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DOYLESTOWN – Ashley Hart smiled as she was reminded about the nerveracking early moments of Wednesday’s non-league contest against Central Bucks East at War Memorial Field.
“Oh, the beginning of the game,” the Council Rock South goalie said. “We were a little unorganized.”
And the Patriots threw a major scare into the Golden Hawks.
The game was less than two minutes old when East freshman Marissa Glatt fired a rocket that just missed the cage, ricocheting off the right post and back onto the field of play.
That was just the beginning of some serious East offensive pressure, but Hart and the Golden Hawks’ defense held firm, and later in the half, the Hawks began to control play, scoring a late goal and going on to earn a 2-0 win.
“That was huge to actually have that ball not go in, and my defense helped me out a lot,” said Hart, who turned away seven shots in the shutout. “It’s a big honor to have them help me. They came up big, and we got the win.”
Wednesday’s contest was the first of the season for the Golden Hawks, and in addition to some early-game nerves, the Hawks may have needed some time to get used to playing together.
“Some of them are playing new positions,” Rock South coach Lisa Defeo said. “We had a sophomore – Alex Agasar – playing sweeper for the first time today. We had a junior – Rebecca Cocco – step up big time at right back, and both of them are brand new to the varsity squad.”
The Patriots have their share of new faces as well. They boast a forward line that includes a freshman – Glatt – as well as sophomores Emily Vasey and Liz Thiroway and junior Maggie Gonsiewski.
“We’re really focusing on teaching,” East coach Marie Meehan said. “You could see them progressing from day one, and you can see that their play with each other is unfolding.
“They just need to mature, and they’ll mature by playing together.”
The Patriots drew three early corners. On the second, senior Erin O’Brien fired a hard shot that was turned away by Hart.
“If we could have scored a goal right away, I think the momentum would have definitely been different,” O’Brien said. “We had so many opportunities to finish it.
“It would have changed the whole game if we could have gotten a goal right away.”
Defeo – whose team did not draw a corner in the game - called a timeout 10 minutes into the half, and it wasn’t long before her team went on the attack.
“The things I asked them to change, they changed,” the Hawks’ first-year coach said. “I think that’s really important as a coach. When you ask players to change something and they change it - that means they’re coachable.
“That’s always something you get excited about.”
Defeo also had to be pleased to see her squad – on its first serious possession in the circle – capitalize on a scoring opportunity when Maria Karidas pounced on the rebound of a goalie save and banged it home at the 2:31 mark, sending the Hawks into halftime with a 1-0 lead.
Both teams had their chances early in the second half. In the opening moments, a perfectly-placed cross by Glatt went untouched by the Patriots.
“We have some good combinations,” Meehan said. “It’s just experience – it’s the feeling for getting the ball on your stick and in the cage.
“It’s a timing thing and getting your body prepared. We need to continue working on that. We just have to keep everyone confident.”
The Patriots drew a corner at the 16:21 mark, and O’Brien’s powerful shot across goal just missed wide left.
East goalie Christina Maida – in her first game action of the season – came up with a diving save at the top of the circle, but moments later, she wasn’t as fortunate when Colleen Diviny (Karidas assist) scored in a scramble in front of the cage to give the Golden Hawks their final margin of victory, 2-0.
“It’s disappointing because I know we could have won,” O’Brien said. “We had it there.
“We’ll definitely learn from this because we know we can actually get the ball to goal. Now we have to learn to finish. We’ll get there. We just need a little more work, but everyone does.”
O’Brien, a former forward, anchored the Patriots’ defense at center back while senior Dana Thomas played center mid and Maida provides veteran leadership in goal.
“Those three up the middle are very strong, and they give us senior leadership,” Meehan said. “I think defensively they were doing a good job of getting the ball up and handling their positions well.”
Defeo also is pleased with the leadership of her senior captains – Karidas, Lea Britton and Sam Facciolla.
“We have a lot of leadership,” she said. “We heavy on seniors this season, and it’s good because we have a lot of leaders, not just the captains.”
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 2, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0
Council Rock South 1 1-2
Central Bucks East 0 0-0
Goals/Assists: CR South – Maria Karidas 1-1, Colleen Diviny 1-0.
Shots: CRS-9, CBE-10.
Corners: CRS-0, CBE-5.
Saves: Ashley Hart (CRS) 7, Christina Maida (CBE) 6.
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