Pennridge edged North Penn in Saturday’s PIAA 4A quarterfinal contest. Photos provided by Keith Clemens Photography.
#1-1 PENNRIDGE 1, #1-4 NORTH PENN 0
Something about taking free kicks facing the far end zone at Spring-Ford’s Coach McNelly Stadium doesn’t agree with Maddie Anderson.
A week ago in the District I 4A final, the Pennridge senior blasted a free kick from about 20 yards out right into a Boyertown player’s face. Saturday, she again stood in nearly the same spot and again didn’t get her best foot into it.
This time though, it actually was just perfect.
“If I’m being honest, I didn’t try to put it on the ground, I actually miss hit it,” Anderson said. “We had players make the run in, and luckily, Lindsey (DeHaven) was there to finish it. It still went in our favor so I guess being able to read the ball and guess where it was going worked.”
Anderson scored in the first round of states from a similar spot on a beautifully hit ball to the upper corner on the far post. Saturday, her initial hit skidded across the turf and the senior had a look of frustration until DeHaven emerged from a crowd alone and toe-tapped it into the back of the net midway through the second half.
“It was really congested in the back, so I was just going to make a forward run to confuse the defenders,” DeHaven said. “I thought she was going back post. It was still a great ball by her even if she miss hit it – we’ll say she miss hit it on purpose and I was just able to get my toe on it. I think the goalie also thought it was going back post so I was able to slip in there and get it past her.
“Either way, it was a great ball from Maddie.”
Intentional or not, the wrench thrown into the play might have been just what was needed as the SOL Continental rivals clashed for the fourth time this fall and second time in less than two weeks. Again, the match was decided by a single goal although it broke the trend of 2-1 scores of the previous three.
North Penn, the only team to have beaten Pennridge this season, was eager to get another crack at the Rams. Experience from the previous meetings certainly showed and the Knights came out aggressive and strong in the defensive third of the field.
“It’s just the way we’ve been playing the last couple of weeks, we’ve come out, played hard, played really good team soccer, defended as a unit and tried to move forward as a unit,” Knights co-head coach Mike Rio said. “Pennridge is a great team with a lot of great players who do a lot of things really well, and the fact we get out there and compete with them so well shows a lot of the quality of our team as well.”
Knights goalkeeper Anna Fiore was active early, taking a couple crosses out of the air and sweeping the box of threats. In front of her, the senior center back tandem of Casey Cavanaugh and Grace Sacchetti read the flow of play extremely well and denied Pennridge’s forwards a chance to get runs going forward.
“Casey Cavanaugh does an amazing job back there and Grace being in the back, she just understands when to attack and when not to attack is a big factor,” Rams coach Audrey Anderson said. “I think any team from our conference – we all play so hard and we’re not willing to give anything up so when you face another team from your conference, you don’t want to give up that shot or give up that foul.
“It’s tough playing any team in our conference, but playing North Penn for a fourth time, with them on a hot streak the second half of the season – they played like they had something to prove and did an amazing job.”
North Penn’s campaign ended, but the Knights put together a run that belongs in the argument of best seasons in program history. The Knights made their first appearance in the state tournament since 2007 when it was a spring sport but did so after a 4-7-1 start that had them well outside the district tournament picture.
Rio gave all the credit to the players for not letting the slow start dampen their confidence and for trusting the coaching staff in making some mid-season adjustments. The talent was there, it was just a matter of unlocking it.
“We knew we were good enough, we kept working and we were able to prove that,” Rio said. “We talked about continuing to do what we had been doing. It wasn’t that we weren’t playing good soccer, the results just weren’t falling our way. We kept it positive and the girls kept it positive.”
Both defensive units were on top of their game Saturday. On the Pennridge side, center defenders Maddie Angelo and Lauren McIntyre teamed up to keep North Penn’s Emily Varilla from breaking loose while keeper Megan Kriney posted her fourth shutout in six postseason games.
“I think we read their runs well,” Kriney said. “Maddie Angelo and Lauren played really well. Maddie had a couple huge tackles for us that kept us in the game and kept them from getting a breakaway. They’ve been so solid for us all season and the communication has had them playing as a solid unit.”
Audrey Anderson felt the difference on Saturday would be whichever team managed the mental side of the game and did more little things right. It’s something the Rams have harped on all season, but Maddie Anderson noted North Penn has done a good job of getting Pennridge out of its comfort zone in every meeting this season.
“We knew they would come out with high intensity and a lot of energy, they always do, so it would be a matter of who could keep their heads together,” Audrey Anderson said. “It’s what we talked about at halftime, don’t let the other things affect you and just do what we’re supposed to, which is connect.”
A run by Emily Kriney drew the foul that set up Anderson’s free kick, an aspect that DeHaven felt like was a crucial part of Pennridge emerging with the one-goal win.
“I give credit to our forwards for working that hard to sprint down every ball,” DeHaven said. “I think that’s what won us the game, the high pressure the whole time from them.”
Pennridge returns to the state semifinals, where it will meet Conestoga on Tuesday. Meghan Kriney noted the team’s ultimate goal since preseason was to get back to Hershey and win a state title, so being this close only made the senior keeper want to work harder to do it.
“I think whatever they say they want to do, they’re going to be capable of doing it,” Audrey Anderson said. “It might not be easy but they’re going to give everything they have to accomplish what they set forth in the beginning of the season to do.”
PENNRIDGE 0 1 – 1
NORTH PENN 0 0 – 0
Goals: P – Lindsey DeHaven
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