Neshaminy, Pennridge and Central Bucks South advanced to Wednesday’s District One 4A semifinal round. Pennridge/Downingtown East photo courtesy of Richard Owens. Check back for a gallery of photos from game. Neshaminy/Downingtown West photo courtesy of Jesse Garber (http://JSGarber.zenfolio.com/p376563417 ).
#1 NESHAMINY 1, #9 DOWNINGTOWN WEST 0
It’s been three years since Neshaminy has been in the state tournament, but the Redskins changed that trend on Saturday, edging the Whippets and punching their ticket to the big dance.
“This was a huge game,” coach Chelsea Lovelace said. “This is my first time getting into states as a head coach. I was around for the state championship run.
“We told the girls to take it one game at a time. We can’t look too far ahead. We take our next opponent and go through that game, and then we move on.
“It’s very exciting. These girls deserve it. They’re very hard workers, they have a great cohesion, they all get along, they all work hard for each other, they leave it all on the field. It’s exciting to see them succeed. We’re excited for states and the rest of the district.”
One small bobble turned out to be the difference in Saturday’s contest. West’s keeper mishandled the ball on a cross by Jackie Ziegler. Kristin Curley made that miscue hurt, scoring the game winner in the 51st minute.
“Kristin Curley was right there to pick it up and do a little cut around the keeper, and she just placed it right in the goal,” Lovelace said. “It was awesome to see the ball hit the back of the net.
“We told the girls before the game – they really have to focus on the final execution of corner kicks, free kicks, just to be composed when they’re in front of the ball in front of the goal because we might only get one or two chances, and we have to put it in the back of the net. We had a few chances, but it’s a playoff game, so there weren’t a lot of shots on goal, a lot of chances.”
The two teams met on Oct. 8 and had an identical result with the Redskins earning a 1-0 win.
“It was the same type of game, a fight from both teams, playing a lot of defense toward the end and being smart with the ball,” Lovelace said. “They had a couple of chances where I don’t know how the ball didn’t go into the back of the net.
“It started getting pretty nerve-racking, but our girls did a good job of holding them off.”
The Redskins’ coach pointed to her team’s improved play in the second half as key.
“We had another flat first half, which has been the theme of our last couple of games, but coming out with a 0-0 tie at the half, we knew we had 40 solid minutes to pick it up,” Lovelace said. “From the kickoff in the second half, everyone picked it up. There was a lot of energy.
“Maggie Daeche got us excited in the back. Our midfield had to win a lot of balls in the air. We weren’t doing that in the first half, so Riley Nyhus and Alyssa Tobin were a big presence in there, and Fiona McDonald also went in and was a big presence, winning head balls. She did a great job. We kept rotating our forwards in just to have fresh legs to pressure their backs and force mistakes, and I thought they did a great job with that.”
Neshaminy held a 4-3 edge in shots. Goalie Riley Spingler was credited with three saves in the shutout win.
Neshaminy (18-1-1, 10-1-1 SOL) will host fourth-seeded Conestoga in Wednesday’s district semifinal.
Downingtown West 0-0 0
Neshaminy 0-1 1
#7 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1, #2 PENNSBURY 0
The Titans are rapidly establishing themselves as the team no one wants to meet in the offseason. Last year, South ignored its 24 seed, knocking off ninth-seeded Downingtown East in the opening round and then sending eighth-seeded Pennridge home in the second round on its way to a fifth place finish and a berth in states.
They’re back at it again this year, upsetting the second-seeded Falcons in Saturday’s quarterfinal round.
“Coming from the 24th seed last year and we made a run at states – we felt like we had many returners, and we really expected to get back to states,” South coach Betsy Bullock said. “So that was really one of the goals this year.
“We did well in the season, but it’s a very tough Continental division, and we ended up in second place. That was very, very good, however, a little discouraging to the girls at the time. Once we start the postseason, it’s a brand new thing altogether, and I think they really rallied, and they really, really want this.
“Pennsbury is one of the best teams we ever played this year. They are well coached. It’s a very strong team with a very good record. We learned a little bit in advance about how to play them, and we game planned accordingly.”
The Titans once again rode their stalwart defense and standout goalie Sophia Boggs in Saturday’s win over a talented Falcon squad that was ranked second in the state in the most recent coaches poll.
“Sophia Boggs again came up really big, making one or two key saves where she’s diving across the box or getting a finger tip on the ball and it goes over the net,” Bullock said. “More importantly, there was a play on their corner, which they’re very, very good at.
“They ended up crossing the ball, the ball is pinging around the box, and Sophia is pulled out. At this point, they get a clear shot on goal, so I’m thinking, ‘Okay, we’re going to be behind 1-0,’ and our outside mid comes from nowhere, clears the ball out.
“The ball was literally halfway across the goal line, but the whole ball has to be over. The referee thankfully was there and witnessed it, so it was not a goal. That was in the middle of the first half. After that, we ended up putting together some passes, settling down a little bit.”
The Titans got on the scoreboard in the 39th minute, thanks to a goal from Brooke Steigerwalt.
“It was a scrum in front of the net, the keeper was out, and Brooke Steigerwalt, our sophomore forward who is a great finisher, ended up collecting the ball, dribbling to the one side away from the keeper and just slotting it in, and that was the game,” Bullock said.
The Titans’ defense did the rest, and Bullock credited the standout effort of her entire defensive unit – Margot Centofanti, Nicole Wills, Courtney Taylor and Krysta Reading.
“My game speech at the end was – ‘Look girls, you won this on defense,’ and they honestly did because this team came at us, especially in the second half,” Bullock said. “We held them which was very difficult because at that point, they wanted it so badly. That’s a very, very strong team. It was just a matter of the defense holding on a little bit longer, and I think that was the difference”
Central Bucks South (16-3-1, 9-2-1 SOL) will travel to third-seeded Pennridge for Wednesday’s quarterfinal game. Pennsbury will host Downingtown East in a playback game.
Central Bucks South 1-0 1
Pennsbury 0-0 0
#3 PENNRIDGE 1, #11 DOWNINGTOWN EAST 0
The Rams erased memories of the heartbreak of early district exits past, edging the visiting Cougars and earning a berth in states for the first time since 2011.
“It means a lot to me to know that the hard work the girls have put in has paid off,” coach Audrey Anderson said. “I think this year with so many seniors – they’ve had the heartbreak in the past and they’ve watched other teams do it, and knowing that’s what they’ve wanted, they’ve been positive and focused.
“We’ve looked at each game – that’s what it is. It’s a game, and we’re trying to learn from it and become better for the next game. I really think the whole group has bought into that. Instead of looking at the bigger picture, let’s look at the next obstacle we have to get over. That’s been our motivation.”
The Rams got on the scoreboard in the 12th minute when Katie Fischer and Dani Meenan teamed up on a set piece.
“We’ve been working on a couple of new set pieces just because I’m sure everybody has film on us, and we’re trying to do something different, something fresh,” Anderson said. “We’ve been working on a set piece from a certain spot on the field, and it just happened to come up.
“Dani took a left-footed direct (kick) – we’ve been working on where she should place it, Katie Fischer makes the run that she’s made over and over again and happens to be at the right spot just as the ball is coming in and puts the ball in.”
The Rams drew three corners in the first half and two more in the second.
“We pride ourselves on our corners,” Anderson said. “For a team to get five corners in a game was pretty big for us. We want those corners.
“We were unlucky a couple of times. One we thought was going in and somehow East got a foot on it and directed it away from the goal, so we had a couple of opportunities like that.
“In the last five minutes of the game, the keeper came out really far, Kennedy (Peace) wins the ball from her. Her shot looks like it’s going in, the wind blows it. It was a very windy day, and in the second half, East was playing with the wind, so it was very hard for us to defend because they were playing a lot of balls to their forwards. It was a battle. Both teams fought hard for the game. It could have gone either way.”
Pennridge (18-1-1, 10-1-1 SOL) will host conference rival Central Bucks South in Wednesday’s semifinal.
Downingtown East 0-0 0
Pennridge 1-0 1
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