Souderton was a winner in SOL boys’ soccer action while Pennridge was a winner in girls’ soccer. Pennridge/Pennsbury action shots courtesy of Althea Tomlinson/Pennridge soccer. Community Night/Robert Miller tribute photos courtesy of Andrew Robinson.
Boys
Souderton 7, Harry S Truman 1
The Indians erupted for five goals in the first half and added two more after halftime - each goal by a different player.
Giuseppe Sirchia put the Indians on the scoreboard 10 minutes into the contest, using a Liam Shaw assist. Five minutes later, Johnny Argueta turned a Jake Milnes pass into a goal, and then – three minutes later – Aidan Hennessy connected on an unassisted goal. Matt Andryushin (Argueta assist) and Will Woods (Shaw assist) each added a goal within a two-minute span.
Jake Luciani and Nolan Watkins (Colin Hughes assist) both scored a goal in the second half.
Chris McKenna recorded one save in the win in goal.
Souderton (3-5 SOL) will host Pennsbury on Tuesday, and Harry S Truman (0-8, 0-7) will travel to Central Bucks East on Tuesday.
Souderton 5-2 7
Harry S Truman 0-1 1
Girls
Patriot/Colonial crossover
Pennridge 4, Pennsbury 0
It's a game Rams players circle on their calendar every year as one that celebrates where they are, where they came from and who will be coming after them.
Pennridge's annual Community Night game recognizes the youth soccer programs that feed into the high school, the stands packed with up-and-coming players. On the field, the current Rams need
only to look up and see new faces in the same places they sat just a few years prior, and it's easy to see where their incentive to play well comes from.
While the Rams wanted to play well for everyone who was there, they also wanted to honor one person who wasn't. Prior to the game, the team honored Robert Miller - their assistant coach last season as well as a longtime coach at CB South and volunteer at Warrington Soccer Club - after his passing in March.
"We prepare for this day for weeks on end," Pennridge midfielder Sophie Craig said. "We love seeing the little girls. We grew up watching the players older than us so having them show up to support us and knowing they're coming up behind us, we have to set a really good example so it sparks us to come out and play strong for them."
Saturday also saw players from both teams thread up with gold laces in recognition of the fight against pediatric cancer.
Craig set a pretty good example on her own, scoring two goals and getting an assist on a third when her long-range hit led to a rebound and finish by Gabby Hermann. Liv Grenda scored the game's first goal and added an assist.
Pennridge jumped on the visiting Falcons early. A short clearance didn't get past Grenda, who put a move on a defender then buried a shot at the far post just five minutes in.
"It was always going to be a tough game going up to Pennridge on any night, even more so under the lights, on a weekend, with a large crowd behind them honoring the memory of a beloved coach," Pennsbury assistant Stephen Thompson said. "We looked ready to go in the first few minutes and started to move the ball well. But early lapses in concentration have plagued us so far this season in away games. As coaches, that’s something that we have to look at in our preparation to make changes to benefit the players."
Craig kept things rolling, getting the ball at her feet and finding space to turn before firing a shot that tucked in under the crossbar to 
make it 2-0 less than a minute after Grenda had scored. The junior midfield duo would then link up for a goal three minutes later, with Grenda navigating the defense and finding an open Craig for a one-time hit into the net.
"Our attacking third, it was all working really well," Craig said. "We've been practicing really hard, and we know we have to capitalize on those scoring opportunities. I think we showed that in the first half that we can come out strong and force teams to defend, not just our forwards, but our midfielders."
Soon after, Craig took a chance with a long volley that was saved but not covered which allowed Gabby Herrmann to crash on the far post and collect the rebound for the final tally of the night.
To Pennsbury's credit, the Falcons were able to pull together after the fourth goal and battled to the end. Keeper Malena Russo made a couple nice saves and the defenders played with guts, unafraid to challenge the ball or step in front of a shot.
"We came in with a tactical plan, but again, something as coaches we will review as we may not have set the girls up in the best defensive shape. In the midst of making some tactical changes, we conceded one or two goals that maybe we shouldn’t and against a team like Pennridge, once you get behind it’s an uphill battle," Thompson said. "Credit to the girls though as they quickly grew into the game and made it an entertaining competition for the remaining 70 minutes. Something we told the girls that they have to focus on and take that momentum into our next outing."
To help further strengthen the bond between present and future, Anderson had her players branch out into the community. Once the match ended, the current Rams mingled with the future Rams, signing autographs and taking photos with a handful of the interactions a little more meaningful.
"All the high school players wrote a letter to a youth player, it builds that connection from where they are now and where they will be and this is the first time some of them are meeting the person they wrote a letter to," Anderson said. "It's always fun to see the high school players who were those little girls filling that same role for the next group."
Pennridge (7-0 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy on Tuesday, and Pennsbury (2-4-2, 2-4-0 SOL) will host Souderton
PENNRIDGE 4 0 - 4
PENNSBURY 0 0 - 0
Goals: Pr - Sophie Craig 2, Liv Grenda, Gabby Herrmann
Remembering Robert
Robert Miller was a fixture on a soccer sideline. From his two decades-plus of service with Warrington Soccer Club, to his time at CB South and most recently on the bench for Pennridge last fall, Miller was a respected and beloved mentor with a larger-than-life personality.
Known for wearing his trademark cowboy hat, Miller exuded a passion for soccer that not only included coaching his daughter Makayla but to every player he came across at each stop along the way.
"I coached against him when I was a JV coach here at Pennridge, I've known him for years, but last year, it was just great to have someone from outside our small community come in and acknowledge what a big deal these girls are," Anderson said. "He brought a lot of humor to the program, from his conversations with the girls to - he would bring doughnuts and I'm not sure many of the girls liked doughnuts - but he was looking for any way of contributing."
Anderson appreciated Miller's statistical approach in terms of play on the field but just as much for his role off it. The two often exchanged inspirational quotes or videos. and Anderson admired how Miller could always appreciate a great play, even if it came against his team.
They only had one season with Miller on their bench, but he left an indelible imprint on the Pennridge players, and they've dedicated their season to his memory. The initials "RM" inside a cowboy hat, of course, decorate the back of the Rams' warm-up shirts this fall.
Craig recalled a moment that summed up Miller well. On a road trip to Bensalem last year, the team arrived to find Miller had beaten them and had already taken up a spot on the bench, hat on, which helped the players loosen up after a long bus ride.
"He taught us to live in the moment and found the fun in everything," Craig said. "We play every game for him, we know he's watching over us and wants us to succeed. We also want to play for his family, we know they're some of our biggest supporters because of how much he loved being with us."
Pennridge's Booster Club led an effort to collect used plastic bags, which helped earn a bench that has been dedicated to Miller and will be used on the sideline of Pennridge sporting events. Miller's wife Chris, sons Sean and Kyle and numerous other family members and friends were on hand to help dedicate the bench.
"For me, tonight was heartwarming but also sad. Seeing that so much of his family came to support us, they don't even know most of us on the team, it meant a lot," Craig said. "Robert was that person who was always there to brighten our day and could make us laugh by saying the silliest of things."
Photos: Pennridge and Pennsbury players wore gold shoelaces and came together to support the fight against pediatric cancer
Robert Miller's wife Chris, sons Sean and Kyle and other members of his family help dedicate a bench in Miller's memory. Miller, an assistant coach at Pennridge, passed away in March.
Pennridge dedicated a bench in memory of assistant coach Robert Miller, adorned with his trademark cowboy hat. Miller was previously an assistant at Central Bucks South and a longtime volunteer at Warrington Soccer Club
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