Council Rock South stayed alive in its quest for a berth in the state tournament with a 5-0 win over Souderton. Photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a photo gallery.
#1-6 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 5, #1-7 SOUDERTON 0
The Golden Hawks exploded out of the gate for four first-half goals on their way to the no-doubt-about-it win in Thursday’s playback game that was pushed back a day.
“It was a good outing,” coach Nick Heim said. “We knew going into the game with the game being postponed a day what the results were, so we knew that if we were to win we would have to go on the road. No matter what happened, this was going to be our last time on the home field for the senior class.
“I’ve stressed playing at home all year and how we have to defend our home turf. It was the last go at home for nine seniors – we really stressed, ‘Let’s make sure we make it a good one,’ and they did.”
The Golden Hawks seized control early, opening up a 1-0 lead when Paige Mikula scored her first of two goals in the sixth minute – this one with an assist from Allie Jones.
“We stressed setting the tone for the game, trying to get them to play the way we wanted to play,” Heim said. “To get one early kind of settled us down a bit. Sometimes if you don’t take advantage of opportunities, the pressure starts to build, so I think getting one early really got us off to a strong start.
“Early in the postseason, CB East really took it to us (in a 1-0 win), and we didn’t feel as though we had a good showing on our home field.”
In the 25th minute, Julie Rebh turned a Sara McDonald pass into a goal, and a pair of goals in a two-minute span in the closing minutes of the first half – the first by Sierra Tarantino with an assist from Jones and the second from Mikula with a Callie Deola assist – sent the Golden Hawks into halftime with a commanding 4-0 lead.
Kiera Flangan put the finishing touches on the big win, turning a Carly Hickey pass into a goal in the 60th minute for the 5-0 final
“We just wanted to take advantage of the home field, and for the senior class, it was a big day for them,” Heim said. “For them to get that kind of victory, I feel really, really good for them.
“This is a group of kids that have just taken this past year so seriously and made the program so much more of a priority over their individual accomplishments. You want them to be able to go on the ride they deserve and worked for.”
While Thursday’s win was a team effort, Heim lauded the play of midfielders Julie Rebh and Samantha Jones.
“They really controlled the onset of the game,” the Golden Hawks’ coach said. “They were running a 4-3-3 against us, so I knew they were going to be up 3-2 in the midfield, and I know those kids are up to the challenge.
“Julie Rebh started three-and-a-half or four years in her high school career, and I told them, ‘Big players play big in big games,’ and she certainly did today.”
Goalkeeper Emily Helmich recorded saves in the shutout win.
Council Rock South (17-3-1, 10-1-1 SOL) will travel to fourth-seeded Unionville on Saturday for a 4 p.m. contest. The winner will earn the final state playoff berth.
“Hopefully, we can get in a good session tomorrow and build off this momentum,” Heim said. “When you put yourself in a do-or-die situation, a must-win or your season is over – if you can get into that mindset and see how the kids handle that pressure, it was really good to see moving forward.”
Souderton closed out its season with a 15-6 record. The Indians – who were without junior standout Allie Trick (injury) - were 8-4 in the SOL.
Souderton 0-0 0
Council Rock South 4-1 5
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