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Continental Conference
PENNRIDGE 3, QUAKERTOWN 2
Talk about happy endings – the Lady Rams wrote the happiest of endings to their conference season on Thursday, winning for the first time in 14 SOL games.
“It was awesome,” coach Becky Spahr said. “It was the perfect way to end our Suburban One Continental Conference season.
“It was almost like, ‘Why didn’t we put it together before?’ But it was nice for them to be able to end that way because I kept saying – our seniors have given so much to our program, and we can’t have them go out the way it seemed to be ending. It was a good ending.”
The Lady Rams stunned the visiting Panthers by scoring three goals in the opening 15 minutes of the game. Larisa Motts (Kari Moyer assist), Kellie Drugotch (Meghan Griffin assist) and Kirsten Moyer (Motts assist) each collected a goal in the Lady Rams’ offensive onslaught.
“We played Phoenixville in our first game, and we scored first in that game,” Spahr said. “Other than that, today was the first day we were ever winning.
“Quakertown, I think, was a little surprised that we came out that strong. I think we caught them off guard, which I was telling them we could do.”
The Panthers didn’t go down quietly. An Emma McLaughlin goal made it a 3-1 game at the intermission, and when McLaughlin connected for her second goal midway through the second half, it was a 3-2 game.
“I had to keep saying to them, ‘Slow down, it’s okay,’” Spahr said. “We’re normally so panicked because we have to have urgency.
“Trying to get them to slow down – we haven’t played that way before. The second half was super even. It was back and forth the whole time. Quakertown has some really good forwards, and my defense worked together and held them off.”
Spahr lauded the performances of defenders Alyssa Bland, Victoria Walsh and Kendall O’Shea.
“They played really, really good today,” the Rams’ coach said. “Quakertown had way more corners than us, but our defense stood up to that. Even offensively, things were coming together more.
“Kari Moyer is always super strong, and she distributed the ball really well today. Today we had people picking up on her passes, which we have been struggling with.
“(This win) made them excited. They were getting to a point where it was like – this is not going to end for us, and now they’re like, ‘We don’t want it to end.’ It’s good for them to be excited for hockey.
“Today was the first time we put together great end-to-end play for the entire game. Our goal was to play as a unit today, and we were successful. We are happy to end our conference play and start building momentum for next season.”
Pennridge closed out conference play with a 1-13 record (2-15). The Lady Rams will close out the season with a non-league contest against Christopher Dock Friday. The Panthers closed out league play with a 5-8-1 mark (8-9-1 overall).
Quakertown 1-1 2
Pennridge 3-0 3
NORTH PENN 3, HATBORO-HORSHAM 1
The Maidens celebrated Senior Day a day later than planned, but they made it a good one, taking a lead midway through the first half and going on to earn the important win. Later that day, the Maidens were awarded the 12th seed in the District One AAA Tournament.
“This game was really important because we know that with this game we had the possibility of playing at home, and that’s pretty much our biggest goal all season – to play at home in the playoffs,” senior captain Amanda Laessig said.
Laessig certainly did her part to make sure that would happen, connecting for a pair of goals. It was her goal midway through the first half with an assist from Kara Whitman that negated a strong start by the Hatters – who drew four quick corners – and swung momentum in the Maidens’ favor.
“I think definitely once we scored we knew we were in it, and we just fed off of each other,” said senior captain Marissa Elizardo, whose nine-save effort in goal also was key. “We played really well together. We all pick each other up, and I think each game we’re getting better.”
The game’s second goal came at the end of a textbook passing sequence that began with defensive back Morgan Rimmer finding Casey O’Donnell, who passed the ball across goal to wide open teammate Emma Herb on the opposite post for a goal that put the Hatters on top 2-0 with 2:10 remaining in the first half.
“I think we really worked on holding the ball and knowing when to pass it,” O’Donnell said. “We would draw the defenders, and they weren’t ready for it.
“I don’t even think they knew we had two people behind their defense. We really work on that.”
The Hatters cut the Maidens’ lead in half with 9:56 remaining in regulation when Casey Swezey found teammate Jenna Cutilli, whose shot was redirected into the cage by Gabby Acker.
Three minutes later, O’Donnell found Laessig for her second goal of the day and the 3-1 final.
“I think we’re a really good conditioned team, and we build off of each other,” O’Donnell said. “If we’re down, we always have a positive mind that we’re going to bring it back up, and I think that’s what really brought us together.
“It was our Senior Day today, so everyone pulled together to win it for us, and it was an awesome feeling.”
The Maidens (12-6 overall) closed out the regular season with a 10-4 record in conference play to finish in a tie for second place with Central Bucks West. Making the Maidens’ successful season even more special is the fact that the team boasts 11 seniors on its roster.
“It’s awesome,” O’Donnell said. “On the field, we all connect well, and we all get along. It’s really fun to come to practice and play together.”
The Hatters, who earned the 22nd seed in the district tournament, closed out the regular season with 7-6-1 record in league play (10-7-1 overall).
“The slate’s clean,” Hatters’ coach Laura Swezey said. “We have to work on some things as far as finishing.
“I think we learned some things from this. The kids get along great, they’re still supporting each other.”
Hatboro-Horsham 0-1 1
North Penn 2-1 3
American Conference
SPRINGFIELD 1, UPPER DUBLIN 0
The Spartans used a goal by Jen Nguyen (Tara Murphy assist) with 15:14 remaining in the first half to eke out a win over the Flying Cardinals. The win avenged a 1-0 loss to the Cardinals on Sept. 19.
The Spartans had the better of play this time around and held a 16-4 advantage in shots and 9-3 edge in corners.
Upper Dublin goalie Mikaylah Johnson was credited with 14 saves while Springfield’s Molly Bauer recorded two saves in the shutout.
The Flying Cardinals closed out their season with an 8-5-1 record in conference play (8-9-1 overall). The Spartans were 8-6 in conference play.
Springfield 1-0 1
Upper Dublin 0-0 0
UPPER MORELAND 2, UPPER MERION 1
The Vikings took a 1-0 lead when Alyssa Adinolfi scored at the 6:02 mark of the first half, using an assist from Danielle Antonucci. They took that lead into halftime, but the Golden Bears responded with a pair of second half goals.
Delaney Smith scored the equalizer at the 18:43 mark, using an Emily Jeinnings assist, and Jenna Getz (Jessica Flanagan assist) connected for the game winner less than a minute later.
Upper Moreland goalie Allison Felicetti was credited with one save while Upper Merion’s Devyn Antonucci had three saves.
Upper Moreland closed out the regular season with a 10-3-1 record in league play (12-4-1 overall) while the Vikings were 4-10 in the league (5-12 overall).
Upper Moreland 0-2 2
Upper Merion1-0 1
WISSAHICKON 3, CHELTENHAM 0
Sophie Hessler connected for the hat trick – all in the second half – to lead the Trojans to the win. Rachel Zimmerman, Sam Scoma and Lauren Marolla each contributed assists.
Claire Tarzia was credited with four saves in the shutout for the Trojans while Cheltenham’s Tegan Dorley recorded 10 saves.
Wissahickon coach Lucy Gil credited Ashley Laskowitz, Lauren Marolla and Sam Scoma for turning in strong performances.
The Trojans closed out the regular season with a 10-3-1 mark in conference play (10-6-1 overall) while the Lady Panthers were 2-12 in the league (3-18 overall).
Wissahickon 0-3 3
Cheltenham 0-0 0
National Conference
HARRY S TRUMAN 3, BRISTOL 0
The Tigers closed out their season on a winning note, shutting out the visiting Warriors.
Kelsey Hackbart put the Tigers on the scoreboard with a goal in the 13th minute, and a goal by Mikaela Pachecco (Anne Estrella assist) put the Tigers on top 2-0 in the 24th minute. Three minutes later Kylie Profy scored, using an assist from Ariel Simpson, giving the Tigers a 3-0 lead that held until the final whistle.
The win was the fourth of the season for the Tigers (4-13)
Bristol0-0 0
Harry S Truman 3-0 3
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