Souderton advanced to Saturday’s District 1 4A final, and Pennsbury earned a berth in states. Pennridge/Conestoga photos provided courtesy of Sharin Harbeck.
District 1 4A Semifinals
#1-8 Souderton, #1-20 Penncrest 0
(Article submitted by Souderton soccer)
One has been Souderton's lucky number throughout the playoffs. With two 1-0 victories already under their belts, the Indians fought for another 1-0 victory to carry them to the district finals.
The Indian's had a slow start to the match, as Penncrest continued to throw numbers forward and put Souderton's defense under pressure with long ball after long ball. Souderton's defense held strong, as it has all year, and was able to prevent any real scoring chances from materializing. Penncrest's best chance of the half came with about 25 minutes left when a 40-yard strike hit the bar and came off the back of senior goalkeeper Lindsey Pazdziorko, who was able to scoop the ball away from her net before it crossed the line.
Pazdziorko was called into action again on a corner kick opportunity. The cross found a Penncrest attacker with some space in the box, and she directed a shot towards goal. There wasn't much pace behind it, but Pazdziorko was able to make a strong reaction save.
Souderton had no real chances in the half until the last 40 seconds when Averie Doughty worked herself into a good position in Penncrest's box. Her shot was looping over the goalkeeper who did just enough to push it over the bar to close out the half.
The Indians looked like a different team from the start of the second half. After absorbing pressure throughout the first 40 minutes, the Indians found themselves dictating the pace of the game through controlled possession at the start of the second. As they continued to connect passes, the team grew in confidence and began to threaten in the attack.
With 26 minutes left, sophomore Hannah Alderfer began to find her groove out on the left wing, and she was able to put some dangerous crosses into the box; all that was missing was the finish. With 21 minutes left, that changed. Alderfer took the ball endline once more and sent in a low cross just outside of the six-yard box. The cross found sophomore Taylor Yoder who tapped home the finish at the back post.
Again, the one goal was all the Indian's needed to advance. Souderton will face Conestoga at Upper Merion this Saturday.
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The District One 4A Tournament has not been particularly kind to the Indians in recent years. Last year, the eighth-seeded Indians lost in the quarterfinals and then dropped their first game in playbacks. The two preceding years, they were sent packing in the first round.
So when it came time to set goals this year, Campbell Power admits the team may have been a bit conservative.
“Districts, for sure – I was definitely expecting districts,” the senior captain said. “But with our past coming in, districts hasn’t been too good, so I didn’t know how this year with a younger team we would come in and deal with the pressure of having to win every game because it’s not like the normal season where we can just come in and be – ‘Oh well, there’s next game’ because it’s one and done.”
With plenty of new faces on the roster, the Indians might have been a longshot to advance to the district title game.
“All the seniors have mostly played together, but it was kind of a brand new team,” senior captain Sara Readinger said. “There were a lot of younger players, so I was kind of hesitant how we were going to do at districts, especially with Allie Trick not here (because of an injury), but I think everyone stepped up and made the difference. I think we’re doing a great job.”
One person who never doubted this year’s squad could be playing for a district title is coach Lindsy Jones.
“Absolutely,” the Indians’ first-year coach said. “Just the talent of this group – I had the seniors as the jayvee coach their freshman year, and I knew when they were seniors it was going to be a very successful team.”
The Indians are making history with what is believed to be the program’s first trip to a district title game, and listening to the players tell it, the secret to their success just might lie in the team’s camaraderie.
“Recently, we’ve just been really motivated, and I think throughout the season the motivation has just gone up,” Power said. “We’ve become closer – we chant ‘Family,’ and we mean it. I consider every girl on the team my sister.
“I could talk to them about anything, and I trust them on the field, so I think it does have to do with our unity too.”
“I think it helps that at practices – we’re not always just serious,” Readinger added. “We joke around with each other, we’re really close with each other. We work hard, and everyone does their part, but I think it’s a matter of fact that we’re all comfortable playing with each other.”
Unity and togetherness, according to Jones, have been her top priorities since taking over the helm.
“I don’t want any bad blood between anybody,” she said. “I know when you’re a family off the field that it will create more of a unified experience on the field.”
A pair of sophomores teamed up for a goal that turned out to be the game-winner when – with 21:50 remaining in regulation – Hannah Alderfer served a ball in from the left flank, and Taylor Yoder tucked it past the keeper and into the right side of the net.
“I was just trying to be in the right spot,” Yoder said. “I didn’t want Hannah to have to do all that work and me not be there.
“I just honestly tried to get a touch on it. There was really no skill for me. I just kind of hit it off my kneecap, and it went in.”
That 1-0 lead proved to be enough for an Indian squad that has won seven games by that score.
“I feel like we tend to have a lot of the possession, so it’s not like we’re worried the whole time,” Yoder said. “It’s just we tend to get one or two goals. It’s been that way the whole season, so we’re kind of used to it by now.”
“That has been the pattern of our year,” Jones agreed. “We create opportunities.
“In the second half (tonight), our forward movement was much more dynamic. When we talked at halftime, I said, ‘We look like we’re five people playing alone up front. We need to start combining and working together,’ and that’s exactly what they did.”
When the final horn sounded, the players converged for a giddy celebration.
“Every game we’re playing better and we’re working better together,” Readinger said. “Our energy is just going up.”
Souderton (10-7-3, 5-2-5 SOL) will face second-seeded Conestoga in Saturday’s District one 4A title game at Upper Merion High School (4 p.m.).
“We’re going to go up against a very talented team, but we have a great defense that I think can match it,” Jones said. “The question will be can we bring it offensively.”
Penncrest 0-0 0
Souderton 0-1 1
#1-2 Conestoga 2, #1-3 Pennridge 1
The Rams found themselves down early and couldn't finish off a furious comeback.
Conestoga bagged a goal from Emily Wertz just 33 seconds into the contest, putting the Rams in a hole for the second straight playoff game. Caitlin Donovan, one of their two main weapons up top, then doubled the advantage with 18:08 left in the half.
Pennridge was able to rally in the quarterfinals and tried to do so again on Tuesday.
Abby Groff netted a goal with 10 minutes left and the Rams put a deluge of pressure on the Pioneers but couldn't find a late equalizer.
Conestoga will duel Souderton for the District I title at 4 p.m. Saturday from Upper Merion.
Pennridge (17-3-1, 9-2-1 SOL) will host Penncrest in the third place game on Friday.
CONESTOGA 2 0 – 2
PENNRIDGE 0 1 – 1
Goals: C – Emily Wertz, Caitlin Donovan; P – Abby Groff
#1-7 Pennsbury 4, #1-6 Abington 1
Christine Cataldo-Smith has led Pennsbury in scoring since the opening game, but Evie Ciaccia has been pretty good in her own right this fall.
The junior stole the show on Tuesday, scoring three of the Falcons' four goals as they secured a bid to the state tournament and in the process, ended the Ghosts' season.
"This was the best effort from the two of them – the individual effort was good, and then toward the end of the game they found each other," Falcons coach Kaitlyn Battiste said. "Early on, Christine was doing a lot of the work taking players on, then Evie's second goal, she took people on. I thought their effort – they were just believing it."
Pennsbury's effort started in the midfield, where Rosie Bostian anchored another standout defensive performance. When the Ghosts had the ball, the Falcons made sure the players they wanted to have the ball did and the ones they didn't were denied possession.
"I felt it was the best balance we've had between our midfielders today, they were really working well together," Battiste said. "In the past, if they've gotten separated or not on the same page, the team could fall apart, but I felt they did a good job staying in sync and staying aggressive."
Abington had its share of chances, both from the run of play and on set pieces, but couldn't connect. A couple of free kicks from Camryn Lexow just missed Arianna Mancini, Kailey Horton and Casey Touey had shots stopped and a handful of other chances failed to connect.
Ciaccia opened the scoring when she latched onto a ball by Kasey Kowal and buried it with 12 minutes left in the opening half.
The junior made it 2-0 with a goal early in the second half where she simply beat her way through a couple defenders and tucked away the opportunity. It was a crippling goal for Abington to concede, especially considering that the Falcons were using a field player in goal.
Late in the first half, starting keeper Alyssa O'Driscoll injured her hand and wasn't able to start the second half. In her stead, Kendall Palatine put on O'Driscoll's gloves, a blue pinnie and did what she had to do.
"She played club goalkeeper for a while but last year as a freshman she tried out as a forward," Battiste said. "It was halfway through the year she mentioned 'by the way I also play goalie.' It was nice to have someone who was already in the rhythm of the game to step in, she was already seeing how things were moving out there. She moved off her line real well and gave us everything she had."
Palatine made a key save on Touey, but couldn't do much when Abington drew a penalty kick and Lexow converted it to cut the lead to 2-1.
O'Driscoll soon returned and the Falcons soon restored their lead. Bostian served a terrific ball off a corner kick that Cataldo-Smith nodded home for her 22nd goal of the year.
Cataldo-Smith then put on a highlight reel dribbling through Abington's defense before slipping a cross to an open Ciaccia for the hat trick and the finisher.
Abington (16-5, 13-1 SOL) ends its best season under coach Rick Tompkins. Lexow, who is heading to Virginia, headlines a strong departing senior class. Tompkins is hoping that Horton is able to find a home with a Division I program as well, but noted that all 11 seniors left a lasting impact on the program.
"They set a new standard here," Tompkins said. "This is the most wins we've had since I've been here, they won a conference championship, they won a playoff game and none of those things have happened before. I'm going to miss these kids, the quality of the individuals, there's 11 seniors and every one of them is stellar."
Pennsbury (17-3-1, 10-1-1 SOL) travels to Downingtown East for the fifth-place seeding game on Friday.
PENNSBURY 1 3 – 4
ABINGTON 0 1 – 1
Goals: P – Evie Ciaccia 3, Christine Cataldo-Smith; A – Camryn Lexow
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