Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action. CB East/CB West photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL Colonial
Pennridge 2, Central Bucks South 1 (OT)
Nearly halfway through divisional play, it’s been more of a surprise when two SOL Colonial teams don’t play a one-goal game.
While that’s more of a macro-level observation, on a micro scale, all Pennridge and CB South were worried about was who was going to get that next goal to make their meeting Thursday night into a one-goal game. A pair of second half goals, the first a scrappy tap-in by Pennridge’s Peyton Rabinowitz and the latter a deft flick by freshman Khloe Montini of a Riley Karpinski cross with two minutes remaining had left the teams tied 1-1 going to overtime.
Midway through the first extra session, Pennridge’s seventh corner proved its most fruitful when a service by junior left back Avery Runk found sophomore right back Natalie Walter at the far post for a header and the game-winner.
“I didn’t have anyone on me, they were all stuck into the six, so I was able to make a run onto the back post,” Walter said. “I know Avery always hits it where she hit it because we’ve been working on it so much, so I trusted her and got to the spot I thought she was going to hit it.”
“She’s probably the main person I look for because I know she’s willing to get her head on the ball,” Runk added
Scoring Summary
2nd Half
P – Peyton Rabinowitz 13:26
CBS – Khloe Montini (Riley Karpinski) 1:52
1st OT
P – Natalie Walter (Avery Runk) 4:39
Pennridge coach Audrey Anderson on the win: “That’s what I love about this conference, every game is a challenge and every time we’ve stepped on the field, we’ve learned something new about ourselves.”
On the Rams’ growth this season: “They can make their own mark, every team that’s been through here has been slightly different and they’ve made their own mark and put their own stamp on what they want the program to be. As coaches, we can’t force it, we hope they’re going to go out there and play, do the little things better than the other teams and outwork the other teams.”
On Runk’s performance: “I’ve gotten to better know Avery the past couple weeks and just yesterday as we’re working on corners, getting to hear the things she was saying to herself, she’s a trip. I’ve really enjoyed watching and coaching her this season. I said to the team – ‘The best has not come out of us yet’ and that’s true with someone like Avery. She’s gotten so much better with every game and that’s a confidence thing.”
Pennridge junior Avery Runk on the team’s resolve: “We all trust each other. We’re encouraging when one of us isn’t having a good game or might be in our own heads, it’s nice to fall back on each other when we need to.”
–On the new-look Rams continuity: “We struggled with connecting with each other and knowing how we all played, because we’d never played together before, so I feel like we’re figuring that out now and our passes are working out and finding the right people.
“You know the standard this program has, so to be able to play up to it in our own way is nice. They all believed in each other and trusted each other, so to have that kind of trust in our team feels really good.”
Pennridge sophomore Natalie Walter on the team’s development: “It showed that we’re able to work together and keep pushing through. We stay composed with the ball and we’re starting to really work together as a team.”
–Following last year’s team’s example: “I’ve been nervous every game, getting on the field, I’m freaked out a little, bit but scoring my first varsity game felt really good.
“Their work rate was always 100 percent so I’m always trying to work myself at 100 percent and go above and beyond.”
CB South coach Pat Lordi on the game: “We have some work to do. I said to the girls at the end of the game – we’ve competed with everybody. I thought the biggest difference was Pennridge’s aggressiveness and their ability to win the first ball and often imes the second ball.”
–On the Titans’ resilience: “This isn’t the first time we’ve gone down 1-0 and responded. We had a defensive system in mind to play against Pennridge, we changed that when we went down a goal and got the equalizer, which is not uncommon for these players. You just hate to give up corner kicks, especially deep in overtime, because you’re just playing with fire. We’ll learn how to deal with some of that.”
Up next: Pennridge (6-1, 3-1 SOL) travels to Central Bucks West at 7pm next Tuesday. CB South (6-3, 2-2) hosts Souderton at 5:30 on Tuesday.
PENNRIDGE 0 1 1 – 2
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0 1 0 – 1
Central Bucks East 3, Central Bucks West 2
The first of the two regular season meetings between the archrivals was as spirited as ever.
CB East pounced on an early lead, but the comeback Bucks did it again, scoring twice after halftime to put the hosts on their heels. The Patriots replied in turn, rallying to tie the score before sophomore Kiera Sleicher
willed her team back in front in the late stages of a back-and-forth duel.
Round 1 between the rivals delivered. Round 2 comes October 14 at West, when they meet in the annual Kick for Pink game.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
CBE Jessie Bernabe (Kiera Sleicher) 32:56
2nd Half
CBW Rian Detweiler 38:08
CBW Emery Sterling 33:15
CBE Magee Williamson (Mia Forney) 19:46
CBE Kiera Sleicher 8:05
CB East coach Jake Nesteruk on the win: “First off, proud of our girls for the effort they put in and the respect they have for the rivalry. No doubt we made a meal of this game, but in this conference, you’re going to have days that don’t go completely as planned. Our first half was excellent, and Jessie finished off a great ball in to give us an early lead. We’re probably a bit unfortunate to not take more out of the first half, but we went into halftime with the lead a few mistakes behind us.”
–On the rivalry and West’s effort: “Massive credit to Bree and her group for finding a way back in this game and taking the lead. I’ve been coaching in this rivalry for six years and that program always finds a way to fight back into games and make things difficult. Second half they did just that and took the lead early. I’m really proud of our girls for keeping their heads, staying resilient, and focused on creating chances.”
–Williamson’s equalizer: “I thought for the majority of this game we had a really good day, a few tough bounces that put us behind, and so happy Magee Williamson came in and leveled this game. We are on the doorstep of a second goal and just weren’t clinical in front of goal. In comes Magee who just buries a header off a free kick.”
–East standouts: “Credit to our entire group. You don’t bounce back from trailing in a game without great leadership and being a consistent threat in front of goal. I thought Jessie Bernabe was great today, I thought Ella Roumy and Mia Forney’s flank put constant pressure on the West backline. And the goal to win this one came out of pure individual brilliance from Kiera Sleicher. That kid puts in such an effort in every game – one of the hardest working kids I’ve ever coached – and makes the most out of a play when space is tight and legs are gone.”
CB West coach Bree Benedict on her team’s tenacity: “I’m very proud to coach my kids at West. They battled hard, created chances, played with our West DNA, and were so respectful to the moment. We have a lot of season left!”
Up next: CB East visits Quakertown at 11 am on Saturday. CB West travels to Avon Grove at 12:30 on Saturday.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1 2 – 3
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0 2 – 2
Souderton 1, North Penn 0 (2 OT)
Souderton’s first win in SOL play didn’t come easily.
Hannah Beckett finally drove in the breakthrough score on a free kick in the second overtime, earning a win for an Indians’ defensive unit that had its best overall performance of the season. Emily Dick posted her first shutout in SOL play for a Souderton team that’s given opponents some problems this season and now focuses on turning some of those problems into results.
Scoring Summary
2nd OT
S – Hannah Beckett
Souderton coach Melissa Lollar on the win: “Overall the team played better defense as a unit. We have been struggling to defend as a whole, and I thought they made huge strides in that tonight. The girls really wanted a conference win because they had come so close, and I really felt like they earned it even though North Penn gave us a good fight.”
–Standout keeper: “Emily Dick played really well in net and was a leader in the back with her communication and confident play. It was fun to see that for her after a challenging defensive game earlier this week.”
–Standouts: “Lily Heron and Julia Purvy both had good offensive games, creating many chances for us and making North Penn’s defense work pretty hard. Our midfielders Kylie Cummings and Cailee Cush played solid physical games to maintain the midfield and chances from the center of the field. Hannah Beckett has been playing very well this year slowing down play as needed and distributing the ball very well getting the ball out of pressure. She’s confident on the ball so when she had the opportunity for the free kick in the second overtime, we had a good feeling all around. She deserved it.
“I have to give a lot of credit to North Penn’s keeper who had some great saves and made it hard for our team.”
Up next: North Penn (1-7, 0-4 SOL) visits Gwynedd Mercy Academy at 12:30 on Saturday. Souderton (3-4, 1-3) travels to Norristown at 7pm on Friday.
SOUDERTON 0 0 0 1 – 1
NORTH PENN 0 0 0 0 – 0
SOL Liberty
Abington 3, Plymouth Whitemarsh 0
Ghosts assistant coach Zac Kluver certainly deserves an assist for Thursday night’s win.
After an injury put Abington in an unenviable goalkeeping situation on Tuesday with Nya Riggs picking up the win in relief, Kluver had a day to figure something out. While Riggs was an option again and trained in goal on Wednesday, the Ghosts hoped to keep her in the field if possible.
So, it fell to Olivia Capps, and all the senior did in her first ever start in goal was put up a clean sheet with a win.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
A – Alexis Whaley
A – Vivian Siravo
2nd Half
A – Alexis Whaley
Abington coach Rick Tompkins on the win: “The team played pretty well. We’re still banged up a bit, but people are stepping up. Keira Clemson has filled in nicely for Marissa Hellyer, tonight Olivia stepped in nicely for Addy Hayden and Emma Regan got hurt pretty early, so Mia Sarro, a sophomore, stepped in and played pretty well.”
–Center backs continue to deliver: “Madison (Oldham) and Sara (Kaeser) are so strong back there, and they just calm everything down. They win so many airballs, it was ridiculous, she had a very good game.”
–Goalkeeper situation: “Nya’s a very, very good field player, she’s very athletic, and we knew we could throw her in there in a pinch with no training and she could probably do it. Zac Kluver is our goalkeeper instructor, so the next day he said, ‘Give me Nya and Capps, and let’s see what we can do,’ which I loved because it could let us keep Nya in the field. Oliva stepped up big time, one day of training and she delivered, no complaints about that effort.”
Up next: PW hosts Upper Dublin at 7pm on Tuesday. Abington visits Quakertown at 3:30 on Tuesday.
ABINGTON 2 1 – 3
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 0 0 – 0
Upper Dublin 2, Hatboro-Horsham 0
The Flying Cardinals had two things really working for them this week: their defense and Bridget DiMartile.
UD’s defense, paced by senior Jordyn Levine in goal and backs Olivia Broome, Shannon Connaughton, Brooke Ellner and Sophia Sirianni, didn’t give up a goal in 160 minutes of soccer this week. In four SOL Liberty matches, the unit has only allowed one goal and has three shutouts.
As for DiMartile, after a quiet start offensively, the sophomore got it rolling this week. After scoring three times on Tuesday, DiMartile had a role in both goals Thursday as the Cardinals maintained their lead atop the division
Scoring Summary
1st half
UD – Bridget DiMartile (Abby O’Meara)
2nd half
UD – Peyton Ward (Bridget DiMartile)
UD coach John Topper on the win: “We played pretty well, we applied most of the pressure for the first 25 to 30 minutes. We converted one but, I felt like we could have had a couple more. Bridget DiMartile opened up the scoring in the seventh minute off a long diagonal from Abby O’Meara and Bridget did a wonderful job of tucking it away from an almost impossible angle. About eight minutes into the second half, Bridget slotted one across to Peyton Ward who finished with her right foot, which is not her dominant foot.”
–Standouts: “Peyton Ward – she’s such a skillful player, but it became a physical game in the second half. She rose to the occasion and showed a lot of grit out there. Our back line and Jordyn Levine in goal, they had another shutout, and they’re really starting to mesh. After the first 25-30 minutes, the game opened up a bit and our girls handled the pressure really well.”
–On HH keeper Riley McGuire: “She made two or three point-blank saves I was sure were goals, so all credit to their keeper, she did a great job.”
HH coach Chris Artman on the match: “After a hard fought game on Tuesday night vs PW, we just did not seem like we had the same energy vs UD. The girls still battled but we were a little slow to the ball and were missing some passes which stalled our offense. We had a couple chances in the second half but just could not put the ball in the back of the net. UD’s second goal came as we were pressing forward looking for the equalizer.”
–On Riley McGuire’s play: “Down 1-0, UD got in behind our defense, but senior keeper Riley McGuire came up with a massive save on a breakaway and then another great save on the rebound effort. The team seemed to get a lift from her save, but we just couldn’t finish and the half ended with us down 1-0. ”
Up next: Hatboro-Horsham (2-4, 1-3 SOL) hosts Cheltenham at 3:45 on Friday. Upper Dublin (5-2, 4-0) visits Plymouth Whitemarsh at 7pm next Tuesday.
Quakertown @ Wissahickon – Postponed
The Panthers and Trojans will make up their divisional contest at a date tba.
Up next: Quakertown hosts Central Bucks East at 11 am on Saturday. Wissahickon visits Hatboro-Horsham at 7pm on Tuesday.
SOL Freedom
Lower Moreland 4, William Tennent 1
With a shot a first place in the division on the line, the Lions didn’t waste any time.
A quick pounce strike by Ruby Levin, the first of her two first half goals, gave LM an early leg up in the clash of cats. As the attack added on two more before the break, the Lions’ defenders dug in and made sure all three points and a solitary perch atop the table would be theirs.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
LM – Ruby Levin (Emma Leibert)
LM – Quinn Rozanski (Kenna Rozanski)
LM – Ruby Levin (Quinn Rozanski)
2nd Half
WT – Paige Marek (Sofia Jakimoski)
LM – Shannon Mahon (Kenna Rozanski)
LM coach Todd Hill on the win: “We had a gutsy win today against a talented William Tennent team. We were able to put some pressure on them right out of the gate which led to a goal in the first two minutes of the game. This really built our girls’ confidence so that as Tennent began to build an attack, our girls could play out of that confidence and go on to a really nice win.”
–LM defensive efforts: “Our girls all played a really strong game. Our defensive unit of Gabby Fogarty, Violet Levin, Keira Huber, Izzy O’Brien, Sammy Pennisi and anchored by Agnes Kroll were able to contain WT’s very quick attackers. Our goalkeeper, Mariah Gazzara, continues to grow in confidence and played a really strong game as well.
–Standouts: “Tennent has two standout center midfielders. I was really proud of our center midfield play by Kenna Rozanski and Payge Lennon. They played a really strong and intelligent game in the middle of the field to control the game. Lastly, our attackers keep growing in their ability to find different ways to create opportunities. The chemistry between Emma Leibert, Nikki Sahl, Shannon Mahon, Ruby Levin, and Quinn Rozanski continues to grow. Great game by this unit as well.”
WT coach Elise Jara on the match: “Entering the second half down three we, knew we dug ourselves into a hole that would be difficult to climb out of. We came out with more energy to start the second half, and Paige Marek had a beautiful header off a corner from Sofia Jakimoski. We had opportunities but just couldn’t seem to finish.
–Standouts: Lia Jablonowski had a solid game starting at center back and then moving up top in the second half. Sami Roby as always was solid on the back line.”
Up next: William Tennent visits Conwell-Egan at 3:45 on Friday. Lower Moreland hosts MaST Charter at 4 on Friday.
Springfield Twp 2, Upper Moreland 1
The Spartans put an infusion of youth into their lineup to start the season. It took some time for that young lineup to get its footing but the flashes of their talent and potential were there early on.
Thursday, Springfield Twp’s fab freshmen delivered on the offensive end, registering both goals in a grind it out win over the Golden Bears.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
ST – Karley Hartman (Ava Brnich) 21:54
UM -Erin Distill (Brogan Neely) 39′
2nd Half
ST – Liz Hanushchak 46:48
Keeper Saves
UM Gracie Costello 7 saves
ST Olivia Gatewood 10 saves
Springfield Twp coach Chris Tomarelli on the win: “(We) secured a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Upper Moreland, with goals by freshmen Karly Hartman and Liz Hanushchak leading the charge. Freshmen Ava Brnich and June Kirk, who have been consistent all season, delivered solid performances once again, helping anchor the team’s efforts. Olivia Gatewood was a force in goal, making crucial saves to keep Springfield in control. It was a total team win, showcasing both the strength of the young players and the collective determination of the squad.”
UM coach Lisa Benvenuto on the match: “Today’s game was pretty evenly matched up. Possession was shared by both teams, with Springfield being able to capitalize on their opportunities. We fell behind halfway through the first half and were able to get an equalizer from Erin Distill late in the first half. Distill showed great composure in netting her first varsity goal. We struggled to get into a rhythm today.”
–Standouts: “We had strong play today from Annalise Messina, Keiley Hawk, and Erin Distill.”
Up next: Upper Moreland (4-2, 2-2 SOL) visits Interboro at 3:30 on Friday. Springfield Twp (2-4, 2-2) hosts Cheltenham at 3:30 on Tuesday.
SPRINGFIELD TWP 1 1 – 2
UPPER MORELAND 1 0 – 1
New Hope-Solebury 2, Cheltenham 1 (OT)
The Lions had to wait a few extra minutes to get their first win of the season, but it was certainly worth it.
An overtime strike by Elizabeth Brennan was the difference in a back-and-forth game that saw New Hope-Solebury rally from a halftime deficit.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
C goal
2nd half
NHS – Hailey Castellano
1st OT
NHS – Elizabeth Brennan
NHS coach Laura Motley on the win: “In the first half, Cheltenham took advantage of a defensive lapse and led 1-0. In the second half. Hailey Castellano tied the game up with a great run down the left wing, she cut inside and scored. In OT, New Hope aggressively took the ball to Cheltenham’s defense and Elizabeth Brennan scored the game winner five minutes into OT.”
Up next: Cheltenham hosts Hatboro-Horsham at 3:45 on Friday. New Hope-Solebury hosts William Tennent at 7pm on Tuesday.
SOL Patriot
Bensalem 5, Harry S Truman 0
Up next: Harry S Truman (0-7, 0-4 SOL) hosts Renaissance Academy at 3:45 on Friday. Bensalem (1-4, 1-3) hosts Council Rock South at 3:30 next Tuesday.
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