New Hope-Solebury advanced to the District 1 Tournament title game with a win over Pope John Paul II. Photos provided courtesy of Karla Donohoe. Check back for a gallery of photos.
Class 1A
#2 NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 2, #3 POPE JOHN PAUL II
This one came down to the wire.
In the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, Brianna McBride turned a pass from Elizabeth Varghese into a goal, breaking a 1-1 tie and propelling the Lions to a win in Thursday’s spirited district semifinal.
“They are a very strong team, well organized,” Lions’ coach Gwen Smith said. “They play smart, they play fast.
“My entire team stepped up today. That was the best game I’ve seen us play this season.
“Our defense did a great job. It was just really the entire team. It was a great team win.”
There were early signs that this would be a battle. The Lions took a 1-0 lead when Gabi Solis scored with a Danielle Wilson assist with just under two minutes remaining in the first quarter. Just over a minute later, PJP answered with a goal. Both goals were scored during corner play.
That tie stood until McBride’s game-winner with 13:26 remaining in regulation.
Just how tightly the game was contested is underscored by the Lions’ slim 8-5 edge in penalty corners.
The two teams have met before in the postseason. In 2022, NH-S earned a 3-0 win, and in 2023, the Lions fell to PJP 5-2. Thursday’s win vaulted the Lions into the District 1 1A title game.
Scoring Summary
First quarter
Gabi Solis from Danielle Wilson, corner (NH-S) 1:50
Ava Fuges from Erin Hunter, corner (PJP) 0:22.8
Second quarter
No score
Third quarter
Brianna McBride from Eliabeth Varghese (NH-S) 13:26
By the numbers: Penalty corners: NH-S 8, PJP 5.
New Hope-Solebury coach Gwen Smith:
–The game: “We fought and battled for 60 minutes. They were super skilled. They’re smart and skilled. We haven’t see
n them in a while, but I was expecting them to be as good as they were. There was no relaxing in this game.
“The girls did a good job. It was our best game in the sense of everyone giving everything for 60 minutes. We definitely have things we have to clean up, and we definitely weren’t connecting great at times, but everyone’s energy, effort and the fight was there, the battle was there the whole time.
“There were times in the game when we weren’t in a groove, but we continued to battle through that. Our defense did a really good job of staying focused and staying on. We’ve definitely been working on that, making sure they did a nice job stepping up on some things when they did gain possession. We kept them in front of us. The defense was tested, and the whole team stepped up today.”
Up next: New Hope-Solebury will face defending champion Faith Christian Academy in next Saturday’s District 1 1A title game at Methacton High School (11:30am).
Pope John Paul II 1-0-0-0 1
New Hope-Solebury 1-0-0-1 2
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