Four SOL girls’’ soccer teams advanced to Tuesday’s District One AAA quarterfinal round. To view photos of the CB East/WC East, PW/OJ Roberts, and CR South/Rustin games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
#1 PENNSBURY 1, #16 DOWNINGTOWN WEST 0
Mary Webb turned an Uche Onucha pass into a goal in the 62nd minute that turned out to be the game winner.
“I was confident in the way the girls were playing,” coach Kaitlyn Battiste said. “Again, they had the majority of the possession, but they had a very strong keeper (Jessica Yanez), who had 10 saves.
“I’m proud of the way our girls played. Those weren’t 10 easy saves. She came up with some big ones. Fortunately, we had enough numbers forward, it was a great serve (by Onucha) and the keeper couldn’t be everywhere, and Mary was able to put it away.”
Battiste went on to credit Webb and Onucha as well as several other players.
“Mary Webb really did have an exceptional game,” the Falcons’ coach said. “It was awesome that she was able to put it away.
“Uche had another great game. She had two or three serves for us. Again, our defense played great and Kayla (Kunde) played great in goal. Amy Blazejewski was the one who stood out the most defensively, but the four in the back played really well.”
While some teams were less than thrilled with the nine-day layoff after the games were pushed back two days because of the seeding miscalculations, Battiste was not in that number.
“Some of it worked to our advantage,” said the Falcons’ coach, herself battling a case of the flu. “Unfortunately, we ended the season with a couple of injuries and things, and it’s given us time for the girls to rest.
“I think they stayed sharp mentally. The coaching staff really had them mentally and physically ready to go. We knew as the number one seed, the first win is the hardest one to get.”
Kunde was credited with three saves in the shutout.
The Falcons (16-0-3, 11-0-3 SOL) will face eighth-seeded Spring-Ford in Tuesday’s quarterfinal round. The Rams rolled to a 5-1 win over ninth-seeded Strath Haven.
Downingtown East 0-0 0
Pennsbury 0-1 1
#2 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 2, #18 WEST CHESTER EAST 1
Emma Loving, showing absolutely no rust from her team’s eight-day layoff, connected for a pair of goals to propel the Patriots to the second round win at War Memorial field.
“Emma is a shark up top,” coach Paul Eisold said of his junior star. “She’s a scavenger, she likes to find the ball, she wants the ball, and anything near her or the goal, she’s going to give her effort to get the goal.
“That’s just something inbred in her, and when you see a player like that, you’ve just got to appreciate it.”
It was a Loving goal in the 32nd minute (Paige Weiss assist) that sent the Patriots into halftime with a 1-0 lead. When Loving connected for an unassisted goal two minutes into the second half, the Patriots led 2-0 and appeared to be home free, but the Vikings had other ideas, making it a 2-1 game on a goal by Briana Girard.
“I think in the second half we were kind of slowing up,” junior defensive back Emily Horn said. “We got really comfortable, but we ended up realizing this was a life or death game and we had to pull up, so we just stayed strong and fought back.
“It’s definitely tense. We realize we can’t make any mistakes in the back. We have to stay strong and play smart. We’re capable of pulling it out in the end. We just have to stay together.”
The Patriots held on for the win, advancing to the quarterfinal round of eight teams, and it was in the second half they showed their mettle.
“The last minutes it’s just giving your all, being resilient, not giving anything up and just fighting and leaving it all on the field,” said senior Danielle DeMichael, clutching a pink game ball. “I think that’s really what CB East (soccer) is all about.
“We have a lot of heart, and it just all comes down to hard work. It feels that much better winning when we leave it all out there.”
According to Eisold, DeMichael has been a key to the Patriots’ success.
“Danielle has been such, for lack of a better word, a great sport,” the Patriots’ coach said. “We started her up top, and we didn’t get a whole lot of success, so her confidence started going down.
“We moved her to the midfield, and she has just poured it on. You could see by her play today – she wants to be here, she wants to play, and she wants to move on.”
Horn, one of just three return starters this year, received a ‘Superhero’ shirt for her performance in Saturday’s win.
“Emily Horn played absolutely outstanding today,” Eisold said. “Her tackles and her inclination to go to the ball and win the ball were just phenomenal.
“She makes the right decisions, and you can just see it in her eyes that she just wants to play, she wants to get better, and she continues to get stronger every game. She plays outside back, and we needed that leadership from her because our backs are a little bit young, so we put her in the back with her experience, and she absolutely is stepping up to the plate.”
Both McMichael and Horn pointed to good chemistry as a key in bringing this year’s team together.
“It’s just working as a team, working hard and being passionate about the game,” Emily Horn said. “Honestly, the camaraderie on the team is what really keeps us a strong force, and that’s what really empowers us.”
“All the girls are pretty close-knit, and we all get along,” McMichael added. “I think that helps a lot because when you know a lot of girls personally – you work together better.”
And it was that teamwork that allowed the Patriots to withstand the Vikings late surge.
“Unfortunately, it was so difficult in the second half, but fortunately, those are the moments that make your team stronger,” Eisold said. “To withstand a high quality team like West Chester East, especially the last 15 mintues when they were kind of taking it to us, that’s what makes you a stronger player, that’s what makes you a stronger team.
“We saw it through, and we finished. We gave up a goal, but we didn’t let it bother us. We had to stay organized, and they just persevered.”
The Patriots (15-2-2, 10-2-2 SOL) will host 10th-seeded Conestoga in Tuesday’s quarterfinal round.
West Chester East 0-1 1
Central Bucks East 1-1 2
#14 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 2, #3 WEST CHESTER RUSTIN 0
Kasey Schlupp (Elissa Dotzman assist) connected on a header in the 58th minute, breaking a scoreless tie and 
giving the Golden Hawks the only goal they would need. For good measure, Julie Rebh (Jesse Magee assist) added a goal in the 65th minute to propel the Hawks to the big upset.
“We played well,” coach Kimmy Francis said. “Overall, the team played one of the best games I’ve seen as a collective group.”
What changed in the second after the two teams battled to a 0-0 tie?
“I think things turned around halfway through the first half,” Francis said. “Something just clicked, and the girls picked up their work rate.
“Once it turned, Rustin just couldn’t seem to get momentum back.”
Allison Taub had six saves in the shutout.
“Kasey Schlupp, Maria Buonomo and Emily Wilkinson really stepped up tonight and had huge games,” Francis said.
The Golden Hawks (13-6-1, 7-6-1 SOL) will face 22nd-seeded Great Valley in a quarterfinal game Tuesday.
Council Rock South 0-2 2
West Chester Rustin 0-0 0
#28 OWEN J ROBERT 3, #12 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 1
By Dave Conard for SuburbanOneSports.com
PLYMOUTH MEETING—A harsh headwind was not the only obstacle that prevented Plymouth Whitemarsh from advancing to the quarterfinal round in the PIAA District One playoffs as the Colonials’ history-making season came to an end.
The Wildcats had a two-part plan when they took to the turf at Colonial Field, stop sniper Nicole Abbott from hurting them on the scoreboard, while allowing their own version of Abbott 2.0 to run behind the usually staunch PW defense.
It was the latter that made the difference in a big way as Owen J. Roberts (11-7-2), while mildly successful in the task of impeding Abbott, posted their first two goals, seizing the momentum of the tilt with two laser blasts off of the right foot of freshman Mahogany Willis, before Morgon Shronk added some insurance late in the second half.
“We knew we had to try to stop (Nicole) Abbott or at least make it very difficult for her to get free,” said Wildcats head coach Joe Margusity, whose 28thseeded squad will now take on C.B West. “She gave us fits, she is such a dominant player, at least we kept her in check until the game was really decided. That is a very good PW team, probably the best we have ever seen of them.”
With three minutes remaining in regulation, Nicole Abbott posted her 38thtally of the season on a sweet feed from sophomore Ragan Ebersole to close out the scoring on the day.
Despite falling short of a state playoff berth, the loss would not diminish the pride of the coaching staff on all that has been accomplished this season by the Colonials and bodes well for the future of PW girl's soccer .
“Wow, where do I begin?” said coach Steve Slack. “That’s a great season these girls had. Today does not change that. They should hold their heads high. That is not a 28 seed team over there.
“We made history this season with the leadership of our amazing seniors who will be sorely missed.”
The Colonials closed out their season with a 15-3-1 record overall and a 12-2 record in conference play, good enough for a share of the American Conference crown.
“It has been so exciting to see the school and their classmates get behind the girls and boys teams this year,” said Slack. “I have seen this program grow from a time where is wasn't very good, and to stand here today after hosting two rounds of district play off is something special. Our season ended today, but it was to a team that could very well go on to the state tournament. I am very happy with the effort our girls gave despite facing a brutal wind the entire first half.”
Owen J Roberts 1-2 3
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0-1 1
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1, BOYERTOWN 0 (OT)
Shae McCarty connected for the game winner in overtime, propelling the Bucks into Tuesday’s quarterfinal round where they will face 28th-seeded Owen J. Roberts.
Central Bucks West0-0-1 1
Boyertown 0-0-0 0
#22 GREAT VALLEY 3, #27 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1
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