Upper Dublin, Quakertown, Neshaminy & CB East were winners in the opening round of the District One 4A Tournament Tuesday. CB East/Downingtown West photos provided courtesy of Keith Clemens Photography. CLICK HERE to go directly to the Girls' Soccer Gallery.
#10 Upper Dublin 2, #23 Plymouth Whitemarsh 1 OT
Few things are harder than beating a team three times in one season.
Upper Dublin had topped PW twice during the regular season, but between a 5-0 win in the first game and 2-0 victory in the second, the Colonials made a lot of strides. Tuesday, PW showed it had grown more and pushed the Cardinals to their limits.
Two of UD's most consistent players this season stepped up with the season on the line. Junior Tina Haig tied the game with three minutes left in regulation and junior defender Katie King tapped in a loose ball in the box for the overtime winner with just seconds left on the clock.
"It was a bit of a trap in the sense you can get lulled into a false sense of security having beaten a team twice, but if you look at the way those two games played out, PW made a lot of adjustments that were very effective and they were preventing us from doing a lot of things we wanted to do," UD coach John Topper said. "In the first half, they were executing their game plan a little bit better than we were."
Soccer is often labeled as the cruelest sport, and the Colonials left the field feeling like they deserved a better ending.
"It's so hard right now, our girls worked so hard and did everything they were asked to do," PW coach Ryan Zehren said. "The girls played outstanding. I was just with our coaches, and we were trying to wrap our heads around how we lost that game."
Zehren said he could have picked any player off his roster and would have been able to say Tuesday was their best game of the season. In particular, he felt like seniors Sarah Putsch, Ali Diamond, Victoria Betterly and Emily Rosenberger played phenomenal.
PW started preparing for Upper Dublin last Thursday and felt like it had the perfect plan to take down the SOL American champions.
Upper Dublin had made the playoffs every year while many of the current players had been on the roster but hadn't been able to get out of the first round. While it's a veteran team, it also has a lot of underclassmen who have started multiple seasons.
"We just talked at halftime and reassured them it was not panic time," Topper said. "We did establish a little better possession and calmed down a bit in the second half. We did create our chances and it was an excellent individual effort from Tina to tie the game up."
PW spent the entire night covering the talented midfielder and doing all they could to force her to her left. On the tying goal, Haig had to go left and took a left-footed shot from about 20 yards out that found the back of the net.
"I wouldn't coach my kids a different way, my kids played her how I asked and there's no regrets there," Zehren said. "We forced her to play with her left foot on that shot purposely. If she had shot with her right foot, I would have been upset. Tina is a stud athlete and in my opinion the best player in the league and she stepped up and made a great shot with three minutes left."
Zehren felt the 5-0 loss early in the season was the first time he stepped away from a game and knew he needed to get better as a coach. After his players had fully committed to the offseason, from January workouts to spring games and summer league, it was an all-in effort from his players he felt obligated to match.
Additionally, he cited the contributions of assistant coaches TJ DeLucia and Ryan Kirby.
"It's just the girls, that's all I ever think about," Zehren said. "I think about how crushing it is and how much they deserved to win the game. The next question is where do we go as a program. The last two years have been a blessing, we've done some amazing things and I know we can keep that going."
Zehren's hope is that PW and Upper Dublin can forge the same kind of rivalry that's so prevalent in the National and American conferences, with teams playing matches of Tuesday's caliber every time they meet on the field.
Topper cited the defensive play of midfielder Lexi Moss and defender Erin O'Brien, who did a lot of the work checking PW forward Alyse Caffrey. Senior goalkeeper Devon Jones made eight saves to keep her team in position to win the game.
The winner came off a chaotic moment in the box and sent Upper Dublin to a playoff win that had until then eluded this group.
"Emily Booth did a great job creating an opportunity up top and the ball was knocked around and Katie just tucked it home," Topper said. "It says something about their entire season and how well they've done. They put themselves in a good spot, it's something we've been stressing all year, that consistency."
PW returns Caffrey and Tuesday's goal-scorer, Haley Zygmunt, among a large number of underclassmen due back.
"I'm really excited about the future of the program," Zehren said. "It's tough to say that after a loss, I don't want to overlook any of the seniors and what they did for us. Our league sometimes doesn't get that same respect, but hopefully tonight's game showed people there's something to be said about the SOL American."
The Cardinals (16-1-2, 14-0 SOL) are on the road to face No. 7 Souderton on Thursday.
"From what we've heard and the common opponents we've played, we're expecting a tight one," Topper said. "We'll have to clean up our game a little bit if we want to have a fighting chance to beat a good team like that."
Plymouth Whitemarsh closed out its season with a 12-7 record overall (9-5 SOL).
UPPER DUBLIN 0 1 1 – 2
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 1 0 0 – 1
#17 Quakertown 1, #16 West Chester Henderson 0
Quakertown knew it had a long trip to Henderson, so the Panthers did the smart thing and left early.
Instead of hopping off the bus and right into a match, Quakertown had time to stretch out, get its legs back and focus in. The approach paid off as a very organized Panthers’ side rode a first-half goal to its first district win in 14 years.
"It was awesome," Quakertown coach Mike Koch said. "It's been a while."
Although it was the 16-17 game, Quakertown was at least on paper, the underdog. Henderson is a program with some pedigree both in the district and the state. After falling in their first playoff game last season, the Panthers returned knew what the difference would be.
"One of the things we needed in turning the corner was to not only win a district playoff game but to do it against a quality program and storied program," Koch said. "We were organized last year all year and it took us a while longer to get there this year. We're organized, we didn't make a lot of mistakes and we play hard."
It was a banner effort for Quakertown's defensive unit, with keeper Morgan Small making her usual handful of excellent saves. In front of goal, Sam Barkholz, Melina Jagiello, Cori Pursel, Maddie Smith, Becah Fox and Brenna Foster just handled everything the Warriors threw at them.
"They're always the unsung piece, but that's what our strength is," Koch said. "Morgan made one unbelievable save and two or three more that most keepers aren't making."
With the defense doing its part in the back, it also decided to get in on the act offensively in the 31st minute.
"We scored on a corner, probably our fifth or sixth on a corner this year," Koch said. "Sammy Barkholz serves one of the best corners out there consistently and center back Melina Jagiello, she headed it and she was about as high in the air as she could possibly be."
Center backs are usually targets on set pieces and Jagiello showed why.
"She was probably about seven yards out and the ball was still rising when it hit the upper corner of the opposite side of the net," Koch said. "(Henderson's) keeper was excellent and she didn't have a prayer on it. It was just a brilliant goal."
Koch felt like his team was able to play with less pressure, especially after it took the lead.
"They attacked like crazy and they have an assortment of very dangerous players," Koch said. "They put a lot of pressure on us, especially at the end, but we just stayed organized and played smart soccer. Our understanding of the game itself has just grown exponentially throughout the year and we managed through that last 6-8 minutes and each time they applied pressure and didn't get a result, they got more frustrated as a result."
Koch also credited his midfield and forwards for playing the entire length of the pitch, whether it was keeping the ball, passing to the backs instead of forcing a pass or even making late runs that prompted Henderson to pull numbers back and calm some of that pressure.
"We're not always the pedigree program that some other schools are, but we work really hard and we did that tonight," Koch said. "They did some of the non-glamorous work some other forwards aren't willing to do, but ours were in order to get a win."
The second round will be a much shorter trip as the Panthers (14-5, 11-3 SOL) head to No. 1 Pennridge on Thursday. Earlier this season, Quakertown lost to the Rams 4-0. Koch and Rams coach Audrey Anderson are friends and both teams know each other well.
"We're honored and happy to be in this position," Koch said. "We're hopeful we can give them a challenge."
QUAKERTOWN 1 0 – 1
WEST CHESTER HENDERSON 0 0 – 0
Goals: Q – Melina Jagiello
# 12 Neshaminy 4, #21 Strath Haven 1
Neshaminy found itself playing from behind early on Tuesday.
The No. 21 seed scored four minutes into the match, clearly looking for an upset. Once Neshaminy settled in and started playing as a team, order was restored.
"Luckily it was still early in the game so we settled down and played the way we are capable of playing," Neshaminy coach Chelsea Lovelace said. "Things started to pick back up again. That brought us the goal to tie things up and then from there, we were able to put three more great goals in the back of the net."
Jackie Ziegler continued to drive Neshaminy offensively, scoring the game-tying goal in the 16th minute and assisting the last two goals. Kristin Curley scored the winner on a header off a brilliant ball from Brianna Tobin that the midfielder saved on the end line.
"We just started to find feet and then things started to build up from there," Lovelace said.
Ziegler's 29th minute corner found Michaela Boyd for a finish, then Ziegler played another corner that found defender Nicole Palmer for a thumping header early in the second half.
"We were able to get a lot of balls behind the defense and then early crosses in to find our girls in the box," Lovelace said.
Curley, Tobin, Ziegler and Palmer all played well, as did Emily Tantala and Jackie Ziegler. Riley Spingler made four saves.
Neshaminy (13-5-1, 8-3-1 SOL) will be at No. 5 Conestoga on Thursday.
NESHAMINY 3 1 – 4
STRATH HAVEN 1 0 – 1
Goals: N – Jackie Ziegler, Kristin Curley, Michaela Boyd, Nicole Palmer
#11 Central Bucks East 3, #22 Downingtown West 2 (OT)
The Patriots watched a 2-0 lead disappear in the final 10 minutes of Tuesday's opener against the visiting Whippets but escaped with the win when Izzy Hunter scored eight minutes into the first overtime period.
The Patriots, according to their coach, shouldn't have needed Hunter's overtime heroics.
"We had literally 12 breakaways during the game, but we were unable to convert," East coach Paul Eisold said. "We had 95 percent of the possession. They had very little.
"This is why I argue with people – possession does not win soccer games. Scoring wins soccer games. The longer it went on, the more frustrated the girls were. We really needed to get that third goal to make it comfortable. We didn't do it. They had the better of play the last 10 minutes. They had a corner kick to score the second goal, and now we're going into overtime. Fortunately, we took care of business in overtime, and we got out of Dodge. We took it and ran."
Hunter netted a brace that included the game-winner in extra time with an assist from Grace Taylor. Hunter also scored in the first half as did Gabby Learn, with both goals assisted by Brooke Zarzycki to help East to a 2-0 advantage. The Whippets, coming out of a fairly tough Ches-Mont league, knotted the game up with seven minutes to play.
"I know in districts playoff games are always tight, but you've got to take advantage and solidify what you got," Eisold said. "We did not take care of business in regulation."
Grace Taylor played in the fateful ball that Hunter turned into a goal in overtime, sending East through to the second round.
The No. 11 Patriots (9-5-5, 5-4-3 SOL) will face No. 6 Council Rock South on Thursday in the second round. The teams met in last year's first round with CB East winning 1-0.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 2 0 1 – 3
DOWNINGTOWN WEST 0 2 0 – 2
Goals: CBE – Izzy Hunter 2, Gabby Learn
#15 Haverford 2, #18 William Tennent 1
Tennent's late comeback bid fell a goal short in a furious finish Tuesday.
After playing to a 0-0 draw at halftime, the host Fords scored with 20 minutes left, then added a second goal just minutes later for a 2-0 edge late in the second half. Tennent showed the grit that defined its season and cut the lead in half on a penalty kick by senior Ashley Rivera with 15 minutes to play.
However, the Panthers weren't able to track down an equalizer.
"Jess Jara, our first half goalkeeper, played very well directing the back line and keeping the score 0-0 at half," Tennent coach Bill Hontz said. "Nikki Reh and Ashley Rivera both played their hearts out, knowing it could be their last game. Ashley was able to get the PK and make it a game again."
Tennent (10-8, 5-7 SOL) returns a crop of underclassmen who saw major varsity minutes next season as it transitions back to the SOL National.
HAVERFORD 0 2 – 2
WILLIAM TENNENT 0 1 – 1
Goals: WT – Ashley Rivera
About the Author
