To view photos of the Hatboro/Souderton game, visit the photo gallery at the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/
Thursday was a day to crown SOL champions. All three conference titles were secured with Council Rock North winning sole possession of the National Conference crown, thanks to its come-from-behind 8-6 win over second place Abington. North Penn downed Central Bucks West 17-2 to clinch sole possession of its fourth consecutive league title, and Upper Dublin defeated Wissahickon 15-6 to capture the American Conference crown.National Conference
Council Rock North 8, Abington 6
It wasn’t easy, and it wasn’t always pretty, but the Indians recuperated from a 5-3 halftime deficit to outscore the Ghosts 5-1 in the second half of Thursday’s showdown to earn the title-clinching win.
“It was a little rougher than I thought it was going to be,” Rock North co-coach Pat Toner said. “I’m sure their plan was to take us out of any kind of flow, and it worked. They did a good job.
“I was really happy that we came back and outscored them in the second half 5-1.”
So what was the difference in the two halves?
“The roughness of it,” Toner said. “It’s not like Kara Magley hasn’t been double teamed, and it’s not like she hasn’t been faced guarded either – she’s been both.
“I said to Kara, ‘Take that as a compliment,’ and we said to the rest of the kids, ‘Take it as an insult that they obviously don’t think we have anything other than Kara.’”
Magley – who three times saw her shots hit the post - finished the day with one goal, but teammate Hannah Plappert helped pick up the slack, scoring three goals and contributing four assists. Lindsay Rheiner added three goals while Becky Ely had one goal and Jackie Strange contributed an assist.
Although she wasn’t taking any credit, Toner may have provided some halftime inspiration herself.
“I’ve always been told that obstacles aren’t placed in your path to stop you from doing something - they’re placed in your path to see how hard you want to get past them,” the Indians’ co-coach said. “I said, ‘Consider this a wall. You can either climb over it or stay on this side of it.’ They climbed over it. It wasn’t easy, it was a frustrating game, but I think we needed it.”
The Ghosts received a pair of goals from both Hanna Sjoholm and Molly Seefried. Seefried also had one assist. Carli Fitzgerald added a goal and an assist, and Meredith Cox scored one goal.
“I wouldn’t say it was the best game we played by any means,” Toner said. “But we played good enough defense to hold them to one goal in the second half.
“They did play well. They played good defense, and they have a good goalie.”
Abington goalie Emily Towey turned away seven shot as did Rock North’s Taylor Beck, who also was credited with seven saves.
“It was a little rougher in the first half – it was a combination of defensive miscues and the fact that they were making good cuts,” Toner said. “Taylor has done a good job for us this year.”
Last year, the Indians were co-champs with Abington. This is the first time the Indians have won sole possession of the National Conference crown under Toner and co-coach Carolyn Kacergis.
I remember (former Abington lacrosse coach) Julie Martinez saying to me that Council Rock would beat Abington in hockey, and they would come back and kill us in lacrosse,” said Toner. “I remember standing on the field when it was 18-4, 18-5, and to beat them the first time this season was awesome. I knew the second time would be way harder, but I was hoping we would have the kids who could do it, and we did.”
While the Ghosts fell to 5-2 in league play (7-6 overall), the Indians improved to 7-0 in the league (11-2 overall).
Council Rock South 15, Neshaminy 1
The Golden Hawks were impressive in their big win over the Redskins, opening up a 10-1 halftime lead and then shutting the Redskins out in the second half.
”We have had quite a few good games this past week and last week,” coach Erica Hellerstein said. “Unfortunately, some of them haven’t turned into W’s, but the girls have really been playing a lot better.”
Hellerstein credited a mid-season talk for the team’s change in mindset.
“We talked about some of the miscommunication and our team dynamics and worked on a lot of transitions,” the Golden Hawks’ first-year coach said. “We worked on a couple of different plays on attack and moving the ball a little better.
“I think that’s really helped us. We’re kind of embracing some of the things we saw as weaknesses at the beginning of the season and trying to use them more to our advantage now, and I think that change in attitude is really helping us.”
In Thursday’s win, Jamie Damirgian led the Golden Hawks with four goals and one assist. Christine Besselman contributed three goals and three assists while Becca Cocco and Gabi Rosenfeld both added a pair of goals. Chipping in one goal each were Mollie Sheehy (one assist) and Kiera McGovern. Leanne Hurley added an assist.
“We have a lot of strong underclassmen – Christine Besselman, Jamie Damirgian and Gabi Rosenfeld,” Hellerstein said. “They’re been very consistent players for us throughout the year.
“A couple of our seniors have really stepped up. Becca Cocco has been scoring three or four goals a game, and she’s a D-wing, so we give her a lot of responsibility on defense.”
The Golden Hawks lost several players to injuries, but other players have come off the bench to contribute.
“Taylor Hunt, who’s a junior, and Kadi Schley, a senior who had never played lacrosse before, both have stepped up and made some great defensive plays for us, which has allowed some of our girls who are midfielders and attackers to really go up and start scoring goals,” Hellerstein said. “You can really see that everybody has stepped up their level of play.
“We asked girls who were maybe hiding a little bit out on the field to step up – they have stepped up, and that’s started to really help make things happen.”
Brittany Sheehan scored Neshaminy’s lone goal, and according to Hellerstein, the Redskins are much improved.
“Neshaminy is really building a strong program,” the Golden Hawks’ coach said. “Their new coach is really doing a good job.
“I think they look the best they’ve looked in years. They really have quite a few good athletes, and they will have a team to be reckoned with.”
With the win, the Golden Hawks improved to 2-5 in league play.
Continental Conference
North Penn 17, Central Bucks West 2
Winning never gets old. Just ask any member of a Maiden squad that captured sole possession of its fourth consecutive conference crown as a result of Thursday’s big Senior Night win.
“It’s really a great feeling,” senior Macie Hauck said. “We really work hard every day, and we try and get better every day.
“At the beginning of the season, we started off so slow, and we didn’t know how to get out of the funk. Tonight we came out really fired up, and we were really excited about tonight’s game.”
Hauck led the Maidens with five goals and one assist. Junior Brenda McDermott added four goals and two assists. Senior Garrie Grenfell contributed the hat trick, and Steph Knauer had a pair of goals. Scoring one goal were Laura Delongis, Hannah Young and Rachel Shaw (one assist). Freshman Kaitlin Suzuki had a pair of assists.
In Thursday’s win, the Maidens jumped out to a 9-0 halftime lead and upped that lead to 13-0 before West’s Tara Shugars scored at the 10:17 mark to break up North Penn’s shutout bid.
“A lot of teams see it as ‘Oh, we only let five goals in’ or ‘We only let this many in,’ but I think it’s a really big honor to shut out a team,” senior Tory Brady said. “Even when that first goal went in – I know me and Jenna (Stover), our goalie, were really upset.
“That one goal even gets to us because we pride ourselves on protecting the eight-meter and shutting teams out.”
Stover, who had some big stops, was credited with six saves in goal.
“I trust her completely,” Brady said. “I have a lot of confidence in her.
“At practice, we all work really hard together, and she definitely has come such a long way since the beginning of the season. She works hard from the start of practice to the end of practice, and I think we all work really well together.”
The Maidens have not lost a game in league play since 2008, meaning this year’s senior class does not know what it feels like to lose a league game.
“There’s not as much pressure to hold that title and not lose it, but there’s that pride and desire to not want to lose it,” Brady said. “We want to prove that just because we lost seniors and this is a new year – we’re still a strong program.”
West goalie Maddie Mulligan turned away 14 shots. Jessica Circuit scored the Bucks’ second goal.
The Maidens improved to 11-0 in league play (16-1 overall).
Hatboro-Horsham 22, Souderton 11
Two days removed from their tightly-contested loss to North Penn, the Hatters put on quite an offensive performance in their win over the Indians, scoring early and scoring often.
“Basically, we were all just trying to get past the North Penn game,” junior Courtnee Daley said. “We just had our heads focused in on the game. We wanted come out fast and score right away. We know they’re a very fast team.”
If the Indians were fast, the Hatters were faster, winning the draw regularly and turning those draw controls into goals. It was a far cry from their loss to North Penn when they struggled on the draw.
“We worked in practice on getting the draw – what we have to do to box out and how we really have to start working on it and having plays,” Daley said. “Obviously, North Penn is a very good team and knew what to do on the draws.
“We had to incorporate what they did to help us get the draw, and we displayed that today. We made quick passes right away and had someone down on attack in the right spots. We just really showed our speed right off the draw, and that helps.”
The Hatters opened up a quick 5-2 lead, but Souderton made it a one-goal game (6-5). The Hatters responded with a 6-0 run and took a 14-7 lead into halftime.
“They started coming back, and our coach said – we can’t let this happen again, and we started getting draws again and we just played smarter with the ball,” Daley said in reference to the Hatters’ early-season 15-14 win that saw the Indians rally from a five-goal deficit late to make it a one-goal game.
The Hatters scored early in the second half, and they were once again off and running, opening up a 17-7 lead before the Indians trimmed it to 17-11. The rest of the game belonged to the Hatters.
“We knew today would be a tough game, and we just were surprised when we were up by so much,” Daley said. “We were expecting a harder game, but we were really happy with the way we played.”
Daley had five goals and five assists in a huge offensive performance. Katie McKay also had five goals. Lizzy Carry had four goals and two assists while Nicole Beck had four goals and six assists. Julie McKay had two goals and two assists, and Rachel Rausa had two goals.
Hatboro goalie Jackie Giovanazzo was credited with 13 saves.
American Conference
Upper Dublin 15, Wissahickon 6
The Flying Cardinals sprinted to a 9-2 halftime lead on their way to the convincing win over their archrival as they effectively defended an American Conference title they owned.
“Obviously, the first goal that we talk about is defending our league title,” coach Dee Cross said. “I keep trying to tell the girls – on paper, it might look like we should do this, this and this, but so many things go into a championship.
“You need people to stay healthy, and you need a lot of things to fall your way. To be playing in May and winning a championship is a big goal for us. The girls have clicked, and everyone has been healthy, so it does mean a lot. They were excited to win the game.”
Kaley Weinstein – the team’s lone senior starter - led the Flying Cardinals with four goals and two assists. Kelly Cross and Brooke Callahan both added four goals and one assist. Michelle DeVincent chipped in with two goals and one assist, and Taylor D’Ginto had one goal. Emily Hitchings had one assist.
“Kelly (Cross) has been steady, and we expect that,” coach Cross said of her team leader. “Brooke Callahan has stepped up as a junior and has filled another role by scoring and assisting.
“She’s doing much better this year with assists because she’s playing low attack, and that’s one thing we’ve challenged her in the offseason – we know she can shoot, and now we needed her to help set plays up. She’s been doing a phenomenal job of that.”
On defense, Cross pointed to the efforts of Steph Speese as key.
“She really is our answer on defense,” the Flying Cardinals’ coach said. “She played varsity last year, but this year she really is leading the defense verbally.
“She drew two offensive charges today on Wissahickon and has really been steady and has a lot of heart on the field and really helps control things. She’s been a real pleasant surprise for us this year.”
Emily Hitchings has also been a major contributor.
“Emily is just a good athlete,” Cross said. “She gets the ball and runs down the field and never, ever stops moving. She’s a junior who is another key to our success this year.”
While those four juniors have been the backbone of the team, other players have stepped us as well.
“To their credit, they play just as hard in every single game, and they listen to what we’re trying to tell them to do,” Cross said. “I told them – no matter what time of game it is, no matter what the score is, there’s always something to be learned from it.
“They do stay focused.”
For the Trojans, Maddie Sharp had a pair of goals, and Laura Frankenfield had one goal and three assists. Emily Croke, Jackie Hibbs and Alex Smith each contributed single goals.
Upper Dublin goalie Anna Lauer turned away eight shots, and Wissahickon’s Jess Scannapieco had 14 saves.
Next week, the Flying Cardinals will be tested to the limit with a pair of non-league games against Conestoga and Springfield (Delco) sandwiched around their Senior Night game against Upper Merion.
“It will be a tough week, and they know that,” Cross said. “They take every game one at a time, and that’s what you have to do.”
As a result of the win, the Flying Cardinals upped their record to 11-0 in league play (13-1 overall). The Trojans are 9-2 in league play (9-6 overall).
Cheltenham 18, Upper Moreland 10
Maddie Brunk scored five goals to lead the Lady Panthers, who jumped out to a 13-1 halftime lead and never looked back. Olivia Dudo (one assist), Rachel McManus (one assist), Emily Hawkins and Caroline Szczepanek each scored two goals. Allison Hawkins (one assist), Madison Coyne (one assist), Aly Liss, Sammie McManus and Skye Wallas each added one goal. Steena Chanthagath and Gabby Szczepanek both had one assist.
For the Golden Bears, Kathryn Brunner contributed the hat trick. Maddie Mauro added two goals and two assists, and Lily Sgro also had two goals. Amanda Nowell had one goal and two assists, and Alexa Schuck and Brandi Weaver both scored single goals. Alyssa Wasson had one assist to close out the scoring.
Steena Chanthagath recorded three saves in goal for the Lady Pantehrs while Emma Joyce and Jess Avanzato both had three saves for the Golden Bears.
Non-League
Pennsbury 8, Central Bucks East 7
Sparked by the four-goal, one-assist effort of senior Liz Cowley, the Falcons won their second one-goal game of the week when they edged the Patriots in non-league action on Thursday. Joy Hopkins added a pair of goals, and Kelsy Gumbert and Becca Radzinski both scored one goal. Taylor Hickman contributed a pair of assists, and Maddie Jones had one assist.
“It was a very good win,” said Pennsbury coach Kelly White, whose team led 5-3 at halftime. “Our transition down the field was beautiful, and we ran some nice plays.
“The defense played really well. Lianna Eyre – especially in the second half – came up with big saves. It was a nice team effort.”
Eyre finished the game with nine saves.
The Falcons - who defeated Wissahickon on Monday by one goal but fell to Council Rock North on Tuesday by double digits – were coming off a loss to Central Bucks South on Friday in a game that saw them let a lead slip away.
“I thought after losing to CB South, we were at a crossroad,” White said. “We had four games scheduled for this week until Interboro cancelled on us for Friday.
“I knew Council Rock North was going to be a challenge, but the rest of the games – if we played our ‘A’ game, we could come out with wins. After the loss to South, there was talk about what we could do to build our mental game up – not quit or let down and play with pride and confidence.
“The girls stepped up. I think that win over Wissahickon really made them feel good about themselves that they could win these games. Today they came out fired up, ready to go. They were self-motivated today, and they played a really hard-fought game. It’s exciting.”
With the win, the Falcons improved to 8-3 overall.
“At the end of the day, I’m very lucky,” White said. “I have probably the most respectful group of young ladies, and they are hard workers. I don’t think things always come very natural or easy for our team.
“It takes a lot of practice to get us to where we can run the plays effectively. It really comes down to their work ethic, their heart and their desire, and I’m very proud of them.”
For the Patriots, Jamie Burns scored four goals, and teammate Carrie Gillen, Carolyn Remmey and Sam Axenroth each scored single goals. Lauren Wick and Mary Kate Schwartz both contributed an assist. East goalie Madi Steuber turned away 11 shots.
- Log in to post comments
0
