Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action Thursday. Bensalem/Truman photos provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. Pennsbury/CR South photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL NATIONAL
Pennsbury 1, Council Rock South 0
The Falcons’ defenders were determined to avoid theatrics this time.
In the first meeting between the two conference powers, Pennsbury scored four times in less than five minutes to erase a 3-0 deficit in a wild ending. Thursday, with a chance to open up space in the conference title race, there was no room for that type of finish again.
“I think the biggest difference today from the last time we saw South was accountability from our defenders,” Falcons co-head coach Kim Lindemann said. “Our defense stepped up today and made it their mission to keep a clean sheet after we gave up three goals the last time we played South.”
Playing on their home field and with a chance to go six points clear of the Golden Hawks in the table, there was no messing around.
“The first meeting was a good reality check for us, in that it taught us what some of our defensive adjustments needed to be. I thought our defense did a good job of making those adjustment today, especially in the first half,” Lindemann said. “We committed to team defending and it paid off big for us. South has some very dangerous players in the final third, and kept us working hard defensively until the last few minutes. I’m really proud of how our team handled South’s attack today.”
Pennsbury’s defensive quartet of Ashley Conlow, Darrien Furiness, Bella Arcuri and Sarah Lohrey worked well as a group in front of keeper Erika Hansen, who has grown into a confident leader over the course of the season.
“They were really good as a unit today. When one person got beat there was always another teammate in behind to have their back,” Lindemann said. “In particular we asked a lot of senior Ashley Conlow. We moved her around quite a bit, and she made the adjustments each time.”
The match’s lone score came in the 35th minute from a familiar source for the Falcons.
“Rosie Bostian was a huge part of the win on both sides of the ball. She got things going for us in the 35th minute when she took a shot from about 40 yards out that found the back of the net,” Lindemann said. “She is such a dangerous player in that she has the ability to score from anywhere. She took a chance from distance, and it ended up being the game-winner. We also asked a lot of her defensively, and she was a workhorse up and down the field.”
Throughout the season, the Golden Hawks have shown a knack for winning on the opponents’ home field. Aware of that, and well-aware how easily CR South could capitalize on any chance, the Falcons’ seniors took the lead in making sure they had the inside track to winning a sixth straight conference title.
“This game also meant a lot to the team, and especially the seniors. They wanted to create some distance in the league standings heading into the final two games of the season,” Lindemann said. “Winning a sixth consecutive league title is what this team has wanted from the beginning and we are really proud that today’s win put them in the driver seat to be the outright winner of the league.”
Thursday’s win clinched at least a share of the conference crown for the Falcons.
Pennsbury (13-1-1, 10-0 SOL) hosts Kennett in a nonleague game Saturday morning. Council Rock South (9-3-1, 7-2) will travel to Bensalem Monday.
PENNSBURY 1 0 – 1
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0 0 – 0
Goals: P – Rosie Bostian
Neshaminy 1, William Tennent 0
Finishing can be the hardest part of a soccer match.
The good thing is a team only needs to finish with one more goal than the opposition in order to win and that’s just what Neshaminy did on the road Thursday. It was a simple finish but just the kind needed.
“Tennent, they’re pretty physical, they came out and played well, we kind of pinned them in and had our chance but their defense played very well,” Neshaminy coach Renny Papendick said. “It comes down to us having a couple seniors in the mix that have really been carrying the load for us.”
Emily Tantala slipped a pass in to fellow senior Kristin Curley, who was able to finish the chance in the second half for the winner.
“We’ve been working in the last week or so about finishing in the final third,” Papendick said. “It was one of those games, we hit the post, had one cleared off the line, the goalie had a really nice play on a ball about two yards away we thought was an easy tap-in, so it was frustrating in that sense but it was a good result.”
Neshaminy looks to be in good standing in terms of earning a District I playoff spot, and Papendick said his players are in good spirits heading toward the final week of the regular season. With a mix of senior leaders, a large group of freshmen, sophomores and juniors in between all playing a role, it’s also a tight-knit group.
Thursday, the midfield again played strong with some new tweaks.
“Melina Prinos played center mid and was great today,” Papendick said. “We moved Kelli Kowalick into the midfield from centerback and she’s been really solid for us.”
Papendick also noted the play of Nina Mason, Carly Gross and Jordyn Fregia.
William Tennent (4-9, 3-7 SOL) vists New Hope Solebury on Friday. Neshaminy (9-5-1, 6-4-1) hosts Archbishop Wood on Saturday morning.
NESHAMINY 0 1 – 1
WILLIAM TENNENT 0 0 – 0
Goals: N – Kristin Curley
Bensalem 6, Harry S Truman 0
Lexi Cahill connected on a pair of goals while Averi McCoy, Sam Daut, Sydney Ryan and Lily Salayda each added single goals to lead the Owls to shutout win over their neighboring rival.
Bensalem (2-11, 2-8 SOL) will travel to Archbishop Ryan for a non-league game Saturday, and Harry S Truman (1-12, 0-10) will be on the road at Calvary Christian for a non-league game Friday.
BENSALEM 0 6 – 6
HARRY S TRUMAN 0 0 – 0
Goals: B – Lexi Cahill 2, Averi McCoy, Sam Daut, Sydney Ryan, Lily Salayda
SOL CONTINENTAL
Pennridge 4, Souderton 0
Set pieces often come down to two factors – repetition and effort.
The repitition comes in practice, where most people don’t see so every chance in a match is second nature. The effort, that’s what becomes visible once the clock starts running and officials are on the pitch.
Pennridge turned three corners into second-half goals as it defeated rival Souderton for a second time this fall.
“It was a matter of balls being free in the 18 and us taking advantage of finishing them,” Rams coach Audrey Anderson said. “Finishing three corners was pretty huge and we hopefully can keep building on.”
Pennridge has plenty of players who can serve a good ball into the box and once it gets there, players who will put in the work to win it.
“We talk about being aggressive on both sides of the 18, whether it’s our defensive or offensive side,” Anderson said. “We talk about finding that ball and anytime the ball is bouncing inside the 18, it’s dangerous so we at least want to win the first ball and if we don’t, we need to find that second ball. The girls playing with that sense of urgency inside the 18 was big for us tonight.”
The teams went to the half tied 0-0, not surprising given their recent history of close matches.
“The Indians started the match well, with both Hannah Alderfer and Katie Pazdziorko getting chances in on net after Souderton’s high pressing resulted in a turnover. Pennridge had a few chances of their own in the first half,” Souderton assistant coach Ian Smith said. “Souderton goalkeeper Morgan Molyneaux came up big with a save under pressure right on the goal line and defender Gianna Natale was forced into a goal line clearance with 20 minutes left in the half. At halftime the score was locked at 0-0, which was an appropriate score between the well-organized teams.”
Maddie Anderson’s corner 10 minutes into the second half led to Lauren McIntyre putting home the game’s first goal off a scramble in the box.
“Souderton looked to respond with a set piece of their own from Sarah Toche-Manley, but her cross which looked destined for the top corner of the net was saved well,” Smith said. “Molyneaux fought to keep the Indians in the game with some strong saves of her own, but the Rams found their second goal, which was identical to their first, with 15 minutes left to play.”
Leah Malone had the next two goals for Pennridge, punching home the first on another scramble off a corner, then blasting a shot to the far post off a cross from Maddie Anderson a couple minutes later.
Emily Kriney added the final goal in the game’s last minutes, knocking home her own rebound off a corner kick set-up.
“I feel like a broken record but I felt like Chance (Hendricks) and Maddie owned the midfield,” Anderson said. “Lindsey DeHaven, we were able to find her tonight and have her turn and she was a big part of Leah and Emily Kriney being available as far as playing them balls into space.
“All of our backs played outstanding, they won the ball out of the air and very rarely did they get balls played behind them. It was really, really a good game all around but our midfield is just eating it up right now.”
Pennridge (14-0, 10-0 SOL) hosts Abington on Friday to finish the week. Souderton (10-6-1, 5-5-1) closes out its regular season next Thursday at Quakertown.
PENNRIDGE 0 4 – 4
SOUDERTON 0 0 – 0
Goals: P – Leah Malone 2, Emily Kriney, Lauren McIntyre
Central Bucks East 1, Quakertown 0
On a day where the Patriots celebrated their seniors, a freshman made sure they went home winners.
“It was our Senior Day, so I was really happy see us get the result. Our seniors came in and did a great job,” East coach Jake Nesteruk said. “Emily Delfini played lights out today, and I was so proud of her. We saw the game through and it felt like a full cycle thing with a freshman getting the game winner.”
Brooke Roumy seized her opportunity and in the process, won the day for her senior teammates.
“I’m not sure who redirected it, but a ball came in from about 20 out and Brooke timed her run in perfectly,” Nesteruk said. “A really calm finish and just a moment I’m glad she got.”
Delfinini, a senior listed as a defender on the roster, embodies the approach the senior class has brought this fall.
“She’s just one of the kids who is so positive and keeps working day in and out even when minutes don’t go her way,” Nesteruk said. “She was great in the air for us and just read the game well. Nothing real obvious, but a big part to the clean sheet.”
Results haven’t come easily for the Patriots this season and as a first-year head coach, Nesteruk said the senior class has been invaluable in helping the transition.
“They mean everything to us, coaching staff down to our underclassman. Our seniors just bought in to making changes to the program from day one, and I’m really thankful,” Nesteruk said. “We are a young starting group this year and we’ve fought really hard to get results from the seniors not seeing as many minutes. They’ve just carried themselves like East kids should do.”
Central Bucks East (5-9-2, 2-7-2 SOL) will travel to Pennridge on Tuesday, and Quakertown (6-9-1, 2-7-1) will host Central Bucks West on Tuesday.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0 1 – 1
QUAKERTOWN 0 0 – 0
Goals: CBE – Brooke Roumy
North Penn 1, Central Bucks West 1 (2 OT)
Both sides had positives to take away from Thursday’s peformance.
“We played a really good game. We had a lot of the play in our offensive third but we couldn’t score,” West coach Mike Moyer said. “Their defense was outstanding tonight. I give NP a lot of credit keeping us out of their net.”
North Penn controlled the match in the first half and turned a set piece chance into a goal.
“Definitely a good result, it was a really evenly matched game,” Knights co-head coach Mike Rio said. “I thought we had the better of play in the first half. We went ahead on a corner goal by Hayley Decker from Grace Sacchetti’s kick, then they had control in the second.”
West re-focused at the break and stormed back into the match.
“We came out on a mission in the second half. Tori Albrecht played the best half I’ve ever seen her play. She was on a different level than everyone else,” Moyer said. “We finally tied it up on a great shot by Gracie Miller from 25 yards out. We continued to press but we couldn’t get the second goal.”
North Penn’s back line stepped up to the task, even with a couple players filling in to deal with some injuries.
“Defensively, we were able to really keep some of their dangerous players in check for most of the game,” Rio said. “The whole back line, Reagan Ertel, Grace Sacchetti, Casey Cavanaugh and Landry Holt really played a great 100 minutes for us, and Anna Fiore made some great saves as well to keep it level.”
Sacchetti spent most of the season in the midfield but moved to the back line the last few matches. Ertel has come on strong while Holt and Cavanaugh have been mainstays on the back end.
“We just kept our shape well; great anticipation and cutting down angles. And played it smart when it was time to clear the pressure or play out of the back. On their goal, the girl hit a fantastic shot so you have to give her credit,” Rio said. “But they were strong in the back which then helped our midfield push up the field especially during the overtime. I was really happy with our work rate and fitness level. We asked a lot of some of the girls tonight and they really grinded and fought hard for the result.”
The Bucks will enjoy a weekend off from games as they prepare for a last-week push into the postseason.
“Now we have a couple days to get some players healthy and get ready for the last week of the regular season,” Moyer said.
Central Bucks West (10-4-2, 5-3-2 SOL) will travel to Quakertown on Tuesday, and North Penn (7-7-2, 4-4-2) will be on the road at Central Bucks South Tuesday.
NORTH PENN 1 0 0 0 – 1
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0 1 0 0 – 1
Goals: NP – Hayley Decker; CBW – Gracie Miller
SOL AMERICAN
Wissahickon 4, Abington 3 (OT)
The Trojans played great for 18 minutes to start the game and about 10 seconds to start overtime.
Fortunately for them, that was enough time to score four goals.
The rest of the game they spent on the defensive under a barrage of shots, free kicks and corner kicks from the Ghosts as they slowly worked back into the match. Fortunately for Wissahickon, Quinn Klessel was up to task.
“Quinn, she had three or four really incredible stops that kept us in that game,” Wissahickon coach Chris McDaniels said of his goalkeeper. “The nasty header she stopped in the second half sticks out, we did a lot of defending so we have to look at it and rebound for tomorrow when we have Radnor.”
Abington hosted its Senior Night, but they didn’t get much time to enjoy the festivities.
Wissahickon scored four minutes in when Alexis Hobson played a perfect ball from the midfield to Kylie Friedman, who laid in a cross to Carly Amato for the finish. Amato, a senior co-captain, made it 2-0 on a penalty kick a few minutes later.
Friedman added a goal to her day when she finished off a cross from Natalie Ryan, who was also played by a good ball from the midfield just past 13 minutes in.
“Senior Nights are tough, especially when you’re hosting and it’s really emotional,” McDaniels said. “We pounced on them in those first 20 minutes of the game and made them pay. To their credit, they rebounded and for the next 60 minutes, played really good soccer and took it to us.”
Maura Day and Abby Bautista helped turn the game around for Abington. Bautista, a junior midfielder, made a sliding effort to knock in a cross from Grace Quinn off a ball from Day with 22 minutes left in the first half to get the Ghosts on the board.
Day, only a freshman, created the majority of Abington’s chances with her free kicks and passing. One of those set pieces led to a second goal when her free kick into the box found Casey Touey for a header with 11 minutes left in the half.
“They’re down 3-0 and come back and tie 3-3 with 10 minutes to go, I told them they have to be proud of that effort,” Abington coach Rick Tompkins said. “Credit to Wissahickon too, they kept at it and they could have folded their tents when we tied it.”
Klessel faced pressure and shots from seemingly every angle and distance in the second half, and the senior keeper kept coming up with stops. She was able to deny a point-blank header by Quinn on a corner with 15 minutes to play and got some help when a follow-up hit the post before a defender cleared it.
Day tied the match with 10 minutes to go when the Ghosts were awarded a penalty kick.
“Three of our last four are against teams really close to us (in the district standings),” McDaniels said. “Everybody is kind of log-jammed so every win is important.”
Wissahickon was able to see the match to extra time thanks to Klessel, who made 12 saves, then struck early into the first overtime.
“Right off the tap, we found Anna May, who terrorized them early in the game then went dormant because we couldn’t get her the ball,” McDaniels said. “We knew off the tap we were going to go right to her and she should go to goal.”
Abington (8-7, 8-4 SOL) visits Pennridge on Friday afternoon, Wissahickon (9-6, 8-4) hosts Radnor on Friday.
WISSAHICKON 3 0 1 – 4
ABINGTON 2 1 0 – 3
Goals: W – Carly Amato 2, Kylie Friedman, Anna May; A – Maura Day, Abby Bautista, Casey Touey
Plymouth Whitemarsh 2, Upper Dublin 0
The Colonials haven’t given up a goal since September.
PW recorded its seventh straight shutout on Thursday as its defensive group – backs Kaitlyn Flanagan, Gabby Cooper, Bella McNew and Ava Schreiber – and keeper Devon Skiles continue to work as one.
“When you have a solid defense with Flanagan, Cooper, Schreiber and McNew and goaltending from Skiles, they give us opportunities to win games,” PW coach Ryan Zehren said. “They play as a unit. It’s actually really amazing to watch how well they work together.”
After a slow start, Plymouth Whitemarsh used a set piece to grab a lead at the half. Natalie Lannie had the finish after Catie Branscome kept the service alive.
“We didn’t have much going for the first 15 minutes]s. Energy was low, UD was really controlling the game. We won ourselves a corner and Fiona Gooneratne played a great ball in, Branscome won it out of the air to Lannie and she put it home,” Zehren said. “From then on, the energy started to come back. Credit to UD as the kept the pressure on us.”
Pressure from the backs led to an Upper Dublin own goal in the second half to double PW’s advantage.
“The own goal was started by a great run by Flanagan from the backline,” Zehren said. She truly created the opportunity.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (12-3, 10-2 SOL) will host New Hope-Solebury in a non-league game Monday, and Upper Dublin (6-8-1, 6-5-1) will be on the road at Wissahickon on Tuesday.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 1 1 – 2
UPPER DUBLIN 0 0 – 0
Goals: PW – Natalie Lannie
Hatboro-Horsham 3, Cheltenham 0
A brace from Emily Thomas pushed the Hatters past the Panthers on Thursday night.
Martine Royds posted the shutout for Hatboro-Horsham while Cam Ryan had the third goal. Cam Hughes had an assist on Thomas’ first goal.
Hatboro-Horsham (12-1-1, 10-1-1 SOL) plays host to Mount Saint Joseph on Friday while Cheltenham (3-12, 1-11) hosts St Basil Academy.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 3 0 – 3
CHELTENHAM 0 0 – 0
Goals: HH – Emily Thomas 2, Maggie O’Neill
Upper Moreland 2, Springfield Twp 1
The Golden Bears opened up a 2-0 halftime lead and then held on for the conference win.
“This week we have been building on finishing our opportunities,” coach Lisa Benvenuto said. “We have been creating a lot of chances, but have not been finishing when we need to the most. It was nice to see the offense come together today, and leading into next week, we have three big games, where we will need to finish.”
Kathryn Morrow netted our first goal off an assist from Angelena Martino to give us the 1-0 lead. Grace Burns was able to finish off a penalty kick after being fouled in the box with about 15 minutes to go in the first half.
Elena Hincapie netted a goal for the Spartans in the second half.
Upper Moreland (4-9-1, 3-7-1 SOL) will travel to Interboro Monday for a non-league game, and Springfield Township (1-13-1, 0-11) will host Cheltenham on Tuesday.
Springfield Township 0-1 1
Upper Moreland 2-0 2
Non-league
Council Rock North 1, Central Bucks South 1 (2 OT)
The Titans didn’t get a win this week, but their effort was certainly at a high enough level.
“I think we are beginning to play more cohesively as a team,” South coach Betsy Bullock said. “They also continue to play with tenacity and heart which is essential going forward.”
The Indians took the lead late in the first half with a finish off a cross in the 32nd minute.
“The Lady Titans had several good chances offensively coming from the outside,” Bullock said. “Outside mid Aly Cutter was able to get behind her defender and had two near misses.”
Down at the half, the Titans made a couple minor changes to try and open things up against CR North’s well-organized defense.
“We did move a few of the midfielders around – trying to change the point of the attack,” Bullock said. “CB South scored the equalizer at the end of the second half when Lauren Farrell received a pass from Janessa Watson and dribbled across the box to score the goal.”
The teams played the extra sessions out scoreless to finish the draw.
“Shannon Snyder and Krysten Conway shared the keeper duties and both did a stellar job with 18 combined saves,” Bullock said.
Central Bucks South (5-8-1, 4-6 SOL) will travel to Villa Maria Academy on Saturday, and Council Rock North (10-3-2, 6-3-1) will host West Chester Rustin in a non-league game Monday.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0 1 0 0 – 1
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 1 0 0 0 – 1
Goals: CBS – Lauren Farrell
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