Check out the results for SOL boys/girls soccer teams in action on Saturday. CR South/Abington and CR North/Wood photos provided courtesy of Jon Sklut. Check back for galleries of both games.
Boys
PENNSBURY 3, FATHER JUDGE 0
Randy Dickersbach set the tone for a strong Falcon performance, turning a Dave Edwards pass into a goal in the first half of Saturday morning’s non-league opener.
The Falcons took that 1-0 lead into halftime and then put the finishing touches on the win with second-half goals by Aden Radovich (Evan Reichard assist) and Scott Heyman.
The win came less than 24 hours after the Falcons fell to Boyertown (1-0) in Friday’s season opener.
“We played well – very solid two games for us,” coach Tom Stoddart said. “We would’ve liked a better result yesterday, but we were able to keep the rhythm from Friday and put the ball into the net today.
“We are using a lot of underclassmen, and my senior captains – Matt Tennant, Randy Dickersbach and Javier Sosa – have been a steadying force.”
Pennsbury (1-1) will travel to Council Rock North for Wednesday’s SOL opener.
Father Judge 0-0 0
Pennsbury 1-2 3
ABINGTON 2, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0
The Ghosts picked up their second shutout win in as many days, scoring a pair of second half goals to break a scoreless tie and defeat Council Rock South. Saturday’s win came on the heels of their 3-0 win over Council Rock North.
Contributing single goals were Reece Gibbs and Gavin O’Neil.
Abington (2-0) will host Springfield Township in Wednesday’s SOL opener, and Council Rock South (0-2) will host Hatboro-Horsham in a non-league contest Tuesday.
Abington 0-2 2
Council Rock South 0-0 0
ARCHBISHOP WOOD 2, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 1
One day after shutting out Council Rock South, the Vikings edged South’s sister school in a non-league contest. Scoring the Indians’ lone goal was Sean Finneyfrook.
Wood – the two-time defending PCL champs – returns seven starters from last year’s PIAA 3A state semifinal squad and edged Rock North by a goal last year as well (1-0). After an 0-2 start, the Indians went on to win the SOL National Conference crown.
Council Rock North (0-2) will host Pennsbury in Wednesday’s SOL opener.
SOUTHERN LEHIGH 2, QUAKERTOWN 1
The Panthers came up just short in Saturday’s non-league opener. Scoring for the Panthers was Caleb Rudloff. Caleb Roth assisted on the goal.
Quakertown (0-1) will be on the road at Central Bucks South for Wednesday’s SOL opener.
Girls
NESHAMINY 2, UNIONVILLE 1
The Redskins’ notched a hard-fought win in a classic title game at the Unionville Kickoff Tournament, and when it was over, coach Renny Pappendick had a message for his opponent.
“I talked to a few of their players after the game and we were joking – I said, ‘I don’t want to see you guys until the state final,’” the Redskins’ first-year coach said. “They were a really nice group of girls. They played the right way, they played hard, and the coaching staff was great. We really had a nice game.
“It had very much of a playoff atmosphere. It was physical, it was intense. They’re very well coached. For an early season game, it had the feeling of a late season game.”
Approximately 15 minutes into the contest, junior midfielder Gina Sexton gave the Redskins the early edge in the battle of district powers.
“It was a beautiful goal – she put it side panel on an absolutely fantastic assist from Kristin Curley, who’s also a junior midfielder,” Pappendick said. “It was a very nice progression out of the midfield. We slipped Gina in, and Gina put it side panel. It was a very, very nice goal.”
Later in the first half, center midfielder Melina Prinos found the back of the net with a goal that put the Redskins on top 2-0.
“A ball played into the box was kind of knocked around – she found it on her foot about six yards out and touched it by the keeper,” Pappendick said.
The Indians cut that lead in half just prior to halftime after a mis-clear out of the back. Unionville stole the ball and capitalized to make it a 2-1 game at halftime. That score stood the rest of the way.
“We came out a little flat today,” Pappendick said. “They had a couple of opportunities early. We kind of buckled down, and we took it to them most of the first half. They got the one scrum. The second half we kind of pinned them in a little bit.”
The Redskins missed an open net goal that could have extended their lead. They also missed another golden opportunity on a chance in close.
“We had the run of play for probably the first 15-20 minutes of the second half,” Pappendick said. “We had a goal pulled back on an off-sides call.
“It was kind of a game of waves. We kind of gave it to them, and they kind of gave it to us. At the end of the game, we found ourselves really defending and holding on. They got balls in the box in the last 20-30 seconds. Riley Spingler made a really nice save with about 10 seconds left.”
The Redskins’ coach acknowledged the strong play of several players.
“Brooke Mullin up top – she’s a Division I committed basketball player,” Pappendick said. “She’s committed to Bucknell to play basketball. To her credit – she loves soccer, and she came back for her senior year, and she’s just a really good kid and she’s a good player. She would have been a D-I soccer player if she had chosen that path.
“Our back line did really well. Jess Dieroff is our right outside back and Alex Ziegler is our left outside back, and they’ve really stepped up and been extremely solid for us.”
Neshaminy (2-0) will face Council Rock South in its SOL opener next Friday.
Neshaminy 2-0 2
Unionville 1-0 1
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 2, WEST CHESTER HENDERSON 1
The Bucks were money on corner kicks in the opening half of Saturday’s non-league game, capitalizing on a pair en route to their second win of the young season.
Senior captain Megan Gallagher opened the scoring with a head ball goal of a Ryan Fitzsimmons corner kick. Eight minutes later, Fitzsimmons delivered a corner kick that sophomore Maya Smith hammered home for a goal that turned out to be the game winner. Henderson got on the scoreboard with four minutes remaining in the half. Neither team scored the rest of the way.
“I feel like we were in control the entire game,” coach Mike Moyer said. “We had plenty of chances we just couldn’t finish today.
“It was a great early test, and I’m really happy how we finished out the game. To travel to West Chester two straight days and go 2-0 against two quality teams is a great start for our program.”
The Bucks’ coach went on to acknowledge the contributions of several players.
“Our senior captains Megan Gallagher and Trish Hauck are playing at a very high level right now,” Moyer said. “I’m also very happy with the midfield play of Tori Albrecht and Erin Fitzsimmons.
Between Trish (Hauck), Ryan Fitzsimmons, Alex Craine and freshman Taylor Moyer, we had many chances to put this game away. We are looking forward to a couple days off and getting ready to battle our rival CB East on Wednesday. It should be a great test to see where we are as a team.”
Central Bucks West (2-0) will be on the road for Wednesday’s SOL opener at Central Bucks East.
Central Bucks West 2-0 2
West Chester Henderson 1-0 1
NORTH PENN 3, GREAT VALLEY 0
Lauren Birchler was perfect in goal for the Knights, turning away all 14 shots she faced in a standout effort that propelled her team to its first win of the young season.
Contributing single goals for the Knights were Zoei Baines, Marissa Werner and Olivia Jerome. Alexa Sparango, Jessica Rail and Emily Varilla each had an assist.
North Penn (1-1) will travel to Wilson for a non-league contest on Tuesday.
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