Check out the winners in SOL boys/girls soccer action Wednesday.
Boys
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0 (2 OT)
Two overtimes could not determine a winner in Wednesday’s battle between the neighboring rivals, who were forced to settle for the scoreless tie.
West keeper Dylan Smith made six saves and earned his third shutout of the season. For the Patriots, it was their fifth consecutive shutout.
Central Bucks West (2-2-1, 1-2-1 SOL) will be on the road at Pennridge on Tuesday, and Central Bucks East (4-0-2, 3-0-1) will host West Chester Henderson on Saturday.
Central Bucks East 0-0-0-0 0
Central Bucks West 0-0-0-0 0
Girls
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0
The Patriots broke a scoreless tie in the 69th minute off a service by Megan Mannato in the box that saw Riley Kane – in a scuffle – hammer it home. That goal proved to be the game winner for the Patriots, who received a shutout in goal from Kristen Obetz.
“Megan Mannato played well offensively, and Abby Brown was outstanding in the back,” coach Paul Eisold said. “Bri Talbot was spectacular in the midfield, winning balls and serving into the box.”
Central Bucks East (2-3, 2-2 SOL) will host Villa Joseph Marie on Monday in a non-league game, and Central Bucks West (2-4, 0-4) will host Bensalem in a non-league contest Saturday.
Central Bucks East 0-1 1
Central Bucks West 0-0 0
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 4, UPPER DUBLIN 2
It’s been an interesting season in the new-look SOL American Conference. Newcomers Quakertown and Hatboro-Horsham share the top spot while defending champion Upper Dublin fell to 1-3 in conference play after Wednesday’s loss.
For the Colonials, Wednesday’s win was their second in a row after opening the season with three straight losses.
“We got off to a bumpy start,” coach Ryan Zehren said. “We lost that game to Upper Moreland 1-0 in overtime, which really hurt us. We dominated the game, but we just couldn’t put the ball in the net. It was definitely a heartbreaking loss.
“I really feel like we can compete with anyone in our league, but with Quakertown and Hatboro-Horsham coming over, they add a whole new dynamic to the league. They’re coming from a much more difficult league, and they’re taking advantage of playing in a conference with (smaller schools).
“I’m glad we got these wins the last two games. Do I wish we had the Upper Moreland win? Yes, but I think with the win today our girls are proving to themselves they can compete with anyone.”
In Wednesday’s contest, the Colonials found themselves staring at a 1-0 deficit at halftime, but an Ali Diamond goal in the 42nd minute ignited a three-goal explosion in three minutes with Alyse Caffrey and Lauren Fortescue following Diamond’s lead.
“We never played on turf this year, and the game is completely different,” Zehren said. “It was much more wide open.
“We had opportunities in the first half on a couple of corner kicks, but Upper Dublin definitely matched us with their opportunities and maybe had a couple of more. It was hot and our girls were definitely tired. When they got off the field (at halftime), we said, ‘We know you’re tired, and they’re a solid team, but you have to find something deep down inside to push through the fact that you’re exhausted. You have to put this heat in the back of your mind. You can’t think about that. If you do that and all work together, you’re going to score a goal, and when you do score, their heads are going to drop and you’re going to score another goal.’
“Little did I know we would score three goals in a three-minute span. It was unbelievable. Ali Diamond had a tremendous free kick that basically curled around the wall knee-high and went near post into the lower corner. It was an unbelievable shot – the girls were thrilled. We had opportunities in all of our games, we just were not finding the back of the net.”
The Cardinals scored in the 70th minute to make it a 3-2 game, but five minutes later, Caffrey iced the win when she scored her second goal for the 4-2 final.
“We’ve been telling the girls – you need to be ruthless with your finishes,” said Zehren, whose team has scored seven goals in its last three games combined. “They’ve really turned it around.
“Upper Dublin never gave up and started to take control. They can really connect passes. When they scored that second goal, I could see our girls’ shoulders go down, but they started getting back into it. All of a sudden Alyse Caffrey finds herself one-on-one with the defender, does a little spin move, the ball’s still at her feet, she gets to the PK mark and bangs one right into the bottom right hand corner and sealed the game for us.
“These girls have worked so hard. I’ve pushed them so hard. When we were 0-3, I felt so bad for them. They worked so hard, and they deserved so much more than an 0-3 start.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (2-3, 2-2 SOL) will play a non-league game at Harry S Truman on Saturday, and Upper Dublin (1-3) will be on the road at Abington on Friday for a non-league contest.
“We still have a long, long way to go,” Zehren said. “Can we hang onto this momentum we finally have going?
“What’s being laid out right now is something that should definitely be exciting over the next month and a half.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0-4 4
Upper Dublin 1-1 2
NORTH PENN 4, STRATH HAVEN 0
About the Author
