Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action Friday. Pennsbury/CB West photos courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photogaphy. Check back for a gallery of photos. Wissahickon/Springfield photo provided courtesy of Josh Stelzer/Wissahickon soccer. Pennridge/CR North photos provided courtesy of Althea Tomlinson/Pennridge soccer.
SOL Colonial/Patriot
Council Rock North 1, Pennridge 0
It was a seven-day stretch of statements for Council Rock North.
Starting last Friday, the Indians knocked off three straight SOL Colonial foes in CB East, CB West and North Penn going into this Friday’s game with the defending state champions. The result was the same as CR North scored a first half goal and made it hold up to snap Pennridge’s 21-match winning streak.
“Really proud of the group today. I think everyone in the state knows how good Pennridge is, and we were under no illusions of how well we had to play today to try and get anything from the game,” North coach Gavin Flannigan said. “We had a game plan to try and frustrate them and try to grab chances when they came.”
The key to North’s wins over East, West and Pennridge was its defense, shutting out all three opponents in 1-0 wins. Keeping the Rams’ speed and technical players up top quiet required a team effort and strong play on the flanks.
“Our defensive effort was fantastic today, we have great senior leadership down the spine of our team, but our two younger outside backs were excellent today,” Flannigan said. “Sara Tyler and Lexi Fischer really did a good job of limiting space and 1v1 opportunities against Pennridge’s dangerous attackers.”
Scoring before halftime helped and the Indians were able to ask some of their main attacking players to go against their instincts and stay back to aid defensively.
“Jayne Bogle, Shannon Liedl, Julia Puckett, Julianna Lanigan, Mia Cairone and Alyssa Tyler did a great job of dropping deeper and denying space for them,” Flannigan said. “They really understood the importance and their work made a huge difference to the outcome.”
North’s goal, which came midway through the first half, was just the third Pennridge has conceded this fall. Mia Cairone, who was the offensive hero with a hat trick in Wednesday’s 3-2 win over North Penn, also played a role in getting the ball to the right person in Taylor Brennan to find Friday’s winner.
“We won a free kick in their half and a great service from Ella Needham was headed back across the goal by Mia Cairone and finished by Taylor Brennan,” Flannigan said. “We rode our luck at times , especially in the second half, but I think that has to happen in games like these to get the result you want. “
Needham took the initial service from about 45 yards out, hitting the ball to the far post where Cairone was able to sky up and head it back across goal. The keeper got a hand on it, but Brennan’s secondary run at the near post was on time to knock the ball in for the eventual winner
The Indians went 5-1 against the SOL Colonial and are making a climb up the District 1 4A rankings after a slow start to the season. Going through the SOL Patriot gauntlet again will be challenging, but Flannigan has seen plenty of growth in his group the last two weeks.
“Our crossover record has been very good this year, that group of teams is extremely talented , but the belief we are beginning to build within the group is really promising,” Flannigan said.
Pennridge (12-1, 10-1 SOL) visits CB East to restart SOL Colonial play Monday at 3:30. The Rams edged the Patriots in a 2-1 thriller in the first meeting.
North (8-4, 7-3) visits Harry S Truman on Monday at 3:30.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 1 0 – 1
PENNRIDGE 0 0 – 0
Goals: CRN – Taylor Brennan
Bensalem 1, Souderton 0
A brilliant goal by Caitlin Groves helped the Owls pull out their second hard-fought win of a busy week on Friday.
Much like Monday’s dramatic double-OT win at North Penn, Bensalem dueled a determined opponent on their home field and found a way to get the win. It’s the kind of effort Owls’ coach Bob Crawford knows his team is capable of and wants them to be confident in.
“They’re just sticking together as a team,” Crawford said. “There’s no arguing. They’re trying to support each other and trying to take one play at a time and keep it together. Having four games in one week is tough but they’re playing hard.”
One-goal games can sometimes be deceiving, but there was no doubt both teams put the effort forth Friday they felt deserved something from the outcome.
“I thought we were really unfortunate not to get a result from today’s game. Looking at the performance, there were definitely things that we could have improved, but overall, I thought it was a solid 80 minutes from us,” Indians coach Ian Smith said. “From the start we were well organized defensively, and we created some quality chances throughout the first half. After 40 minutes, we had limited Bensalem’s chances, and we had just barely missed capitalizing on some of our opportunities as well.”
A scoreless first half for both teams was a credit to the defense from both sides, which was a theme for the entire afternoon. Crawford lauded his group’s performance but also credited Souderton’s back line for their work.
“Our through balls really weren’t getting there in the first half,” Crawford said. “They defended it really well, so we talked about trying to hit certain gaps but (Souderton) also didn’t give us much there. We had to go around the outside of them, they did a good job pressing us all game.”
An unfortunate injury to Souderton keeper Ashlyn Odenwald was a sour note on her strong performance, and Smith felt his entire group at the back was up to task.
“Defensively, I thought our organization was solid today. Bensalem had some speed up top that they tried to use to their advantage, but I thought Ava Steidle did a really good job communicating with our backline and shutting things down there,” Smith said. “Our goalkeeper, Ashlyn Odenwald, had a really good performance today as well. She was quick off her line to deny any through balls that Bensalem sent in an attempt to connect with their players up top.”
With Souderton dug in, it took a special effort to get a ball past and into the back of the net. Groves had the finish, but credit also goes to Lexi Cahill’s efforts to set it up.
“It was just all will between the two players,” Crawford said. “Lexi just drove through a couple players, turned and passed it to Cait and she just rocketed it into the goal. It was an incredible shot.
“She took a touch and just overpowered the keeper and kept it under the crossbar. Their keeper was good, but Caitlin just got all of it, she hit it perfect and it came so quick off her foot and through their defense they couldn’t react.”
Groves, a sophomore, is one of the younger Owls in the lineup Crawford is starting to see more confidence from.
Souderton had some opportunities before and after the goal, but couldn’t get a break that put one in the net.
“We were able to create better chances for ourselves in the second half, and I felt like we could have been up at least 1-0 on numerous occasions. Nicole Schulingkamp made a really good run in behind Bensalem’s back line to go in 1-on-1 with the goalkeeper, but was denied by the far post,” Smith said. “Shortly after we were undone by a well-hit strike from the top of our 18 to put Bensalem up 1-0. From that point on I thought we put up a decent response and were unlikely not to tie it with a great effort from Avery Nogami that hit the crossbar.”
Haley Esposito recorded the shutout and she had plenty of help from a determined defense of Devon and Delaney Bell, Yazns Riddick, Marissa Leibig and Lily Salayda. Vanessa Shay was also a solid presence in the midfield.
“We had two freshmen, two sophomores, a junior and the rest seniors starting today,” Crawford said. “They have to realize as a team that this is an opportunity they haven’t had in a few years. It’s nice to see their hard work starting to pay off for them. I just hope they continued to see that.”
Bensalem (5-6, 4-6 SOL) hosts Marple Newtown at 11 am on Saturday. Souderton (2-10-1, 1-9-1) visits CB South on Monday at 4.
BENSALEM 0 1 – 1
SOUDERTON 0 0 – 0
Goals: B – Caitlin Groves
Central Bucks East 2, Neshaminy 1
Elise Duffy and Skylar Gash have been as consistent as they come for the Patriots this fall.
Fittingly, the two seniors played pivotal roles in Friday’s duel with Neshaminy that helped East finish crossover play on a good note and a well-earned win. Duffy, the team’s talisman scorer, netted both goals, while Gash, the stonewall goalkeeper, made a game-saving stop in the final minutes.
“This was a tough one for us. Neshaminy are incredibly well-coached and it showed. They were very organized defensively, good in transition, and dangerous off of restarts,” East coach Jake Nesteruk said. “I thought we were up and down in our own performance, but with a schedule as compact and competitive as it is, you’re going to see that.”
Duffy doesn’t go scoreless for long stretches, and after a few games with her teammates helping pick up the load, the senior came back strong to run her season total to 12 goals. Averaging a goal per game, especially in the SOL, is a telling stat.
“Credit goes to our girls for seeing this one through and it certainly helps having Elise playing so well and finishing the way she is. She shows up on the score sheet a lot, but it takes a ton of different girls to make it happen – strong performances out wide from Chloe (Strawn), Ashley (Macomber) and Gwyn (Krystiewicz).”
Duffy gave the Patriots a 1-0 lead on a superb finish from outside the 18 off a feed from Strawn.
Neshaminy came back shortly after halftime to level the score and according to Nesteruk, tilt momentum in their favor for large stretches of the game. Again, Duffy came to the rescue.
“With less than 15 left, East was able to net the game winner off a finish from Elise Duffy for her second of the day, her 12th in as many games,” Nesteruk said.
The day still wasn’t won, however, and Gash, who has seven shutouts on the season, was called upon to seal things up.
“On the other end of things, we haven’t had to call on Skyler that much this year with her and our backline organizing us so well, but she came up with one save today that kept the lead,” Nesteruk said. “Sometimes, it’s just about finding a way and I think that sums this game up pretty well.”
East (10-2, 9-2 SOL) hosts Pennridge in a key SOL Colonial match Monday at 3:30. Neshaminy (9-3, 8-3) hosts CR South at 7 on Monday.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1 1 – 2
NESHAMINY 0 1 – 1
Goals: CBE – Elise Duffy 2
Central Rock South 3, Council Bucks South 1
Back-to-back wins to finish crossover play has the Golden Hawks hoping for a strong start as SOL Patriot play resumes next week.
Getting there meant breaking down a rugged and organized Titans’ defense, but it was another step in the right direction for a CR South attack starting to come together.
“We really wanted to try to make their defense move laterally and work the flanks,” Hawks coach Nick Heim said. “We had some nice build up early on but couldn’t quite get a solid chance.”
Finally, midway through the first half, CR South’s work paid off.
“We found Lily Bross on the flank who served a great cross to Kylee Bamberger, who took it out of the air for the goal,” Heim said.
Losing a lot of punch from last year’s attack, South needed some time to get things figured out up top. Injuries and illness only made the task tougher, but things are starting to trend up and several players have stepped up into new roles.
Bamberger, Bross, Zoe Brossman and Kathryn O’Kane, among others, have worked hard all season, and the Hawks are seeing the results in their depth.
“People have really bought into their roles and the team-first mentality. They’re a group that enjoys being around each other every day. That’s the type of mentality that fosters competition at practice,” Heim said. “We’re seeing more contributions from the bench, and you could make a case for 18 or so players to start every game. If we can continue with that mindset, we will be successful in the second half of league play.”
The other three goals in the game would all be scored from the painted spot 12 yards away from goal.
“We continued in the build and on a ball back across the defense Kathryn O’Kane found some daylight and was taken down in the box,” Heim said. “Zoe Brossman netted the PK.”
Leading 2-0 at half, the Hawks coaches stressed keeping the pressure on, but Heim noted the Titans continued defending well.
South scored from the spot to cut the lead in half, but Brossman would step up and put another away to restore her team’s lead later in the second half.
“Cam Blatz was taken down and Zoe converted her second,” Heim said. “We got solid contributions from the entire roster today. Karissa Smedley continues to make big saves for us in goal.”
CB South (5-7-1, 3-7-1 SOL) hosts Souderton at 4 on Monday. Council Rock South (5-5-1) travels to Neshaminy for a 7pm game Monday.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 2 1 – 3
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0 1 – 1
CRS – Zoe Brossman 2, Lily Bross
Central Bucks West 3, Pennsbury 0
A fast start propelled the Bucks to a strong finish in crossover play ahead of a crucial week of conference games.
As usual, it was Taylor Moyer playing a central role and the players around her following right behind.
“Taylor got our first goal three minutes in on a great 40-yard individual run on her own, beating a couple defenders and sliding the ball into the net to give us a 1-0 lead,” West coach Mike Moyer said. “A couple minutes later Mariella Neri played a ball to Shea Lubin and Shea beat the goalie to give us a 2-0 lead.”
The fast start kept West in gear over the opening 20 minutes, and the Bucks would tack on one more before hitting the midpoint of the first half.
“Twenty minutes into the half, Taylor hit a corner that Alexis Castro headed and then Mariella headed to Kate Weyer and Kate hit a full volley on it into the net to give us a 3-0 lead,” Moyer said.
Moyer said his team took its foot off the pedal a bit the rest of the half, then struggled to regain that traction against a resurgent Falcons team in the second half.
“The second half we could not get anything going. I felt Pennsbury did a good job keeping the ball in front of them,” Moyer said.
Moyer credited Maeve Shiffler’s energy and play, especially in the second half.
West went 5-1 against the SOL Patriot, with four of the wins coming via shutout thanks to its backline and keeper.
“My keeper Jules Broskey was lights out today. She is playing so well, and it was nice to get another clean sheet,” Moyer said.
West has won two in a row after back-to-back losses and will try to keep its momentum going against SOL Colonial foes.
“It was nice to go 5-1 against that conference. I know we wish we could have that CR North game back because we played really well but we just couldn’t finish,” Moyer said. “Now it’s time to strap up and get ready for in-conference play next week. We have three incredibly tough games next week so we will continue to try and get better each game.”
West (9-4, 7-4 SOL) hosts North Penn on Monday at 7pm. Pennsbury (4-7-2, 3-6-2) will travel to Neshaminy on Wednesday for a 7pm start.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 3 0 – 3
PENNSBURY 0 0 – 0
Goals: CBW – Taylor Moyer, Shea Lubin, Kate Weyer
North Penn 9, Harry S Truman 1
Riley Saxman, Ella Broahurst, Emily Varilla, Hannah Malitz, Maddie Murphy, Sydni Schorn, Danielle Preston and Liv McGuriman all scored for the Knights, who led 2-0 at halftime.
Senior Marissa Olsen scored for the Tigers, who got 15 saves from Carmela St Hilaire.
North Penn (5-6-1, 5-5-1 SOL) visits CB West on Monday at 7. Truman (0-12, 0-11) hosts Council Rock North at 3:30 on Monday.
NORTH PENN 2 7 – 9
HARRY S TRUMAN 0 0 – 0
SOL Liberty/Freedom
Abington 7, Upper Moreland 1
The Golden Bears struck first, but Abington’s offense stayed in good form to pick up the win.
Senior Mei Mei Cheng netted a hat trick to pace the Ghosts, who also got tallies from Carley Slavin, Maddie Egan, Marissa Hellyer and Lily Gray.
Kyra Favors, thanks to an assist by Emma Frasca, put UM up 1-0 nine minutes into the game.
“Abington is a good team. We were able to stun them with the first goal. We had a couple of defensive breakdowns that led to finishes for them,” Bears coach Lisa Benvenuto said. “However, we continued to fight for every ball, and continued to play with grit. Our girls learned a lot today about our character as a team.”
Abington (11-2, 10-1 SOL) visits Upper Dublin on Monday at 3:30. Upper Moreland (6-5-1, 5-5-1) visits Lower Moreland at 3:30 on Monday.
ABINGTON 5 2 – 7
UPPER MORELAND 1 0 – 1
Hatboro-Horsham 2, William Tennent 1
After a good Senior Night win on Wednesday, the Hatters had to dig deep to finish out crossover play on the right note.
“The first half was very rough for us,” HH coach Kelsey Daley said. “We came out slow and flat and it resulted in going down 1-0.”
At the break, the Hatters made some changes to turn the tide.
“We moved some players around and tried to generate a spark,” Daley said. “We played a lot better but still wasn’t our best game of soccer.”
Hatboro-Horsham got a pair of quick goals on two strong finishes to pick up the win.
“Cait Carpenter was able to set Emma Levin up for the first goal, and we responded quickly with a second goal that was scored by Mia Malofiy assisted by Caroline Shegogue,” Daley said. “Great game by Sophia Liott, Natalie Tocci and Abby Waeltz.”
Tennent (4-8 3-8 SOL) hosts Cheltenham at 3:30 on Monday. Hatboro-Horsham (8-3-1, 8-2-1) visits Wissahickon at 3:30 on Monday.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 0 2 – 2
WILLIAM TENNENT 1 0 – 1
Goals: HH – Emma Levin, Mia Malofiy
Plymouth Whitemarsh 2, Lower Moreland 1
The Colonials had to gut it out at the end, but were able to bounce back and close crossover play with a win.
“PW was in control for much of the game, comfortably up 2-0 until we got a costly yellow card, Lower Moreland switched formations, and we gave up a PK,” Colonials coach TJ DeLucia said. “We remained under pressure for the final 15 minutes of the second half.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh’s defense has been a strength all season and Friday was no different. The unit was bolstered by the season debut of Gabby Lifshutz, who returned from an injury to give her teammates a boost in the back.
“Sophomore goalkeeper Caitlyn Dinh played absolutely outstanding in net with several highlight-reel saves in the second half,” DeLucia said. “Our backline of Libby Daddonna, Brianna Reynolds, Meghan Wendler, Kate Lukens, and Gabby Lifshutz did a really nice job handling two ultra-physical LM forwards.”
Caelin Kosvitch continued her growth as a go-to scorer, netting a goal on either side of halftime to power PW in the attack. Sophia Carlisle assisted the first half goal, while Fiona Gooneratne helped on the would-be winner.
“Sophomore Caelin Kosvitch was the star of the game. Aside from the two goals, her work rate from sideline to sideline was really enjoyable to watch,” DeLucia said. “She played the entire game on a hot afternoon and never stopped running.”
Lower Moreland (6-7, 5-6 SOL) hosts Upper Moreland at 3:30 on Monday. PW (6-6, 5-6) visits Quakertown for a 7pm start on Monday.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 1 1 – 2
LOWER MORELAND 0 1 – 1
Goals: PW – Caelin Kosvitch
Upper Dublin 3, New Hope-Solebury 0
The Cardinals completed a sweep of the SOL Freedom on Friday and won for the seventh time in eight matches.
Freshman Erin Seabrook opened the scoring in the 36th minute, heading in a dangerous cross from Regan Rubin.
“Regan Rubin served a dangerous corner kick that was tough for the NH keeper to handle which found its way to Seabrook who buried the rebound,” UD coach Chuck Gesing said.
Both players involved in the opening goal have been crucial players for the Cardinals, even if they aren’t top scorers on the team.
Seabrook has started every game for the Cardinals, mainly as a lockdown center back but Gesing isn’t afraid to move her around the field either. When it comes down to crunch time however, she’ll be in the back helping the defense do its job.
“We’ve tried Erin in multiple roles. She’s such a technical player that we do move her around, but her teamwork with Emeline Bell in the back is outstanding,” Gesing said. “We are lucky to have them both.”
Rubin, a junior, has been pulling the strings for Upper Dublin’s attack all season and a good deal of the Cardinals’ chances have come from her distribution.
“Regan has been setting people up a ton. She always delivers a good ball. She’s tough 1v1. For her, it’s a new year and a new role with different players. When that happens your role changes a bit,” Gesing said. “She had an injury over the summer and she came into camp recovering from it. The nice part is we don’t need her to score but she’s always a threat and she’s a vital part of what we do.”
UD junior Alex Devers added a second half brace with tallies in the 50th and 61st minutes.
Rachel Adelman and Kayla Peart split time in net to record the shutout.
Upper Dublin is battling for playoff position and heads into the second half of SOL Liberty competition. The first half was marked by tight games and Gesing expects more of the same.
“I know we are better than the first time around and I expect our competition to be improved as well. The end result is going to be more tight games,” Gesing said. “The teams that execute the best will come out on top. I believe that the girls are ready. Nothing will be easy from here on out.”
Upper Dublin (8-2-3, 8-1-2 SOL) hosts Abington at 3:30 on Monday. New Hope-Solebury (1-10-1, 1-9-1) hosts Springfield Twp at 3:30 on Monday.
UPPER DUBLIN 1 2 – 3
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 0 0 – 0
Goals: UD – Erin Seabrook, Alex Devers 2
Wissahickon 6, Springfield Twp 1
The Trojans got a brace from Kylie Freidman and Lucy Greenstein to finish crossover play with another strong offensive effort.
Emma Baker also scored for Wissahickon, which also took advantage of an own goal.
“Olivia Lore, our goalkeeper, was fantastic today,” Wiss coach Chris McDaniels said. “We gave up some good chances and her shot stopping was top notch.”
Kaleigh Evans continued her strong season for the Spartans, scoring her 10th goal of the fall.
Wissahickon (10-2-1, 9-1-1 SOL) hosts Hatboro-Horsham at 3:30 on Monday. Springfield Twp (2-11, 2-9) visits New Hope-Solebury on Monday at 3:30.
WISSAHICKON – 6
SPRINGFIELD TWP – 1
Cheltenham @ Quakertown – PPD
Cheltenham travels to William Tennent on Monday at 3:30. Quakertown hosts Plymouth Whitemarsh at 7 on Monday.
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