Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action. CB South/CB East photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos. Wiss/Upper Dublin photos courtesy of Josh Stelzer. Pennridge/Souderton photos courtesy of Althea Tomlinson/Pennridge soccer, and Hatboro-Horsham/Abington photos courtesy of Diane Waeltz/HH soccer. All SOS photo galleries for GIRLS’ SOCCER can be viewed by clicking HERE.
SOL Liberty Division.
Abington 5, Hatboro-Horsham 4
Merriam-Webster defines the word symbiotic as “characterized by or being a close, cooperative, or interdependent relationship.”
It’s probably a little too scientific, but it’s still an apt descriptor for the way Abington senior midfielder Maura Day and Carley Slavin co-exist in the center of the field for the Ghosts. They’ve been teammates for a long time, even winning a national title together this summer with their PSC Coppa Rage team, and they’re hoping to lead their Abington team on a long postseason run.
Tuesday, the senior duo helped make the SOL Liberty title race very interesting in a wild match against the visiting Hatters that saw Abington hand the table setters their first loss of the fall.
After getting stonewalled 3-0 by HH in the first meeting, Abington had been looking forward to the rematch.
“We knew we were better than that the first time,” Day said. “That’s a great team, but we knew the first game should not have happened that way. We were better than that, so we came out ready to go.”
Day and Slavin each scored a goal and each assisted a goal, a familiar trend this season. Fittingly, the Ghosts’ first goal came through a connection between the two seniors, albeit not really a standard one.
Abington came out flying, with Piper McGinley stinging the crossbar early on and three minutes in, Day found herself inside the 18-yard box. Day fired, her shot deflecting off the cleat of a Hatters defender but falling right to Slavin, who took a touch and buried the rebound off her right foot.
“We know each other’s pros and weaknesses,” Slavin said. “We can work to them and to cover for each other.”
Both are good on the ball, but they also have different skills that complement the other. Day is a set piece wizard, as she showed in the second half, able to hit free kicks and corners with high accuracy while Slavin is an aerial threat, able to get up and win the ball or direct a header on goal.
“We just understand each other,” Day said. “It might sound weird, we can both get on each other but we both know what we have to do. We know what our roles are and we connect not just with each other, but the other girls as well on and off the field.”
Harper McGinley doubled Abington’s lead to 2-0 with 27 minutes left in the first half, her shot skimming across the grass surface and eluding a diving attempt by the keeper to settle inside the post.
While Slavin and Day were excellent from Abington, they weren’t the only dynamic midfielders involved in Tuesday’s barnburner. Hatters junior Emma Levin – a member of the same Coppa Rage club team as Day and Slavin, had a productive match and helped keep her team in the contest.
Shortly after Abington’s second goal, Levin made a run at goal and drew a foul at the end, setting up a penalty kick. The junior stepped to the spot and converted it, cutting the lead in half with 17:25 before intermission.
“Every game we’ve played, she’s either been man-marked or double-teamed and I think she’s still been the best player on the field in this league,” Hatters coach Kelsey Daley said. “She proves it every single game for us. She has the biggest heart, grit and determination I’ve ever seen in a player and it’s amazing being able to coach her.”
With Mia Malofiy out for the season, Levin has seen plenty of extra attention from defense. On Tuesday, it was Slavin’s younger sister Kara who drew the assignment of marking the talented Hatters midfielder.
Before the game, Day and Levin joked with each other in the captain’s meeting and when the game ended the two of them and Slavin talked for a couple minutes and took a picture together. While they’re close friends most of the time, it was all business on the field.
“When we’re on the field, we don’t think about being friends,” Day said. “It’s so weird, I don’t even remember she’s my friend, then it’s like nothing changed as soon as it’s over.”
Abington came back 10 minutes later with Slavin hitting a terrific long through ball that found senior Lily Gray in stride, with Gray able to finish in front of goal to rebuild the two-score advantage.
However, almost before the scoreboard lights could change, the Hatters were pressing the attack. A mishit clearance gave Hatboro-Horsham a window and Caroline Shegogue was there to climb through it and power home the first of her two goals on the night.
In last week’s win over Plymouth Whitemarsh, Abington lost freshman goalkeeper Addison Hayden to a knee injury for what’s likely to be a couple weeks. With a back-up in goal, Shegogue took a chance on a long rip with 90 seconds remaining in the first half and was rewarded as her shot clipped the keeper’s gloves and went in to level the score.
“It’s always a very highly competitive game between us and Abington and I was very proud of my girls, they never gave up,” Daley said. “This is our first time all season playing on grass, it was a test for us, and it took us a while to adjust to it. But both teams were in that situation, and I felt like my team battled to the end and it was just a great game.”
Abington earned a corner kick about four minutes into the second half, setting up Day with a chance to serve the ball into the box. As the senior surveyed the scene in front of goal, she saw an opportunity.
“I can feel it before I hit it, sometimes I try to put it more toward the top of the six, but the goalie was a little out and I’m pretty sure Harper was on her,” Day said. “I aimed at Harper, and it just tucked in.”
Day curled the free kick directly into the net, the Olimpico goal putting Abington back in front. The Ghosts nearly got another off a second corner a few minutes later, but Hatters keeper Alyssa Tooley made a great save on a Slavin header to deny it.
Abington’s other duo – the twins Harper and Piper McGinley – came through with a sister goal with 23 minutes to play. Harper served a ball into the box, Piper able to settle with her back to goal and turned into a shot that stuck the hosts to a 5-3 lead.
“It’s just working this year,” Slavin said. “We’re putting a lot more pressure going toward net, so it opens a lot up on the outside and especially with Maura in the middle, a lot of teams are trying to play compact so it’s a lot easier to play it to the outside.”
In the final 10 minutes, the Hatters made it an interesting game. Taking advantage of some confusion on a call when the ball crossed the endline, Shegogue fired off a fast corner kick that went right to Levin in the box, with the junior redirecting the header into the goal to make it 5-4.
Abington was able to hold on, thanks to Slavin and Day dropping into the back to help preserve the lead.
“That was insane, nine goals,” Daley said. “Every time we’ve played Abington in my five years of coaching, it’s always a high-intensity, crazy game either way, it’s always a good battle between both the teams.”
Abington’s win gives the Ghosts 33 points in the division table while the Hatters stayed at 34 with each team having three SOL Liberty fixtures yet to play.
Day and Slavin have both committed to play in college and both will be part of the PSAC next fall. However, they will not be on the same team with Day heading to Kutztown and Slavin off to West Chester.
It did beg the question, if they’re so good together, why split up?
“Oh, we are going to be rivals,” Day said with a laugh.
“It just worked out that way,” Slavin said, sharing the laugh
Abington (12-3, 11-2 SOL) visits Upper Dublin at 3:30 on Thursday. Hatboro-Horsham (11-1-2, 11-1-1) travels to Plymouth Whitemarsh at 7 on Thursday.
ABINGTON 3 2 – 5
HATBORO-HORSHAM 3 1 – 4
Goals; A – Maura Day, Carley Slavin, Piper McGinley, Harper McGinley, Lily Gray; HH – Emma Levin 2, Caroline Shegogue 2
Upper Dublin 2, Wissahickon 1 (2 OT)
Anna DiMartile couldn’t have picked a better time to make an impact.
The sophomore didn’t play a ton of minutes on Tuesday, but she was certainly effective with them. DiMartile saved the Cardinals late, scoring in the final minute of regulation and again with less
than four minutes to go in the second overtime.
“We were 90 seconds from losing,” Cardinals coach Chuck Gesing said. “We brought Anna DiMartile in for an extra offensive punch. She’s been playing well at practice and getting sharper every day, so we found her a few minutes in the first half, made some changes and brought her in for the second half and she found the back of the net.”
In the first meeting, Upper Dublin lost a 2-0 lead then lost the game in overtime. Tuesday’s rematch played out a little differently, but with the same level of dramatics.
This time, it was the Cardinals who needed to rally. Sage Stelzer’s header gave the Trojans a 1-0 lead in the second half, with the senior Pitt recruit breaking free of UD’s defensive attention long enough to make it count.
“We kept close tabs on Sage Stelzer. Her pace had us concerned. Keeping her in check helped us,” Gesing said. “They got their goal on a 
counter down the side. I felt like we kept those opportunities to a minimum. Aside from very early in the first half, we did a good job of keeping them out of our box.”
Gesing credited the center of his midfield and back line for their strong play.
“Alaina Sanders, Emeline Bell and Abby O’Meara were great clogging the middle,” Gesing said. “Regan Rubin found our forwards all day. It was a good day for those four.”
With time running out, both in regulation and in overtime, the Cardinals found the right person both times. It just so happened it was the same person in each scenario.
“We found Lily Kleiman behind their line. Lily hits a blast off the inside of the post and Anna runs in to tap it home to tie it,” Gesing said. “In the second overtime, the ball is bouncing around the Wiss box and again Anna shows up and ticks it away. Fantastic win for us.”
Upper Dublin (8-5-1, 7-5-1 SOL) hosts Abington at 3:30 on Thursday. Wissahickon (10-4, 9-4) hosts Quakertown at 7 on Thursday.
UPPER DUBLIN 0 1 0 1 – 2
WISSAHICKON 0 1 0 0 – 1
Goals: Anna DiMartile 2
SOL Patriot
Neshaminy 2, Council Rock South 1
When a defense has given up as few goals as Neshaminy’s has, that team generally doesn’t trail often.
Tuesday, the Redskins found themselves behind a goal early against a Golden Hawks team looking to stake its case in the SOL Patriot title race. Instead, it was Neshaminy rallying to pick up a crucial win and go nine points clear in the table heading into the final leg of the season.
“Playing teams a second time is always difficult and Nick (Heim) always makes sure that South is organized and has a game plan,” Neshaminy coach Josh Van Reed said. “They definitely were ready and from the whistle worked extremely hard fighting for every ball.”
The Golden Hawks kept Neshaminy pinned back in its own defensive third and finally broke through with a goal from a header off a corner kick 15 minutes in.
“I think In the first 15 Minutes, we conceded five corner kicks. If you give good teams chances, they will put the ball in the net,” Van Reed said. “It was a wake-up call for the girls.”
Neshaminy has strong leadership this fall and the team’s seniors, captains and top players all came together to help turn the tide on the field. When the ‘Skins play fast and connect passes, they’re very potent and that was the way they chose to answer after giving up a goal.
It didn’t take long for the aggressive response to pay off in a positive way.
“We certainly picked up the tempo and created more and more chances, playing quicker and more dangerous balls into the box,” Van Reed said. “Five minutes later the ball ends up with Mercedez Paino out on the right side of the field and she attacked the end line and put a nice crossed ball into the path of Gyzell Rowan, who buried it with one touch.”
The equalizer helped settle Neshaminy to be more economical with its possession, although neither team was able to break through until the final minutes of the first half.
“Angelina Daino collected the ball out of the air from a goal kick and turned quickly on the defender marking her. Once she did that, she had some room to run and just continued through the defense,” Van Reed said. “She is so strong and when she gets moving it is very difficult to stop her. It was one of those times when you create something out of nothing.”
Daino’s goal held up as the winner through a scoreless second half, but not for a lack of effort from either team.
“Every 50/50 ball you had to put in the work to win, nothing was going to come easy today. We definitely had some more chances that I would have liked to capitalize on,” Van Reed said. “The girls showed a lot of grit today against a hardworking team.”
Tuesday’s win was the type of match where every player, regardless of position of the field, had to put in a little extra work and play both sides of the ball.
“We had some exceptional play from Carly Fox winning head balls and changing the pace of play,” Van Reed said. “Abby Collins clogging up the middle, always making it difficult for opponents and Kylie Maxwell created a number of opportunities for us.
“Today was another game where our center backs Alexis Ocasio and Taylor Maxwell worked so well together with stepping up to win balls and distributing up field.”
CR South (8-3-2, 8-3-1 SOL) visits Council Rock North in the Rock Cup at 6 on Thursday. Neshaminy (13-0-1, 11-0-1) is at Harry S Truman on Thursday at 3:30 pm.
NESHAMINY 2 0 – 2
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 1 0 – 1
Goals; N – Mercedez Paino, Angelina Daino
Council Rock North 2, Bensalem 0
The Indians knew they had a difficult task trying to pick up a win on the road Tuesday night, but responded with one of their best showings of the season.
“One of our better recent performances tonight, especially in possession of the ball,” North coach Gavin Flannigan said. “Going to Bensalem is never easy, I think Bob (Crawford) is a great coach , he and his staff do a very good job with their group, their style of play and ideas in possession are very good, and with tonight being their senior night we knew that they would provide a tough test.”
Despite some good possession and movement of the ball in the first half, the Indians couldn’t crack the Owls’ defense. With the final pass not quite there, the visitors settled for a scoreless draw after 40 minutes and worked to find a change.
“At halftime we made some adjustments and stressed a little more patience and I thought we were much more dominant in the second half,” Flannigan said. “Our first goal came from some great individual work from Maya Raghunandanan, she was able to hold off defenders and get a good cross, and after a slight deflection Alyssa Tyler was there with a composed finish to give us the lead.”
One goal is nice but two goals is always better, especially in an away game. North didn’t sit on its single-score advantage and would parlay that approach into some insurance later in the half.
“We were able to do that after a great spell of possession, a cross from the left, header from Ella McAleer and then Mia Cairone was able to head it again before the keeper could get there,” Flannigan said. “Once we had the second goal we did a very good job in keeping the ball and control of the game to seal the win.”
An all-around team effort meant there were a lot of quality performances and a few standouts of note.
“Everyone did a great job tonight, in particular I thought Ella Needham had a really good game in the middle and in the second half Alyssa Tyler was excellent up top,” Flannigan said. “As we close the season, every game is important for the rankings, it was pleasing to get the win and to play the way we did.”
Bensalem (4-10-1, 2-10-1 SOL) visits Pennsbury at 3:30 on Thursday. CR North (10-4-1, 8-4-1) hosts Council Rock South in the annual Rock Cup on Thursday at 6 pm.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0 2 – 2
BENSALEM 0 0 – 0
Goals: CRN – Alyssa Tyler, Mia Cairone
Pennsbury 8, Harry S Truman 0
Josey Smith scored two goals and assisted on a third to lead the Falcons to a win on Tuesday afternoon.
In total, seven different Falcons found the back of the net and seven of their goals were assisted. Abby Shumski scored one and assisted on two while Regan Kelso had a goal and an assist. Jade Gallagher, Jillian Haley and Rhyan Haws also assisted goals.
Malena Russo & Madi Miller combined for the shutout.
The Pennsbury coach staff also cited outstanding play from Truman keeper Carmela St. Hilaire.
Pennsbury (4-8-2, 4-8-0 SOL) hosts Bensalem at 3:30 on Thursday. Truman (0-13) hosts Neshaminy at 3:30 on Thursday.
PENNSBURY 4 4 – 8
HARRY S TRUMAN 0 0 – 0
Goals: P – Josey Smith 2, Regan Kelso, Abby Shumski, Corinne Russo, Rena Paoni, Rylee Kauffman, Bailey Walp.
SOL Colonial
North Penn 2, Central Bucks West 0
The Bucks and the Knights always seem to wage a physical and intense duel every time they meet, and whichever team wins always earns it.
Tuesday was much the same, with North Penn going to West and clawing out a challenging but rewarding result.
“It was a phenomenal win for our team. We’ve been playing really well and put everything together for a real vintage performance tonight,” Knights coach Mike Rio said. “I felt that we had just a great work rate all over the field.”
Playing against the Bucks is a test for any defensive unit. West will fire plenty of long balls toward their forwards and test teams with its physicality, free kicks and long throw-ins so the attack can come from anywhere.
“They have speed up top and some girls who can really be a problem in the air, and we challenged them on everything and didn’t give them anything easy. I felt that we really controlled play in the midfield and were consistently the first team to get to 50-50 balls,” Rio said. “It was a real physical game, and I thought our 
girls really kept their composure. They were able to draw a ton of fouls just by out-working them and getting themselves in dangerous positions.”
CB West honored its seniors – Courtney Moylan, Jules Broskey, Ava Longo, Taylor Madden, Ava Winn and Sam Kubala – prior to the game but couldn’t send them home with a Senior Night victory.
“We just can’t put the ball in the back of the net. It’s been our story all year,” Bucks coach Mike Moyer said. “I give NP a ton of credit, they were stronger than us in the midfield and they put away the two chances they had in the second half.”
After 40 scoreless minutes in the first half and about 14 more to start the second, a Bucks free kick would actually play to North Penn’s benefit.
“The kick fell a little short and Keira Sparango played a ball over the back line to Maddy Murphy. Maddy probably started a good ten yards behind the defenders, and I think they were a little surprised when she started running past them,” Rio said. “Maddy then showed great composure to slot it past the keeper on a breakaway. She had a few really good chances in the first half too and it felt like it was just a matter of time.”
Murphy, only a sophomore, has been one of the Knights’ breakout players this season.
“Maddy has been playing great. She works hard, is physical, gets in really dangerous positions offensively and never gives up on plays,” Rio said. “She is able to play as a lone forward and chase down balls, but she can also drop in and play possession with her back to goal and become a facilitator. She’s really versatile and has really grown as a player for us this season. She’s someone who really lets her play do the talking.”
Fittingly, Murphy would play a key role in North Penn’s second goal, which came late in the second half to seal up the victory.
“She and Andie Salmon had some great combination play down the right flank,” Rio said. “A few passes between them led to Maddy playing a beautiful cross to an overlapping Andie who finished with a nice one-time shot into the corner.”
The Bucks weren’t without opportunities, it just took a really strong showing from North Penn to keep them out of the net. Knights keeper Sam Ridler, who has used a strong summer playing club with PSC Coppa Rage’s national title team to come back strong, put in another good performance.
“Sam Ridler was phenomenal in goal. She made a dozen saves and some of them were really close range in tough areas. She was just so solid, and she’s really grown more confident as the starting goalie this season,” Rio said. “She’s become really confident and she’s always been technically strong but her decision making and leadership from the net has really improved lately and she’s given the team a lot of confidence in front of her too.”
Rio felt his entire team contributed to the win and felt it was a deserved result, if not a hard-earned one.
“Abby Plaugher, Kiley Holmes and Lauren Blanch really controlled the center midfield for us, winning balls in the air, distributing and just claiming the center of the field,” Rio said. Keira, Jamie Webb, Audrey MacNair and Kayla Balislisa played a great game in the back line as well.”
CB West (8-7, 7-7 SOL) visits CB South at 5:30 on Thursday. North Penn (4-9-1, 4-8-1) hosts Souderton at 7 on Thursday.
NORTH PENN 0 2 – 2
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0 0 – 0
Goals: NP – Maddy Murphy, Andie Salmon
Central Bucks South 2, Central Bucks East 1
The Titans have played a lot of close games this fall and far too many of them have come undone with one or two miscues or a slight lapse in effort.
On Tuesday, South gave its all, faced some challenges and ultimately came out with a win.
“It truly was an entire team effort. I could list every single player as player of the game,” Titans coach Gabbie Nolan said. “We played the full 80 minutes and got the result. I’m so proud of our team and so happy for all of our girls.”
Senior Allison Sauers, thanks to an assist by Mary Nagle, gave South a lead it would take to the halftime break.
“She shot from outside the 18 with her left foot and was able to hit over the keeper,” Nolan said. “Ella Kim contributed to that goal with high pressure defensively, allowing us to win the ball.”
Cam Williams gave East a spark in the second half, depositing her 11th goal of the fall to tie the game 1-1. The Seton Hall-bound senior was playing against several of FC Warrington club teammates, including Titans keeper Kristen Conway.
While Conway lost that particular battle, she and South won the night.
“Kristen Conway was huge for us in the net tonight,” Nolan said. “She had some amazing saves.”
Just past the midpoint of the second half, the Titans were awarded a free kick a decent distance away from the goal. Freshman Riley Karpinski, who has played very well in the second half of the season, took the opportunity to stand over the set ball.
“Riley Karpinski took a free kick from about 35-40 yards out and scored on it,” Nolan said. “Her shot was phenomenal.”
CB South (7-8, 6-7 SOL) hosts CB West at 5:30 on Thursday. CB East (10-5, 8-5) hosts Pennridge at 7 on Thursday.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1 1 – 2
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0 1 – 1
Goals: CBS – Allison Sauers, Riley Karpinski; CBE – Cam Williams
Pennridge 5, Souderton 0
A superb night by the Rams’ midfield made the program’s annual Pink Out game a success on and off the field.
The hosts wasted little time, with senior Joey Tomlinson scoring five minutes in. Hailey Primwhere, Liv Grenda and Tori Angelo also
scored before the break to give the Rams a 4-0 lead.
Angelo netted a second goal early in the second half to round out the scoring.
While the forwards were productive, it was the midfielders’ ability to set them up that got things going.
“Our midfield was outstanding tonight, they moved so well with the ball and without,” Pennridge coach Audrey Anderson said. “Our mids pressured their midfield and were able to win the ball back in the middle third.”
Anderson noted the efforts of Grenda, Sophie Craig, Hannah Primwhere, Ava Kiwak and Addy Mills.
“We were very dynamic in the final third with crosses, 1-v-1 and attacking well with numbers,” Anderson said.
Souderton saw its three-match win streak stopped.
“In the first half we didn’t do ourselves a lot of favors and Pennridge quickly capitalized on our slow start. We just looked second to every ball and a little bit off the pace, which is a bit disappointing and unusual given the way we’ve been playing the past few weeks,” Indians coach Ian Smith said. “At halftime, we were down 4-0, which gave us a nearly impossible task in the second half.”
Despite the result, Smith did highlight the efforts of a few players.
“Abby Allen had a good night, putting up 15-plus saves. Despite the scoreline, I thought Alexis Stefanowicz and Emma Hunter did a nice job of cleaning up things at center back as well,” Smith said. “Overall, our lack of communication and our slow start really set us back tonight and before we knew it, it was too late.”
Pennridge (14-1, 12-1 SOL) visits Central Bucks East at 7 on Thursday. Souderton (5-9-1, 4-8-1) visits North Penn at 7 on Thursday.
PENNRIDGE 4 1 – 5
SOUDERTON 0 0 – 0
Goals: P – Tori Angelo 2, Liv Grenda, Joey Tomlinson, Hailey Primwhere
SOL Freedom
Springfield Twp 2, New Hope-Solebury 1
The Spartans poured on a deluge of shots against the Lions and needed them in a tightly-contested clash on Tuesday afternoon.
“The Spartans were unloading in the first half today. Nine players found some space to get shots off during the opening 40 minutes,” Springfield Twp coach Dan Malora said. “Margaret Tresler had an amazing game in net for the Lions. We put up 11 shots on goal during that first half and she was in the right place for each of them.”
It took a textbook cross, incidentally served by their leading scorer, to help the Spartans finally put a ball in the back of the net.
“Kaleigh Evans got deep outside the 18 and launched a perfect pass to Alana Decker who finished the play with an equally beautiful volley on the far side of the six,” Malora said.
Decker’s goal was enough to send the Spartans to halftime leading 1-0, but they weren’t finished for the day. Neither was New Hope-Solebury.
“We played one of our better games today. Second half we really played well,” Lions coach Matt Duffey said. “We pushed Springfield hard and were challenging them on every ball.”
Ava Marrone stepped up for the Lions all game and she came through late in the second half to tie the game on a direct free kick.
“As the game whittled down to the final 15 minutes, New Hope really stepped up their offensive push,” Malora said. “They converted a free kick into an equalizer, and it really gave them a spark.”
Duffey credited the play of defenders Brooke McLaughlin, Nicole Michael, Maggie Tritremmel and Isha Mukherjee for their work in front of a shot-hunting Spartans attack. Riley Marschall and Lily Marrone were strong in midfield while up front Ellie Gudusky teamed well with Ava Marrone.
“We are steadily getting better each game. We really want to put good performances together for these final games so if we manage to make the playoffs, we are competitive,” Duffey said. “If not, it will give us great momentum into the off-season.”
For all the offensive pressure it was putting on, Springfield Twp wasn’t able to get another ball past Tresler and into the net. With overtime looming, a late chance would provide the Spartans a great opportunity.
“We put some fresh legs out on the field to take back control,” Malora said. “It was looking like we might have had some extra soccer today, but for the second straight game, Shannon Meder took a free kick in the last minute of a half that was received by Kaleigh Evans and turned into a goal.”
Evans, who had assisted on the first, scored her 15th goal of the season to send the Spartans back to their bus for a happy trip home. The forward has scored double-digit goals each of the past two seasons and despite extra defensive attention, continues to deliver for her team.
“It’s made even more impressive with the attention and coverage she gets from the teams we play. She can create her own space if she needs, but we are lucky that she has a partner in crime up top,” Malora said. “She and Alana Decker are like thunder and lightning for our offense. Alana rolls through pressure and somehow seems to find Kaleigh for a flash and crack on net.”
Springfield Twp (5-9, 4-9 SOL) hosts Upper Moreland at 3:30 on Thursday. New Hope-Solebury (3-11-1, 2-10-1) visits Lower Moreland at 3:30 on Thursday.
SPRINGFIELD TWP 1 1 – 2
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 0 1 – 1
Goals; ST – Alana Decker, Kaleigh Evans; NHS – Ava Marrone
William Tennent 3, Upper Moreland 0
The Panthers started the season slow, but are finding their stride in the last stretch of the season.
After a close loss in overtime to Lower Moreland, Tennent has won back-to-back matches including Tuesday night’s result over the Golden Bears. It was Tennent’s Senior Night, but coach Elise Jara didn’t limit the contributions to just one class.
“The girls have all worked hard this season and have been improving every game and creating a different outcome this time around,” Jara said. “I could list every player’s name as contributing to our win as it was a team effort.”
The Panthers scored late in the first half, Theresa Ditri converting off an assist by Erin Somerville, to take a 1-0 lead to halftime.
“We had a tough time getting into a rhythm in the first half. We knew Tennent was going to show up tonight, not only for a rematch but also with it being their senior night,” Bears coach Lisa Benvenuto said. “Throughout the game we struggled to create our offensive opportunities and Tennent was able to capitalize on theirs. They played a solid game.”
UM’s defense held firm for most of the second half, but led by senior Jackie Sowers, the Panthers put two away late to ensure the win. Sowers scored with about seven minutes to play, while Kaitlyn Everly followed up a few minutes later.
“It was a great game led by our seniors with exceptional play from Jackie Sowers, Erin Somerville and Jules Colella,” Jara said. “Our back line was strong and did not allow Upper Moreland’s formidable offense any opportunities. Kaitlyn Frank and Paige Marek controlled the middle of the field and distributed the ball well.”
UM (6-7-2, 5-7-1 SOL) visits Springfield Twp at 3:30 on Thursday. Tennent (5-10, 5-7) visits Cheltenham at 3:30 on Thursday.
WILLIAM TENNENT 1 2 – 3
UPPER MORELAND 0 0 – 0
Goals: WT – Theresa Ditri, Jackie Sowers, Kaitlyn Everly
Lower Moreland 8, Cheltenham 0
Tuesday was Senior Night for the Lions and one senior made it a career night to remember.
Demmi Fox, who missed a spell of this fall due to injury, erupted for five goals in an emphatic showing.
“She was very determined and kept finding ways to score all night long,” LM coach Todd Hill said.
Last year, the Lions didn’t have any seniors, but this season were able to honor Fox, Maddie Sahl, Sophia O’Brien and Payton Lennon.
“It was senior night and our girls had lots of energy,” LM coach Todd Hill said. “Though Cheltenham attacked early our girls stepped up and began to attack the goal as the first half progressed.”
Fox stole the show, but her efforts didn’t totally outshine her classmates and the rest of the team.
“Or seniors were a force tonight,” Hill said. “They were all over the field. Payton Lennon scored her first goal of the year.”
Morgan Pennisi also scored twice for the Lions.
The Panthers, battling numerous injuries, continued to play hard.
“I’m proud of the way our team played and kept our composure when things did not go our way,” Cheltenham coach Leah Matusow said.
Cheltenham hosts William Tennent at 3:30 on Thursday. Lower Moreland hosts New Hope-Solebury at 3:30 on Thursday.
LOWER MORELAND – 8
CHELTENHAM – 0
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