Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ lacrosse teams in action Friday.
SOL American Conference
HATBORO-HORSHAM 15, UPPER DUBLIN 13
Unlikely. Improbable.
Take your pick. Either word would have described the Hatters’ chances of rallying back from a 10-4 halftime deficit to the Flying Cardinals to notch the win, but the Hatters – led by the seven-goal, two-assist effort of Abby Roesing – did just that, outscoring their hosts 11-3 in an inspired second half.
“It’s kind of like Kansas in the March Madness,” HH coach Marie Schmucker said of the NCAA National title game that saw the Jayhawks rally from 15 down at halftime to the University of North Carolina to earn the win.
The Hatters’ coach gave her players a “little motivational speech” at halftime, and they got some added motivation from a teammate.
“Cait Carpenter was actually the energy force behind the comeback,” the Hatters’ coach said. “She said, ‘These guys are undefeated. We can do this.’ She took the lead and got them fired up.”
While Roesing was part of nine goals, Carpenter had a hand in seven, scoring three and assisting on four others. Sophia Liott added two goals and three assists, Lydia Nolan had two goals and one assist, and Gianna Carr had one goal and one assist.
Schmucker lauded the play of her attack but also had high praise for her defense comprised of Nolan, Paige Cole, Natalie Tocci and Cameron Brown as well as goalie Amber MacIntosh.
“They all did a great job on defense,” Schmucker said. “And Sophia Liott was unbelievable on draw control. She did a great job on draw control, but it was a total team effort.”
And what changed in the second half?
“Less turnovers,” Schmucker said. “I said, ‘If they don’t possess the ball, they can’t do anything. We need to keep possession. We had eight turnovers right away. Otherwise the score would have been 3-2 at the half.’ It’s about keeping possession of the ball and working for the good shot and not turning the ball over.
“They played with a lot of poise, a lot of finesse. We were able to put pressure on the ball. It was one goal at a time. They played great defense, the attack played great defense. Our goalie, Amber McIntosh is only a freshman. She’s doing so much better. They played as a team.”
The two teams were deadlocked 13-13 after a goal by Liott, and with 2:43 remaining, Roesing scored the go-ahead goal that turned out to be the game-winner.
“I called a timeout and said, ‘This is what I want you need to do,’ and they listened,” Schmucker said.
Lily Nolan scored an insurance goal with 12 seconds remaining to seal the victory.
“I told them – it’s the little things that make the big things happen and that I was holding them to a standard, and I said, ‘The way you played the last 10 minutes of the Wissahickon game – let’s play that same way today,’” Schmucker said of her team’s 17-10 loss to the Trojans that saw the Hatters finish strong. “It just goes to show you on any given day anything can happen.”
Upper Dublin was on the receiving end of several yellow cards, and it proved costly.
“We had too many yellow cards and had to play short for a big part of the second half which is hard to do,” UD coach Dee Cross said. “The defense played their hearts out trying to keep the lead and help settle the team down, but HH got the momentum, and it was too much to overcome. HH did a great job of controlling the draw when it counted, and the team will definitely learn from this game and how important it is to be consistent and play smart”
Schmucker acknowledged the UD yellow cards were a factor.
“That was big,” she said. “But at the end of the day, we were relentless, we didn’t give up. They played as a team. They listened – they were like sponges. They listened to what we said. I’m hoping this will help them because if they can beat that team, they can beat anybody.”
Hatboro-Horsham (2-3, 1-1 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Monday, and Upper Dublin (4-1, 2-1) will travel to Wilson for a non-league game on Saturday.
Hatboro-Horsham 4-11 15
Upper Dublin 10-3 13
Non-league
NORTH PENN 11, ABINGTON 1
The Knights’ defense was on top of its game in Friday’s non-league game, and North Penn’s offense certainly held up its half of the bargain as well, opening up a 5-0 halftime lead on the way to the decisive win.
“Our defense – Hannah Mallitz, Grace Macnamara, Haley Decker and Ella Burget – played a great game tonight,” NP coach Heather Mellow said. “They started to communicate and crash well. Emily Varilla was tasked with marking Mei Mei Cheng and did a nice job of shutting her down.
“We needed a big win against Abington tonight after losing to them (15-4) in the first round of playoffs last year.”
Despite the outcome, Abington coach Amalie Kreitman liked some of the things she saw.
“Our defense played such a great game today,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “We didn’t win today, but we played as a team.
“Mei Mei Cheng, Harper McGinley and Madden Murray worked so hard in the midfield. They hustled to the ball and worked very hard. I want to give a shoutout to our entire defense, who at one point kept North Penn out for a solid five minutes. Tonight we worked so hard, and the score may not have shown it, but they played together.”
For the Knights, Jordan Baily led a balanced attack with four goals and one assist, and Kerry O’Donnell added three goals to go along with three draw controls. Varilla – in addition to playing outstanding defense – contributed one goal, one assist and two draw controls. Danielle Preston had one goal and one assist while Olivia Caputo and Riley O’Donnell each had one goal. Kayla Stressman chipped in an assist and a team high five draw controls.
Kiera Holt was credited with five saves in goal in a winning effort for the Knights.
For the Ghosts, Emma Warner scored her team’s lone goal, using an assist from Caroline Hughes.
North Penn (3-2, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West on Monday, and Abington (2-3, 1-0) will be on the road at Quakertown on Monday.
Abington 0-1 1
North Penn 5-6 11
SOUDERTON 13, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 5
The Indians opened up a 7-3 halftime lead on their way to the non-league win over the visiting Colonials.
“Souderton led the entire game,” PW coach Ellen Reilly said. “They played excellent defense, and it intimidated some of my young attackers.
“Defensively, we held our own, but in transition, we were unable to possess the ball. PW hurt themselves with turnovers.”
Reiley Knize scored four goals to lead the Indians’ attack. Peyton Clemmer, Yasmin Khatri, Lauren Hallman and Angela Borisow each added a pair of goals. Avery Farina had one goal.
For the Colonials, Meghan Wendler had two goals and one assist, and Bri Austin contributed a goal and an assist. Carleigh Jones and Olivia Reilly each had one goal.
Souderton (4-2, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Bensalem on Wednesday, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (2-1, 1-0) will host Springfield Township on Monday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 3-2 5
Souderton 7-6 13
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 14, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 4
Morgan McCaffery scored four goals, including a goal that vaulted her to the 100-goal milestone. Making the accomplishment even more impressive is the fact that the standout senior lost her sophomore season to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Morgan McCaffery celebrated 100 goals tonight,” Rock North coach Denise Noseworthy said. “It’s a big milestone and she should be very proud.”
Madeline Mela and Charlotte Ondria each added a hat trick while Julie Ondria had a pair of goals. Adding one goal each were Allie Carpentier and Taylor Deppi.
Council Rock North (5-3, 1-2 SOL) will host Neshaminy on Monday, and New Hope-Solebury (1-4, 0-1) will host William Tennent on Monday.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 13, VILLA JOSEPH MARIE 5
The Patriots got in the win column with a no-doubt-about-it victory over the Jems in a non-league contest, opening up a 9-4 halftime lead and never looking back.
“This was a great overall team win,” East coach Maggie Stella said. “The girls really worked hard for this, and finally overcame all obstacles and got a win.
“As their coach, I am so proud of them. Our attack found their balance of fast breaks and possessing the ball. Our defense was communicating and causing turnovers left and right. I cannot wait to see what they do the rest of the season.”
Courtney Curry led a balanced Patriot attack with four goals and also had one draw control and two caused turnovers. Sammy Kishel added a hat trick and had one draw control.
Paige Keller finished with two goals and one assist, she shared the team lead with four draw controls and also had a team high five caused turnovers. Rylee Surovec also had two goals to go along with four draw controls and one caused turnover. Morgan Tait had one goal and three assists, and Ava Delfani added a goal and one draw control. Aiden O’Leary had one caused turnover.
Central Bucks East (1-5, 0-2 SOL) will host Pennsbury on Monday.
Villa Joseph Marie 4-1 5
Central Bucks East 9-4 13
UPPER MORELAND 16, DOCK MENNONITE ACADEMY 4
Nine players contributed to the scoring in the Golden Bears’ rout of the Pioneers in a non-league contest.
Annalise Messina led the way with four goals and two assists, and Isabelle Leiter also had four goals to go along with one assist. Messina also had one draw control.
Adding a hat trick was Charlotte James while Olivia Meakim added two goals and three assists. Maggie Morrow also had a pair of goals. Willow Taylor contributed a goal and two draw controls.
Molly Meakim spent the game setting up her teammates, finishing with five assists. Heidi Wittick had two assists and a team high four draw controls. Reagan Cummins added an assist. Kathleen Smith and Natalie Saresky both had a pair of draw controls, and Jenna Piantieri had one draw control.
Emma Hurley (six saves) and Addison Hurley (three saves) combined for nine saves in goal.
Upper Moreland (5-1, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham.
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 8, JENKINTOWN 4
BENSALEM 9, CHICHESTER 8
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 19, CHELTENHAM 1
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