Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ lacrosse teams in action Friday. PW/Harriton photos courtesy of Michael Rice.
American Conference
Upper Dublin 8, Springfield Twp 6
And then there was one.
In a clash befitting the last two undefeated teams in American Conference play, Friday’s neighborhood rivalry had it all—momentum swings, scoring runs, a tied score late in the second half, and late-game heroics.
When the dust settled Upper Dublin emerged as the last unbeaten team in league play, improving to 9-0 in the league (13-3 overall) with an 8-6 victory over Springfield Twp.
The visiting Cardinals led 4-2 at halftime and netted the first two goals of the second half to extend their lead to 6-2. But the Spartans rattled off the next four goals to knot the score at 6-6. Anna DiMartile broke the tie and Allie Gay added the insurance goal, then Upper Dublin was able to get ball possession and run out the clock on the hard-earned victory.
“I am so proud of the girls,” said UD coach Dee Cross. “It is always a close, fast-paced game with Springfield and today was no different. Springfield is a very talented team and was undefeated for a reason. Marissa (Conover, Springfield coach) and I always talk after the game and win or lose, say how much fun it is to play and feel the excitement of the game and the atmosphere. It is a great neighborhood rivalry.”
Paige Dinkel led Upper Dublin with 4 goals in the win. DiMartile finished with 2 goals and 1 assist,
Gay had 1 goal and 1 assist, Kelly Senior added 1 goal, and Ella Lyon chipped in with 1 assist.
But the scoring alone certainly didn’t tell the whole story of a complete team effort in this game.
“This team plays so well together, and they have fun,” Cross said. “The defense was solid today and was able to keep us in the game with groundballs and tight marking in the 8. Anna DiMartile, Paige Dinkel, and Ava Shohen were able to get some draw controls in the second half to help get momentum back. The defense was led by Sophia Sirianni, Olivia Broome, Abby O’Meara, and Maeve Hogan. Anna Biermaas was solid in goal and is improving with every game.
“Kelly, Senior, Ella Lyon, and Julie Zlotnikoff helped to slow the game down and make good passes on attack. Anna DiMartile was all over the field with 3 draw controls, 4 ground balls, and 2 caused turnovers. Allie Gay is a calming force all over the field and helps to settle the team down when we start to get frantic. She is a silent leader. It was a total team win and everyone contributed. They are so fun to coach because they work hard and believe in each other.”
For the Spartans, Fiona Rizzo and Maddie McDevitt each scored 2 goals. Emma Yoder had 1 goal and 1 assist, while Sam McDevitt scored 1 goal. The Spartans also received a stellar effort—as they’ve come to expect—from goalkeeper Tess Talbot.
“Tess Talbot was phenomenal,” Cross said. “She stopped point blank shots and frustrated our attack. We had to work for every goal, and she made us place our shots.”
The Cardinals will have another tough matchup after the weekend, visiting Upper Moreland at 7 pm Monday for another faceoff against a team vying for the top spot in the conference. The Spartans—who not only suffered their first league loss of the season but their first mark in the loss column overall this season (8-1 American, 13-1 overall)—will look to return to their winning ways when they visit Abington—which is right behind the conference leaders—for a 7 pm Monday game.
Upper Dublin 4-4 8
Springfield Twp 2-4 6
Non-league
Central Bucks South 13, Hatboro-Horsham 11
The Titans put up a solid effort despite missing a pair of starters, notching the non-league win.
“It was really nice to see many girls step up and take a lead role,” said Titans’ coach Janique Craig.
Addy Geary burned the Hatters’ defense for 6 goals and 2 assists, Avery Curtis had 3 goals and 1 assist, Tessa Walls scored twice, Kaeli VanDerSluis and Jordyn McCartin each chipped in with 1 goal, and Kelsey Steel recorded 2 assists.
Gabby Mayo made 11 saves for the Titans in a winning effort in goal.
The Titans (5-10, 3-5 National Conference) will look to build on the victory when they host Council Rock North at 7 pm Monday. Hatboro-Horsham (2-12 overall, 2-6 American Conference) will return to action by hosting Quakertown at 4:45 pm Monday.
North Penn 8, Germantown Friends 7
With the Knights trailing 7-6, Grace McGeehan and Lauren Blanch connected for the final two goals of the game as North Penn rallied for the hard-fought win over Germantown Friends in Friday’s non-league game.
“It was another great team win,” NP coach Heather Mellow said. “Our defense stepped up and played well against some talented offensive players from GFS
“The damp grass had us moving a bit slow in the beginning. We had a lot of opportunities to score, but we just needed to place the ball better.”
The dramatic ending might not have been anticipated when the Knights went into halftime with a 5-3 lead, but GFS came roaring back and scored the go-ahead goal with 17:56 remaining, prompting Mellow to call a timeout.
The Knights won the ensuing draw, and Blanch set up McGeehan for the equalizer at the 17:08 mark. The duo connected again for the game-winner with 16:07 remaining.
After that, the North Penn defense—led by Grace Macnamara, Ella Juska, Morgan Rodoff, and Maddie Brown—was stellar, holding GFS off the scoreboard for the final 16 minutes of action to help secure the victory.
“They had the ball in our defensive end for at least 6 to 7 minutes,” said Mellow. “Our defense did awesome stopping their drives. It really was impressive how well and hard our defense worked to keep them out.”
In addition to McGeehan (3 G) and Blanch (2 G, 3 A, 4 GB), Kayla Stressman had 3 goals, 1 assist, and 6 DC. Mcnamara had 3 CTO and Brown scooped up 4 GB.
“Kayla and Lauren led us again offensively,” Mellow said. “Grace McGeehan is really catching some good looks on goal and stepping up when Kayla is being face guarded lately.”
Next up, the Knights (9-4 overall, 7-1 National Conference) will visit Souderton for a 5 pm Monday matchup.
Germantown Friends 3-4 7
North Penn 5-3 8
Plymouth Whitemarsh 10, Harriton 9
Maita Jayo led all scorers with 3 goals and 1 assist and she and her freshman classmates powered Plymouth Whitemarsh to thrilling 10-9 victory in Friday’s non-league matchup against Harriton.
“My freshmen came up big today,” PW coach Ellen Reilly said. “Maita Jayo worked her butt off in the midfield, getting 5 draw controls. She also led our team in scoring today, along with playing some great defense.
“Mia Baron, another freshman, came in after we were losing the early draws and really worked hard to gain possession. She had 4 draw controls. She also helped on the offensive end, scoring 2 goals. Freshman Kaiane Jayo had a great game defensively, getting 3 caused turnovers and transitioning the ball well.”
Supporting the freshmen, Bri Reynolds had 1 goal and 2 DC, while Ella Clark, Meghan Wendler, Sophia Gartland, and Liv Reilly each scored 1 goal.
“I am proud of my players today,” Reilly said. “It wasn’t a pretty win, but it was a win. It was our fourth game in five days. We had a tough game against Pennsbury (Thursday), where my players really worked hard and gave their all in a tight loss.”
The Colonials improve to 7-8 overall (5-4 American Conference) and will visit Lower Moreland at 7 pm Monday.
Harriton 6-3 9
Plymouth Whitemarsh 4-6 10
Strath Haven 17, Wissahickon 12
Despite 4-goal games from Sophia Stehlik and Alexa McCabe, Wissahickon dropped a 17-12 nonleague game to Strath Haven on Friday.
“We struggled to win the draw early, but we battled back and traded goals for most of the second half,” said Wissahickon coach Chuck Wurzbach, who saw his team trailing by 3 goals at halftime. “I’m really proud of their effort today.
“Sophia Stehlik demonstrated great footwork, freezing defenders and getting 8-meter opportunities. Strath Haven was really strong on the circle. I’m really proud of Emma Greenberg for making adjustments in the second half. And Ava Fell made some key saves to keep us in the game.”
Stehlik added 1 DC and McCabe had 1 assist to go along with their respective 4-goal efforts. Greenberg ended up with 6 DC on the day, along with 2 goals and 1 assist. Maddie Radell had 2 goals and 1 assist, and Nora Ryan assisted on 3 goals and added 3 DC.
Fell made 8 saves for the Trojans (6-9 overall, 5-4 American Conference), who will host William Tennent at 7 pm Monday.
Strath Haven 7-10 17
Wissahickon 4-8 12
Pleasant Valley 11, Pennridge 10 (OT)
Pennridge led 6-4 at halftime, but nonleague visitor Pleasant Valley – which brought a 17-0 record into the game – battled back to forge a tie at the end of regulation, then netted the overtime goal to remain undefeated on the season and edge the Rams 11-10 on Friday.
Grace Rosica led the Rams’ offense with 3 goals as well as 2 ground balls and 3 draw controls. Leah Verespy scored 2 goals, had 2 assists, and added 1 ground ball and 1 caused turnover. Kendall Posey scored twice and had 1 ground ball and 2 draw controls. Kate Unzicker had 1 goal, 2 GB, 2 caused turnovers, and 1 draw control. Cayla Wurtz had 1 goal, 1 ground ball, and 1 caused turnover. Taylor Burkett added 1 goal.
Ava Fantaskey recorded 1 assist, 5 draw controls and 2 two ground balls for Pennridge. Lauren Moylan had 3 ground balls and 1 caused turnover, while Lilly Reilly had 2 ground balls and 1 caused turnover.
After nearly handing Pleasant Valley its first loss of the season, the Rams (11-5 overall, 7-2 in National Conference play) will look to get back in the winning column when they visit Pennsbury at 3:30 pm Monday.
Pennridge 6-4-0 10
Pleasant Valley 4-6-1 11
Council Rock North 16, Villa Joseph Marie 7
Julie Ondria netted 4 goals while Maddy Mela had a 5-point night on 3 goals and 2 assists, and Cat McBride had 3 goals and 1 assist to make Council Rock North’s Senior Night a rousing success with a 16-7 victory over nonleague opponent Villa Joseph Marie.
Charlotte Ondria scored twice and added 2 assists, while Jayne Bogle, Meg Book, Liv Esposito, and Bridget Walstrum chipped in with 1 goal each. Taylor Deppi had 1 assist.
McBride was stellar on the draw, with 7 draw controls as well as 2 ground balls. Mela had 4 draw controls and 1 ground ball, Charlotte Ondria had 3 draw controls and 2 ground balls. Esposito scooped up 4 ground balls, Gabby Mann had 3 ground balls, Bogle and Keiley Lyons each added 2 ground balls, and Book, Deppi, and Julie Ondria each had 1 ground ball.
The Indians improve to 9-7 overall (4-4 in National Conference play) and will visit Central Bucks South at 7 pm Monday.
Pope John Paul II 18, Souderton 8
The Indians trailed visiting PJP by just one at halftime, 7-6, but they scored just two goals in the second half.
Ang Borisow led the Indians with three goals, two ground balls and two draw controls while Tatum Andrews added two goals and three draw controls. Avery Farina also had two goals, and Anah Petrovich had one. Ava Jones finished with three draw controls, and Hannah Cornes had one draw control and one ground ball. Carly Gavetti and Rachel Schewe both had one ground ball.
Gabby Hirschmann (1 save) and Nicole Kleckner (2 saves) shared time in goal.
Souderton (3-12, 2-6 SOL) will host New Hope-Solebury in a non-league match Saturday at 5 p.m. and then will host North Penn on Monday.
Pope John Paul II 7-11 18
Souderton 6-2 8
Bensalem 13, William Tennent 1
Lower Merion 10, Council Rock South 6
About the Author
