Check out the results for SOL boys/girls lacrosse teams in action Tuesday.
Boys
Neshaminy 11, Pennsbury 3
Matt Magdelinskas set the tone for the Redskins’ win over their neighboring rivals, scoring 35 seconds into the game. By halftime, Neshaminy had a commanding 9-0 lead on their way to the big win in the inaugural Doug Greenfield Cup contest.
By the time the final horn sounded, Magdelinskas had found the net five times. Mason Zebberline connected for a hat trick while Kevin Goetz, Dave Nuckles and Cale Kitchenman all added one goal.
Anthony Blickle had 12 saves in goal and was supported by a solid defensive effort from TJ Dainno, Luke Watkins, Rob Cautilli and LSM Nick Foster.
Girls
Neshaminy 17, Central Bucks East 14
The Redskins found themselves staring at a 14-9 deficit midway through the second half of Tuesday night’s game against the Patriots at War Memorial Field, but in an ending they will be talking about for a long, long time, the ‘Skins rose from the ashes of a certain defeat to earn a miraculous victory.
Neshaminy closed out the game with an 8-0 run to earn the historic win.
“The girls are beyond excited,” coach Ashley Belmonte said. “This just shows them that all the hard work they’ve put in is paying off.
“They believe in themselves, and they’re looking forward to the next game.”
Freshman Bridget Carrezola ignited the remarkable run with back-to-back goals, and then it was Fran Donato connecting for a pair. Another Carrezola goal was followed by three straight Donato goals to close out the game.
“We just kept winning the draw and going to goal,” Belmonte said. “It wasn’t just Fran going to goal. It was all of them working the ball around, finding the open player. They were doubling us, and we would find the open player.
“I think a turning point was their goalie got a yellow card and had to come out, so we were up a man for two minutes, and my girls took advantage of that. We had possession of the ball, we made smart decisions. We were connecting passes, we were winning the draw, we were winning ground balls, and we played with heart. It was 100 percent heart.”
The win, according to Bucks County Courier Times lacrosse beat writer Karen Sangillo, was Neshaminy’s first in SOL play since the ‘Skins defeated Norristown 5-4, on April 11, 2005.
“For my girls, the excitement they had was like we had won a championship, and to us, it was,” Belmonte said. “It was a major accomplishment for them.”
Donato led the Redskins with a game-high seven goals while Carrezola added six. The duo has provided a formidable one-two punch for the ‘Skins offense this season. Katelyn Dennis connected for a pair, and Elena Donato and Mia Sexton each added one.
Other players also made important contributions.
“When we needed to win draw controls, we put Ashley Nicoletti on the line, and she was coming up with draws, she was having one-handed catches,” Belmont said. “It was working for them.
“Our goalie (Madilyn Egan) came up big in the end. In the last minute, she had about three huge saves. This is super exciting, but we have two more big games this week, so we have to keep them going the rest of the week.”
Neshaminy 6-11 17
Central Bucks East 8-6 14
North Penn 8, Central Bucks South 7
Michelle Dyck was in a zone.
During a pivotal 20-minute stretch in the second half, the Maidens’ goalie was impenetrable. She finished the game with 16 saves, but the game was won during that second-half stretch that saw her fight off one Titan shot after another, several on free positions.
“I have to really focus in on the ball and not what everyone else is doing,” Dyck said of the key to her success. “I just zone in on that, and everyone else helps with it then.
“I knew this was a really big game that we had to win. There was no option to lose it.”
When it was over, Maiden coach Heather Mellow could at long last exhale, and she was quick to credit Dyck.
“She was the reason we won today,” the Maidens’ coach said. “She’s playing at a nice level right now. She was reading their offense really good.”
Early on, the Titans opened up a 3-1 lead after back-to-back goals by Tori Wigand – both with Sarah Poli assists. A goal by Emily Schulze made it a one-goal game, but Poli found Kelly Senour for a goal that put the Titans on top 4-2. Goals by Bri O’Donnell and Schulze (free position) made it a 4-4 game at the intermission.
Kaitlyn Pfifer and Sydney Lear connected on back-to-back goals to open the second half, putting the Maidens on top 6-4. The Titans had an answer, scoring a pair of goals by Senour and Poli in a 42-second span to knot the score at the 21:31 mark. A come-around goal by Jenn DeLongis with 13:29 remaining put the Maidens on top 7-6. Sparked by the play of Dyck in goal, the Maidens clung to that tenuous lead until Schulze scored her third goal of the game on a free position with 3:28 showing on the scoreboard clock.
South’s Kristen Berntsen connected on a free position with 1:08 remaining, but that would be the Titans’ last hurrah.
“It was really exciting,” Dyck said. “I really don’t like when it’s a one-point difference. It’s nerveracking, but I think we really did good today.
“It was a little sloppy in the beginning, but we definitely picked it up in the second half, which was really good.”
The Titans converted just seven of 26 shots into goals.
“Every time we play North Penn – there’s a big rivalry, and I think the emotions got the best of us,” South coach Janique Craig said. “I think it’s a learning experience.
“We have some good non-league games and some competitive league games coming up, and we’re ready to continue to fight to be number one. We’re going to still be fighting every game. We didn’t lose to North Penn today. We lost to CB South.”
The Titans’ coach went on to credit the play of her defense.
“My defense did incredible,” Craig said. “We had the slides, we were communicating. My offense had great pressure in the transition.
“Courtney Taylor played phenomenal on the defensive end. Krysta Reading came up with a few key draw controls.”
The Titans were without one of their top defenders, Ali Fisher.
“She has concussion, and I played a defender (Emily Damico) that probably had played five minutes of varsity, and she did well,” Craig said.
Although the Maidens escaped with a win, Mellow had some concerns.
“We played fairly sloppy,” she said. “I think they have this phobia of grass before they even got here.
“It is different, but it’s not that different. I think it’s a fear of the grass. It was not a very pretty game. We did not play up to the level of play we’re capable of playing.”
North Penn 4-4 8
Central Bucks South 4-3 7
Pennridge 14, Pennsbury 11
The Lady Rams turned in an inspired performance, earning the big win over the visiting Falcons in a conference game on Tuesday night.
“This is the most intensity and focus I have seen out of this team,” coach Karen Schnurr said. “They showed up to play and they delivered. The defense was double teaming and working as one solid unit.
“Carley (Wingate) kept making save after save and really stepped up to the Pennsbury team. The draw was critical, and the midfielders worked to successfully get the ball to attack. The attack found the open cutter and took it to the net.
“This is the team I have been coaching, and I am extremely proud that they are starting to bring the intensity to the game.”
Wingate led the defense with 13 saves in a winning effort in goal.
Jess Csaszar and Grace Loughery each scored four goals to lead a balanced Lady Rams’ attack. Csaszar also had two assists and one draw control while Loughery had one assist and five draw controls. Maddie Dachowski had three goals and an assist, and Devan Rimmer had one goal, one assist and four draw controls. Jen Rodzewich had one goal and one draw control, and Casey Hefner had one goal and two draw controls. Emily Price had two assists.
Pennsbury 5-6 11
Pennridge 9-5 14
Wissahickon 11, Plymouth Whitemarsh 8
In a key American Conference battle, the Trojans opened up an 8-5 halftime lead, and the two teams spent the second half exchanging goals.
“Possession of the ball was key throughout the game,” PW coach Ellen Reilly said. “Wissahickon was patient with the ball and controlled their possessions.
“PW had some good transition, but turnovers and poor shot selection continues to hinder (our) success.”
Emily Vervlied had four goals to lead the Trojans while Lauren Irvine and Carolyn Wilde both had two. Claire Tarzia, Marie Dickson and Lana Doskicz each added one. Wilde had a pair of assists, and Mary Matthews and Tarzia each had one assist. Goalie Kyra Myers had 10 saves.
"She played a fantastic second half," Wissahickon coach Patty Kovacs said.
Kirsten Monte led the Colonials’ attack with five goals while Ali Diamond, Maddie Berman and Rita Trainer each added one goal.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 5-3 8
Wissahickon 8-3 11
Abington 18, Springfield (Montco) 9
Casey McAllister scored five goals while Sam McGee and Jeannie Van Buren each added four to lead the Ghosts to the win in a night game on Tuesday. Rachel Morris and Mikki Raymond both added a pair of goals, and Issy Mugnier had one goal.
Raymond was also instrumental on the draws, finishing with five draw controls. Rachel Morris had four draw controls.
For the Spartans, Marley Berger had four goals and two assists, and Lindsey Smith had three goals and three caused turnovers. Caroline Pape had a solid all-around game with one goal, two assists, three ground balls, three draw controls and one caused turnover. Allison Yoder had one goal and three ground balls. Bailey Krewson had one assist, one caused turnover and one ground ball, and Meg Chandler had one assist and three draw controls.
Margarethe Leis had 14 saves in goal for the Spartans.
Upper Dublin 10, Cheltenham 4
Julie Cross scored five goals and contributed a pair of assists to lead the Flying Cardinals to the conference win. Hannah Reape added two goals and an assist, and Carly Bernstein and Caroline Wall each had a goal and an assist. Maddie Templeton scored a single goal, and Jill Kenny had an assist.
For the Panthers, Liza Becker had a pair of goals, and Marycait Jarley had a goal and an assist. Val Greene added a single goal to close out the scoring.
Upper Dublin 5-5 10
Cheltenham 3-1 4
Hatboro-Horsham 18, Norristown 0
Fourteen different players put their names in the scoring column for the Hatters. Carly Daley had a hand in seven goals, scoring two and assisting on five others. Gabby Acker finished with the hat trick while Kaitlyn Wallace had two goals and two assists, and Maddie Warner had two goals and one assist. Jenna Cutilli, Gwyn Acker, Syd Rausa and Morgan Crostarosa each added one goal and one assist. Scoring one goal for the Hatters were Katie Hartmaier, Lian Houseman, Kerryn MacBride, Casey Swezey and Olivia Tice. Alex Foster added an assist.
Maria Sims was credited with six saves in the shutout performance.
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