Neshaminy & CB East advanced to the District 1 4A semifinals. Pennridge earned a state berth with its playback win over Abington. CB East/CB West photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos.: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f104829204 (Pennridge/Abington photos provided courtesy of Althea Tomlinson/Pennridge soccer). All SOS photo galleries for GIRLS’ SOCCER can be viewed by clicking HERE.
District 1 4A semifinals
No 5 Neshaminy 2, No 1 Conestoga 2 (4-3 PKs)
It was, as Neshaminy coach Josh Van Reed put it, everything a district semifinal match should be.
There was speed, there was skill, there was physical play, there were scoring opportunities, goals and responses from both sides. The Redskins knew what type of opponent they were matching up with, and the Pioneers proved every bit as formidable as advertised.
But they hadn’t played Neshaminy yet.
“We’re all ecstatic right now,” Neshaminy senior captain Mercedez Paino said. “For us seniors, it wasn’t our last game, but it means a lot making it to the district final. We’d never made it this far in all our years with this team, so we’re definitely ecstatic right now.”
The list of contributors on Tuesday was lengthy, from senior goalkeeper Hannah Labadie saving Conestoga’s final spot kick in the shootout to Brynn Taylor filling in at forward for the injured Angelina Daino and including just about every position in between. It’s been a long season and a tough season in terms of opponents, but it no doubt has hardened Neshaminy for situations like Tuesday night.
“I think it’s our work ethic,” sophomore forward Kylie Maxwell said. “We want it so bad. Losing early in the playoffs last year, it made us all want to win, to continue improving and to do great and keep on going together.”
Maxwell has been superb for Neshaminy all season while managing to go beyond in the postseason, setting up the opening goal on Tuesday while also getting the ‘Skins off strong in the shootout by sinking their first kick.
The Pioneers might as well have built a wall in front of their goal for how stingy they’ve been this season. In total, Conestoga had posted 14 shutouts and only once had allowed multiple goals in a match. They had yet to allow a goal in the playoffs entering Tuesday.
But they hadn’t played Neshaminy yet.
“They were down in our end a bit and we told the girls to make some changes about how we were going to play the ball forward and we got in behind their defense,” Neshaminy coach Josh Van Reed said. “First time, Kylie got in behind their defense, played the ball across and Gyzell Rowan just hammered it home.”
Neshaminy had one. A minute later, the Redskins had two.
“Another ball comes into the box, it’s kind of a scuffle and Allie Ortman actually turned and laid the ball off backwards and Carly Fox finished that one,” Van Reed said. “Two goals, less than a minute apart and we went down again and almost got a third one.”
The third one would have been rather helpful, as the Pioneers came back in a flash. Conestoga erased the Neshaminy lead in just a matter of minutes, capitalizing on a couple mistakes in the back to level the score at 2-2.
“The two goals happened because of a lack of communication, we were a little bit off,” defender Taylor Maxwell said. “We came together. It was definitely the captains, they led us through it and kept everyone up with a positive attitude.”
As exhilarating as that short span was on the field, it was also the only spurt of scoring both teams would have in the match. It wasn’t for a lack of chances, especially from Neshaminy’s perspective, but neither side could seem to come up with a golden third goal in the second half or either overtime.
Van Reed felt like his team stayed very dangerous and even generated some really good looks in the run of play or off corners but credited the Pioneers for managing to get the last foot in a couple times to prevent a score. On the other end, Conestoga definitely tested Neshaminy and forced the ‘Skins to play as clean a game as possible.
“We knew going in it wasn’t going to be easy and even after their two goals, it wasn’t over,” senior defender and co-captain Alexis Ocasio said. “After their goals, we picked each other up with the same energy we had to start and continued to try and get more opportunities on the net.”
Conestoga was the top seed, but the Pioneers had also dropped a game during the season. Neshaminy had not, but due to the points system, the ‘Skins not only didn’t get a top seed, they didn’t even get a first round bye.
Suffice to say, it’s been pretty motivating.
“They were the No. 1 seed but I knew they were scared of us because we have an undefeated record right now and we all went in thinking we should have been the No. 1 seed,” Paino said. “That should have been us. We were annoyed and it made us mad, so I think it really fueled us to get in and fight for every single ball and we knew it was going to be very emotional if we did lose, so we fought for each other.”
The Pioneers had all the benefits of being a top seed but they hadn’t played Neshaminy yet.
“That gave us so much motivation,” Kylie Maxwell said. “It actually helped us in the long run. We’re all determined to keep winning and winning to stay undefeated. Them scoring on us, it didn’t get us down, it made us want to keep dominating the whole game.”
There wasn’t one or two players who stood above the rest, it did take the entire squad to get Neshaminy through the two overtimes and past the shootout.
Ocasio also made sure to note the coaches’ role in the win, saying they stayed positive and uplifting and gave the players a boost, which only made the team work harder for them.
“Kylie has a big target on her back every time she’s out there but she still managed to get open and create a lot up top,” Van Reed said. “Brynn has been playing up top, putting in a lot of good work and one of our freshmen, Bri Garyah is stepping in.
“Our midfield, our three midfielders Mecerdez Paino, Carly Fox and Abby Collins, today they had to put in so many miles on the field but also so much physical work because there’s only three of them in there and they absorbed so much contact any time one of them had the ball. The work rate was nonstop.”
The shootout is an interesting wrinkle to the postseason. Teams go all regular season without the prospect of ever facing one but come late October it may be the only thing separating a team from its dream or the end of a season.
Neshaminy didn’t practice shootouts much during the regular season, but once the ‘Skins did, they went all-in. Van Reed said the team simulates the entire shootout, from walking up to the spot and placing the ball down to the kick and it’s a competition.
When it was time to draw up the order on Tuesday, nobody on the Neshaminy side felt any doubt.
“I believed in everyone that was taking one,” Ocasio said. “We practice them all the time and I had so much faith in everyone, I just tried to stay positive and hype them up to believe that they could do it.”
The home team chose to shoot first. For three rounds, the teams traded kicks with Kylie Maxwell, Ocasio and Taylor Maxwell hitting for Neshaminy.
Conestoga struck the crossbar on its fourth shot and Abby Collins was money for Neshaminy.
“We were all confident in each other and especially confident in our goalie Hannah,” Paino said.
Labadie saved the final kick, securing the win in the shootout and sending Neshaminy on to the district final for the first time since 2017.
“We looked at each other and just knew we wanted this,” Kylie Maxwell said. “We didn’t want to waste all of our training since August. We wanted to do it for each other, do it for the team, to not give up, to keep going and to work harder than them but also enjoy it.”
Neshaminy (20-0-2, 14-0-2 SOL) will face No 14 Central Bucks East in the district title game, set for a 3 pm start Saturday at Spring-Ford. Conestoga will host No. 26 CB West in the third place match.
NESHAMINY 2 0 – 2 (4)
CONESTOGA 2 0 – 2 (3)
Goals: N – Gyzell Rowan, Carly Fox.
No 14 Central Bucks East 4, No 26 Central Bucks West 1
They let the Patriots get hot.
Sometimes, all a team needs is to get on a roll at the right time. The Philadelphia Phillies have done just that and the ballclub is having quite an influence on CB East from the team’s anthem “Dancing on My Own” blaring from the stadium speakers after wins, to the Bryce Harper “We Ain’t Losing” shirts several players donned down to the student section chanting “Red November” in the
second half.
Leave it to a team of Phils fans to notice the similarities.
“We knew at the beginning of the season that we had what it took, but we started off a little slow, we had ups and downs more than last year but we knew if we got hot at the right time, we could do something pretty good and go far,” senior Elliot Forney said. “We all believed we could do it.”
Gwyn Krystkiewicz, wearing a “We Ain’t Losing” shirt after the match, added on.
“Our confidence is up here right now,” the senior said, waving her hand above her head. “Every game, it goes higher and higher. It’s helping us through districts, and I really think we can do something special.”
It would have been fair to question that confidence less than a minute into Tuesday’s clash. A foul by East gave West an opportunity to launch a free kick on goal and it led to an unexpected start from the visitors.
“It was exciting for the first 26 seconds. Our goal was to put as many people forward as we can and not play through our midfield because we had a couple girls injured. We wanted to try and go at them,” West coach Mike Moyer said. “Courtney Moylan hit a great service, and Mackenzie Gausch found her way underneath it to give us a 1-0 lead literally 26 seconds into the game.”
Forney explained while it was less than ideal to concede a goal less than a minute into the game, much less giving West exactly what it wanted, there was ample time left to make up for it. The Patriots felt like they just needed one and from there, it would turn into several.
West was again without midfielder Alexis Castro, who warmed up and tried to give it a go but was scratched just before the opening tap, then had to sub out cornerstone center back Courtney Moylan with about 31 minutes left in the second half. Already shorthanded, there wasn’t much West could do to stem the tide of pressure coming the other way.
“We had a lot of pressure for the first 8-10 minutes of the game. From those first 10 minutes on, it felt like East had 14 players on the field. They settled in,” Moyer said. “They have a great team. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – I think they’re one of the best teams in our district, and obviously because they’re playing for a district title now.”
Fullback Grace Craig and Krystkiewicz started testing the goal with some longer shots and each time East pressed up the field, whether it was Cam Williams slicing her way toward the box or one of the fullbacks firing a cross off the flank, it inched closer to a goal.
Forney also thrived in the middle and spent much of her night going at defenders and toward the goal. She scored the pivotal tying goal for her squad with 15 minutes left in the first half in a standout display of power and tenacity.
“I think we knew we could score goals on them, but that first one proved it,” Forney said.
A ball into the box found Forney between two defenders, but the senior was able to bring it down, turn and power through two tackle attempts before shelving a left-footed strike into the top of the net.
“I’m big, I can just run through it and if I got any sliver of the goal I was going to hit it on frame and it would be a tough save for Jules (Broskey),” Forney said. “I just had hope that I could score.”
It would be easy to point to the go-ahead goal as the most important, as the one that forced West to chase the game instead of trying to stand pat but even the player who scored the winner conceded the first goal was the crucial one.
“I felt a sigh of relief on the first goal,” Kyrstkiewicz said. “It was the same as 0-0, and we felt back to normal.”
The Bucks would escape the first half without further harm but even they knew East was onto something.
“They found their groove,” West’s Kate Weyer said. “They’re a good team, I applaud them a lot, they definitely have some really good players, but they work well together too. They’re smart, they use their strengths, and they found our gaps and our weaknesses.”
Forney ripped a shot into the side of the net early in the second half, only it was the wrong side of the net. Regardless, it was a sign from the hosts that they weren’t done yet.
Both regular season meetings between the teams had been close, intense games that were decided by just one goal. The faster the Patriots could get away from that, the better.
“East-West, it’s never like true soccer the way we play in other games from both sides just because the rivalry is so big,” Krystkiewicz said. “I feel like this was our game to show them what we are, how we play and what CB East girls’ soccer is.”
Getting in front would go a long way to helping establish that type of play, and when the Patriots drew a corner eight minutes into the second half, they got it. It wasn’t supposed to happen the way it did at first, but a team that’s been making it all work this postseason did so again.
“Cam and I were going to take the short corner but someone came up so Cam said to go in and I looked at Cam and pointed to my head like ‘hit my head,'” Krystkiewicz said. “I went in, there was nobody on me and I took my chance.”
Krystkiewicz’s free header right in front of goal gave East a lead it wouldn’t give back.
“They have a couple of studs on their team. Elliot was so good tonight. She’s just really hard to contain. I really hope we don’t have to see them again unless it’s in the state final. I always like playing East. I don’t know if I liked playing them three times in a year, but that’s how the brackets lined up,” Moyer said. “Jake is doing a great job over there. If anyone’s going to win the district besides us, I’m rooting for them. That was the best East game that they’ve played against us that I’ve ever seen. If they play the way they played tonight, they’re going to be really hard to beat.”
The Patriots’ third goal was another endeavor of effort. Mikayla Gray, who had another really good match in the middle alongside Forney and Sofia Mignon, threaded a pass toward goal that sent Williams and West keeper Jules Broskey – who tallied nine saves – after it.
Williams got to the 50/50 play a hair before Broskey, flicking the ball off the Bucks keeper and getting enough on it to stick it just inside the post for an insurance tally.
“We all want the ball,” Forney said. “Everybody, even our goalkeeper or center backs, we want the ball on our foot so we’re always moving to get that pass or make the run to get the goal. We’re all wanting in where earlier, in some games where we’ve gone down, we haven’t done that.”
A game of pinball broke out late in the second half, the ball pinging around the box before falling to Jessie Bernabe. The junior struck it, her shot crashing off a defender and coming right back to her feet to try again and this time she hit it clean and finished with 11:37 to play, sealing up the win.
East (16-6, 10-6 SOL) will try to win its first District 1 title since the 2015 season on Saturday when it meets No. 5 Neshaminy in a 3 pm start at Spring-Ford. The Redskins, who defeated East in the regular season, have also been on a roll this postseason and both teams come in feeling like they’re hot at the right time.
“Everyone is buying in,” Krystkiewicz said. “We want to go as far as we can because we know we have the potential now. Every game, we keep saying everyone is locking in. That first goal was a wake-up call, we said ‘that can’t happen’ and everyone bought in to bring us back.”
West (13-9, 8-8) will travel to No 1 seed Conestoga for the third-place game on Friday then begin play in the state tournament next week.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1 3 – 4
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1 0 – 1
Goals: CBE – Elliot Forney, Gwyn Krystkiewicz, Cam Williams, Jessie Bernabe; CBW – Mackenzie Gausch
District 1 4A playback
No 2 Pennridge 3, No. 6 Abington 0
Abington coach Rick Tompkins knew two things on Tuesday.
First was that his team, despite a worthy effort, had lost to the better team on the night. Second was that the first in no way diminished what his group had accomplished this fall.
Pennridge scored early in the first half and added two goals in the second, the Rams securing a bid in the state playoffs for a fifth straight year while ending the Ghosts’ season in the playback round.
“I told the girls everybody’s season except one ends in tears, so don’t remember that and remember the good parts,” Tompkins said. “There were a lot of really fine accomplishments this team had this year.”
The Rams jumped out early, getting a goal from Liv Grenda in the first five minutes but did have to work for its chances against an Abington defense that improved steadily over the course of the season.
“They had a purpose in mind at the beginning of the season, they wanted to win the league, got off to a shaky start and really put it together,” Tompkins said. “Tonight, we played a decent game but (Pennridge) was just better than us.
“They moved the ball well. Audrey always has that team playing well, they have very few weaknesses, they only gave us a couple of chances and we didn’t convert.”
On the field, this Abington group excelled offensively led by standout senior midfielders Maura Day and Carley Slavin. Off the field, they made every day fun and fostered an environment that went beyond soccer.
“They care for each other,” Tompkins said. “Our manager, her dad passed away this past week and the team was out in force to
support her, and they welcomed her tonight with a lot of hugs. They know what’s important.”
Tompkins lauded the growth his team made this season and noted the play of several players including sophomore defender Sara Kaeser and junior forwards Piper and Harper McGinley. Next year’s team has a lot of potential, but this senior class will be a tough one to replace.
Day finishes the season with 28 goals and double-digit assists and will play at Kutztown next year. Slavin will continue playing at West Chester after a double-figure scoring season of her own this fall.
“Their best soccer is still ahead of them,” Tompkins said. “You don’t get too many players – I’ve had a few between Camryn Lexow, Caroline Hughes, some up top and some in the back – like Maura and Carley. They’re really special and worked so well together. That chemistry is going to be hard to replace.”
Pennridge (19-2, 15-1 SOL) added on in the second half with senior Joey Tomlinson and sophomore Riley Williams scoring after halftime. The Rams’ defense was sharp, posting its 15th shutout of the season.
With six teams from District 1 moving on, the Rams qualified for states with the win and will host No. 8 Owen J Roberts on Friday in the fifth-place game. Pennridge topped the Wildcats 3-0 in the regular season.
Abington closed out its successful season with a 17-5 record overall, 14-2 SOL.
PENNRIDGE 1 2 – 3
ABINGTON 0 0 – 0
Goals: P – Liv Grenda, Joey Tomlinson, Riley Williams
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