a man down for 18 minutes.
Rianna Shields led South with four goals and one assist, Carley Irvin scored three and added one assist, Julia Levin added two goals and one assist, Cailey Hiscox netted a pair of goals, and Karissa Smedley dished out an assist.
“We were down one,” Hurwitz said. “We won the last three draws of the game while we were a man down. Rianna, Cailey, and Carley were on the circle for every draw and scored the last three goals of the game.”
South improves to 4-0 in National Conference play, 6-2 overall, and will be back in action today at 3:30 at Bensalem. Pennridge falls to 3-3, 4-7.The Rams will host Council Rock North at 7 pm Wednesday.
Pennridge 6-4 10
Council Rock South 8-3 11
Central Bucks East 19, Bensalem 5
Eleven different players scored—including Grace Bethke netting her first varsity goal—as Central Bucks East downed Bensalem 19-5 in Monday’s National Conference game.
Paige Keller led the Patriots with four goals, one assist, and six draw controls, Morgan Tait scored a hat trick and added three assists, Sammy Kishel, Abby Durr, and Rylee Surovec each chipped in with two, and Courtney Mackenzie, Morgan Eater (one assist), Erika Zimmer, Courtney Curry (two assists), and Sierra Buesing (one assist) each scored one.
Eater (four) and Sammy Kishel (three) also earned multiple draw controls in the dominating effort, while Mackenzie and Curry each added one draw control. In addition to her first goal, Bethke scooped up a team-leading three ground balls. Ava Delfini and Fiona Henderson (two each) also nabbed multiple ground balls, while Mackenzie, Eater, Curry, and Buesing each added one. Curry, Keller, and Rylee Surovec each recorded one interception.
East moves to 2-4 in the National Conference, 4-7 overall. With Friday’s game at Hatboro-Horsham cancelled, the Patriots are off until May 3, when they visit North Penn for a 7 pm game. Bensalem drops to 0-4, 2-7 and will host Council Rock South at 3:30 pm Tuesday.
Pennsbury 19, Council Rock North 5
Midfielders Maddy Spratt, Maggie Golder, and Darrien Furiness combined for a whopping 24 points as Pennsbury rolled to a 19-5 victory.
“Maddy, Maggie, and Darrien continue to work hard in the midfield getting the draw control,” said Pennsbury coach Shannon
MacPherson, whose team raced out of the gate to an 11-4 halftime lead. “We have a tough week ahead, but it was exciting to see the girls work well with each other today.
“Defense was able to flush some issues out and had a great second half. This group of girls is so coachable – it’s really great to work with them.”
Spratt finished the day with four goals and six assists, while Golder (5G, 2A) and Furiness (4G, 3A) each added seven points.
Sarah Walcott led the Falcons’ attack with five goals and an assist, while Olivia Walcott added one goal and three assists.
“Our attack connected nicely today and did a great job running the plays,” MacPherson said. “Sarah came up big for us today with five goals. She’s really stepped up this season and today was a great game for her.”
Pennsbury improves to 4-1 National, 7-1 overall. The Falcons will host Central Bucks South at 3:30 pm on Wednesday.
Council Rock North moves to 1-6, 3-7, and will visit Pennridge at 3:30 pm Wednesday.
Pennsbury 11-8 19
Council Rock North 4-1 5
North Penn 19, Neshaminy 5
AMERICAN CONFERENCE
Lower Moreland 14, Cheltenham 3
Paige Malpezzi celebrated Senior Day in style.
The Lower Moreland senior exploded for eight goals—including the 100th of her career—as the Lions rolled to a 14-3 victory over Cheltenham.
“We knew that Paige was close to 100 goals, but we weren’t sure if it would happen today or later in the week,” said Lower Moreland coach Jess Ashenbrenner. “Paige started strong with a quick two goals and four goals a half. Her 100th goal was off an assist from senior Maggie McGarry. The two are good friends and solid players, which made that goal pretty special.
“While it was awesome to see her achieve this milestone, especially after an ACL tear her sophomore year and last year’s COVID season, it was also great to see five other players contribute in scoring today.”
Kylie Tammaro scored twice for the Lions, while Sara Asmann, Sarah Rosala, Ofek Gur, and Leila Rosala each added one goal. Emily Fee came up with four saves to earn the victory in net
The Lions (1-4 American, 2-6 overall) return to action at 3:45 pm Thursday when they host nonleague opponent Abington Friends. The Panthers (0-3, 0-4) get another opportunity to earn their first victory of the season when they visit Wissahickon today at 3:30 pm.
Upper Dublin 19, Quakertown 5
Powered by a nine-point effort from Jenn McCarry (6 goals, 3 assists) and seven points from Aditi Foster (4G, 3A), Upper Dublin rolled to a 14-3 halftime lead and cruised to a 19-5 victory.
Tess Reardon had three goals and two assists, Ella Lyon and Allie Rock each scored two, Kelly Senior had a goal and an assist, and Maisie Hanson chipped in with one goal. Ally Gay recorded eight draw controls and Erin Eby had three caused turnovers. Riley Brady made 11 saves to earn the win for the Cardinals, who improve to 3-0 in the American Conference, 4-4 overall. The Cards will look to knock off the league frontrunners when they host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Wednesday at 3:30 pm.
Madison Peacher and Ava Milne each scored twice for the Panthers. Jordana Law added one goal.
The Panthers (0-3, 3-5) will host Allentown Central Catholic at 6 pm Friday in a non-league game, before heading back into league play Monday at 7 pm against New Hope-Solebury.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 12, Upper Moreland 6
Max Leszczynski had eight draw controls to go along with four points (two goals, two assists) as Plymouth Whitemarsh pulled away in the second half to double up Upper Moreland in Monday’s American Conference matchup.
The Colonials fired 20 shots at the Upper Moreland cage in the opening half but led by just a 4-3 count at the break, thanks to the stellar efforts of Golden Bears’ goalkeeper Emma Hurley, who finished with 17 saves.
“Upper Moreland goalie Emma Hurley had a great game in the net – she kept her team in the game,” PW coach Ellen Reilly said. “In the second half we settled down and started to place our shots. Possession of the draw also benefitted PW.”
“Emma was amazing in goal today,” said UM coach Kim Frantz. “She had some huge saves throughout the game.”
In addition to Leszczynski’s four-point effort, Meghan Wendler and Brianna Austin each scored three goals, Haley McCourt scored twice, Fiona Gooneratne had a goal and two assists, and Lauren Iannello scored once. Brianna Reynolds had three draw controls with three ground balls off the draw for the Colonials.
Isabel Leiter (two draw controls) and Reagan Cummins led Upper Moreland with two goals each. Olivia Meakim has one goal and one assist, and Heidi Wittick chipped in with one goal.
The Colonials (5-1 American Conference, 5-6 overall) visit Upper Dublin for an American Conference showdown at 3:30 pm Wednesday, while Upper Moreland (4-2, 7-3) hosts New Hope-Solebury at 7 pm Wednesday.
Upper Moreland 3-3 6
Plymouth Whitemarsh 4-8 12
Springfield Township 20, William Tennent 0
Ella Marino had a hand in 11 goals, scoring eight and assisting on three others to lead the Spartans. Lauren Corrado added a goal and four assists while Raya Davis had two goals and two assists. Fiona Rizzo, Emma Yoder and Maddie Yoder each contributed a hat trick. Yoder also had one assist.
Tess Talbot recorded seven saves in goal in the shutout win.
Springfield Township (7-3, 4-2) will travel to Central Bucks South on Thursday, and William Tennent (0-4) will host Quakertown on Wednesday.
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