Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ lacrosse teams in action Wednesday.
American Conference
Upper Dublin 13, Plymouth Whitemarsh 10
Upper Dublin and Plymouth Whitemarsh have traveled a similar road this season. Loading up their respective schedules with difficult nonleague opponents, both teams took their share of lumps early on while they developed the chemistry and game experience they’d need once the league schedule began.
It’s paid off for both teams, as the Cardinals and Colonials came into Wednesday’s American Conference showdown with a combined one league loss between them.
“I was talking to (PW coach Ellen Reilly) after the game because she does the same thing where she tries to go out and get tougher teams out of our league,” said Upper Dublin coach Dee Cross. “It’s frustrating at the time because we have a really young team, but they now believe and you can see in their confidence that the grind in the beginning has helped us. That’s the biggest thing—they’re now gaining confidence as they go because we had a slow start today, couldn’t win the draw because Max Leszczynski is so tall and does the draw really nicely.
“We were behind a little bit at the beginning, and then once we got our confidence back and focused on what we could do, it definitely helped us. The tough games in the beginning showed them what we needed to work on.”
Jenn McCarry led the Cardinals with four goals and two assists. Aditi Foster and Kelly Senior each contributed three goals and two assists, Tess Reardon had two goals and one assist, Maisie Hanson added one goal, and Allie Rock had one assist.
“We always look to Jenny McCarry to lead us in scoring, her and Aditi Foster,” Cross said. “I bet Max Leszczynski had 6 inches on her at least, and Jenny still came up with putting the ball in play so we were able to start winning draw controls. She never, ever stops. She would run through a wall. She always has a check in every single category on my stat sheet. She’s a good leader on the field, and I’m really proud of her.”
Riley Brady made 12 saves to earn the victory for Upper Dublin, which improves to 4-0 in the American Conference, 5-4 overall.
“Riley stepped up for us and did a nice job,” Cross said of her keeper. “Some were point-blank shots at key moments in the game.”
The Colonials trailed 6-5 at halftime, but led 7-6 in the second half before the Cardinals rallied.
“It was a back-and-forth game,” said PW coach Ellen Reilly. “PW had the lead until we received a yellow card. Upper Dublin capitalized, scoring two goals. We fought back to take the lead at 7-6. And Upper Dublin was the more aggressive team the rest of the game, taking the lead with 14 minutes left.
“We had opportunities but couldn’t put the ball in the net or maintain possession.”
Meghan Wendler (4G, 1A) and Leszczynski (3G, 2A) each had 5 points for the Colonials, who move to 5-2, 5-7. Brianna Austin scored twice and Fiona Gooneratne had 1 goal and 1 assist.
Upper Dublin (5-4, 4-0) returns to action when it hosts Abington at 3:30 pm Friday. The Colonials (5-7, 5-2 SOL) are off until Monday, when they host Abington at 3:30 pm.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 5-5 10
Upper Dublin 6-7 13
New Hope-Solebury 14, Upper Moreland 4
Sydney Luff made seven saves as New Hope-Solebury rode a solid defensive effort to roll past Upper Moreland.
“Our defense played outstanding today all over the field,” said NHS coach Betsy Dougherty. “The attack re-defended well and the defense played great team D causing many turnovers.”
Rylie Hepp led all scorers with seven points on a goal and six assists, while Rachel Saxton led the Lions’ scoring with four goals and two assists, Madie Thistlewaite had three goals and one assist, Kate Dougherty scored twice and added two assists, Emma Ives and Margaret Tresler each chipped in two goals, and Ella Brennan scored once.
Maddy Trzaska led Upper Moreland with two goals and one assist. Isabel Leiter and Willow Taylor each scored once. Olivia Meakim had two assists and Reagan Cummins added one. Leiter, Jenna Piantieri, and Zoe Valdevenito each recorded 1 draw control.
With the victory, the Lions keep pace in the American Conference, sitting in third place at 4-2 (8-3 overall). They will visit Pennsbury for a nonleague matchup at 3:30 pm today. Upper Moreland falls to 4-3, 7-4, and hosts rival Hatboro-Horsham at 3:30 pm today.
National Conference
Council Rock North 13, Pennridge 11
Council Rock North jumped out to a 10-4 lead at halftime, then held off a valiant second-half Pennridge rally attempt to pull out a 13-11 victory in Wednesday’s National Conference game.
“We have not played a complete game,” said Pennridge coach Karen Feher. “The first half and second half were completely different teams. Pennridge was the second-half team today, but we need to focus on playing complete games. We get down and then have to fight our way out. The team never gives up but sometimes there’s not enough time.”
Grace Vliet helped North build up its lead. She stuffed the stat sheet with six goals, one assist, one ground ball, five draw controls, and one caused turnover. Rebecca Ripans scored three goals and added two assists, while Jill Hopkins had one goal, one assist, and one ground ball. Morgan McCaffery had nine draw controls, one ground ball, and two caused turnovers to accompany one goal. Alli Carpentier and Emma Sadovy capped off the scoring with one goal each.
“We controlled the draw,” said North coach Denise Noseworthy. “Grace Vliet and Morgan McCaffery were strong in transition today.”
Maddy Edinger led the Rams’ offense with four goals and one assist.
“Maddy Edinger had a spectacular second half and used her speed to keep us having a fighting chance,” Feher said.
Also for the Rams, Amelia Loughery netted three goals, Aubrey Maher and Mackenzie Herbst each had a goal and two assists, while Grace Rosica and Natalie Yilanjian each added one goal.
Brenna Craig made eight saves in net for the Rams.
Council Rock North improves to 2-6 in National Conference play, 4-7 overall and will host Bensalem at 3:30 pm Monday. Pennridge drops to 3-4, 4-8, and will visit Coatesville at 3:45 pm Monday for a nonleague matchup.
Council Rock North 10-3 13
Pennridge 4-7 11
Pennsbury 19, Central Bucks West 5
The Pennsbury midfield trio of Maddy Spratt, Maggie Golder, and Darrien Furiness once again sparked the Falcons in the decisive victory over the visiting Bucks.
In addition to their offensive contributions—Furiness finished with five goals and four assists, Golder had four and three assists, and Spratt finished with two goals and three assists —the trio dominated draw controls (Furiness six, Golder five, Spratt two) and ground balls in the midfield (Furiness nine, Golder five, Spratt four) as the Falcons jumped out to a 9-3 halftime lead.
“The girls played a complete game today, it was fun to watch,” Pennsbury coach Shannon MacPherson said. “The defense worked together and had great caused turnovers. Transition was smooth and attack ran their plays while being patient with the ball. It was a great team effort today.”
In addition to the middies, Pennsbury received scoring from Sarah Walcott (5G), Olivia Walcott (1G, 2A), Lexie Snyder (1G), and Sophia Durtis (1G).
On the defensive end, Olivia Graebner recorded three ground balls and three caused turnovers.
With the win, Pennsbury improves to 5-1 in National Conference play, 8-1 overall, and are right back in action Thursday when the Falcons host New Hope-Solebury. West drops to 3-4, 3-6, and will visit Council Rock South at 5 pm Monday.
Central Bucks West 3-2 5
Pennsbury 9-10 19
Central Bucks South 14, Souderton 8
Tegan Mullan chipped in on half of Central Bucks South’s tallies with five goals and two assists as the visiting Titans pulled away in the second half to earn a 14-8 victory.
“Tonight, the girls played as an entire unit and stuck to the game plan,” said South coach Janique Craig. “They played with control and they took care of the ball when we had possession. Defensively, the slides were there and we came up with many great defensive plays. It was a full team effort and I am so proud of the improvement they are making with each game.”
Grace Gannon earned nine draw controls to go along with three goals and one assist. Bridget Curtis scooped up six ground balls, nabbed three draw controls and caused three turnovers in addition to scoring two goals and one assist. Janessa Watson scored two goals and added two assists and had three draw controls, Kate Victor scored twice, and Maddy Flynn dished out two assists.
On defense, Erin Smith and Emalee Day each caused two turnovers, while goalkeeper Gabby Mayo made seven saves to earn the victory for the Titans.
For the Indians, Lauren Hallman’s four goals led the way. Clark Trowbridge connected on two goals while Lexi Krebs and Sydney Rohrback had one each. Avery Farina assisted on two goals, and Isabel John contributed an assist.
South (5-7, 5-1 SOL) will host Springfield-Montco at 3:30 pm today in a nonleague game, while Souderton will look to get back on the winning track in a home game at 11:30 am Saturday against Upper Moreland.
Central Bucks South 7-7 14
Souderton 5-3 8
Nonleague
Council Rock South 27, Archbishop Wood 4
Carley Irvin (3 assists), Cailey Hiscox (1A), and Rianna Shields (2A) each scored six goals as Council Rock South dominated nonleague opponent Archbishop Wood.
Montanna Chambers and Karissa Smedley each scored two goals, Zoe Brossman had a goal and two assists, and Erin Delaney, Meg Rafter, Julia Levin, and Amy Loving each scored once. Grace Franchini dished out one assist as the Golden Hawks led 18-2 at halftime and moved players around the field throughout the game.
“We had people playing everywhere,” said South coach Madison Hurwitz. “Montanna Chambers plays low D and dominated in the midfield today.”
The Golden Hawks improve to 8-2 overall (5-0 in National Conference play) and continue their nonleague slate with a visit to Villa Joseph Marie at 3:30 pm Friday.
Archbishop Wood 2-2 4
Council Rock South 18-9 27
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