Pennridge, CB East, CB South & Neshaminy were winners in Thursday’s District 1 4A Tournament. CB East/Henderson photos courtesy of Tracy Valko, and CR North/Conestoga photos courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for galleries of both games. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ GIRLS’ SOCCER GALLERIES.
No. 1 Pennridge 1 (4), No. 16 Council Rock South 1 (2)
G Howley had that look of knowing how she’d answer the question as it was being asked.
The Pennridge junior was polite, letting the inquiry get to its endpoint, then took one look at the teammate standing next to her and smiled before she answered. Rams senior keeper Cece DeMoss tends to have that effect on people, whether it be the teammates she’s bailed out time and time again the last four years between the posts or the little future Rams that tend to flock to her after games.
Thursday, after she’d conceded a late equalizer despite a valiant effort, DeMoss locked in and came up with another clutch save in the third round of the shootout as the top-seeded Rams advanced after taking every bit of what Council Rock South could give them.
“Having her, it’s a game-changer,” Howley said. “She’s our rock back there. We trust her, we do our best to not let any shots in, but we always know she’s there.”
DeMoss, who has started in two state championship games, didn’t want to take sole credit for the outcome. So while her save in the shootout had given the Rams a window to advance, the senior pointed to her team’s response after she’d given up the goal that had put them there.
“We have a mentality that we just want to win every game,” DeMoss said. “That’s what keeps us going, even after a moment like that.”
Both the Rams and the Golden Hawks played outstanding, and it was exceedingly rare to see a ball go unchallenged. Even with a scoreless first 40 minutes, the level of play on both sides was at a high level and each team was committed to getting out with the win.
South’s backline of Katie Hickey, Madison Mohr, Lianna Shikhvarger and Krissy Phillip, along with the midfield of Kate Deal, Anna Horn and Brianna Howard and forward group including Teagan Shay, Riley O’Halloran and Macy Laidlaw battled all night against Pennridge’s forwards like Mikayla Loux, Emma Shaeffer and Cam Snyder, midfield grouping of Howley and Emily Hensler and back line of Addy Mills, Avery Runk, Natalie Walter and Peyton Rabinowitz
Pennridge would score first when midfielder Kendra Palena drilled a half-volley when a deflected ball off an Addy Mills free kick came to her in the center of the 18-yard box with 7:40 left. CR South went all-in on tying it up and did when senior Gianna Kirlin pounced on a blocked clearance attempt and powered a take off an attempt by DeMoss at a kick save with just 1:24 left on the game clock.
“The late equalizer was a gut-punch, but a huge credit to South, they worked really hard and when we scouted them on Tuesday, that was what we took away from it,” Pennridge coach Lucas Kriner said. “Nick (Heim)’s a great coach and a great citizen of this conference, so we knew we’d have a fight with them because they did show a lot of grit in that game Tuesday, in our previous meeting and again tonight, so not surprised it was such a cagey affair.”
Back in August, the Golden Hawks opened their season with a 1-0 win over the Rams. They would endure injuries, stretches of multiple games in a compressed amount of days and all the regular ups and downs of a season with plenty of resiliency.
That’s why CR South coach Nick Heim wasn’t surprised to see his group get right up and go after the hosts once Pennridge had finally broken a scoreless tie with 7:40 to play.
“Back in the spring when we made our schedule, I’m really up front with them, we played Pennridge who’s the one seed in District 1, we played Parkland who is the one seed in District 11, we played Archbishop Wood who is the one seed in the PCL, our mentality has always been ‘we’re not concerned about our regular season record, let’s get to the dance,’” Heim said. “Then we see how far we can dance. I told them we’re built for this kind of stuff, and they embodied that.”
For Pennridge, that loss in August was its second in a row to open the fall. The Rams would then go on a 10-match win streak and dropped just one fixture in their final 15 regular season dates as they climbed up to the top seed heading into the postseason.
Given that they’d graduated some very talented seniors and longtime coach Audrey Anderson stepped down in June, the Rams didn’t take for granted where they were going into the playoffs. Howley, who has played on varsity since her freshman season, explained this year’s group wanted to hold itself to the same standard the program had established over the last decade.
“Being at this level that we’ve been known to be, people think Pennridge and know this program has done so much, it definitely gives you some stress but we also know who to prove ourselves,” Howley said. “We want to get there every season and I think this group has done a great job so far.”
To that end, the players and coaches worked to establish how they would define that. Kriner credited assistant coach Alan O’Mara for working with the team’s leaders to craft a list of words that would accomplish that end.
Ultimately the Rams settled on four: gritty, determined, strategic and dominant. In a word, or four, exactly how they played on Thursday.
“We just wanted to verbalize the achievements of the year so far but also focus on how we wanted to stay hungry going into the playoffs. The specific challenge was, how do we want people to see us – parents, friends, family, opponents – when we go out there for those 80 minutes, or 80-plus, what did they see in us and what are the characteristics they take away,” Kriner said. “Alan’s been really good at pulling some of these little things out of our leadership and playoffs are the big time of the year, so we needed that little reference point.”
Each overtime was full of chances. DeMoss and CR South senior goalkeeper Ella Mayberry had to be on their toes, and both were, each making several saves in the extra 30 minutes of play.
With neither side able to crack through, the game ended in a draw, and it required kicks at the spot to determine who moved on. Pennridge held a 2-1 lead going into the third set of shooters and DeMoss would prove herself again with a diving effort to her right that gave the Rams the extra advantage they needed as long as they kept finishing.
“The mental fortitude and the drive to get that is what makes her special, for sure,” Kriner said.
Pennridge was a perfect 4-for-4 in the shootout. Notably, the team’s final two kickers in Madigan Posey and Harper Posey, didn’t start the game.
Harper Posey, who punched in the winning kick, didn’t even see the field until the second half, but she was able to step up in a huge moment for her teammates.
“That’s the way we approach the rotation and the way we approach it when we look down the bench and think ‘who can give us a spark,’” Kriner said. “Those are the questions we ask as a staff and when we look down the bench, we have a lot of options we can pick from so we’re very fortunate in that aspect.”
Scoring Summary
1st Half
No Scoring
2nd Half
P – Kendra Palena 7:40
CRS – Gianna Kirlin 1:24
OT
No scoring
OT 2
No Scoring
Pennridge coach Lucas Kriner on the response in OT: “We were a little bit down, we’d conceded a goal when we thought we were minutes away from walking off the field with a win and now we had potentially 30 more minutes of soccer. It took the wind out of our sails, for sure, but we said to everybody in the huddle, this is another kind of starting moment where we can come out fast and I thought the girls responded pretty well.”
–DeMoss’ impact: “The saves are incredible. She loves training PKs. Part of the story in this game is her mental toughness, she got a little piece of that ball that went in for Council Rock South at the end of the game and she was not feeling so great about that and she has the right balance of being self-critical with the ability to rebound and I think that helped her focus in the overtime periods and shootout.”
Rams senior goalkeeper Cece DeMoss on her PK save: “I just had that gut feeling she was going to go to my right side. Once she started into the kick, I thought ‘she’s going to my right and I’m going to the right too’ and I just made the save.”
–Going to PKs: “It’s the same mentality, I want to save everything that I can. It doesn’t matter how I save it, as long as I save it, that’s good with me.”
–Team’s growth since August: “It’s really nice to see how we’ve grown. At the beginning, there were a lot of questions like how are we going to do this? How are we going to approach this? Now, we know what we’re going to do and how we’re going to do it.”
Rams junior midfielder G Howley on the team’s four-word mantra: “We have four words we’ve recently come up with that they’re trying to be as a team. We’re trying to be gritty, determined, strategic and dominant ,and I think we did it all tonight and it really showed.”
–Differences in rematch: “They played very differently than they did at the beginning of the season, but so did we. It was really just seeing how they put their formation out, what they wanted to do, going with the flow and figuring out we could strategize against them.”
–Raising the level in overtime: “I think once you get out there, you find a gear you didn’t even know you had. You completely want to lock in and go 110 percent and I think everyone on the field did that tonight.”
CR South coach Nick Heim on the match: “I’m incredibly proud, we gave up one with seven left and I think a lot of teams down in that spot to the number one seed just call it a year, but we scored with a minute and a half left and generated chances until the final whistle. I am just incredibly proud of this group and this senior class, they’ve been the cardiac kids since they were sophomores taking us on that magical run and all those double overtime games.
–Props: “Girls all over the field tonight played fantastic. Anna Horn was so dangerous for us, Kate Hickey, Krissy Phillips and Lianna Shikvarger in the back – I thought that might have been Lianna’s best game in a South uniform in her young career.”
–Senior impact: “All of them – Ella Mayberry, Teagan Shey, Macy Laidlaw, Gianna Kirlin, Brianna Howard, Kate Deal, Olivia Cei, Riley Burke and Callie Bloom – they’re a special group. Some of them, they’ve been giving us big minutes since their freshman year and they’re a group that because they’re so tight off the field, it translates on the field. They’re not afraid to make me remember that this is fun and that’s what it’s supposed to be about. The excruciatingly painful end to it makes it feel a little bit worse because they are a special group.”
–Team’s character: “What’s especially unique is I’ll have teachers and other adults in the community constantly reach out throughout the year whether it’s ‘my daughter plays four-year old (Council Rock United Soccer) and one of your players is their coach and are great with them,’ or how some of these kids take serious courseloads and they’re just well-rounded kids that make it fun to come out here every day.”
Up next: Pennridge hosts No. 8 Neshaminy in the quarterfinals Saturday at noon. The winning team clinches a state playoff berth.
PENNRIDGE 0 1 0 0 – 1 (4)
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0 1 0 0 – 0 (2)
No. 8 Neshaminy 2, No. 9 Plymouth Whitemarsh 1
A chaotic sequence inside the 18-yard box in the final minute led to a game-changing call.
With play inside the final 60 seconds, Neshaminy had a throw-in deep in Plymouth Whitemarsh territory that had the distance to make it into the Colonials’ penalty area. Players tussled and jostled pursuing the ball off the bounce as the officials blew a whistle against PW to give Neshaminy a penalty kick with 45 seconds on the clock.
Anna Axenroth stepped up to the spot and converted, sending Neshaminy into Saturday’s quarterfinal round.
The Colonials took a 1-0 lead and carried it to halftime, thanks to a brilliantly taken free kick by senior Maddie McGuckien. A senior, McGuckien led PW with 13 goals this season, no small feat given her main role as the anchor of the defense at center back.
Both teams thrive on their ability to score off set pieces, or at the very least generate chances through them. Neshaminy is a strong team on corner kicks and early in the second half, a corner would lead to their equalizer.
A head’s up play by Bri Garyah saw the NJIT recruit play a ball back to junior Lily Kaczmarek who had taken the corner in the first place. Kaczmarek would then curl a shot from the endline that found the far post to make it 1-1.
Plymouth Whitemarsh ends a superb season with a 15-4-1 record that included an outright SOL Liberty division crown, the program’s first outright title since 2014. The team’s seniors also became the first class in program history to win two playoff games during their tenure.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
PW – Maddie McGuckien
2nd Half
N – Lily Kaczmarek (Bri Garyah)
N – Anna Axenroth (PK)
Neshaminy coach Josh Van Reed on the match: “Going into today’s game we knew that this was going to be a tough battle. They had scored a lot from set pieces, and they got one tonight in the first half. PW works hard for every ball, and we did have some chances during the first half but were always challenged, nothing was going to come easily.”
–The equalizer: “We made some small adjustments at half, and the girls were ready to go. Nine minutes into the half we won a corner. Lily Kaczmarek had played a ball into the box but when Bri Garyah got to it, she wasn’t able to put on frame, so she played back out to Lily who hit a ball high over the keeper’s head and into the back netting. It was a momentum shift for us. We started to have a bit more possession and create more chances.”
–Both teams push for a goal: “A couple times, we got balls served in and hit the ball at their keeper and she was able to hold on and make some nice saves. On the other end, PW also kept working hard, they have a couple girls who are fast up top and they had shots hit the crossbar and the post. It felt like the game could go either way.
–The ending: “With time winding down (:45 seconds) we had a throw-in deep in their end and Bri was pulled down going for the ball inside the box. Anna Axenroth stepped up and finished the PK. Very proud of the hard work in the second half from everyone. This was a win that did not come easy but was well deserved.”
PW coach TJ DeLucia on the match: “Extremely proud of our team tonight. Neshaminy has a great combination of speed and size. But, our team stayed on their feet all game. We do not play to put the game in ref’s hands. That is evident by anyone who has watched our team. We play fast, we play physical, and we stay upright.”
–McGuckien’s mark: “Maddie McGuckien was the best player on the field tonight. I’m so proud of her that this is how she ended her career at PW. She scored an incredible goal and was so good defensively, in the air, getting us forward, leading our team verbally. She was just outstanding and she will be missed.”
–Sendoff to seniors: “Thank you to the nine seniors: Mia Baron, Olivia Bragg, Liv Budin, Kaiane Jayo, Maite Jayo, Marleigh Burton, Maddie McLaughlin, Maddie McGuckien, and Keira Whelan. They’re a special group and while a call can take their season away, no one can take away their outright league championship. They were on the verge of history tonight. It’s a sad way for it to end, but I’m excited to get to work tomorrow to talk about how this team represented themselves, their families, and Plymouth Whitemarsh High School tonight and all season. They have raised the standard for Plymouth Whitemarsh girls’ soccer, and it was a joy to watch our younger players like Maddi Lazaroff, Liv Patete, Harper Reilly, Molly McEvoy, JJ Lafferty, Lori Flannery raise their levels and meet that standard.”
Up next: Neshaminy travels to No. 1 Pennridge for the quarterfinals on Saturday at noon. The winning team clinches a state playoff berth.
NESHAMINY 0 2 – 2
PLYMOUTH WHITMARSH 1 0 – 1
No. 2 Central Bucks East 2, No. 15 West Chester Henderson 1 (OT)
If anyone in the Central Bucks East program had a sense of deja vu on Thursday, it would have been warranted.
Last fall, a high-seeded Patriots team came off a first round bye to begin its playoff run against West Chester Henderson. In one of those weird coincidences that happen in sports, that was the exact case again on Thursday night.
The Warriors are usually a quality side no matter the year and that was no different, but a tenacious Patriots side was 
able to ride two of its most potent combos to a hard-fought overtime win.
“Incredibly proud of our group for seeing this one through. We drew Henderson in round two last year and they gave us a game, and this one was no different,” East coach Jake Nesteruk said. “They’re very well coached, they make good adjustments, and their kids play hard. That said, we probably made this one harder than it needed to be, but at this point in the season, it’s all about finding a way through and we did that.”
Mia Forney netted a brace, the junior going airborne to nod in a Kiera Sleicher service for the first goal of the game then showing some hustle and grit to chase a Taylor Roumy shot into the box and punch home a rebound shortly after the start of overtime.
The reward for such a hard-earned win is a third meeting with sister school rival Central Bucks South in the quarterfinals with a guaranteed spot in states on the line. Each team won on the other’s home field in the regular season and while Saturday’s losing team will still have a chance to play its way into states, there’s plenty on the line going in.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
CBE – Mia Forney (Kiera Sleicher) 31:57
2nd half
WCH Goal 38:59
OT
CBE – Mia Forney (Taylor Roumy) 13:20
CB East coach Jake Nesteruk on the first half: “We started strong and found some real success playing through Taylor Roumy’s side early. Around the 10th minute, Taylor earned us a corner after a blocked cross. Kiera dropped a perfect ball in, and Mia lost her mark, rose up, and made great contact with her head to give us the early lead. For much
of the rest of the first half, we struggled to progress the ball forward as Henderson sat off and compacted the middle.”
–The second half: “We wanted to push the tempo, but that plan got fast-tracked after we gave up a goal against the run of play. Credit to our girls, they responded immediately, spent most of the next 35 minutes in the final third, and created four or five high-quality chances but couldn’t find the back of the net.”
–The winner: “When you create that many chances without scoring, things can get tense and frustrating. But our kids kept their composure, and within 90 seconds of overtime, Taylor created some separation from her defender, got her head up, and ripped a shot off the crossbar that bounced down and hit the post. Mia stayed alert, hunted the rebound, and buried it to finish the game.”
–Props: “We put in a great effort to get this game over the line, and our girls got what they deserved. Mia and Taylor were excellent tonight despite the coverage they drew. Quinn Reilley gave us great minutes off the bench, Ella Roumy had a strong second half, and Kiera Sleicher was stellar throughout. Out of the back, Addie Langlois was decisive and did a great job joining the attack. All in all, this was a true team win and the group’s looking forward to another run against (CB) South on Saturday.”
Up next: CB East hosts No. 7 Central Bucks South for the quarterfinals on Saturday. The winning team clinches a state playoff berth.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1 0 1 – 2
WC HENDERSON 0 1 0 – 1
No. 7 Central Bucks South 2, No. 23 Pennsbury 1
When the Titans faced the Falcons back in mid-September, it was all CB South.
Tuesday night’s rematch in the second round of the playoffs was anything but one-sided. While the 23rd seeded Falcons couldn’t make it back-to-back road upsets of top-10 seeds, Pennsbury made CB South work as hard as it has all season to keep its playoff run going.
“Overall we committed to being a team and not accepting a loss tonight,” Titans coach Dana Cole said. “I’m so proud of our resiliency and not giving up after being down on the scoreboard.”
The Falcons struck first, but for the second straight game, CB South responded to an early challenge. This time, it was senior standout Riley Karpinski playing the role of facilitator, assisting the first half equalizer before also setting up the winner after halftime.
For every team that wins in this round, one sees its season end. Pennsbury ended its season having gone a round further than last year and had plenty to be proud of.
“It was a really great game, and every single girl should be proud of how far we’ve come. From the start of the season until now, the growth of this team has been incredible,” Pennsbury coach Jenna Peters said. “Our seniors have played such a huge role in shaping this program into what it is today, their leadership, heart, and commitment have set the standard for the future.”
Pennsbury concludes its season with an 11-8-1 record.
CB South will face another familiar foe in the next round as the Titans duel sister school Central Bucks East with a state playoff berth and a spot in the semifinals on the line.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
P – Ashlyn McEwing
CBS – Charlotte Manley (Riley Karpinski)
2nd Half
CBS – Khloe Montini (Riley Karpinski)
CB South coach Dana Cole: “Khloe Montini really came in and shined every minute she was on the field. She is always a presence but tonight she stepped up big being in the right place and the right time and giving 100 percent every minute she was out there. Khloe, Riley and Charlotte work so well together to create offensive opportunities.”
–Keeper steps up: “Morgan Sowash had some amazing saves that helped us keep the lead and hold the win.”
Pennsbury coach Jenna Peters: “We knew going into tonight that it was going to be a tough matchup, and it truly was a battle from start to finish. The girls came out strong, full of energy and confidence. Early on, we earned a free kick, and Ashlyn McEwing stepped up and finished it beautifully to give us the lead. The team kept fighting hard and creating opportunities, showing great composure and teamwork.”
–Battling to the end: “Heading into halftime, we had a lot of momentum and energy. The girls were fired up, and we talked about adjustments and how to keep doing what was working. We came out in the second half with that same intensity. Ashlyn played a great ball into the box off the tap, and Willa Corbitt battled for it and got a strong header on goal. We weren’t able to finish, but the effort and determination were there all night.”
–Making strides: “Unfortunately, the result didn’t go our way in the end, but every single player should be proud of the fight, growth, and heart they showed. This group has laid an incredible foundation, and the future of this program is bright because of them.”
Up next: CB South visits No. 2 Central Bucks East for the quarterfinals on Saturday. The winning team clinches a state playoff berth.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1 1 – 2
PENNSBURY 1 0 – 1
No. 11 Conestoga 2, No. 6 Council Rock North 1
The Pioneers may not have had the gaudy record or top seed they’ve had the past few years, but it’s still Conestoga in the postseason and that’s never an easy task to overcome.
Council Rock North put in a strong effort, taking a lead to halftime and playing to the final whistle, but the visiting Pioneers made the most of their chances as they continued on in the bracket. Conestoga capitalized on a pair of second half set pieces, but the Indians pushed them into the final minutes with a valiant search for an equalizer.
“A tough loss at home tonight against a solid Conestoga team. I thought we played very well at times and created some great chances, and we defended Conestoga’s box midfield really well overall, but they scored off two set pieces in the second half,” Indians coach Gavin Flannigan said. “Credit to them they battled just as hard as we did and they got the result in the end.”
After graduating a large and talented group from last year’s team, this season’s CR North group came together quickly and finished a tremendous season with an outstanding 16-3-1 record.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
CRN – Isabel Diaz (Sarina Igval)
2nd Half
Conestoga goal
Conestoga goal
CR North coach Gavin Flannigan on the end of the season: “This year’s team went 16-3-1 overall, which is an incredible record. I am incredibly proud of their on-field record, and this loss doesn’t change that, I think I probably need to do a better job getting them prepared for these games against the more 
experienced schools like Conestoga. More importantly, we are very proud of this group overall, we lost a lot of Varsity experience last year and this year’s team had to adapt to that loss and also the loss of leadership that came with that.”
–The game’s scoring: “I thought we really did a lot of good things in the first half, we created some good chances and were able to take the lead when Brynn Rodgers flicked a header on for Sarina Igval, her shot was saved but Isabel Diaz got the rebound. In the second half, Conestoga put a lot more pressure on us, they scored twice from a throw-in and a corner, but I thought for the last 15-20 minutes we had some great moments, we just couldn’t find a finish.”
–åçClosing the book: “They have done a great job of ensuring we played well but just as importantly they have done an incredible job of building a new group that had a strong bond with each other. Our senior group is largely responsible for that, they lead as a group, and their focus was on both of our teams and our program throughout the season. They led with pride for our program and were unselfish in their roles during the year. We hope that the examples they created were observed by our younger players and they learn from that. We are sorry to lose them, and we wish them the best of luck as they graduate this year.”
CONESTOGA 0 2 – 2
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 1 0 – 1
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