Upper Dublin & Pennridge were winners in Thursday’s second round of the District 1 3A Tournament.
District 1 3A second round
No. 3 Upper Dublin 13, No. 19 Boyertown 8
The Flying Cardinals knew they could beat Boyertown. They had already done so earlier in the season.
So when the 19th-seeded Bears scored first, third seeded Upper Dublin didn’t panic. The Cards stayed composed, pulled ahead and earned their first berth in the District One Class 3A quarterfinals since 2011 with a 13-8 victory over Boyertown in Thursday’s second-round game.
“I was so pleased with the way the girls kept their composure,” said UD coach Dee Cross. “Boyertown scored first, and we were able to hold the lead for most of the game after that.
“Boyertown pressures everywhere. We played them back in March, and they did the same exact thing. They are in such good shape. They double-team the ball, and our girls were able to move the ball, get the goal when we needed it, and they did not crumble. They just played with such maturity today, and we were so proud of them – the effort that they put in and mainly just the way they held their composure and kept control of the ball.”
Upper Dublin received a stellar effort in the defensive end, holding Boyertown to just three goals in the second half as the Cards extended their 8-5 halftime lead after the break.
“Defensively, Abby O’Meara had five caused turnovers,” Cross said. “We play man-to-man, which unusual nowadays – teams go zone. The whole defensive unit worked together as a unit, and Abby would come up with the ball and just run it out through transition to help start our attack.
“Abby, Maeve Hogan, Olivia Broome, and Sophia Sirianni – the four of those girls have worked together for so long that they really played as a unit today along with our midfielders. Anna DiMartile had three caused turnovers, and she was also another one that really took a leadership role with Paige Dinkel. Paige was our senior, and they just really kept them calm.”
The Cardinal attack was spearheaded by a pair of freshmen. Bridget DiMartile had a hand in seven Upper Dublin tallies with five goals and two assists as well as three draw controls. Shannon Connaughton pitched in with a goal and an assist.
“Bridget DiMartile had five goals and just dodged and was part of everything all over the field,” Cross said. “Her and Shannon Connaughton are both freshmen, and they just really played with maturity today, and that’s exactly what we needed.”
Paige Dinkel scored four goals for the Cardinals, Anna DiMartile had two goals and four DC, Lily Buckius scored once, Ava Shohen had three assists, and Maeve Hogan dished out a pair of assists.
Erin Darcy made 6 saves as the Cardinals (17-2 overall) secured a spot in the district quarterfinals.
Upper Dublin will host defending District Champions and sixth seed Penncrest at 4 pm Tuesday. As seven teams will qualify for the state tournament, the Cardinals are guaranteed at least two more games. They will advance to the semifinals with a win over Penncrest, and will move to the Playback Bracket with a loss.
“It’s just really special to make it this far and it’s a special group of girls,” Cross said.
Upper Dublin 4-4-2-3 13
Boyertown 1-4-1-2 8
No. 8 Pennridge 12, No. 9 Plymouth Whitemarsh 7
Karen Feher has no idea when Pennridge last advanced to the district quarterfinals, but the Lady Rams coach knows one thing for certain – it was a long time ago.
With Thursday’s win, the Rams – for the first time in Feher’s 10 years at the helm – will be competing in the quarterfinals breaking a playoff drought believed to extend over two decades.
“I’m so proud of the team,” Feher said. “They continue to rise up to the occasion. We’ve really focused on our attack, focused on moving the ball, and they clearly executed it tonight. It was a team win.”
The Rams took a 6-3 lead into halftime and added to that lead in the second half. Madigan Posey’s four-goal effort led the attack. She also had two caused turnovers and two ground balls.
“Madigan Posey probably had one of the best games of her career,” Feher said. “She had some really crucial caused turnovers and some really crucial draw controls.
“I thought Ava (Fantaskey), Kate (Unzicker) and Kendall (Posey) really used their leadershipto help lead the team. It was a very clean game for us.”
Fantaskey and Unzicker both had two goals and an assist. Unzicker also had two caused turnovers and a team-high four draw controls. Fantaskey had two caused turnovers, two ground balls and two draw controls. Posey added a goal and one ground ball.
Leah Verespy had two goals, one caused turnover and one draw control. Cayla Wurz added one goal and one ground ball. Taylor Burkett chipped in an assist. Gianna Leuthe had two draw controls.
Feher lauded the play of the Lady Rams’ defense in the win.
“Our defense adjusted,” the Pennridge coach said. said. “Makenna Charles, Bri Bailey, Norah Herbst and Abby Keller probably had one of the cleanest – foul-wise – games I’ve ever seen them play. They really didn’t put their girls on the 8-meter that much, they didn’t have any bad checks. It was just very, very clean.
“Anjali Verma played the whole game (in goal), and she probably had one of her best games of her career tonight just coming up big with her saves and just being patient on her clears.”
For the Colonials, Kaiane Jayo’s hat trick led the way while Meghan Wendler had two goals. Bri Reynolds and Maite Jayo each had one goal.
“We had a lot of opportunities in the first quarter, but we couldn’t capitalize, scoring only two goals on nine shots,” PW coach Ellen Reilly said. “Credit the Pennridge goalie who had a great game. We also couldn’t finish on transition when we held Pennridge on the offensive end. My midfielders fought hard on the draw, winning the majority and giving our offense chances.
“In the fourth quarter, we had several chances when Pennridge was down a player, but we couldn’t put the ball in the net. I’m proud of my players because they never gave up even though they didn’t play their best game.”
Pennridge (14-5, 9-1 SOL) will travel to top-seeded Downingtown West for a quarterfinal game on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The winner will advance, and the loser will be one of four teams battling for one of two state berths.
For a Rams’ team with its sights set on winning the program’s first crown since 1989 and not really looking beyond that, a trip to the quarterfinals is the stuff dreams are made of.
“It hasn’t hit me yet,” Feher said. “Last night we actually had our banquet, so the last couple of days have been a whirlwind. I don’t think it’s all hitting me yet – the second round winning and moving. It sounds cliché, but it’s a dream come true.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh closed out its season with a 13-5 overall record. The Colonials were 8-3 in SOL play.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 3-4 7
Pennridge 6-6 12
No. 2 Radnor 17, #15 Council Rock North 5
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