Abington fell to Conestoga but remains alive for a state playoff berth. Upper Moreland saw its season come to an end.
CLASS AAA
#2 CONESTOGA 11, #7 ABINGTON 5
The Ghosts trailed by just one, 3-2, early in Saturday’s district quarterfinal game, but the Pioneers reeled off five straight goals to go into halftime with an 8-2 lead. The teams spent the second half exchanging goals, but the Ghosts never made up the ground they lost in Conestoga’s run late in the half.
Cathy Staerk led the Ghosts with three goals while Sam McGee had a pair.
The Ghosts will play at least two more games, one of four teams vying for three state berths. Abington (15-5, 9-0 SOL) will host 11th-seeded Strath Haven in a playback game on Tuesday.
Abington 2-3 5
Conestoga 8-3 11
CLASS AA
#2 GWYNEDD MERCY 15, #7 UPPER MORELAND 5
The Golden Bears ran into a fired-up Gwynedd Mercy squad that would not be denied in Saturday’s district quarterfinal.
“We didn’t have our best show today,” coach Kim Frantz said. “We didn’t come out hard in the beginning, and with Gwynedd, we knew we had to come out hard in the beginning.
“I think Gwynedd was very good at capitalizing on our weaknesses today, weaknesses we don’t always have every game, but they found our weaknesses that we had today and capitalized on them.”
The Bears trailed by just a 3-2 score after Emma Meakim scored on a free position midway through the opening half, but the Monarchs closed out the half with a 5-1 tear to go into halftime with an 8-3 lead.
Not a whole lot changed in the second half, and the Monarchs – who were led by the seven-goal effort of Kendall Seifert – opened up a 15-3 lead before Sydney Bachmayer connected on a pair of late goals. Bachmayer led the Bears with four goals.
“I think nerves – it’s the first time they’ve been here, we’re so young,” Frantz said. “I think it’s a good learning lesson for them. They’ll have a better idea next year of the pressure and what the teams will look like, but they did play hard until the end. I told them they had nothing to hang their heads about. We have a lot to be proud of – we can’t look at just this game. We have to look at the whole season.”
All but lost in the shuffle of the season-ending loss was the glittering 18-save effort of goalie Cheyanne Grumm.
“(She) had a phenomenal game,” Frantz said. “Cheyanne had a great, great game.”
Upper Moreland (5-4 SOL) closed out its season with a 12-8 record.
Upper Moreland 3-2 5
Gwynedd Mercy 8-7 15
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