Check out the recaps for SOL boys/girls soccer teams in action Friday. UD/Souderton photo provided courtesy of Geanine Jamison.
Boys
Non-league
SOUDERTON 1, UPPER DUBLIN 0, OT
Thomas Smith scored the only goal of the game on a rebound off of a restart in the 85th minute as Souderton posted its third consecutive 1-0 victory—this one against Upper Dublin— in a non-league game on Friday.
“We took a free kick, tried to get over or around the wall,” Souderton coach Matt Benner said. “It hit the wall, and fortunately for us, it fell right to our center back, Thomas Smith, who was pushed forward for the free kick, and he was able to make great contact on it and sent it into the top of the net.
“It was a great way to get out on a Friday afternoon with a win. Upper Dublin is really good. They’re playing really well right now, and today was no exception, so we feel really fortunate to get out of their with a win.”
Souderton keeper Riley Finger turned aside nine Upper Dublin shots in a stellar outing to help secure the Indians’ single-goal winning streak, which matches their entire win total from last season.
“To be honest, I think Upper Dublin had the better run of play today,” Benner said. “They came out of the gate really, really well, and they certainly were the better team the first half.
“We had some moments here and there, but we had a really good performance from our senior goalie, Riley Finger. He stopped a breakaway, he made some long-distance saves. He came up with some really good stops in both halves to keep us in the game into overtime. Great performance by him to keep us in the game long enough to find the back of the net.”
With the win, Souderton (2-1-2 SOL, 5-1-2 overall) will look to continue its winning ways when it travels to Upper Merion for a non-league game on Saturday at 10 a.m.
“We’re learning how to win,” Benner said. “In past years, maybe we would have lost a game like today, but when you win and you get some confidence, things start going your way. That was the case today. The boys worked hard, they stayed in the game, and they fought until they got the one goal they needed came.”
Upper Dublin (5-1 SOL, 5-4 overall) returns to American Conference play when it hosts Springfield Township on Tuesday.
Souderton 0 0 1—1
Upper Dublin 0 0 0—0
CHELTENHAM 2, PENN WOOD 1
Finlay Peet returned to the soccer pitch and scored twice as Cheltenham topped non-league opponent Penn Wood, 2-1, on Friday. Peet’s first goal, assisted by Edwin Noel, put the Panthers up 1-0 at halftime.
Peet, who was injured in the PW contest, was sidelined for the last four games and most of the fifth.
“Having Findlay back was a huge boost for the team,” Cheltenham coach Bill Tonkin said “He gives our team a lot of confidence when he is out there.
“They all played well today. We finally had a whole team effort. Hopefully this will be a springboard to more success.”
Cheltenham played the last 25 minutes of the game at a man disadvantage as a result of a red card, but the Panthers held tough and held off Penn Wood.
Cheltenham (0-6 SOL, 3-7 overall) returns to league play when it hosts neighboring rival Abington on Tuesday.
Cheltenham 1 1—2
Penn Wood 0 1—1
Girls
Non-league
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 2, LOWER MORELAND 0
Council Rock North overcame some early fatigue and a feisty Lower Moreland squad to net a pair of goals in the second half to pull out a 2-0 win over the Lions in Friday’s non-league game.
“Lower Moreland was tough to break down in the first half,” said North coach Gavin Flanigan. “Plus, this was our third game in four days and you could see we weren’t quite at our best.
“We made some adjustments at half time to help build up our possession and they paid off midway through the second half.”
Brooke Sobel provided the setup and Heather McLaughlin finished off a terrific passing effort to put the Indians on the scoreboard in the second half. Taylor Brennan added a cushion a few minutes later when she picked the top corner from about 25 yards out.
“I give a lot of credit to the girls for sticking with the game plan,” Flanigan said. “We had 19 shots on goal today and their perseverance paid off in the end.”
Grace Needham and Sarah Khantzian combined for six saves to share the shutout.
“We are at the halfway point of the regular season now, and we’ve seen a great improvement on and off the field for this team,” Flanigan said. “We are excited to see how the rest of the season turns out.”
The second half of the season begins with a big game as North (3-1-1 SOL, 7-1-1 overall) will face sister school Council Rock South on Tuesday at Walt Snyder Stadium at 7 p.m.
Lower Moreland 0 0—0
Council Rock North 0 2—2
PENNSBURY 1, UNIONVILLE 0
Gianna Durle scored the game’s only goal (Sarah Lohrey assist) in the 60th minute and the Falcons made it stand en route to a 1-0 win over Unionville in Friday’s non-league game.
Today was a grind-it-out type of game,” said Pennsbury co-coach Kim Lindemann. “It wasn’t our best 80 minutes, but we found a way to win and that’s what’s most important.
“A big shout out to Erika Hansen in goal today for us. She came up huge and kept us in this game. It’s a great out-of-league win and we are excited to see what next week brings for our girls.”
Pennsbury (5-0 SOL, 7-1-1 overall) will travel to Neshaminy on Tuesday.
Unionville 0 0—0
Pennsbury 0 1—1
BOYERTOWN 3, SOUDERTON 0
(Submitted by Souderton girls soccer)
Souderton struggled to find the back of the net and as a result, fell 3-0 to Boyertown in Friday’s non-league matchup. Souderton had a chance in the first 30 seconds as Taylor Yoder beat her defender but sent the shot just wide. Souderton continued to press in the first five minutes, but weren’t able to convert their chances.
With 30 minutes left in the half, Boyertown flipped the game on its head after converting a corner kick with a near post header. Following the goal, Boyertown was able to gain momentum, and continued to threaten from a number of corner kicks. Souderton goalkeeper Ashlyn Odenwald did well to hold Boyertown to one goal, including coming up with a huge save with 15 minutes left. It almost paid dividends, as Katie Pazdziorko immediately created a chance for Souderton at the opposite end. Pazdziorko created a second chance shortly after, slotting a cross back post for Averie Doughty, who got a toe on the ball to poke it just wide of the Boyertown net.
At the half, Boyertown led by a goal and Souderton was frustrated it didn’t have a goal to show for its efforts. Boyertown was able to capitalize in the second half, while the Indians missed a few good chances. Boyertown continued to apply the pressure, but had failed to break down Souderton’s defense for a second goal.
The Indians almost found the goal they had been searching for as Kaitlyn DiCandilo hit a free kick inches over the bar with 23 minutes left to play. Boyertown responded immediately with a chance that was blocked on the line by Souderton defender Sophia Ofalt and the follow-up shot was smothered by Odenwald. Despite their best defensive efforts, Souderton conceded their second goal off another set piece minutes later.
The Indians threw numbers forward in the last 15 minutes, but left themselves exposed to a counter attack, which Boyertown was able to capitalize on with 9 minutes left to play to put the finishing touch on the match.
Souderton (3-2 SOL, 6-3 overall) will host Gwynedd Mercy in a non-league game on Monday.
Souderton 0 0—0
Boyertown 1 2—3
CHELTENHAM 6, PENN WOOD 0
Five different players scored as Cheltenham cruised to a 6-0 victory over Penn Wood in Friday’s non-league game.
Zoe Moreland scored two goals for the Panthers, who led 3-0 at halftime. Ella Brown, Vivi Stackhouse, Lola Jahss, and Donya Baxter each added one goal for Cheltenham, which improves to 3-6 overall (1-5 SOL).
Cheltenham will be on the road at Abington on Tuesday.
Penn Wood 0 0—0
Cheltenham 3 3—6
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