While Neshaminy & CB West suffered setbacks in the District One AAA semifinals, Pennridge and CB East kept their hopes alive for a state playoff berth.
#6 Downingtown West 2, #2 Neshaminy 1
The Redskins 19-game winning streak came to an end on Thursday night after they fell to the Whippets for the second time this season. The ‘Skins got on the board first after a scoreless first half when Erin Farrell found the net off a Katie Suchodolski assist in the 54th minute. A little less than ten minutes later, the Whippets headed one in through a crowd of players in front of the net to knot the game 1-1. With five minutes remaining, West scored a goal that turned out to be the game winner. The ‘Skins had a few more chances in the last few minutes but couldn’t finish their opportunities.
Coach Rachel Clemens called the game “evenly matched.”
“They were very good and solid,” she said of Downingtown West.
The Redskins, disappointed they couldn’t avenge their only regular season loss, will face CB West on Saturday at West Chester East to play for the third seed in the PIAA Tournament, which begins on Tuesday.
“We need to regroup and focus,” said Clemens. “We know we are playing a very defensive-style team.
“Their goalie is good and it will most likely be a one-goal game.”
Clemens described Wednesday’s loss as a “tough pill to swallow,” and the Redskins will look to fix the mistakes they made in their loss in time for Saturday’s match-up.
#1 Strath Haven 1, #21 Central Bucks West 0 (PK’s 5-4)
If their upset of Pennridge in quarterfinal action didn’t prove that the Bucks belonged among the district’s elite, their performance in Thursday’s semifinal contest certainly did.
The Bucks battled the top-seeded Black Panthers to a 0-0 tie after 110 minutes of regulation and overtime but lost on the final penalty kick.
Bucks’ keeper Grace Bendon kept her team in the game with some amazing saves while her defense did their best to keep the Panthers at bay. The Bucks tarnished the perfect record of the Panthers, making them 19-0-1.
CB West will face Neshaminy to determine the third seed for the state playoffs on Saturday at West Chester East at 5 pm.
#4 Pennridge 2, #10 Pennsbury 0
The Rams find themselves back in the race for a state berth after beating Pennsbury in Thursday’s playback game. Neither team, according to their coaches, played with the same intensity and rhythm that they normally do. Both were coming off tough losses in Saturday’s quarterfinals, and both endured almost a week off in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.
“We were our own worst enemy again,” Pennridge coach Audrey Anderson said. “We were just off a little. The game was kind of a flat all around.”
Although not at the top of their game, the Rams were able control much of the play and scored a goal in each half to down Pennsbury.
Marissa Sheva scored an unassisted goal in the first half, and Megan Shenk added another off a penalty kick in the second half. Standout Natalia Pinkney was aggressive as well, but the combination of Falcons’ keeper Sarah McDonald and defender Bridget Congdon diminished her scoring chances.
The Falcons also suffered a devastating setback when team captain Lexi Brown was sidelined early in the second half with an injury, ending her season on the bench.
According to Anderson, the Rams didn’t play with the urgency that you would normally see in a must-win situation, but after the players realized they had just ended Pennsbury’s season, reality started to set in.
“We were off a beat, out of rhythm,” said the Rams’ first-year coach. “From here on out, we lose and we are done. It hit them today,”
Offensive standout Megan Shenk agreed that her team was not playing their ‘A’ game.
“We were actually pretty slow in the beginning,” she said. “It was the first time all of us touched a ball. We were a little out of shape. We got more comfortable together in second half.”
The Falcons (14-6-2 overall), who have come on strong the second half of their season, struggled Thursday after losing some of their confidence when they fell to league rival Neshaminy on the last penalty kick following a double overtime.
“We were in stride last week, really clicking from front to back,” says coach Kaitlyn Battiste. “Pennridge did a good job of disrupting our rhythm. They had the better of the opportunities.”
Battiste admitted that it was disappointing to see the season end short of a bid to states but is proud of her team’s second place finish in the National Conference.
Despite the Rams tough loss to CB West in the quarterfinals and an uncharacteristic performance on Thursday, they look ahead to Saturday when they will host Continental Conference rival CB East at 7 pm.
“Our hopes are that we come out on fire,” said Anderson.
Shenk realizes it will be a physical battle against East but believes her team will be ready.
“We beat East both times, but knowing we’ve beat (them) in past will help us get more confidence,” she said, “but our ultimate goal is to win states.”
#8 Central Bucks East 2, #3 Owen J Roberts 1 (2 OT)
The Patriots faced the Wildcats in a playback game after losing to top-seeded Strath Haven in the quarterfinals, but junior Mariah Lichter, for one, wasn’t fazed by last week’s loss.
“We knew it wasn’t the end for us,” she said.
Lichter was right.
Thanks to Thursday double overtime win, the Patriots remain alive in the battle to claim the fifth spot in the state tournament. Owen J Roberts was first to get on the board in the 20th minute, but East would control the remainder of the game. Nicole Pannella converted a corner kick into a pass to Lichter, who scored the equalizer with 10 minutes remaining in regulation. About two minutes into the second overtime, Lichter served a ball out of the back to teammate Shaun Kane, who received it in the air. The keeper approached Kane as she controlled the ball with her body and finished it off with a touch off her foot into the goal for the victory and the chance to keep the Patriots’ season alive.
The Patriots faced the same issues most teams did on Thursday, coming off a long unexpected break.
“We started slow,” coach Paul Eisold said. “It looked like our legs were a little weak, but we picked up momentum and started taking over the game in the second half.”
Eisold applauded the play in the center of Pannella, who played tough and aggressive, and Annie Axenroth, who constantly won midfield battles. Left midfielder Holly Moyer also was a key factor in East’s win as she was very consistent in playing balls forward to generate opportunities for the attack. Eishold called the victory was a team effort.
“We all just rallied,” he said. “We knew we needed to capitalize when we could.”
The Patriots will face a very familiar opponent when they take on Pennridge for the final state playoff berth. The Rams shut out the Patriots in both of their regular season games, but Lichter has confidence the third time will be the charm.
“I think we are ready to play them,” she said. “We really want it. If we just pressure them and get into them and connect passes, we know we can do it.”
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