Four SOL girls’ soccer teams were winners in Tuesday’s opening round of the District One Tournament.
Class 4A
#1-22 Central Bucks South 2, #1-11 Council Rock South 1
The last few weeks of the season were rough for the Titans.
A rash of injuries, including all-league standout senior Brooke Steigerwalt, left the Titans down a number of starters and struggling to get results. They slid down the District I rankings, holding on to nab one of the last few playoff spots.
Yet, through all the setbacks, the injuries and the adversity, they never gave up.
"This team always plays with such heart, and they are a resilient bunch," Titans coach Betsy Bullock said. "They have really come together as a cohesive team after facing all the adversity of losing so many starters."
Up against a really good Golden Hawks team, the Titans relied on staunch defending and a couple of timely goals to spring the upset. Bullock called the first half very back and forth, with both teams trading possession but neither able to dent the scoreboard.
"Council Rock, which has a potent offense and is always well-coached by Nick Heim, struck first midway through the second half," Bullock said. "CB South answered with a free kick by senior captain Chelsea Nicholls outside the box."
Sammy Jones had the lone goal for CR South.
"The game-winner followed shortly thereafter when Sophia Kane slotted a ball that Mackenzie Edwards finished," Bullock said.
The Titans' coach cited the play of center midfielders Lauren Farrell and Bridget Curtis in controlling the middle and negating CR South's attackers and the defensive unit of Dori McMenamin, Kari Jim, Lauren Ewell and Lauren Spear.
"They played more compactly and kept their defensive shape, shutting down the passing lanes," Bullock said. "Bridget Curtis has played defensive mid and defense and Lauren Spear has been flawless as an outside back stepping up for some of our injured players."
South keeper Sarah Letizia had a standout game, making eight saves that included a late kick save.
"Their forward had a mini-breakaway and Sarah needed to come off her line to clear the ball away," Bullock said.
The loss marks the end of an era for a highly successful group of seniors at CR South. A state playoff team a year ago, this group helped forge a new foundation and identity for the program.
"This is a special group. When they were freshmen, we had 33 players in the program and ended some JV games with less than 11 players on the field," Hawks coach Nick Heim said. "This year, we had nearly 60 at tryouts. The growth this program has taken because of this class is immeasurable. We are where we are because of the sacrifices they've made, the trust they put into our staff and the commitment to each other."
Heim said one of the things he's most told the group is "players win games and coaches lose them." He added the seniors have done everything he's ever asked of them and they fostered the family environment that's the standard for the program.
"It has won them over 30 games in the past two seasons. More importantly, I'm infinitely more proud of who they are as young women," Heim said. "We got compliments from staff around the building about how respectful our girls are and how great of kids they are. It's a direct reflection of the families that support us. This group makes it easy to come to practice every day and we can't thank them enough for that."
Central Bucks South (10-7-1, 5-6-1 SOL) will travel to No. 6 Abington on Thursday night for a second round contest. Council Rock South closed out its season with a 13-5-1 record (8-3-1 overall).
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0 2 – 2
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0 1 – 1
Goals: CBS – Chelsea Nicholls, Mackenzie Edwards; CRS – Sammy Jones
Neshaminy 2, Perkiomen Valley 1
The last week of the regular season didn't end the way Neshaminy hoped.
After losing to archrival Pennsbury in a de facto SOL National title game, Neshaminy dropped a nonleague game to Abington that all but assured the Redskins of a first round game. Instead of sulking, the team put in a good practice Monday and turned it into a victory on Tuesday.
"We were upset on Friday, we felt we were the better team Thursday and Friday last week, but we wanted to re-set and gave the girls a little time off," Neshaminy coach Renny Papendick said. "They came ready to work really hard in practice (Monday) and really rallied amongst each other. We just worked on combinations and basic things and our senior leaders stepped up."
Teams coming out of the PAC are usually defensively sound, and the Vikings were no different. But Neshaminy's determination proved a very valuable difference maker.
"It's a very good team, very solid, well coached and very organized in the back," Papendick said. "We broke through about 10-12 minutes in, Brooke Mullin created some havoc there and got a toe-poke past the goalie. Brooke was again her normal, disruptive self."
Papendick said the Vikings' organization carried into their midfield and PV was able to find and make use of some space in the middle. With some speed outside as well, PV started to knock on the door.
"We gave up an own goal right before half, it was a whipped in ball and a dangerous ball, if it wasn't an own goal it probably was going in anyway," Papendick said. "It was 1-1 at halftime but we just reorganized and figured it out. We stayed calm."
Neshaminy closed down those spaces in the second half and kept Perk Valley pinned back as it started to hunt for a go-ahead goal. The coaches moved Michaela Boyd up top next to Mullin and her energy led to a lot of won balls and the eventual pass that led to Mullin's second goal.
"Emily Tantala on the outside was great, Kristin Curley gave us solid minutes and Mel Prinos as our center mid was great," Papendick said. "We kind of locked them in during the second half and had the run of play. Hannah Stonkus and Kelli Kowalick at our center backs did a nice job, Kelli wins the big balls and Hananh runs them down, it's a pressure-cover kind of thing."
Papendick also added that Gina Sexton at outside back was very solid.
Neshaminy (13-5, 9-3 SOL) may have lost out on the SOL National title but they'll get another crack at No. 7 Pennsbury on Thursday. The two sides will meet for the third time this season and second time in a week.
The outcome this time however, will end one of their seasons.
"Pennsbury was there watching us, so they're ready for Thursday and we're ready for Thursday," Papendick said. "I don't think anybody is loving the fact it's not a district final game or even a semifinal game, I think it's early for us to play each other but it's going to be a battle."
NESHAMINY 1 1 – 2
PERKIOMEN VALLEY 1 0 – 1
Goals: N – Brooke Mullin 2
North Penn 4, Avon Grove 0
The last time the Knights made the playoffs, the team's current seniors were freshmen, so there wasn't a lot of postseason experience on the roster.
Only one player on the roster had won a high school soccer playoff game going into Tuesday night, and Lauren Ruth put that experience on display. The senior, a transfer from Archbishop Wood, netted a brace as the Knights shook off a slow start in a dominant showing.
"She had a big appetite tonight and was a nightmare to their back line," Knights coach Steve Whitby said. "She applies constant pressure and when my middies get their heads up, they can give her good service and support."
The lack of playoff experience showed for the Knights, at least early on.
"After about 10 minutes of nerves, we were able to get on the front foot and controlled much of the match," Whitby said. "High energy, a high press on their back line and possession were keys."
Whitby noted a key early save by senior keeper Ashley Schmidt who also played composed despite seeing a lot of back passes from defenders.
"She had to stay focused as she did not see the ball to her hands more than three or four times," Whitby said. "She was dealing with balls played at her feet."
Zoei Baines also scored a goal and assisted one of Ruth's tallies while Sophia Broadhurst provided the finishing touch. North Penn's strong second half was keyed by a constant strive for more even after the Knights notched a few goals.
"It's a result of the mentality of keeping the foot on the gas and the hungry players coming off the bench," Whitby said.
The Knights coach also noted the play of defender Meg Coulton.
"Meg had her best match of the year and was the 'Knight of the Night,'" Whitby said. "So many other players were awesome and deserving but she deserved recognition for her shut-down play in the back."
With the long-awaited playoff win finally under their belts, the Knights had a jubilant postgame meeting.
"There was some singing, some dancing, it almost seemed like a relief that all the work they have put in has paid dividends," Whitby said. "I was really thrilled for this lot."
North Penn (10-6-3, 6-4-2) travels to No. 3 seed Pennridge on Thursday night. It will be the team's third meeting this fall with the Rams winning 3-2 and 2-1 this year.
"We are not thrilled that some high quality will go home Thursday," Whitby said. "Not sure how that happens, but at this point it is what is in front of us. We now have to prepare for the biggest match of the year."
NORTH PENN 2 2 – 4
AVON GROVE 0 0 – 0
Goals: NP – Lauren Ruth 2, Zoei Baines, Sophia Broadhurst
Haverford 1, Upper Dublin 0
The Cardinals knew there was one player they really had to watch out for on Tuesday.
Sometimes, talent just triumphs over preparation, and when Fords senior Annalena O'Reilly got her look early in the second half, she buried it. Her 18-yard effort was all the tough Haverford defense needed to close out Upper Dublin's season.
"It was a great game," UD coach John Topper said. "We knew it was going to be a tight game, we knew they would be stingy defensively and we knew O'Reilly was a dangerous player."
Upper Dublin gave Haverford all it could handle for a half. Anna Desch, Emily Booth and Julia Eustace had the Fords defenders on their heels as they constantly flashed their blistering speed.
In the midfield, Lexie Moss, Tina Haig, Laura Pendleton and Priya Kaneria won the 50/50 and physical challenges they had all year and UD controlled the run of play.
"They were so fast," Fords’ coach Jeff Jackson said with a shake of his head. "We talked about not letting them get the ball to begin with and playing tighter. When they did get it, we had to be there with support. They were fast, especially those outside players."
Topper noted that despite all that effort, his team wasn't able to put one away and that proved costly in the long run. Right off the second half whistle, the Fords came out aggressive, and a counter attack led to O'Reilly getting an open look for the game-winner with a half hour left in the game.
"It became a very open game at the end and I was proud of the chances we generated, things just didn't click on the final ball," Topper said. "The message I left to the girls was there's no regrets about tonight, they left it on the field."
Upper Dublin kept up a high level of play despite numerous injuries and players shuffling position which affected them even into Tuesday night.
"It just speaks to their resilience and their character, there were a couple points in the middle of the season where we struggled with injury and adjusting to new roles where the season could have taken a real negative turn," Topper said. "You look at the way things went the last two weeks, things clicked and they played like the team we know they are. They played that way tonight."
The Cardinals (11-7-1, 9-4-1 SOL) graduate 10 seniors who helped the program win two SOL American titles and make four District I playoff appearances.
"They helped establish a reputation for Upper Dublin soccer and have done it with class and character," Topper said. "I'm going to miss this crew very much, aside from being talented, they are truly a great group of individuals."
HAVERFORD 0 1 – 1
UPPER DUBLIN 0 0 – 0
Penncrest 4, Hatboro-Horsham 0
The Hatters couldn't get their offense on track and saw their resurgent season come to an end Tuesday night.
Hatboro-Horsham (13-6, 11-3 SOL) was making its first playoff appearance in six years with a team that relied heavily on juniors and sophomores with a few key freshmen that ended up finishing second in the SOL American.
Class 3A
Upper Moreland 2, Gwynedd Mercy Academy 1
The last time the Golden Bears made the postseason three seasons ago, they were ousted by Gwynedd Mercy Academy in the first round.
Tuesday, the two teams met under the lights at Upper Moreland.
"It has been decades since Upper Moreland has won a district playoff game," Bears coach Lisa Benvenuto said. The last time they went was three years ago and they faced Gwynedd Mercy and lost. Tonight, all of that changed."
Gwynedd Mercy comes out of the AACA, a league loaded with physical and strong teams so the Bears knew they would have their work cut out for them.
"The atmosphere tonight was incredible. Two talented teams, battling it out, to advance to the next round," Benvenuto said. "We knew that Gwynedd would be strong in the middle and fast on the outsides. We executed our off-sides trap, pulling Gwynedd off nine times throughout the game."
The Bears struck first, converting a first half penalty kick.
"Kathryn Morrow cut the ball into the box and beat her defender. She was tackled from behind, resulting in the penalty kick," Benvenuto said. "Sarah Veneziale confidently put the ball in the back of the net."
The Monarchs leveled the score about a minute later off a counter, and both sides exchanged chances over the next 20 minutes.
Upper Moreland's defense played a pivotal role in the victory. Keeper Jackie Martino made seven crucial saves while defenders Megan O'Donnell, Kaiya Herb and Maddie Gerlach were stout.
The winning goal came thanks to some resolute work by the backs.
"Jackie made a tremendous save in the net. The rebound came back in Maddie Gerlach was there to clear it out," Benvenuto said. "She found Alexis Lamb in the midfield, who then found Grace Burns. Grace beat her defender and then took on the goalie, she buried the ball in the side netting for the win."
UM (11-8, 6-8 SOL)will face No. 2 seed Villa Joseph Marie, a perennial state title contender, in the second round on Friday.
"It was an unbelievable team win tonight. Every single player on our team added to this win. The girls executed our game plan, and played smart," Benvenuto said. "I am so proud of the heart this team shows daily."
UPPER MORELAND 1 1 – 2
GWYNEDD MERCY ACADEMY 1 0 – 1
Goals: UM – Sarah Veneziale, Grace Burns
About the Author
