Pennridge, CB West, CR North & Neshaminy were winners in boys' lacrosse while CR South & Souderton were winners on the girls side. Check the recaps.
Boys
PENNRIDGE 7, SOUDERTON 6
The Rams won their third straight game to open the season, and this one – against their neighboring rival – was especially sweet.
“Anytime you have Pennridge and Souderton together – it doesn’t matter,” Pennridge coach JP Banks said. “I know they had a little rough start this year, but anytime our two teams play each other – rivalry games are always like this. It doesn’t matter who’s up or who’s down that year, it’s just been like that.”
Tuesday’s win was hard earned and another battle, and according to Banks, it was not always textbook lacrosse.
“It’s really early in the year,” the Rams’ coach said. “We’ve been playing a-lot-of-error lacrosse, and to be able to eke through those – in the past couple of years, we’ve been really close, and in some of those games when we’ve been sloppy, we haven’t been able to pull it out. Credit to the kids. We didn’t play great, but somehow we found a way to win.”
The two teams were deadlocked 1-1 after one quarter, and the Indians led 2-1 before the Rams scored the final two goals of the half to go into the intermission with a 3-2 lead. Not a whole lot changed the rest of the way as the two teams exchanged goals.
“A lot of credit to their goalie – Axell Beskar,” Banks said. “He made a ton of saves.
“It’s been difficult for all of the team up here.
“After we played Wissahickon on Thursday night, we couldn’t even get a practice in with the holiday and the weather. We’re kind of going out there tonight and we hadn’t practiced, we hadn’t thrown around, we hadn’t done anything in four days.
“We actually put some good stuff together, and we looked all right. We got some quality looks and (Beskar) made some big saves.”
Pennridge goalie Tristan Banks recorded 13 saves in a strong outing of his own.
“He played pretty well too – they both did,” said Banks. “I really thought PJ Matkowski, our face-off guy, did a great job. I’d have to look at the stats, but he was probably 15-of-18 on face-offs. He did a great job controlling possessions.”
Junior Logan Lazasz led the Rams’ attack with three goals and two assists. Kevin Britner added a hat trick while Nick Fanelli and Ryan Garner each had one goal.
“It’s been next guy up with us, and tonight Logan Lazasz on attack did a real nice job for us, making the extra passes, finishing a couple of shots,” Banks said. “Kevin Britner did a real nice job dodging and finishing and had three goals.
“I thought Brendan Howell, Tristan (Banks) and Dan Hart did a great job on the defensive end.”
Beskar made 12 stops in goal for the Indians.
“The kid kept us in the game,” Souderton coach Mark Princehorn said.
For the Indians, Walker Martin led the way with a hat trick. Matt Rauch, Adam Booz and Cole Witoslawski each scored one goal. Rauch also had an assist.
Pennridge (3-0) will host Saucon Valley on Thursday at 7 p.m., and Souderton (1-2) will host Archbishop Wood on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
Souderton 1-1-2-2 6
Pennridge 1-2-2-2 7
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 10, WISSAHICKON 5
The Bucks stayed perfect on the season, winning their fourth game without a loss. They led by just one after one quarter, took a 5-3 lead at halftime and then outscored their hosts 5-2 in the second half. Eight players contributed goals in an effort that was the very definition of balanced scoring.
Joey Rockovich, Michael Samson and John McCreary each scored two goals. Rockovich also had a pair of assists. Erik Ojert, Ben Sexauer, Ben Huang and Blake Ewaskey each had one goal. Ojert and Sexauer each added an assist. Jake Ojert also chipped in with an assist.
Garrett Hitchens played a key role for the Bucks, winning 12-of-18 face-offs. He also scooped up six ground balls.
Goalie Max Dunar recorded nine saves in a winning effort for the Bucks.
Central Bucks West (4-0) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Thursday night, and Wissahickon (0-4) will travel to Perkiomen Valley on Saturday for an 11 a.m. contest.
Central Bucks West 2-3-2-3 10
Wissahickon 1-2-1-1 5
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 13, UPPER MORELAND 5
Beckett Thompson scored four goals to lead the Indians. Peter Lehman also had a hand in four goals, scoring three and assisting on another. Brendan McLaughlin contributed a hat trick. Luke Walstrum added a goal and an assist while Ian Waitkus and Nathan Lewis both had one goal.
Freddy Germana had a team high four ground balls, and Nolan Jackson had three goals. Nick Murray and McLaughlin had two each.
Council Rock North (2-1) will travel to Central Bucks East on Wednesday for a 3:30 p.m. contest. Upper Moreland (0-3) will host Council Rock South on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
NESHAMINY 18, ARCHBISHOP RYAN 8
Mason Zeberlein's eight-point game – which included four goals and four assists – led a balanced Redskin attack in Tuesday's rout of Ryan. Zeberlein also had two ground balls. Nick Donato (three goals, two assists, two ground balls) and Connor McVey (three goals, two assists, two ground balls) both collected a hat trick, and Gabe MacIlvaine had two goals and two ground balls.
Dawson Obringer had a big day for the 'Skins, finishing with a team high eight ground balls, six face-offs won, two goals and one assist. Noah Weiman had five ground balls to go along with one goals and one assist, and John Hughes had four ground balls and also won two face-offs. Ryan Maher scooped up five ground balls and one assist. Contributing three ground balls each were Luke Sermarini, Douglas Lang and Preston Backhaus. Backhaus also had two caused turnovers.
Goalies Joe Ardin and Garrison Toto each had six saves. Toto also contributed a caused turnover.
Neshaminy (2-0) will host Interboro on Thursday at 4 p.m.
Girls
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 8, HATBORO-HORSHAM 3
What a difference a year makes.
Last year, the Golden Hawks found themselves on the short end of a 12-5 score when they took on the Hatters in the second game of the season. On Tuesday night at Hatboro-Horsham, they avenged that loss and, more importantly, opened the season on a strong note.
“This was so important,” coach Madison Hurwitz said. “Our home game against Wood was cancelled because of the snow. This was supposed to be a home game Luckily, we got it in. It was so important – 1-0, and I couldn’t be any more excited.”
The game, according to sophomore Claudia Steinmetz, was a confidence booster.
“Sometimes we lack confidence,” she said. “This really helped us.”
“We lost pretty hard last year,” senior Tori Wright said. “We kept getting it shoved down our throats.
“I think we learned from that game because last year they were just throwing the ball over our heads, so we fixed that for this year and worked on something new to stop that from happening.
“We just have a really good core group of girls, and we’ve been working on a lot of different opportunities and plays to get an advantage.”
The two teams exchanged goals in the first half with the Hawks finding the net first on a goal by Kristen Lee in the game’s opening minute. Back-to-back goals by Gabby Liott gave the Hatters a 2-1 lead. A Carissa Longmore goal knotted the score with 7:30 remaining in the half, and when Steinmetz scored with just under four minutes remaining in the half, the Golden Hawks led 3-2. A goal by Megan Acker knotted the score at the 2:16 mark, but 23 seconds later, Caitlyn Thornton scored to send the Hawks into halftime with a 4-3 lead.
“I think we did a good job going to goal,” Wright said. “That’s one of the things we focus on, going to goal and going hard.
“I think we were solid on defense too. Everyone was communicating and had each other’s backs.”
Steinmetz scored her second goal in the opening seconds of the second half, and Longmore’s second goal gave the Hawks a 6-3 edge. That lead held Lauren Brown scored with 4:42 remaining.
After freshman goalie Sophia Kutsaya turned away back-to-back shots, Lauren Mitchell put the finishing touches on the win when she scored on a free position.
“They did everything we have practiced,” Hurwitz said. “This was our second time on a real field outside, so we’ve been in a gym.
“Last year it was their transition (that created problems). We were prepared this year. We knew they liked to clear the ball over our heads, so we definitely had a way to stop that. We practiced the 4-3 ride, slowing them down when they cleared the ball. They did everything we asked of them.”
Hurwitz had high praise for all her players.
“Tori Wright was our rock on defense,” the Golden Hawks’ coach said. “Claudia Steinmetz hustled her butt off the entire game in the midfield.
“Sophia Kutsaya is awesome. She’s a freshman, and she was so nervous for this game. This was her first career varsity start. I’m very proud of them.”
Council Rock South (1-0) will travel to New Hope-Solebury on Thursday for a 3:30 p.m. contest, and Hatboro-Horsham (0-1) will host Central Bucks East in Thursday’s SOL opener at 3:45 p.m.
Hatboro-Horsham 3-0 3
Council Rock South 4-4 8
SOUDERTON 12, METHACTON 8
Liz O’Hara scored four goals while teammates Anna Anello, Randi Hess and Riley McGowan each found the net with a pair of goals. Sarah Goodwin had a hand in four goals, scoring once and assisting on three others. Kate Connolly had one goal, and Carlie Doughty chipped in a pair of assists.
The Indians stormed out of the gate to a commanding 9-2 lead at the intermission and then held off a surging Warrior squad in the second half.
Souderton goalie Lauren Scott recorded seven saves in the win.
Souderton (1-1) will host Upper Perkiomen on Monday at 6:30 p.m.
Methacton 2-6 8
Souderton 9-3 12
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 13, NESHAMINY 9
Katie Denis had a big game for the Redskins, scoring four goals, but it wasn’t enough to hold off the visiting Lions.
Also for the Redskins, Kelsey Goetz and Caroline Angerer both scored two goals and assisted on another. Mackenzie Foster contributed a goal and an assist.
Neshaminy goalie Stephanie Bennett was credited with nine saves in goal.
Neshaminy (0-1) will travel to Quakertown on Wednesday for a 3:30 p.m. contest.
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