Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action Wednesday. Lower Moreland/Upper Moreland photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos. CLICK HERE to go directly to Suburban One Sports’ GIRLS’ SOCCER GALLERIES.
SOL Freedom
Springfield Twp 2, Cheltenham 0
How long is forever?
Prior to Wednesday night’s 7 p.m. start, it had been the amount of time the Springfield Twp girls’ soccer program had been without an SOL title. A few hours later, it would be the amount of time 2025 would get to sit on a banner commemorating the program’s first-ever division or league title in girls’ soccer.
While the Spartans had secured at least a share of the Freedom crown going in, they wanted it all for themselves.
Fittingly on Senior Night, forever is just how long the Class of 2026 will get to say they helped deliver some history for their school and their team.
“It feels like we earned this,” senior Caitlin Lewis, one of the three captains, said. “Every game is a team effort. We get so many girls in each game and it’s just such a great environment to be in.”
It probably would have taken some sort of global-shaking force to wipe away the smiles that Lewis and fellow captains Murphy McGranaghan and Anna Hendrzak had in the moments following Wednesday’s 2-0 win. All 10 of the team’s senior players started and played most of the night, including the entire second half, while the goals came from underclassmen Karter Brady and Ava Brnich in a six-minute span in the latter end of the first half.
“It’s the best group of girls, all four years, I’ve gotten to be around 100 percent,” McGranaghan said. “Everyone works so hard, and it obviously shows. Last year was rough and I think we really put in the work this season so to come out on top, it just feels awesome.”
The moment was a little extra special for Hendrzak, who started and played most of the night alongside her twin sister Aubrey. Anna will continue her athletic career in college as a swimmer at Scranton, but this fall is her last time playing competitive soccer so she, her sister and the rest of the team wanted to go memorably.
“We did earn this,” Hendrzak said. “It’s so rewarding we finally got her and with the best team ever. We’re all so close and we deserve it.”
It’s not like the Spartans haven’t been successful at all the last few years. The team qualified for the District 1 Class 2A playoffs last year and the Class 3A playoffs in 2023 and in 2021, the Spartans won the District 1 2A title and advanced to the state playoffs.
None of the current players were around for the 2021 run and while making the postseason was an accomplishment, they’d gone out in the first round both times so they really didn’t have anything to hold onto. Thanks firstly to a rather large handmade division championship banner that McGranaghan turned into an oversized rally towel to break down the postgame huddle and the official banner that will go up in the school, they do now.
“I think we knew, I think the parents knew, coming into the season, we knew it would be special,” McGranaghan said.
“But I don’t think we knew just how special,” Lewis added.
The fall of 2024 wasn’t an easy one. Springfield Twp went 6-4 in the SOL Freedom but 6-13 overall and as the second-smallest school in the entire SOL, they struggled when going up against teams from the larger classifications.
This year, counting Wednesday, the Spartans are 12-5-1 with seven of those wins against Class 4A opponents.
“We came into the season with a new mindset,” Hendrzak said. “We wanted it last year and we didn’t get it. We made it to districts but we didn’t make it past that first round so we came in with a new mindset of working really hard, coming together within the team, bonding and creating a good environment and that really helped us throughout the season.”
Cheltenham didn’t get the win on Wednesday, but the Panthers battled the entire 80 minutes and forced senior goalkeeper Maura Soloman into four saves. On the defensive side, Caroline Graham made a couple terrific saves early but unfortunately the Cheltenham starting keeper had to exit midway through the first half with a hand injury but her replacement in AJ Scheuerman, who started at center back, held her own with five of the team’s combined nine saves in goal.
While the XI on the field for most of Wednesday’s match wasn’t one that is normally out there, the spell in the first half where the full starting group was in showed what this team can and has done this fall. For the most part, the senior class has taken on support roles such as Hendrzak playing center back, McGranaghan playing holding mid or on defense and Lewis often lining up in the back.
Up front, it’s the underclassmen that have led the way offensively. Brnich and Liz Hanuschak are both sophomores who got plenty of minutes last year and add some speed and skill on the flanks with Brady, who is only a freshman, having quickly established herself as a lethal finisher in front of goal.
The forwards wouldn’t be able to score without getting the ball from the midfield and backs, and McGranaghan explained there’s no jealousy or infighting about who scores the goals. If anything, the senior co-captain has been amazed by the poise the three young forwards, particularly Brady, have shown all fall.
“She’s just super confident. I know when I was a freshman, I would be out there for five seconds and just be so scared,” McGranaghan said. “She goes out there and scores three goals like it’s nothing.”
“She’s a freshman so she’s new to all this, like playing in our stadium and things like that but she came in with a smile on her face and ready to work,” Hendrzak said. “That really helped all of us, she helps us score, she helped the team come together and it just brings the younger players up with older players and bonds us together. She came in with a mindset that she was already accepted on this team, and she was.”
Springfield Twp ended the first half of SOL Freedom division play in first place, but not alone in that regard. The Spartans found themselves tangled in a three-way tie with Lower Moreland, who had beaten them the first time, and William Tennent as they went into a challenge slate of crossover and nonleague games.
The Spartans started that slate with a 4-2 win over Hatboro-Horsham, but the next week was a true test of endurance. They played on three consecutive days, losing at Quakertown 4-3 in overtime, then played to a 1-1 double OT draw with Mount Saint Joseph Academy before the tired legs caught them in a 4-0 loss to North Penn.
Springfield Twp rebounded with a 5-3 win over Bensalem, played a tight 2-1 loss to SOL Liberty champ Plymouth Whitemarsh then ended the nonleague gauntlet with a 5-3 win over Wissahickon before opening the second half of the division with a win against New Hope-Solebury.
“We took some of those hard weeks and didn’t let them get to us,” Lewis said. “We felt like if we played some of those teams when it wasn’t on back-to-back games, we could have won or at least did better than we had so we did a good job of not letting those bother us and just coming back even stronger for the next set of games.”
Really, the division came down to the first full week of October. The Spartans had their rematches with Lower Moreland on Oct. 7 and William Tennent on Oct. 9 and walked out with 4-0 and 3-1 wins respectively to put the opportunity to clinch the first division title in program history in their own hands.
“I think that really set the energy up,” Hendrzak said. “It was two big games we worked really hard to win and now all we’re thinking about is ‘we’re in districts, we just have to win.’ We kept it step by step.”
“That week was the best soccer we’d played,” McGranaghan said. “I knew we were going to be successful the whole season but last week, that’s when I knew we were in districts and we had the team to do well in the playoffs.”
Spartans’ second-year coach Chris Tomarelli has often highlighted the team’s collective efforts in victories. The captains gave their coach props too, saying he played an important role in keeping everyone’s spirits up after the team dropped two of three games to start the year.
How long is forever? For however long Springfield Township High School stands, 2025 will forever be the year that the girls’ soccer program brought home its first league title.
It’s also how long anyone who was a part of it will get to claim being involved in a historic milestone.
“It’s my last time playing soccer, so I really wanted it and I know the other seniors felt the same way,” Hendrzak said. “Even the juniors, sophomores and freshmen, they wanted to experience this too and feel with us, so it’s been really rewarding.”
Scoring Summary
1st half
ST – Karter Brady 13:17
ST – Ava Brnich (Liz Hanuschak) 7:25
2nd half
None
Spartans senior co-captain Caitlin Lewis on the team’s turnaround: “So many teams used to look at us as the underdogs and that we would just be an easy win. This year, we wanted to come out and show them it’s not like that.”
–Internal support: “We never get mad at each other, it’s always so supportive. If you make a mistake, it’s just get back and fix it the next time, nobody is putting you down.”
Spartans senior co-captain Murphy McGranaghan on the team’s camaraderie: “You come out and see girls screaming at each other on some of the other teams and our team, we’re all best friends, whether it’s seniors or freshmen, everyone is so close and that chemistry shows on the field.”
–Feelings going to postseason: “I’m just excited to hang out with everyone, hopefully have more games with everyone. We’re going to continue to work really hard and do what we’ve been doing because it’s been working really well.”
Spartans senior co-captain Anna Hendrzak on the team finding its stride: “We started the season off kind of rough, but we just really started working hard. Our coaches came in and told us to shake it off, they reassured us we could still do this, and we had a whole season left. He pushed us, we pushed ourselves and it all came together.”
Up next: Springfield Twp will await its first round Class 2A playoff matchup. Cheltenham hosts Villa Joseph Marie on Friday.
SPRINGFIELD TWP 2 0 – 2
CHELTENHAM 0 0 – 0
Lower Moreland 2, Upper Moreland 0
The Lions rallied in the second half to pick up some positive momentum heading into the District 1 Class 3A playoffs.
After a hard-fought but scoreless first half, Lower Moreland made a few tweaks and changes but mostly it was some determination and hard work that finally got past a disciplined Upper Moreland defensive unit. While the Golden Bears saw
their season end Wednesday, they left the pitch with a performance that was emblematic of their season in that anything the opponent got, they had to work hard for.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
No Scoring
2nd Half
LM – Gabby Sellecchia (Emma Leibert) 49th
LM – Quinn Rozanski (Izzy O’Brien) 54th
Goalkeeper Saves
UM Gracie Costello 6 saves
LM Giuls Fogarty 4 saves
Lower Moreland coach Todd Hill on the win: “We won a tough battle against Upper Moreland today. They are always a disciplined and well-coached team and today was no different. Our girls had a slow start but had a strong second half. We went into halftime still scoreless. Our girls worked hard to figure things out at halftime. They made a plan for the second half that put some extra pressure on UM and resulted in a couple of goals.”
Finding offense: “Our girls created lots of chances in the second half. Nine minutes in, Emma Leibert worked really hard to win the battle down the wing and sent a beautiful ball across the goal. Gabby Sellecchia was in just the right spot to send a really composed shot into the back of the net. About five minutes later, Izzy O’Brien sent another ball across the goal where Quinn Rozasnki hit a beautiful shot into the top of the net from about 20 yards out.”
Props: “Goalkeeper Giuls Fogarty and our defensive line did a really good job holding UM scoreless in spite of some really strong threats on their attack. I think our two center backs, Agnes Kroll and Izzy O’Brien played a really strong game. They stepped up at the right time, won balls, contained the attack and worked really well together.”
Upper Moreland coach Lisa Benvenuto on the match: “In the final game of the season, our girls came ready to play. The defense did an excellent job containing Lower Moreland’s attack in the first half while creating several scoring opportunities of their own. Win or lose, the coaching staff is extremely proud of the girls for their effort and growth throughout the season. The team learned a great deal about themselves and will look to build on that progress heading into next year.”
–Defensive standouts: “Julie Albert and Aubrey Scarpitti anchored the back line with strong, composed play, while Maggie Brophy and Leah King provided steady minutes and control in the midfield. The forwards worked tirelessly to generate chances, but the team was unable to capitalize on those opportunities.”
–Senior shoutout: “A special thank you to the six seniors—Maggie Brophy, Helen Hernandez, Evelyn Hogan, Emma Kramer, Hailey Kramer, and Ava Warga—for their leadership, commitment, and lasting impact on the program.”
Up next: Lower Moreland will await its position in the District 1 Class 3A bracket. Upper Moreland closes its season at 8-10-0.
LOWER MORELAND 0 2 – 2
UPPER MORELAND 0 0 – 0
William Tennent 5, New Hope-Solebury 0
The Panthers picked up a needed win as they fight for a place in the District 1 Class 4A playoffs.
William Tennent ended the night on the wrong side of the bubble in the No. 29 slot with the top 28 teams making the bracket. Five different players scored for the Panthers, who got two assists from Leila Santos.
The Panthers will have one more chance to influence their standing with a Friday match against defending PCL champion Archbishop Wood.
Scoring Summary
1st half
WT – Bailey Kasner (Leila Santos)
WT – Grace Bochnak (Leila Santos)
WT – Lia Jablonowski
2nd half
WT – Sarah DeFontney
WT – Bailey Kasner (Kaitlyn D’Ambra)
Up next: William Tennent will host Archbishop Wood on Friday afternoon. New Hope-Solebury closes out its season at 4-14-0
WILLIAM TENNENT 3 2 – 5
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 0 0 – 0
SOL Liberty
Plymouth Whitemarsh 4, Upper Dublin 0
A quick turnaround can be a blessing or a curse for a team.
After dropping their first SOL Liberty match of the season Tuesday night on the road against Abington, the Colonials didn’t have much time to sit on it. While they’d get no worse of a share of a division title win or lose, the team and specifically its seniors wanted a lot more than that.
Even with a Cardinals team fighting for its playoff future coming in under the lights, PW’s seniors set the tone and the program finished the night in sole possession of its first league title since 2014.
The Maddi to Maddie connection delivered, with team leader in assists Maddi Lazaroff adding two to her register as team leader in goals Maddie McGuckien scored two more in the first half. Lazaroff capped a stellar night with a free kick strike for the final tally after senior Keria Whalen
Scoring Summary
1st Half
PW – Maddie McGuckien (Maddi Lazaroff assist) 23:27
PW – Maddie McGuckien (Maddi Lazaroff assist) 12:31
2nd Half
PW – Keira Whelan (Molly McEvoy assist) 10:57
PW – Maddi Lazaroff 9:48
PW coach TJ DeLucia: “PW clinched an outright league title for the first time since 2014. It is what this team wanted and specifically what this senior class wanted when I met with them in May. It wasn’t easy. We had a really tough loss (Tuesday) at Abington. We had to pick ourselves up off the ground today. We somehow turned last night’s loss into maybe our best performance of the season tonight against a very good Upper Dublin team.
“We played about as complete of an 80 minutes as you can play. And to do that, in Game No. 118, in a back-to-back night game situation – with the league title on the line…I’m just so proud of what they accomplished and how they did it tonight.”
Maddi to Maddie: “Senior Maddie McGuckien started off the scoring with a header goal off a really nice Maddi Lazaroff corner. Eleven minutes later, Maddie McGuckien doubled our lead with, yes – a header goal off of a really nice Maddi Lazaroff corner. Those two goals were Maddie’s team-leading 11th and 12th goals of the season. She has 12 goals, all while playing centerback and helping us earn our 11th clean sheet of the season. Those corners were Maddi Lazaroff’s 11th and 12th assists of the season – just a massive number in high school soccer.”
Clean sheets: “Massive credit for that goes to senior keeper Olivia Bragg, senior defenders Kaiane Jayo and Maddie McLaughlin, and freshman defender JJ Lafferty. Sophomore Harper Reilly – currently injured – deserves a lot of credit for that accomplishment, as well.”
Controlling the Cardinals: “The first time we played Upper Dublin, we went up 3-0 at half and they came out of halftime and really controlled play. We were lucky to leave there with a 3-1 win. So, we cautioned the team that they would throw numbers forward in the second half. We adjusted our set-up a bit, inserted senior Liv Budin in midfield at the half and she along with Maddi Laz really helped us control play for the last 40 minutes.”
Staff shoutout: “Those halftime coaching adjustments and all coaching credit this season goes to assistant coach, Steve Slack. Coach Slack was the head coach of the last league title winning team in 2014. I was really lucky to recruit him back to the staff in 2024. He is an incredible soccer mind, an excellent teacher and coach, and I’m fortunate to get to work with and learn from him on a daily basis.”
Plenty of props: “Senior Keira Whelan continued the scoring when she put away a Molly McEvoy cross in the second half, with a nice, tidy finish. That was Keira’s third goal of the season and Molly’s fourth assist. Keira and Molly continue to do so much of the hard work for this team, along with senior Maite Jayo and junior Liv Patete. Maite, in particular, had a brilliant second half.
“Senior Marleigh Burton and freshman Lori Flannery were dangerous all night going forward. On that note, I want to shout out senior Mia Baron – currently injured – as she was a huge part of this team and us getting to this point of 14 wins and a league title”
Laz hits a laser: “One minute later, we earned a free kick, and Maddi Lazaroff scored an incredible goal to cap off the night. I’m really proud of Laz and how she played tonight. She wasn’t at her best last night, and she was absolutely terrific tonight. Our team is at our best when she is at hers. It’s a lot of pressure but we have a high standard for her and I’m so proud of her for continuing to work to meet that standard every day.”
Up next: Plymouth Whitemarsh will await its first round home playoff matchup. Upper Dublin hosts Strath Haven on Friday.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 2 2 – 4
UPPER DUBLIN 0 0 – 0
Wissahickon 2, Hatboro-Horsham 1
The young Trojans put together another solid outing as they come to the close of their season.
Julia Lentz was the hero on the night, scoring both goals off set pieces with senior Ingrid Kasenchar playing facilitator on each.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
W – Julia Lentz (Kaylee Hammond, Ingrid Kasenchar)
W – Julia Lentz (Ingrid Kasenchar)
2nd half
HH goal
Wissahickon coach Chris McDaniel: “Julia Lentz scored on two corner kicks in the first half. The first one was played in by Kasenchar and a headed by Kaylee Hammond went off (Lentz) and in. The second one was a well-timed run that allowed her to make good contact on a beautiful ball by Kasenchar again. Hatboro-Horsham scored early in the second half on a scrum off a corner to make it interesting. They had some chances late, but the back four and Sidney Jackson were up to the task. Solid team effort where everyone chipped in to keep the energies level high for 80 minutes.”
Up next: Wissahickon hosts Harriton on Thursday. Hatboro-Horsham closes its season at 5-13-0.
WISSAHICKON 2 0 – 2
HATBORO-HORSHAM 0 1 – 1
Abington 1, Quakertown 1 (2 OT)
The Panthers and Ghosts grinded out a draw under the lights on Wednesday to complete their respective regular seasons.
Both teams are in line to receive bids to the District 1 Class 4A playoffs next week but will likely have to go on the road for the first round.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
No Scoring
2nd half
Abington goal
Quakertown goal
OT
No Scoring
OT2
No Scoring
Quakertown coach Jon Gingrich on the match: “Both teams fought hard for 100 minutes. Abington is always a tough matchup – they have quality players and are coached well. We had great energy all night. We had a lot of players step up and these types of games show what type of heart we played with all night. I was super proud of my team tonight for not giving up.”
Props: “Our whole team. We got great play from our starters, we got great play from our bench. We played with so much heart and grit tonight. Freshman goalie Erin Willing had to step up when our starter got injured and she was awesome tonight for us all night.”
Up next: Abington will await its final playoff seeing in the District 1 Class 4A bracket. Quakertown will await its first round District 1 Class 4A playoff matchup.
QUAKERTOWN 0 1 0 0 – 1
ABINGTON 0 1 0 0 – 1
SOL Colonial
North Penn 1, Central Bucks East 0
The Knights’ defense had a whole lot to do with their biggest win of the season.
Not only did the back line and goalkeeper Julia Fiore post a shutout, with Fiore making an unbelievable save in the waning seconds to keep it that way, but the lone goal came from the back. Defender Jadyn Sperling converted a first half penalty kick as the Knights locked up a big victory and vaulted up a few spots in the District 1 Class 4A power rankings.
North Penn had hung tough with some top teams all season and the Knights wanted to show they’ll be a tough out next week as well.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
NP – Jadyn Sperling (PK) 26th
2nd Half
No Scoring
North Penn coach Mike Rio on the win: “It was a really great performance by us today. We had a big talk after the Souderton game about how we wanted to finish the season, and the girls really responded. I felt like we really played a full game today and showed what we are capable of when we put in a full 80. The first half was back and forth, and I thought we created good chances and limited quality chances for them. We scored when Izzy Rudnick received the ball in our defensive half and took it by herself past three defenders into their box and got taken down before getting a shot off. Jadyn stepped up and calmly finished the PK.”
Hanging tough: “The second half we tried to attack early and get a second but after 15-20 minutes we settled into a defensive formation and tried to hold on to the lead. The work rate was phenomenal by our girls defensively. Julia Fiora made two amazing saves on a breakaway and a shot that was headed for the top corner as time expired.”
Building momentum: “We talked about getting a result and going into playoffs with some momentum instead of just limping in and they really showed today and should gain confidence that they can play with anyone. East is so good and has so many dangerous players, and they are so well coached and constantly moving girls around to catch you off guard and I’m just so happy with how our girls took care of their individual responsibilities and then worked the ball to smart areas of the field.”
Defense stands tall: “I thought our defensive line with Jadyn, Allison Schall, Alyssa Chartrand and Sophia Zampirri crushed it. Izzy was dangerous up top, and Annaliese was also great in attack and helping out defensively. Lani helped possess the ball for us and in the middle of the field Maddie Gorman, Paige Gladfelter and Paula Fernandez won a lot of balls.”
Props: “Also, the work rate of the girls that played on the wing, Elliot Hanrahan, Madi Morrow, Mehya Godhania, Avery Krepps and Lieka Keijzer were phenomenal, and they were just up and down the field. It’s one of those games where you want to shout out everyone because it was a true team effort and even the girls that didn’t play today kept up the energy on the bench. Just really proud of the collective effort today and as we head into playoffs this gives us some confidence that we can compete with anyone out there.”
Up next: North Penn travels to Pennridge on Thursday. CB East hosts Garnet Valley on Thursday.
NORTH PENN 1 0 – 2
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0 0 – 0
Pennridge 2, Central Bucks West 1
At halftime, the Rams knew they’d been lucky.
A missed penalty kick had gone in their favor, but Pennridge had spent much of the first 40 minutes just trying to hold on. After halftime, the Rams got back on their game a bit then finally turned the tide thanks to a stellar effort from senior Avery Runk.
Runk, a senior outside back committed to Florida Atlantic University, is a weapon on set pieces and she broke a scoreless deadlock with an Olimpico goal, curling in a corner untouched for the first goal midway through the first half.
Some hard work by Liv Buckman and Cam Snyder led to the insurance goal as the Rams secured the SOL Colonial title as a result of their win coupled with other results in the division.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
No Scoring
2nd Half
P – Avery Runk 18:07
P – Cam Snyder (Liv Buckman) 14:11
CBW
Pennridge coach Lucas Kriner on the win: “It’s always tough coming into War Memorial for night games. Credit to CB West for coming out ready to play. We were on our heels for the majority of the first half. Conceding several corners and a PK was not where we wanted to be. With elimination games just around the corner, our play from kickoff must level up.”
Turning up the level: “Overall, we felt like our performance was flat, and we addressed the shortcomings at halftime. Better attacking in the second half helped us. Both opportunities we capitalized on came from the kind of passes that help our forwards have success:
Rams break through: “Avery’s goal off of a corner was a huge lift. When she drives crosses, we know we create a dangerous situation for the opponent. Liv Buckman’s ball into Cam was a very nice switch of play. Cam’s width helped her with finishing the ball. I was happy for her to get such a big goal for us in an important game. Bucky does a lot of great work for us, so for her to have success with her passing should be a great boost to her confidence. It’s exactly how we want our target forward to make an impact.”
Up next: Pennridge hosts North Penn on Thursday. Central Bucks West concludes its season at 4-13-1
PENNRIDGE 0 2 – 2
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0 0 – 0
Central Bucks South 4, Souderton 3 (2 OT)
The Titans’ seniors will likely remember their Senior Night for a while.
A wild game saw the host side rally from a 1-0 halftime deficit to level the game but that only ignited what turned into a frenetic second 40 minutes. Tessa Hughes was here, there and everywhere for the Titans, the senior midfielder playing a role in three of her team’s four tallies including the eventual winner late, late in the second overtime from classmate Alana Peev.
South needed every bit of it to counter a standout effort from Souderton’s Hannah Beckett, who buried all three of Big Red’s goals including a late tally that forced overtime.
Scoring Summary
1st half
S – Hannah Beckett
2nd Half
CSB – Charlotte Manley (Riley Karpinski)
S – Hannah Beckett (PK)
CBS – Charlotte Manley (Tessa Hughes)
CBS – Maddie Roe (Tessa Hughes)
S – Hannah Beckett
OT
No Scoring
2OT
CBS – Alana Peev (Tessa Hughes)
Central Bucks South coach Dana Cole on the win: “It was our senior night so our 14 seniors got to walk away with a memorable win against a team that gave us a run for our money. Our 14 seniors are all worth mentioning for their contributions this season: Alana Peev, Abbie Bass, Ashley Snyder, Kelly Donnelly, Delaney Rowe, Morgan Hughes, Tessa Hughes, Peyton Mumm
Riley Karpinski, Brooke Carrigan, Monika Daly, Lilah Digas, Liz Kelly, Hayden McGovern.”
–Furious exchange of goals: “We trailed 1-0 at halftime, started the second half with Riley Karpinski to Charlotte to tie it. They scored next, then we countered with another Charlotte goal from a Tessa Hughes corner. Maddie Roe gave us a 3-2 lead off another Tessa Hughes corner that was bouncing around. Maddie crashed the net determined to score, made a quick move and put it in the back of the net to take the lead. We had a breakdown on defense, and they tied it up.”
–Continuing to battle: “The last 10 minutes of regulation seemed to be us taking a lot of unsuccessful shots, but we definitely had a lot of fire and refused to let up. Our team tonight refused to let up and proved that we are fighters and have a lot of pride. We had a lot of opportunities on OT and seemed to dominate both 10-minute OTs. With 24 seconds left we had yet another Tessa Hughes corner with an Alana Peev finish to put the ball in the back of the net and seal the deal.”
Souderton coach Melissa Lollar on the match: “This game was a really hard fought game for almost 100 minutes. It was a huge battle, back and forth into the last 30 seconds of the second overtime where Souderton fell short 4-3. The scoresheet may not show it, but it was a strong defensive effort all around. Keeper Kahlan Hurley had a career performance. She was tested all night, having to make 18 saves, including a breakaway, multiple tips over the bar, and punches off corners.”
–Beckett shines in attack: “Offensively Hannah Beckett was nearly unstoppable, posting a hat trick on the night. The Indians made it very hard for the Titans defense all night. The result may not have been in the Indians favor but they can certainly be proud of the performance they left on the final game of the regular season against a very physical and talented South team.”
Up next: CB South will have a first round district playoff bye. Souderton awaits its first round matchup in the Class 4A playoffs.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0 3 0 1 – 4
SOUDERTON 1 2 0 0 – 3
SOL Patriot
Council Rock South 3, Pennsbury 0
If it was the last time the Golden Hawks seniors got to play on their home turf, they were going to make sure they walked off on a good note.
CR South put together a strong all-around effort and picked up a solid win over a Falcons team that had been playing pretty well itself. The result might have helped the Hawks seniors come back for one more home fixture next week, although the playoff power rankings are always volatile.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
CRS – Lylah Day (Ruby Bross)
CRS – Anna Horn (Krissy Philip)
CRS – Anna Horn
2nd half
No scoring
CR South Nick Heim on the win: “We knew it could potentially be the last home game for our seniors, and we wanted to make sure we answered the first whistle and matched the energy Pennsbury would bring. We had some early chances and exchanged some corner kicks on either side of the field before we were able to get ourselves on the board. A five-minute span saw us find the net three times before halftime which helped us ease into the game a bit more. Lylah Day struck first when she got on the end of a Ruby Bross pass, sidestepped the goalie, and calmly slotted it home. Two minutes later Krissy Philip found Anna Horn to give us a 2-0 lead. Horn struck again a minute later, giving us a three-goal advantage before half. The second half saw chances go both ways but, in the end, the 3-0 score stood.”
Team effort: “I thought we got great contributions from a lot of kids today which is always a plus to see as we head into playoffs. We were tweaking some positions and player combinations so seeing it get some chances generated was key for us.”
Up next: Council Rock South travels to Bensalem at 7pm on Thursday. Pennsbury will await its first round playoff opponent in Class 4A
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 3 0 – 3
PENNSBURY 0 0 – 0
Neshaminy 4, Bensalem 1
Nobody would have blamed Neshaminy for feeling some heavy legs on Wednesday.
After a win on Monday followed by the emotions of Senior Night coupled with an overtime win on Tuesday, Neshaminy didn’t look itself early on against the Owls. Neshaminy, which clinched the SOL Patriot title on Monday, has shown resilience all season and the team’s seniors were up to the task again.
Three of the four goals were scored by seniors Bri Garyah, Ava Hood and Cassidy Tweedie, two of those on senior-to-senior connections and while junior Anna Axenroth scored the fourth, it was due to senior Aislyn Fitzgerald drawing a foul in the box.
Neshaminy closed the night holding the eight spot in the District 1 4A power rankings, which guarantees a first round bye but the final standings won’t be locked in until this weekend.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
N- Bri Garyah (Emerson Rooney)
N – Anna Axenroth (PK)
Bensalem goal
2nd Half
N – Ava Hood (Lil Kaczmarek)
N – Cassidy Tweedie
Neshaminy coach Josh Van Reed on the win: “With it being our third game in three days and after playing a tough game last night, it was starting to show a little. We couldn’t seem to find the final pass or the right shot.”
Offense finds the mark: “Eventually we broke through, Emmy (Rooney) got behind the defense and put a ball across to Bri Garyah for the first goal. A couple minutes later, Aislyn Fitzgerald got into the box and was taken down resulting in a PK. Anna Axenroth stepped up to put us ahead 2-0. But Bensalem kept working and got one back.”
Second-half efforts: “We had a lot more possession and created more chances. Right away, we got another goal from a free kick served in by Lily Kaczmarek to Ava Hood who finished it. Our fourth goal was a nice shot taken by Cassidy Tweedie. This has been a good run for us at the end of the season with some really tough games that have had a playoff feel to them. Really proud of how the team has gelled and looking forward to what we can do in the playoffs next week.”
Up next: Neshaminy will await its final playoff seeding in Class 4A. Bensalem hosts Council Rock South at 7pm on Thursday.
NESHAMINY 2 2 – 4
BENSALEM 1 0 – 1
Council Rock North 8, Harry S Truman 0
While CR North had been doing the road warrior routine its last few fixtures, the team was very happy to go home on Wednesday.
Seven different players scored a goal, Emma Longosky netting a pair and CR North got to go down the roster and distribute plenty of playing time.
Scoring Summary
1st half
CRN – Keagan Terry (Isabel Diaz)
CRN – Annie Mills
CRN – Brynn Rodgers
CRN – Peyton Perry (Claire Kelly)
2nd half
CRN – Clara Alter (Kayla Izzo)
CRN – Emma Longosky
CRN – Emma Longosky
CRN – Sam Geib (Clara Altier)
Council Rock North coach Gavin Flannigan on the win: “Nice to play at home again today, we’ve been on the road for a couple of weeks so it was great not to travel. A solid win, we got great contributions from everyone and it was good to see some younger players get minutes and perform well.”
Harry S Truman coach Brian Gilbert: “This Truman team has more freshmen and sophomores than juniors and seniors. We do not have a JV team. We just faced a Council Rock team with 21 juniors and seniors on their roster. Truman has only five girls who played more than two seasons of high school soccer and 22 girls playing varsity soccer with less than two years of high school soccer experience.”
Props: “Senior captain Grace Darpino put together yet another full 80 minute game, but the team relied on many first-year players such Azra Biyik, Ella Goldwyn and Isabella Guijosa-Morales who came in and played a lot of tough minutes. Second year player Monica Almanza stood out with her versatility, playing tenacious and aggressive defense shifting from outside fullback to stopper, center mid, left mid and right mid.”
Team continues growth: “Coaches can teach and preach all they want, but the effort given is up to each player once she steps on the field. We play in a tough conference with a lot of really good teams and we have been more competitive than previous seasons, keeping games closer for longer periods. The hard work and progression is a testament to the strength of character of every girl on this team.”
Up next: Council Rock North will host Archbishop Ryan on Thursday. Harry S Truman visits Dock Mennonite Academy at 7pm on Friday.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 4 4 – 8
HARRY S TRUMAN 0 0 – 0
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