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Check below for additional SOL game recaps.
FRANCONIA TWP – Danielle Notvest didn’t need a whole lot of words to describe a talented North Penn Maiden squad that is fifth in the latest Pennsylvania Media Rankings.“They’re fast,” Souderton’s senior captain said. “They’re a fast team, and they will play hard and fight for the ball.”
The Maidens might be fast, and they certainly do play hard and fight for the ball, but the Indians showed they could more than hold their own against the defending Continental Conference champions, something few conference squads have been able to do.
With 7:50 remaining in regulation of Tuesday night’s showdown between the neighboring rivals, sophomore Carly Kendall’s high pass rolled off of Notvest’s cross and into the net for a fluke goal that made it a 9-8 game.
How would the Maidens respond to the challenge?
It took four minutes and numerous possession changes before the enthusiastic Community Night crowd got its answer, but the answer was clear – the Maidens have no intention of giving up their top spot in the conference standings.
Sophomore Steph Knauer came up with a loose ball, and moments later, Abbie Hartman turned a Halie Lear pass into a goal that gave the Maidens a two-goal cushion. A free position goal by Brenda McDermott put the finishing touches on North Penn’s hard-fought 11-8 win, and when the final horn sounded, the Maidens converged for a jubilant celebration.
Celebrations after SOL games have been few and far between for a Maiden squad that has dominated play, and if it’s up to Hartman, there won’t be many more nail biters for the Maidens.
“It’s not fun at all,” she said of the tightly contest game. “I don’t like it. We like the games where we’re in control.
“But games like this bring out the best in us. You show us you can score – we’re going to answer that.”
The Maidens acknowledged that their work is far from finished.
“We have a lot to work on, but what really pulls us together is we have a lot of heart, and we want (to win) every single game that we play,” said senior Kaitlin Colbridge, a catalyst on defense for the Maidens. “We play intense.
“Sure, you make a mistake, but the thing that makes a good team is when you get back, realize what you did wrong and fix it the next time, and if you drop the ball, go after it.”
On this night, the Maidens found themselves in a battle for every loose ball, and what looked like it might be yet another easy North Penn win when the Maidens took a 7-2 lead into halftime was anything but that.
“Hats off to Souderton – they played hard, and I think they gave us their best shot,” Maiden coach Jami Wilus said. “We were able to withstand that and keep plugging along.
“I don’t think we played really well tonight, but that happens. We went over a lot of stuff at practice, and we didn’t really follow directions to the greatest extent, but sometimes it takes a game like this to wake you up and say, ‘You know what – you have to still keep working hard every single day, and you need to get better.’”
The Indians made an early statement when they opened up a quick 2-0 lead on goals by Kirstin Russell and Notvest. Wilus called a timeout, and her players responded with five unanswered goals to close out the half.
First it was Danielle Horn connecting on back-to-back goals, and then it was Rachel Shaw scoring on a free position to give the Maidens their first lead at the 11:10 mark.
Garrie Grenfell scored on a strong underhand shot to make it a 4-2 game, and then it was Macie Hauck scoring after yet another free position. Goals by Shaw and Hartman sent the Maidens into halftime with a 7-2 lead that was anything but secure.
Souderton’s Haley Kershaw scored in the opening moments of the second half, and then it was Liz Mower connecting on a free position to make it a 7-4 game.
“I think the girls knew to take advantage of the fact that if we could penetrate the eight-meter, we would get more free positions,” Souderton coach Nicole Bauer said. “This was our first test really because Downingtown West we were down, but this is a league game, so that changes everything.”
The Indians also used a little history to fuel their second-half fire.
“My freshman year we were down by a lot at halftime, and we came back and won,” Notvest said. “It’s a great feeling to know we could do that.
“It was the same this year when we were down by five, and we came out with a lot more intensity. We knew in our minds we could do it.”
Grenfell scored on a free position to put the Maidens on top 8-4, but Notvest – who led all scorers with four goals – answered with a goal on a free position. After the senior captain scored on a tough shot in traffic, it was an 8-6 game with plenty of time still showing on the clock.
“They were getting the draws, and when they started getting the draws and going down in their offensive end, it put us on our heels,” Wilus said. “That draw control is so important.
“It’s all about desire, and they were stepping in front of us.”
A textbook goal from Carly Kendall to Lindsay Walbrandt made it an 8-7 game, but Hartman had an answer. Then came Notvest’s goal to make it a 9-8 game, and once again the Maidens answered the call, closing it out with a flourish to earn the big win.
While the Indians fell to 2-1 in league play (5-2 overall), the Maidens improved to 3-0 in the league (7-0 overall).
“We have goals,” Hartman said. “Our first is to get better every day. Our second is to win our league, so this is a big win because it’s helping us get to our goal, but it’s just one step.”
“We need to beat Souderton, but we need to beat every team we play,” Colbridge said. “Every game is just as important.”
NORTH PENN 11, SOUDERTON 8
North Penn 7 4-11
Souderton 2 6-8
Goals/Assists: NP- Abbie Hartman 3-0, Rachel Shaw 2-1, Garrie Grenfell 2-0, Dani Horn 2-1, Brenda McDermott 1-1, Macie Hauck 1-0, Halie Lear 0-1. Souderton – Danielle Notvest 4-0, Kirstin Russell 1-0, Haley Kershaw 1-0, Liz Mower 1-0, Lindsay Walbrandt 1-0, Carly Kendall 0-2.
Shots: NP-19, S-18.
Saves: Sarah Prall (NP) – 8, Kaitlin Crouthamel (S) – 7.
Hatboro-Horsham 20, Pennridge 8
Hatboro-Horsham celebrated its ‘Play 4 the Cure’ game against Pennridge by rolling to a 20-8 romp over their visitors. The game was actually tied 3-3 early on before the Hatters closed out the half with a 6-1 run. They never looked back.
“We changed up some things,” coach Marie Schmucker said. “It was about composure. We had to get our composure. (Early on), we were forcing shots that weren’t there.
“Draw controls are the most important thing. If you get the ball, the other team can’t be dangerous, so that was really critical.”
What was the veteran coach most pleased with in the big win?
“The whole team - from defense and our goalie all the way up to our offense,” Schmucker said. “I thought on defense we played really tough. In the midfield, we had awesome connections.
“And on offense – we had Lauren Purvis.”
Nine players contributed scoring, but it was Purvis who set the tone, scoring six goals and handing out a pair of assists. Nicole Beck added four goals while Sarah Tustin had three goals and two assists. Cortnee Daley had two goals and one assist while Kristen O’Brien, Kelly McCartin, Caroline Hagan, Lizzie Carr and Julie McKay each had one goal. McKay also had an assist.
For the Rams, Jess Roy and Emily Maher each had a pair of goals. Maher also had an assist. Julia Colyar had one goal and two assists, Sam Myers, one goal and one assist, and Taylor Dachowski and Dayna Erdman, one goal each.
Cheltenham 17, Norristown 4
Lorraine Oliver and Liz Heimann both scored three goals while Maggie Graber and Allison Hawkins scored two goals each in the Lady Panthers’ win over the Eagles. Also scoring for the Lady Panthers were Amanda Kiefer, Ancy Thomas, Sammie McManus, Kelly Hoag, Tori Penecale and Caroline Szczepanek.
Taylor Foxworth led the Eagles with three goals while Beverly Pate scored a single goal.
Geena Carminati recorded seven saves in goal for Cheltenham, which upped its record to 5-3 on the season.
Abington 14, Central Bucks East 7
Carli Fitzgerald scored four goals while teammate Molly Seefried added three goals and two assists in the Ghosts’ win over the Patriots. Courtney Cox and Kelsey Fitzgerald each scored two goals while Courtney Enderle (one assist), Elisa MacColl and Hanna Sjoholm each added one goal.
Goalie Emily Towey had eight saves while Cox, Sjoholm, MeredithCox and Hanna Weckel each had three ground balls. The Ghosts improved to 2-1 in league play (4-3 overall).
Council Rock South 10, Pennsbury 6
Lea Britton scored seven goals and contributed an assist in a standout effort to lead Rock South to Tuesday’s win. Kiera McGovern had a pair of goals and Christine Besselman added one goal to close out the scoring.
Taylor Hickman led Pennsbury with the hat trick. Jenna Allen added a pair of goals while Jess Bulaflea had one goal, and Tori Smith added one assist.
Both teams took 25 shots on goal. Rock South goalie Taylor Hurwitz turned away 19 shots while her counterpart, Julia Maples, had eight saves.
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