Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ lacrosse teams in action Wednesday. CB East/CR North photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL National Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 12, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 11
The Patriots found themselves on the short end of a 7-3 score in the first half but staged a gutsy comeback to earn the come-from-behind win.
“We’ve had our share of games where the other team has taken the lead and never stopped,” East coach Maggie Stella said. “The past couple of years they’ve had a couple of girls that were just dominant players. They’re going to play in college, so they’re leaders and they know what they want in the game.
“My team is more the spread of talent, and all of them have something equal to contribute, but finding how to connect all those dots together for them is something that’s hard to even coach. I’m showing them at practice all the things they can do, but in the game, it’s that high intensity, so for them to connect it all today was awesome.”
Early in the first half, the two teams were deadlocked 3-3 when Rock North called a timeout.
“My team had just gained momentum, and they pulled away right after the timeout and score four goals right off the bat,” Stella said. “I keep telling them there are turning points in every game where you pick which direction you’re going to go. The thing I’ve been telling them this season is – you represent yourselves because this year we don’t know what every team is going to look like, so you have to respect them for how hard they worked and how hard you’re working, so it’s all about outhustling every single team.
“In that moment, I think for them it was – ‘We can continue on with this game and continue on with our momentum even though they had that breakaway and went up 7-3.’ They’ve really been into it and took off with it, so I was really excited for them that they did that.”
The Patriots, who still trailed by two at halftime, went on a 9-2 tear to go on top 12-9 before the Indians scored a pair of late goals.
“Within the last two minutes, they scored two goals, so I want to say the last 45 seconds of the game it was 12-11, and my team ended up getting the last draw, passing the ball around the last minute,” Stella said.
The win was the first in conference play for the Patriots.
“We were finally connecting, finally hitting those transition passes, the defense was dominant and our attack was finishing,” Stella said. “Our attack is all players who last year would have been their first year playing varsity. When you don’t get that, you don’t get that confidence with it.
“I think for them, even though they are juniors, they needed that – okay, I can do this, we can work together, we found our groove, so this game was really key for all of them.”
Keying the Patriots’ comeback was a standout defensive effort led by the stellar 16-save effort in goal of Fiona Henderson.
“Our defense has been pretty solid overall, and Fiona Henderson had an awesome game,” Stella said. “She just was on fire, and our defense is playing a zone so we had (Grace) Bethke back there and Sophia Buesing. The three of them were just working very well together because I would say Council Rock North is more of a crease team, and they were feeding up top.”
The Patriots also received a lift in the midfield from freshman Paige Keller, who finished with seven draw controls. She also had a pair of goals and an interception.
“She’s new to our team, and when she’s on, she ignites – it’s like someone lit her on fire,” Stella said. “The last two games she’s been very key, and she continued it from Council Rock South into North today.”
Junior Jordan Tait also helped ignite the Patriots.
“She has been really struggling to find her place on attack, and today she found it,” Stella said. “She scored the first goal of the game, and I really think that was her turning point. I think in that moment I knew we were going to win.
“I asked them to do that in the huddle – ‘Go get that first goal. That is key to your momentum and your overall morale.’ Paige got the draw and hit Courtney Mackenzie who’s a senior and then hit Morgan Tait, who scored. It was awesome. It was a great play, and it carried us through that moment.”
Tait’s four-goal effort led the attack. Courtney Curry, Sammy Kishel and Keller each had two goals while Morgan Eater and Rylee Surovec both had one goal.
“Rylee is my little sleeper,” Stella said. “She wasn’t someone I thought was going to be a starter. I thought she would be coming in from the bench. She has worked her butt off, and she will do anything for the good of the team. Right now, she’s my go-to-player. I can put her on defense, I can put her on attack, I can put her on the draw. If I said, ‘Go in cage’ she probably would. She’s that type of person that she’s going to do the best for the team. I think it shows. She’s done phenomenal.”
Eater also had six draw controls, and Mackenzie had five draws to go along with two interceptions.
“It was Courtney, Morgan and Paige who dominated the draw,” Stella said. “Courtney is my finesse player and is a good communicator. For Courtney and Morgan to step up and run our attack after years of playing varsity, just having two girls run the show – it was a great game for them to have. They work very well together.”
Abby Durr and Buesing each had one interception.
For the Indians, junior Morgan McCaffery turned in a standout performance, contributing six goals, three draw controls, one ground ball and two caused turnovers.
“She was taking phenomenal shots, but it would hit the post, our goalie would have a save or it would go wide,” Stella said. “In the second half, she was doing all the right things, and it was not aligning for her. She was a really great player. She was setting up their whole offense.”
Also for the Indians, Grace Vliet had three goals and one assist while Emma Sadovy had two goals and one ground ball. Rebecca Ripens had three assists, and Jill Hopkins had two assists, one draw control and three ground balls. Marlena Ries had two ground balls while Sarah Lewis and Bridget Walstrum had one each.
Central Bucks East (3-7, 1-4 SOL) will travel to Bensalem on Monday, and Council Rock North (2-6, 1-5) will host Pennsbury on Monday.
Council Rock North 7-4 11
Central Bucks East 5-7 12
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 8, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 7
It was a typical battle between the neighboring rivals. The Titans took a 6-4 lead into halftime and then scored just two goals in the second half, but it was enough to escape with the win.
“Tonight was a very ugly game, but we will take the win,” South coach Janique Craig said. “We did not play our best, but our team played hard until the end.
“(Goalie) Gabby Mayo came up with a big save at the end of the game that kept us ahead by one goal.”
Bridget Curtis led the Titan attack with three goals.
“Bridget Curtis played incredible on both attack and defense,” Craig said.
Also for the Titans, Tegan Mullen contributed two goals. Kate Victor added a goal and two assists and Janessa Watson and Grace Gannon both had one goal and one assist. Maddie Flynn and Brooke Cenci each had an assist.
Craig also credited the play of West goalie Margot Harring.
“CB West goalie Harring came up big with 10 saves,” the Titans’ coach said.
Central Bucks South (4-6, 4-1 SOL) will travel to New Hope-Solebury on Friday for a 7 p.m. game, and Central Bucks West (2-5, 2-3) will host Souderton on Monday at 7 p.m.
Central Bucks West 4-3 7
Central Bucks South 6-2 8
PENNSBURY 12, NORTH PENN 11
In a battle for the top spot in the conference standings, the Falcons knocked the Knights from the ranks of the undefeated, battling back from a 4-1 halftime deficit to eke out the win. Pennsbury and North Penn as well as Souderton and Central Bucks South have one loss in conference play, setting up a logjam near the top of the standings. Council Rock South is the lone conference team without a loss.
“I was very proud of the girls today,” Pennsbury coach Shannon MacPherson said. “We started off flat in the first half and were down 4-1 at halftime. The girls made adjustments and came back strong in the second half.”
That might well be an understatement. The Falcons – after managing just one goal in the first half – scored 11 in the second half, and once again Maggie Golder was a difference maker, finishing with 11 draw controls. She also had two goals and one assists to go along with a team high nine ground balls and seven caused turnovers.
“Maggie Golder had an awesome game,” MacPherson said. “The kid was nonstop the entire game and never let up. Darrien (Furiness) also contributed with seven draw controls.”
Furniness also had a hand in seven goals, connecting for four goals and assisting on three others. In addition, she had eight ground balls and two caused turnovers. Sarah Walcott added a hat trick, and Maddy Spratt had two goals and an assist to go along with two draw controls, four ground balls and one caused turnover. Sophia Curtis added a goal and an assist, and Olivia Walcott had an assist.
“North Penn’s defense did a really nice job today, which caused us to make some adjustments at halftime,” MacPherson said. “Our girls followed and played their game from there. Their goalie made some great saves today.”
On the other side of the field, North Penn coach Heather Mellow tipped her hat to the Falcons.
“Pennsbury simply dominated the draw controls, and we had to rely on our defense to get the ball back,” the Knights’ coach said. “But our offense did a nice job capitalizing on almost every offensive opportunity.
“Pennsbury is a very good team with a lot of talent. We were happy we kept the game competitive.”
For the Knights, Emily Varilla and Alli Lindsay both had three goals with Lindsay also contributing an assist. Lily Szilagyi had two goals and one assist, and Jordan Baily also had a pair of goals. Kerry O’Donnell had one goal while Kayla Stressman chipped in with two assists.
Sophomore goalie Kiera Holt had another strong outing, finishing with 12 saves.
“Our defense played a good game today,” Mellow said. “Kiera led the way again, making some big saves, but we did a nice job pressuring ball and taking away opportunities for Pennsbury to set up play.”
Pennsbury (6-1, 3-1 SOL) will travel to Council Rock North on Monday, and North Penn (5-3, 4-1) will host Ridley on Saturday in a non-league game at 11 a.m.
North Penn 4-7 11
Pennsbury 1-11 12
PENNRIDGE 18, BENSALEM 3
Ten players contributed to the scoring for the Rams, who were led by Amelia Loughery’s four goals and three assists. Aubrey Maher had three goals and four assists while Kate Unzicker added a hat trick. Lexi Muredda had two goals and four assists and Emily Brown also had two goals. Natalie Yilanjian had one goal and two assists. Grace Rosica and Maddy Eddinger both had one goal and one assist, and Lily Reilly contributed one goal. Mackenzie Herbst added one assist.
Brenna Craig was credited with nine saves in goal for the Rams in the win.
Pennridge (4-5, 3-2 SOL) will travel to Penncrest on Saturday for a non-league game, and Bensalem (2-6, 0-3) will host Central Bucks East in Monday’s Autism Awareness Game.
SOUDERTON 17, NESHAMINY 4
The Indians used a balanced scoring attack in their win over the Redskins.
Caroline Kelly’s three-goal, two-assist effort led the Indians. Clark Trowbridge also collected a hat trick. Ang Borisow had two goals and one assist while Avery Farina, Lauren Hallman, Isabel John and Peyton Clemmer had two goals apiece. Reiley Knize added a goal and an assist, and Ava Shaw had one assist.
In goal, Tegan Farina was credited with two saves and Courtney Mallon had one.
Souderton (6-2, 4-1 SOL) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday, and Neshaminy (0-8, 0-4) will host North Penn on Monday.
SOL American Conference
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 13, HATBORO-HORSHAM 8
Max Leszczynski’s six-goal, one-assist effort led the Colonials to Wednesday’s win that saw the Hatters – shut down since March 23 – play their first game of the season.
Adding two goals each for the Colonials were Raya Gauntlett, Meghan Wendler and Fiona Gooneratne. Brianna Austin contributed one goal.
“Brianna Reynolds and Max Leszczynski shared draw controls and possession at the circle,” PW coach Ellen Reilly said.
For the Hatters, Abby Rossignol led the way with four goals. Sophia Liott and Lydia Nolin each had two goals while Natalie Toca and Carleigh Carpenter both had one goal.
Clancy Lynch recorded five saves in goal for the Colonials.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-5, 4-1 SOL) will host Souderton on Friday, and Hatboro-Horsham (0-1) will host Wissahickon on Thursday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 9-4 13
Hatboro-Horsham 5-3 8
NEW HOPE SOLEBURY 17, LOWER MORELAND 7
Kate Dougherty scored five goals and assisted on another to lead the Lions to the decisive win. It was the third game in as many days for New Hope-Solebury and came on the heels of back-to-back overtime contests.
On Wednesday, the Lions’ biggest opponent might well have been the weather.
“Winter reappeared today with fierce winds and chilly temperatures,” NHS coach Betsy Dougherty said. “Both teams braved the weather and played hard throughout the game.”
Also for the Lions, Emma Ives, Rylie Hepp and Rachel Saxton each had three goals. Saxton also had a pair of assists while Hepp added one assist. Adding one goal each were Madie Thistlewaite and Margaret Tresler. Gaby Vitale had an assist.
Paige Malpezzi's five-goal effort led the Lions.
New Hope-Solebury (6-3, 3-2 SOL) will celebrate Senior Night on Friday when the Lions host Central Bucks South for a 7 p.m. game. Lower Moreland (1-5, 0-4) will be on the road at Council Rock North on Friday for a 6:30 p.m. game.
New Hope-Solebury 14-3 17
Lower Moreland 4-3 7
UPPER MORELAND 16, WILLIAM TENNENT 1
The Golden Bears celebrated their three seniors with a win over the visiting Panthers.
“Kat Morrow was able to catch the first pass of the game before leaving the field – she will be having ACL surgery next week,” UM coach Kim Frantz said. “Meredith Marstellar played well on defense and came out with one goal and one draw control.
“Maddy Trzaka had a great game offensively with two goals and three assists, and she also led the team in ground balls. Although our senior class is small, they are mighty.”
Isabel Leiter’s four goals and one assist led the Golden Bears. Olivia Meakim, Charlotte James and Reagan Cummins each had two goals. James also had one assist. Willow Taylor added a goal and two assists. Sophia Hopf and Kayla Sword each added a goal. Heidi Wittick and Allison LaRocco both chipped in an assist.
Wittick, LaRocco and Bre Knox each had two draw controls. Marsteller and Jenna Piantieri both had one draw control.
Emily Hurley had six saves in goal in the win for the Golden Bears.
Upper Moreland (6-0, 3-0 SOL) will travel to Jenkintown for a non-league game on Friday, and William Tennent (0-2) will travel to Neshaminy on Friday.
WISSAHICKON 11, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 3
The Trojans remained perfect on the season, winning for their eighth time in as many games.
Emma Baker scored four goals and also had seven draw controls. Lexi Hobson also had four goals, one assist and one draw control and was a force on defense with five caused turnovers and three ground balls.
“Lexi Hobson’s consistent presence at both ends of the field led to many of our transitions,” coach Jamie Kane said. “Starting with one of her caused turnovers, she was able to gain possession and keep possession with teammates like Sophia Chiodo-Ortiz and Quinn Gaffney. Also, Lexi was one of our coast-to-coast runners who can step up and put the first goal in the back of the net. Excellent play for that young lady.”
Chiodo-Ortiz contributed two goals and one assist, and Abby DeGroat added one goal, on assist, one caused turnover, two ground balls and two draw controls. Gaffney had two caused turnovers and one ground ball, Nora Ryan had one assist and goalie Madeline Murphy recorded seven saves.
“Defensively, Alena Doll, Haley Reed, Amanda Brecher and Chloe Acuna shut down many of Springfield’s attempts to drive,” Kane said.
For the Spartans, Maddie Yoder had a pair of goals, Emma Yoder added a goal and an assist, and Ella Marino and Raya Davis each had an assist.
"I am proud of my girls and the teamwork and perseverance they showed through this game," Springfield coach Marissa Conover said. "It took us about halfway through the game to strategize how our opponent was defending and attacking.
"Wissahickon had the majority of possession, and I’m happy about how well our defense held up against a game that was held in their 8. A tough loss but we would love a rematch."
Wissahickon (8-0, 3-0 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham Wednesday, and Springfield Township (3-3, 1-2) will be on the road at Council Rock South for a non-league game Wednesday.
Springfield Twp 1-2 3
Wissahickon 8-3 11
Tuesday, April 20
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 11, ABINGTON 10 (OT)
Twenty-four hours after losing an overtime heartbreaker to Wissahickon, the Lions found themselves in an eerily familiar situation. This time, however, they came away with the win when Kate Dougherty scored 47 seconds into overtime.
“The kids were like – ‘This can’t happen twice, we’re not losing this game,’ and somehow they pulled it out,” NHS coach Betsy Dougherty said. “
In their 13-12 OT loss to Wissahickon, the Lions had a one-goal lead but turned the ball over, allowing the Trojans to score the tying goal with 30 seconds remaining in regulation. In Tuesday’s game against the Ghosts, senior Kate Dougherty scored the go-ahead goal with 40 seconds remaining in regulation.
“We had the lead once again, and the same situation - we turned the ball over,” Dougherty said. “Against Wissahickon, I had a timeout left and I didn’t call it.
“I called a timeout this time. I tell them exactly what to do. Abington did a great job defending, pressuring and we made a bad pass. They went down and scored. Now it’s tie score and overtime.”
The Ghosts won the draw to open overtime.
“They were tough in the center draw,” Dougherty said. “My defense does a pretty good job, and my goalie – Sydney Luff – makes the save of her life. The kid had a great shot – a riser to the top corner, and Sydney just came out of her shell and caught it. It was clutch. She makes this great save, and she makes this great clear to Rachel (Saxton) who is my turbo speed runner.
“She goes flying down the field, blows by everybody. She gives a perfect pass, my kid drops the ball and the goalie gets it. I’m like, ‘This can’t be happening.’ The goalie clears it out, and thank goodness we double teamed the girl that had the ball and Kate (Dougherty) gets the ball back, goes to goal, and they foul her. She gets center hash, and Kate puts it in to win.”
Dougherty’s game-winner came with 2:13 remaining in overtime, the exact same time Wissahickon had scored its game-winner one day earlier.
“I was so happy for my kids,” Dougherty said. “They worked their butts off. To get Wissahickon to OT after being down 10-4 – and Wissahickon’s good, I was so proud of them, and then to come back today and play against an Abington team who’s really tough and fast, it was just a great, great morale booster for us.”
Dougherty’s game-winner was her seventh in a dazzling performance. She also had one assist. Saxton added two goals and two assists while Madie Thistlewate and Emma Ives each had one goal.
Luff was credited with six saves in the win, including the game-saver in OT.
For the Ghosts, senior Lesha Karaba’s four goals led the attack, and Maddie Hinkle contributed a hat trick. Shea Gormley added a pair of goals while Mei Mei Cheng had one goal.
Abington goalie Chloe Herghelegiu was credited with 11 saves in a strong showing.
“Lilly Alessandro was all over the field hustling,” Abington coach Amalie Kreitman said. “Our ‘D’ worked so hard to stop the ball.”
Abington (1-2, 0-1 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West on Friday.
New Hope-Solebury 6-4-1 11
Abington 5-5-0 10
Monday, April 19
Central Bucks West 19, Bensalem 2
Twelve different players contributed goals as Central Bucks West rode a complete team effort in cruising past National Conference opponent Bensalem on Monday.
“It was a great team win,” said Bucks coach Nicole Fisher. “It was awesome to execute and play our game plan as we head into more league games this week. The girls showed excellent composure and purpose.”
Kate Weyer (3G, 2A) and Meg Weyer (2G, 3A) led the way with 5-point games for West. Paige Gilbert (3G, 1A) and Jada Reichwein (2G, 2A) each chipped in with 4 points. Audrey Hitchens scored twice, Brooke Deily had a goal and 2 assists, while Erika Evan, Caroline Crecca, Nina Mayro, Alisa Korotkova, Reagan Levant, and Mason Keller each netted 1 goal.
Margot Harring made 9 saves in goal to earn the win for West.
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