Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ lacrosse teams in action Monday. Abington/PW photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson, and Wissahickon/Quakertown photos provided by Kim Supko. Check back for galleries of both games: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f1066908596
SOL National Conference
NORTH PENN 12, PENNRIDGE 11
The Knights – sparked by the eight-goal effort of Lauren Blanch – won a road thriller on Monday. The win keeps them in the hunt for the top spot in the conference race.
“Going into this game, we knew Pennridge was a very strong team both offensively and defensively” NP coach Heather Mellow said. “They have some very talented players that are fast and can riffle a shot from anywhere near the 8-meter. They were quick to double the ball, and great at getting the back check causing a turnover, but tonight, we worked really well as a team to beat Pennridge. This was a great team effort.”
Armed with a 10-5 lead with 12 minutes remaining, the Knights appeared to be well on their way to a win, but the Rams had other ideas, rallying to take an 11-10 lead with four minutes remaining in regulation.
“We called a timeout and regrouped,” Mellow said.
The Knights capitalized on a Rams’ miscue to even the score 11-11 on a goal by Blanch with 2:26 remaining. It capped a dazzling 8-0 personal tear for the senior.
“Lauren won the draw and went straight to goal,” Mellow said.
Kayla Stressman connected on the go-ahead goal with 1:50 remaining.
“We won the last draw with a little over a minute remaining and ran out the clock,” Mellow said.
In addition to scoring eight goals, Blanch also had five draw controls and six ground balls. Stressman added three goals and a team-high seven draw controls, including the 200th draw control of her career.
“Between Lauren and Kayla, they did a great job fighting for the draw controls tonight,” Mellow said. “Winning the last couple draws of the game made the difference for us. Every single player – with or without stats – made a huge impact tonight.”
Grace McGeehan added one goal for the Knights. Quinn Rodoff was credited with three ground balls and two caused turnovers, and Grace Macnamara had three caused turnovers.
Kiera Holt was credited with 10 saves in goal for the Knights.
“Obviously, Lauren Blanch was hot tonight and kept us alive with eight goals,” Mellow said. “Having Kiera Holt back in the net after not playing for two weeks due to a concussion was huge as well. She made some big saves when we needed them.
“This team is now starting to come together – working less as individuals and more as a complete unit. We are learning how to win, and it’s very exciting.”
North Penn (7-4, 5-1 SOL) will travel to West Chester Henderson on Friday for a non-league contest at 5 p.m. Pennridge (8-4, 4-2) will be on the road at Neshaminy on Wednesday.
North Penn 6-6 12
Pennridge 5-6 11
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 14, SOUDERTON 4
The Golden Hawks bounced back quite nicely from their first loss of the season, opening up a 7-1 halftime lead on their way to the convincing win.
“I’m proud of them for rebounding after our first loss against (Central Bucks) West last week,” Rock South coach Madison Hurwitz said.
Zoe Brossman had a huge day for the Hawks, leading the attack with six goals and three assists for a nine-point game. Lizzie Hearn added three goals and one assist while Amy Loving had two goals and one assist. Adding one goal each were Kelly Longmore, Amanda Green and Ella Mayberry.
Kaya Mallon was credited with six saves and five interceptions in goal for the Hawks.
“She played great,” Hurwitz said of her goalie. “Midfielders Lizzie Hearn, Kelly Longmore and Zoe Brossman did a great job winning draws for us.”
For the Indians, Avery Farina had one goal and three ground balls, Ang Borisow added a goal and two ground balls while Ava Jones had one goal and one draw control. Also adding one goal were Rach Schewe and Day Long. Hannah Cornes was credited with two ground balls and four draw controls, Tatum Andrews had one ground ball and three draw controls, and Sam Newberry had one ground ball.
Nicole Kleckner was credited with one save in goal.
Council Rock South (9-1, 5-1 SOL) will host Pennsbury in a conference showdown on Wednesday, and Souderton (2-10, 1-5) will travel to Neshaminy on Wednesday for a 4 p.m. contest.
Council Rock South 7-7 14
Souderton 1-3 4
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 10, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 9
In Monday’s rivalry game between the sister schools, it was the Bucks escaping with the win in the tightly contested conference game.
“It was a very intense game, as always with Central Bucks East versus Central Bucks West rivalry, and that’s what makes it so much fun,” East coach Maggie Stella said. “The atmosphere was electric tonight. I have a love-hate coaching against my former teammate Jordan Sanocki and long-time rival but good friend Elena Romesburg.
“Kali (Cook-Grisewood) has developed a great team. This was a tough one for us. My team came out strong the first half, we went into halftime with a lead, but sadly came out with a loss at the end of the game.”
For the Patriots, Paige Keller’s four-goal effort led the way while Paige Dougherty added a hat trick. Keller also had two caused turnovers, two ground balls, and one draw control. Dougherty added three caused turnovers and five draw controls. Natalie Berndt and Lauren Boylan each had one goal and one caused turnover. Boylan also had three ground balls. Sammy Kishel handed out three assists to go along with three caused turnovers, three ground balls and three draw controls. Megan Fahey had one assist, three caused turnovers and two ground balls.
Also contributing for the Patriots were Amanda Ries (2 caused turnovers, 2 ground balls), Emma Weisel (1 caused turnover, one ground ball) and Olivia Samkavitz (1 caused turnover, 1 ground ball).
East goalie Abby DiAmico was credited with eight saves.
“My defense had an awesome game today – we played clean and controlled,” Stella said. “Olivia Samkavitz, Sierra Buesing, and Savannah Jagoda played their hearts out leading as seniors on defense. Abby DiAmico was our rock today. She made some amazing saves for us, and I couldn’t be prouder of the goalie she is becoming.
“Our attack had an amazing first half, they had many strong drives to cage. Our two Paiges (Keller and Dougherty) were hungry to score. Sammy Kishel, Lauren Boylan, and Ava Delfini moved the ball with composure. West’s defense really stepped it up in the second half. I am so proud of my team, and I know there is only room to grow from here.”
Central Bucks West (5-4, 2-3 SOL) will host Bensalem on Wednesday at 7 p.m., and Central Bucks East (6-6, 2-3) will host Central Bucks South on Wednesday.
PENNSBURY 20, NESHAMINY 1
Three Falcons – Olivia Graebner, Mia Popovich and Sasha Dobos – each had four goals in Monday’s rivalry game. Graebner also had three assists while Popovich had one in a contest that saw the Falcons open up a 13-0 halftime lead.
Grace Holmes finished with a seven-point night that included three goals and four assists. Lily Abraham had two goals and an assist while Rylie Borgman also had a pair of goals. Angelina Kenney had one goal and one assist.
Pennsbury (8-3, 5-0 SOL), the lone undefeated team in SOL National Conference play, will be on the road at Council Rock South on Wednesday for a key conference battle. Neshaminy (1-8, 0-6) will host Pennridge on Wednesday.
Neshaminy 0-1 1
Pennsbury 13-7 20
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 19, BENSALEM 2
The Indians owned this one from the outset on their way to the decisive win.
Cat McBride’s five goals led the Indians. She also had four ground balls. Maddy Mela added four goals and two draw controls while Charlotte Ondria and Julie Ondria each had three goals. Julie also had two assists, one ground ball and two draw controls while Charlotte had one ground ball and two draw controls. Taylor Deppi contributed two goals, three assists and two ground balls. Olivia Esposito and Jayne Bogle both contributed one goal. Esposito added one ground ball and one draw control. Bogle also had three ground balls. Gabby Mann added three assists.
Council Rock North (7-5, 3-3 SOL) will host Souderton on Wednesday at 5 p.m., and Bensalem (0-5) will be on the road at Central Bucks West on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. contest.
SOL American Conference
ABINGTON 8, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 7
Abington pulled out a thrilling come-from-behind win with a pair of late goals.
With the Ghosts trailing 7-6 late in the second half, Katie Pennekamp scored the equalizer, and with four minutes remaining, Madden Murray found
the net for a goal that turned out to be the game-winner.
“In the beginning, we knew that we had to give it our all,” Abington coach Meg McClain.
Both teams spent the first half exchanging punches and went into halftime with the score deadlocked 4-4. The Ghosts fell behind by as many as three goals and trailed 7-4 but silenced the Colonials the rest of the way. The Ghosts closed out the game with a 4-0 tear.
“The Lady Ghosts rallied together to find a way as a team to score and hold PW to no more goals,” McClain said. “The girls never gave up and kept fighting till the very end. We had five different players score.”
Katie Pennekamp led the Ghosts with three goals, and following her was Piper McGinley with two goals. Audrey Silverman, Madden Murray, and Elle Pennekamp had one goal each. Haley Hamsher helped her team with three assists.
The Lady Ghosts did a good job winning draw controls and were led by Harper McGinley with four, Audrey Silverman with three, and Katie Pennekamp with two.
“We could not have gotten this win without the great work by our defense and goalie either,” McClain said. “The defense worked very hard to keep up with the speed of PW. 
They caused multiple turnovers that gave the Lady Ghosts opportunities to score.”
Abington goalie Jadyn Bagby had 10 saves and with those saves reached 200 career saves as a sophomore.
“Jadyn Bagby is a young talented goalie,” McClain said. “She works hard every day from start to finish and never gives up. Her passion, knowledge and love of the sport helps her in the net and also helps her communicate with the defense. She is a great team player that tries to help better her team.”
For the Colonials, Bri Reynolds and Liv Reilly both had two goals while Liz Reilly, Ella Clark, Meghan Wendler and Maita Jayo each had one.
“It was a tough loss today,” PW coach Ellen Reilly said. “We had a two-goal lead, we had control of the game, and then we gave it up on draw controls, turnovers and forced shots.”
Abington tied up the game 7-7 with 11 minutes remaining.
“It was back and forth, and with two minutes left, we had a few good opportunities, and the Abington goalie made some good saves,” PW coach Ellen Reilly said. “We are young and still working thru being patient with the ball and understanding when and when not to attack. We had several great defensive caused turnovers but couldn’t capitalize on the offensive side of the field.”
The Colonials’ coach lauded the efforts of several players.
“Playing well was Bri Reynolds with two draw controls and two goals,” Reilly said. “Defensively Kai Jayo and Kaylin Smyth played well creating caused turnovers.”
Abington (8-4, 5-1 SOL) will travel to New Hope-Solebury on Wednesday, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-6, 3-3) will host Wissahickon on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 4-3 7
Abington 4-4 8
WISSASHICKON 17, QUAKERTOWN 3
The Trojans scored the first 10 goals of the game and took an 11-1 lead into halftime on their way to the decisive win.
Alexa McCabe and Emma Greenberg both had a hand in nine goals. In the 21st minute of the first half, McCabe, only a sophomore, scored the 100th goal of her career.
“I’m so proud of Lex,” coach Chuck Wurzbach said. “She is a really good student and a great teammate. To accomplish something like this so early in her high school career is a testament to the work she puts into her craft.”
Greenberg also had herself quite a day, finishing with four goals, five assists, four draw controls and one ground ball.
“Emma Greenberg had a monster day,” Wurzbach said. “She had some amazing feeds into tight windows to her teammates and was able to utilize her speed and strength to score as well.”
Also for the Trojans, Nora Ryan had three goals, one draw control and one caused turnover.
Maddie Radell and Sophia Stehlik both had two goals and one assist. Radell added one draw control while Stehlik had four draw controls.
Ava Fell was credited with 13 saves in goal in the win.
“Ava Fell had another great day in goal,” Wurzbach said. “She showed great vision on her clears as well.”
The Trojans’ coach also lauded the play of his team’s defense.
“Our defense has continued to improve as the season progresses,” Wurzbach said. “Assistant coach Mary Guinee has done such an excellent job with the defensive unit, and you can see the players buying into what she is teaching them.”
Wissahickon (5-5, 4-2 SOL) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. contest, and Quakertown (4-7, 3-3) will host Upper Moreland on Wednesday at 6 p.m.
Quakertown 1-2 3
Wissahickon 11-6 17
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