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Abington 15, Bayard Rustin 14 (OT)
Last season, the Ghosts, according to coach Julie Martinez, accepted wins almost matter-of-factly. They were supposed to win, and anything less would have been a disappointment.
This year, it’s a different story entirely.
With the loss of Kate Cooper to a knee injury, the Ghosts had to find a new identity. If that wasn’t enough to deal with in the season’s early weeks, the team had to endure a forgettable trip to Bayard Rustin on Tuesday that saw the Ghosts’ bus break down 15 minutes from the school.
“We boarded the bus at two o’clock, the bus broke down at three o’clock,” Martinez said. “The bus got moving again at 4:30, and we arrived at Rustin at 4:45.
“That’s two-and-a-half hours in transit. I said to the girls, ‘We could have been to New York, we could have been to Baltimore, and we could definitely be to the Jersey shore.’
“They could have made excuses, they could have started complaining, but instead, they started singing ‘Life is a Highway’ and ‘Help’ by the Beatles. They made the best out of a bad situation.”
The players carried that positive approach onto the field where they battled Rustin goal for goal and earned a heartstopping 15-14 win when senior Courtney Cox scored with 1:49 left in the second sudden death overtime period.
“It was a battle,” said Martinez, whose team led 9-7 at halftime and went on to open up an 11-7 lead before Rustin rallied to knot the score 11-11. “We really had some big plays defensively, some caused turnovers, and they hit the post on their last shot.
“It is not pretty at this point. We still have a lot of skills to teach and a lot of room to grow, but they gutted it out today. When it was crunch time, they came up with the draws. In overtime, when there was a ground ball, they found a way to fight for it.
“Last year we had a great season, and we were expected to have a great season. There weren’t any of those unbelievable wins where the girls throw their sticks up in the air and hug.”
That changed on Tuesday. There was stick throwing and hugging after this one that saw Cox score her career-high sixth goal for the game winner.
“She’s good friends with Kate Cooper, and they were planning on being a one-two punch this year,” Martinez said. “Now Courtney is flying solo.
“She said, ‘Coach, I thought I was going to cry when I scored. I was that happy.’ Those are the reasons why you coach, those are the moments these girls live for, and that’s what you want for them. Maybe there is an advantage to being the underdog.”
Carli Fitzgerald added five goals, two assists and five draws for the Ghosts. Molly Seefried contributed three goals and one assist. Sophomore Kelsey Fitzgerald added a goal.
Leading the defense was Liz Wilson with five ground balls and four caused turnovers. Carli Fitzgerald had five crucial draws to clinch the win for the Ghosts.
“Molly Seefried was making so many things happen on attack,” Martinez said. “We’re starting two freshmen, so we have a lot of inexperience out there, but the girls really found a way to capitalize on their strengths while simultaneously downplaying their weaknesses.
“Whatever we lack in skill – whether it was dropping the ball in transition or not placing our shots, we really did make up for with our desire.
“I said to the girls after the game that it would have been really easy to make excuses – we lost because we were stranded on the bus, but they didn’t. They just went out and played hard, and they wanted it. That made a world of difference.”
The ending in regulation had its share of drama. Carli Fitzgerald came up with a huge caused turnover, and the Ghosts had the ball back with 14 seconds remaining. They came up empty but would not be denied, winning it in the second three-minute overtime period.
“The skill can be coached, but that determination is something you either have or you don’t,” Martinez said.
Rustin, according to the Ghosts’ coach, also was operating at a disadvantage.
“They were warming up for two hours,” she said. “They had a full practice essentially and then played a full game and overtime.
“I don’t think they expected much out of us to be perfectly honest.”
Abington will host Cheltenham in a non-league game on Thursday.
Pennsbury 16, Conwell Egan 5
Pennsbury won its second game in as many outings to improve to 2-1, but coach Kelly White knows that things will be getting a whole lot tougher as the Falcons head in to a stretch that includes back-to-back-to-back games against Pennridge, Abington and North Penn.
“That will be a rough couple of games,” the first-year Falcons’ coach said. “It’s going to be a tough couple of games, but we’re just taking it game by game.”
For now, White and her players are enjoying their back-to-back wins over Central Bucks West and Conwell Egan.
“It’s huge for the girls and their confidence to believe they can actually win,” White said. “They’re really a talented group of young ladies, natural athletes.
“Last year they struggled, and for them to get these wins early on shows that they can win and they can play together. The games we have played so far – including the scrimmages – everyone has contributed. There’s not one player that has all the goals. Everyone has a piece of the action, which is pretty exciting to see.”
Katie Kern and Liz Cowley led the Falcons with four goals each in Tuesday’s win. Jenna Allen added three goals while Tori Smith chipped in a pair of goals and assists. Taylor Hickman, Becca Radzinsky and Jennalise Taylor each added one goal. Hickman also had a pair of assists while Taylor also had an assist. Freshman Kelsey Gumbert handed out four assists.
“Jenna Allen – one of our midfielders – had five goals in our last game, today she had three goals, and she’s a big part of our transition,” White said. “Jennalise Taylor – I know it doesn’t show up in the goal area, but she was everywhere on the field. She’s all over on ground balls, on draw controls, on transition and getting down on defense.
“Katie Kern and Liz Cowley had stellar days also.”
The Falcons will travel to Pennridge for a 5:30 p.m. game on Thursday.
Upper Dublin 17, Springfield 6
The Flying Cardinals sprinted out to a 12-1 halftime lead and never looked back on their way to a big win in the SOL opener for both teams. Seven players contributed goals for the Flying Cardinals.
Amy Cross led the way with four goals and one assist while Kelly Cross and Brooke Callahan each added the hat trick. Kelly Cross also had four assists while Callahan had one assist.
Kaley Weinstein (two goals, one assist), Emily Hitchings (two goals, one assist), Kathleen Speese (two goals) and Cat Trentini (one goal) also contributed.
Coach Dee Cross acknowledged the standout effort of Weinstein.
“(The coaches) all thought she had a really steady game, one of the best games she has played which is good to see,” the Flying Cardinals’ coach said. “She usually plays defensive wing, but we had her playing attack wing because we moved some people around.
“She did a really nice job at both ends of the field.”
Senior Morgan Smith led Springfield with three goals and two assists. Anna Studenmund added a pair of goals and Katie Morris, one goal.
Upper Dublin goalie Wendy Laurent turned away six shots.
The Flying Cardinals (2-0) will travel to Wissahickon on Friday for an SOL showdown while the Spartans will travel to Norristown.
Council Rock North 13, Central Bucks West 3
Hannah Plappert scored five goals while Kara Magley added the hat trick for the Indians, who opened up a 7-1 halftime lead on their way to the decisive win. Lindsay Rheiner scored 2 goals while Jackie Strange, Elly Plappert and Becky Ely each added single goals to close out the scoring for the Indians.
“I felt like we controlled a lot of the ground balls and draws, which helped,” coach Pat Toner said. “We’ve been working on that, but we still have a lot of work to do.
“We controlled a lot of the 50-50 balls, and in general, we had a well-balanced attack. The defense played good settled ‘D.’ We were concerned about some of the scorers for CB West, but I felt like we did a good job of containing them.”
A highlight of the win was the debut performance of senior Sarah Kiely in goal. The Rock North senior, who will be attending American University on a basketball scholarship, turned away seven of the 10 shots she faced in goal.
“She had a 70 percent save percentage in her debut,” Toner said. “I was excited for her.”
Tori Ueland scored a pair of goals while Tara Shugars added a single goal for the Bucks.
Rock North will travel to Archbishop Wood for a non-league contest on Wednesday while West will host Neshaminy on Thursday.
Pennridge 16, Pottstown 12
Julia Colyar scored four goals and contributed an assist while Jen Moyer and Emily Maher each added the hat trick for the Rams, who held a tenuous 9-8 lead at the half. Maher also had three assists while Moyer added an assist.
Jess Roy had two goals and an assist while Taylor Dachowski, Sarah Wiley, Lauren Abruzzo and Dayna Erdman each had one goal to close out the scoring.
“We received outstanding play today from Julia Colyar and Emily Maher,” coach Liz Horan said. “Julia has drastically improved since last year and is continuing to put goals on the scoreboard.
“Emily came up strong with draw controls and defense in the midfield. Other notable plays came from Lauren Abruzzo who was determined to clean up ground balls and caused two turnovers, including one that resulted in Colyar’s open net shot after Abruzzo checked the goalkeeper.
“We are thrilled to be 4-0, but we have a tough week with three games in a row. We are anxious to get into league play next week with (CB) West and North Penn.”
The Rams return to action on Wednesday when they will host Wissahickon in a 5 p.m. contest.
“Last year we had a one-goal win, so we know they will come ready to play,” Horan said. “They always have a solid team, and our players know they have to be on top of their game.”
Upper Merion 18, Norristown 3
Kellie Manoppello scored six goals and also contributed an assist while teammate Mel Ryan added five goals to lead the Vikings to a convincing win over the Eagles in the league opener for both squads.
Amanda McAteer added a pair of goals and an assist while Dominique Gambone (one assist), Michelle Bowes, Haley Fitzgerald, Casey Griffith and Marlena Ivey each added single goals. Julie Ehmer contributed two assists.
Norristown received single goals from Janelle Scruggs, Taylor Foxworth and Precious Evans.
Upper Merion goalie Allison Frymoyer turned away seven shots.
Upper Merion will travel to Upper Moreland on Thursday while Norristown will host Bishop McDevitt in a non-league game on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
Hatboro-Horsham 19, Central Bucks East 9
Nicole Beck exploded for six goals and also contributed a pair of assists, and Sarah Tustin and Lizzie Carr both had hat tricks and two assists to lead the Hatters. Cortnee Daley (one assist), Julie McKay and Caroline Hagan each had two goals while Kristen O’Brien added a single goal.
Central Bucks East was led by the three-goal effort of Meredith Lavin while Jamie Burns and Carly Bitzel each added a pair of goals. Carolyn Remmey (two assists) and Tessa Roedell (three assists) both added single goals.
The Patriots will host Central Bucks South on Thursday while Hatboro will travel to North Penn on Thursday.
Souderton 15, Council Rock South 7 (Monday, April 5)
Danielle Notvest and Lindsay Walbrandt (one assist) each scored four goals and teammate Kirstin Russell added three goals and two assists for the Indians, who improved to 3-0 on the season.
Also contributing were Liz Mower (two goals, one assist), Carly Kendall (one goal, four assists), Haley Kershaw (one goal, one assist).
“Danielle Notvest dominated in the center with seven draw controls,” coach Nicole Bauer said. “Liz Mower excelled in the defensive end with two interceptions.
“It was an all-around great effort on both the offensive and defensive ends.”
South received scoring from Christine Besselman (three goals), Leann Hurley (one goal), Kiera McGovern (one goal, one assist), Sarah Brotman (one goal) and Lea Britton (one goal, two assists).
Rock South goalie Taylor Hurwitz turned away 26 shots in a busy afternoon while Kaitlin Crouthamel had 11 saves for the Indians, who held a commanding 41-18 advantage in shots on goal.
Pottstown 13, Plymouth Whitemarsh 4 (Monday, April 5)
Caitlin Mundy scored a pair of goals for the Colonials, who trailed 9-0 at halftime but played the visiting Trojans to a draw in the second half. Meg McCullough and Kathryn Walker both added one goal.
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