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By Alex Frazier
Ashley Saylor knew it would go into overtime.
She even expected penalty kicks to decide the outcome.
That’s how close Central Bucks South and Pennridge have been this year.
Both teams lost to each other on their home turf by a goal.
And then there was the matter of last year’s district semifinals when No. 4-seeded Pennridge sent the No. 1 Titans to the consolations with a 2-0 win.
No wonder the C.B. South’s Saylor called it “bloodbath” when these two teams meet.
For 94 minutes and 11.1 seconds the two teams failed to score on each other until Saylor sent the ball into the net with 48.9 seconds left in the first overtime to defeat Pennridge 1-0.
“We were nervous in the first 20 minutes,” she said, “but the nerves got out and we played our game. We adjusted pretty well and capitalized when we should.”
The goals have come fast and furious for South in the playoffs. The Titans have outscored their opponents 12-1 in the first two playoff games. But Pennridge threw up a strong defensive curtain behind the play of defenders Aislinn Roberts, Ashley Feldman, Tattie DePaolo and goalie Ashley Schoellkopf (nine saves).
“It could have gone both ways,” said Roberts. “They just out-worked us. Our defense played their hearts out. All we can do is learn from this.”
Coach Jorge Rodriguez agreed with that assessment.
“That’s the best the backs have played all year,” he said. “We didn’t get the same intensity with the midfielders and forwards. And it wasn’t just one or two players.”
In the first eight minutes of the game, Schoellkopf came up with a huge save when she tipped Jackie Nelms’ long shot over the crossbar.
Two minutes later Schoellkopf had to dig in again when she made a great play on a Molly Grove shot.
Although Pennridge had four shots in the first half, South keeper Meghan Kaminski wasn’t pressured on any of them.
In fact, after that, she didn’t see another shot until early in the overtime when she made the save she had to.
South had some golden opportunities in the second a half, one in particular near the mid-point when the Titans were awarded a direct kick near midfield. The ball went through the defense with South’s Lauren Buchanan-Dwyer and Schoellkopf both racing to get to it first.
The two arrived at about the same time, colliding just to the left of the goal. Both went down, but Buchanan-Dwyer got up first and put a shot on goal that seemed to be all but in the open goalmouth. But just in the nick of time, Pennridge’s Lauren Pritz arrived to clear it before it rolled over the line.
Pennridge’s only decent chance for a goal came two minutes later but was thwarted when Kaminski beat Mollie O’Brien to a through ball to the left of the goal.
South had two shots in the last 14 minutes but neither was on goal.
At the 11:54 mark of the first overtime, the Lady Rams had their first shot since the first half, but Kaminski came up with a good save on Pritz’s attempt.
Saylor’s game winner originated with a free kick by Grove from about 30 yards out. The ball sailed into a mass of players. Mel Keer managed to get a foot on it and send it on to Saylor who was nearly alone on the left side. She hit it with her left foot and the ball ricocheted off the left post and into the net.
“I just hoped not to miss,” said Saylor. “I try to get off my mark as best as I can, get that extra step on them. Mel found my feet. That’s what I wanted the whole season.”
“I thought it got cleared,” said Roberts. “I guess it didn’t. Everyone thought it was offsides. It’s really unfortunate.”
Rodriguez tried to take some consolation from the loss.
“I said this to them, ‘If we’re going to play as bad as we did today and lose in overtime to C.B. South, you’re not in such bad shape,’” he said. “If we’re going to learn lessons, we might as well learn them now.”
The Titans will take on top seeded Council Rock South Thursday at War Memorial Field at 8 p.m. for the District One Championship. The two teams have not played each other this year.
“We want to be district champs,” said Saylor. “The whole team is excited. We’re finally going for the championship.”
No. 3 Central Bucks South 1, No. 2 Pennridge 0 OT
Goals: Ashley Saylor (CBS)
Assists: Mel Keer (CBS)
Shots: Central Bucks South 11, Pennridge 5
Saves: Meghan Kaminski (CBS) 4, Ashley Schoellkopf (P) 9
Corners: Central Bucks South 3, Pennridge 1
Fouls: Central Bucks South 10, Pennridge 14
No. 1 Council Rock South 2, No. 4 Central Bucks West 1
Council Rock South’s Alex Dusak had scored only one goal the entire season.
But Thursday evening she doubled her output at the same time putting the Golden Hawks into the district championship game with a 2-1 win.
As coach Tim Keddie explained it, “They’re the players that make coaches look like geniuses. She has a tremendous work rate and she’s always putting herself in dangerous positions. Today it paid off for her. As you go through the playoffs, I firmly believe that it’s role players like Dusak that have to win a few games for you.”
The Hawks avenged a 1-0 loss to West in the first game of the season.
“Coach said he wanted us to remember how that felt and take care of business,” said Dusak.
South took the lead in the game in the first half on a goal by Jamie Vaniver (Erica Mikula assist) at the 15:34 mark.
C.B. West came out strong to begin the second half. Just over two minutes in, Lindsay Horst sent a perfect cross from the right sideline to Sam Moyer, who headed it past Jess Levy (four saves).
“Lindsay just placed that perfectly,” said Moyer. “That was all Lindsay. I just had to be there.”
Dusak’s game winner came at the 17:14 mark when she punched Paula Jurewicz’s throw in from the right touchline into the upper left corner of the goal.
“It came right to me and I just one-touched it right into the corner of the net. I tried to get it for the team,” said Dusak. “It was awesome. It was my first big goal of the season.”
Dusak said the Jurewicz’s throws are like getting an extra corner kick.
“No one knows how far she can really throw,” she said. “They don’t expect it from her.”
Central Bucks West will take on Pennridge, a team it has beaten twice this season, for third place Thursday at War Memorial Field at 5:45.
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