Check out the results for SOL girls’ lacrosse teams in action Thursday. Photos of the North Penn/CB South game are courtesy of Lisa Henderson. Check back for a gallery of game photos.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 9, NORTH PENN 4
The ‘curse’ is over.
For the first time in 12 years, the Titans walked off the field winners in a game against North Penn.
“We have been so close,” coach Janique Craig said. “We were very close in 2014, and in 2015, our shots were just horrendous and we beat ourselves really – we were ahead.
“We kind of joked that there was a curse on us. We said, ‘Let’s not think about it and just play our game.’ North Penn is such a respected program, and they’ve been such a powerhouse program, even when I was in high school. They’ve always been one of the top teams in the league, so this is a really great day for Central Bucks South.”
The game started off slowly for both teams, and the Titans took a 3-2 lead into halftime.
“The girls didn’t really play their best at the start of the game,” Craig said. “This was their third game of the week, and we still have one more game on Saturday.
“They were a little bit tired, and we were sloppy at the start. North Penn was actually controlling the game, and they did a great job capitalizing on our mistakes and had the ball on their attacking end for quite some time in the first half.”
South senior co-captain Sarah Poli pointed to center Chloe Novak as a key for the Maidens.
“She’s gotten really good at taking the draws, and (we) struggled with that,” Poli said. “The last couple of games we’ve started slow, it been a routine with us recently. I think it was a mental block, but something with that field – I think it brings people down, just the turf itself.
“We’ve never done well there. We knew we were the better team and we had to come through with it.”
The tide turned when – in a one-minute span early in the second half – the Titans exploded for three goals, turning a one-goal lead into a four-goal advantage (6-2).
“We talked at halftime, and we said, ‘Let’s have fun out there, start playing our game and stop thinking so much,’” Craig said. “North Penn is a great team, and we definitely respect them, but we also need to believe in ourselves – we are a talented team. We went out and played our game.”
A goal by Jenn DeLongis trimmed that advantage to three, but a minute later, Courtney Dietzel found the net, and the Titans led 7-3. A goal by North Penn’s Kaitlyn Power made it a three-goal game, but the Titans closed it out with a pair of goals.
“We had a decent first half, particularly defensively,” North Penn coach Heather Mellow said. “We were doing a nice job of sliding and talking.
“In the second half, we fell apart fundamentally – too many balls thrown away and missed ground ball opportunities. South did a better job of keeping possession of the ball in the second half. I have to give CB South credit – their defense was strong and really worked well together. Our team once again simply needs to focus and play sound fundamental lacrosse for an entire game. Then we will be successful.”
Craig also credited her defense for its performance.
“Our defense played amazing today,” the Titans’ coach said. “They played really well.”
Anchoring the Titans’ defense was Courtney Taylor, who was credited with four caused turnovers.
“They were at key times in the game, and she helped with our transition, she guarded the best players,” Craig said. “She’s all over the place, and she’s one of our most consistent players. She shows up for every game. You can always count on her.”
Poli’s two goals and two assists led a balanced South attack. Kristen Berntsen and Kasey Deitzel both had two goals and one assist, and Courtney Dietzel and Krysta Reading each had one goal and one assist. Tori Wigand added a single goal, and Taylor had a pair of assists.
For the Maidens, Phifer had a pair of goals while DeLongis and Julia Keffer each had one. Sam Tossana added an assist.
South goalie Erin Putnam was credited with 11 saves in the win.
“She had an outstanding game today,” Craig said. “
North Penn goalie Michelle Dyck also turned in an 11-save effort – seven in the first half.
“Their goalkeeper (Michelle Dyck) played exceptional,” Craig said. “I’m not sure of her save percentage, but she played amazing, and that got us down in the first half because we didn’t have great shot selection just like last year.
“We needed to slow down, find that great shot and make sure we were open.”
Central Bucks South (3-1, 1-1 SOL) will wrap up a busy week with a non-league game against Baldwin on Saturday at the Shipley School. North Penn (1-3, 0-1) will be on the road at Bonner Prendergast on Monday for a non-league contest.
Central Bucks South 3-6 9
North Penn 2-2 4
PENNRIDGE 17, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 16
The Lady Rams went into Thursday’s game at Central Bucks East with a chip on their collective shoulders.
For starters, they hadn’t forgotten about a late-season loss to the Patriots last year that helped keep them out of the District One Tournament. Add to that the fact that they’d dropped their conference opener to Council Rock North on Monday night (10-8), and it’s safe to say the Rams considered Thursday’s game at East something close to a must win.
“I think we underestimated (Rock North),” sophomore Grace Loughery said. “We were just coming off two overtime wins, and we were feeling it. We weren’t focused on that game.
“We had to win this game. We were both fighting for playoffs last year, and they beat us. This year is a redemption year for us.”
The Lady Rams needed some late-game heroics, but they got it done, using a goal by Jennifer Rodzewich with 22.9 seconds remaining in regulation to win it.
The goal capped a Lady Ram possession that began when Maddie Dachowski won the draw after scoring the tying goal with 1:59 remaining. The Lady Rams worked the ball – missing wide on a shot with 40 seconds left but maintaining possession. Rodzewich picked her spot and in a strong individual effort got by her defender and fired a shot into the top of the net.
“We were looking to move the ball,” coach Karen Schnurr said of her team’s strategy. “East kept sending a double, and I said, ‘Move, move, move. Wait for the open opportunity.’ They executed to a ‘T.’
“Jennifer has a beautiful left hand shot. If you work the ball, you’re going to get that opening, and I told her, ‘If you have it, take it.’ She saw the opportunity, she was smart about it, and she took it.”
Interestingly, Rodzewich had no idea that the game was down to its final seconds.
“I thought there were two minutes left,” she said. “I was so into the game, I was so focused.
“I was actually trying to get the eight-meter, but it just went all the way through.”
The Patriots had one last shot at the tie, winning the draw but missing wide on a shot with time winding down.
For the Patriots, who fell to CB West in overtime on Monday, it was their second one-goal loss in conference play. It came on the heels of a convincing non-league win to Upper Dublin on Wednesday.
“Coming off of back-to-back games was definitely concerning,” coach Kelly White said. “Mental fatigue and physical fatigue were concerns.
“However, we’re not the only team that goes back-to-back, and we’re not the only team that’s tired. At the end of the day, we did not do what we needed to do as a whole to get the job done. Honestly, I didn’t have 12 players on the field connected. For a team like us, if we’re not all working as a unit, we will not have success.”
The Lady Rams – who needed a come-from-behind overtime win to defeat Upper Dublin – were very aware that East had opened up a 10-2 halftime lead on their way to a 19-7 win over the Flying Cardinals.
“We went into overtime, and they beat them by 12 goals,” said Grace Loughery, who scored a game-high six goals.
“We were like, ‘We have to step it up if we want to beat this team,’” Rodzewich said.
Neither team could get the upper hand in Thursday’s contest that featured 11 ties. The score was knotted 9-9 after an opening half that saw the two teams exchange goals. The second half was more of the same. East opened up a 12-10 lead after a goal by Whitney Dietz at the 18:30 mark, but seven minutes later, a goal by Kate Ziegler put the Rams on top 14-12. Riley Donnelly, who led the Patriots with four goals, connected on back-to-back goals to knot things up yet again. Dachowski (Rodzewich assist) scored to put the Rams on top by one, but a nifty goal by Kaitlin Cahill on the left post using a pass from Mel Burian knotted things up with just under five to play.
The Patriots turned a Dietz interception into the go-ahead goal when Vetter found Cahill for the score with 2:35 left, but the Rams won the ensuing draw, setting up Dachowski’s equalizer. Another draw control set the stage for Rodzewich’s game winner.
According to Schnurr, the Lady Rams made draw controls the focal point of Wednesday’s practice.
“I have to say I’m really proud of Jennifer (Rodzewich), Grace (Loughery) and Casey (Hefner), and even my low attackers – Kate Ziegler stepped up huge today,” the Pennridge coach said. “She came off that line with some really crucial possessions, and the same with my low defender Kelly McNally.
“I told them yesterday – it’s going to come down to a possession game, and it starts with the draw. We were focused on that yesterday, we were focused on it today in the game.”
The Rams’ second-year coach was pleased to see her team rebound after its loss to Rock North.
“That’s not how we wanted to open our league season,” Schnurr said. “We kind of regrouped the last few days.
“We talked about where we needed to go the rest of the season, we talked about what our goals were, and they really fought to the end today. It was disappointing on Monday, and I told them – we can only learn from that.”
Pennridge (4-1, 1-1 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks South on Tuesday, and Central Bucks East (2-3, 0-2) will be at North Penn on Tuesday.
Pennridge 9-8 17
Central Bucks East 9-7 16
Pennridge: Goals – Grace Loughery 6, Jennifer Rodzewich 3, Casey Hefner 3, Maddie Dachowski 3, Kate Ziegler 2. Assists: Casey Hefner 3, Jennifer Rodzewich 3, Grace Loughery, Maddie Dachowski, Miya Wagner, Emily Price
CB East: Goals-Riley Donnelly 4, Maggie Vetter 3, Kaitlin Cahill 3, Whitney Dietz 2, Mel Burian 2, Katelyn Stout 2. Assists-Maggie Vetter 2, Whitney Dietz, Mel Burian.
SOUDERTON 20, QUAKERTOWN 2
The night belonged to the Goodwins.
Leah Goodwin scored six goals and assisted on six others while Sarah scored three and also had three assists to lead the Indians to the decisive win in their conference opener. Krista Schneider added three goals and one assist, and Kate Mardi had two goals and three assists. Maddie Knight and Carlie Doughty both had two goals. Riley McGowan had a goal and assist, and Megan Walbrandt added a single goal to close out the scoring for Souderton.
The Indians, who raced to a 12-1 halftime lead, benefitted from 15 draw controls.
Hannah Schmidt (nine saves) and Lauren Scott (three saves) split time in goal for the Indians. Souderton (2-1, 2-0 SOL) will host Wissahickon in a non-league game on Friday while Quakertown (1-4, 0-1) will host Council Rock North on Friday.
Quakertown 1-1 2
Souderton 12-8 20
UPPER MERION 18, SHIPLEY 13
Seven players put their names in the scoring column in a balanced effort for the Vikings, who picked up their first win of the young season.
Anna Davis and Francesca Lindelow led the way with four goals each. Davis also chipped in an assist. Allison Shuster added a hat trick, and Riley O’Malley had a hand in six goals, finishing with two goals and four assists. Haley O’Malley added a pair of goals while Molly Weygand and Quinn O’Malley both added single goals.
In addition, O’Malley contributed an interception, caused turnover, ground ball control and draw control in a standout all-around effort.
Defensive highlights included an interception by Marion Fortino. Lizzy Goernemann, Gabrielle Struckus, Anna Davis, Molly Weygand and Haley O’Malley all forced turnovers.
The Vikings raced to a 12-5 halftime lead and never looked back.
Upper Merion (1-2) will close out the week with its third road trip in as many games, traveling to Cardinal O’Hara for a non-league contest.
Upper Merion 12-6 18
Shipley 5-8 13
SPRINGFIELD (MONTCO) 19, ACADEMY OF NEW CHURCH 9
The Spartans received contributions up and down their lineup in Thursday’s non-league win. Lindsey Smith had another superb game for the Spartans, finishing with five goals, three caused turnovers, three ground balls and three draw controls. Meg Chandler also came up big, contributing four goals, two assists, one caused turnover, one ground ball and two draw controls. Meredith Giordano added three goals and one assist while Ellie Hamilton had two goals, two assists, two ground balls and one draw control. Sophia Perry added two goals and two assists, and Marley Berger had two goals and one draw control. Emily Walsh had one assist, two caused turnovers, two ground balls and two interceptions, and Jameson Krewson had one goal, one caused turnover and three ground balls.
Goalie Margrethe Leis was credited with five saves in the win.
Springfield (2-1) will host Lower Moreland on Saturday.
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