Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action Friday.
Non-league
ABINGTON 2, NESHAMINY 1
In a battle of former conference rivals, it was the Ghosts rallying from a 1-0 halftime deficit to notch the hard-fought victory. The win couldn’t have come at a better time.
“We had kind of a deflating loss to Hatboro-Horsham and played well but couldn’t finish,” Abington coach Rick Tompkins said of Tuesday’s 1-0 loss to the Hatters. “We played lousy against Pennridge (in a 5-2 loss).
“Then we played Cheltenham (an 8-0 win), and it was a good time of the season to have a game like that because they just relaxed and had fun and we got back to it.
“Any time we beat Neshaminy is a good win for us. Listen, they’re going to make some noise in the playoffs. There’s no doubt in my mind. They’re a very solid team. I’m happy to get a win against them anytime. It was a fun game for the kids to play in, it was a fun game to coach.”
The Redskins – playing their fourth game in four days – put a goal on the board in the first half.
“They had us in the first half,” Tompkins said. “They were pretty much all over us. We couldn’t get out of our own way.
“It’s a strange field, so they were going up the hill, and you would think we would have done better going downhill, but we couldn’t control the ball and they really dominated.
“The last five minutes it was a seismic shift. I don’t know what happened. We didn’t score, but my girls put a lot of pressure on them, and I think they started to believe – hey look, we can play with them.”
That mentality carried over into the second half, and it was Kailey Horton scoring the equalizer with an assist from Camryn Lexow.
“Lexow pushed it through to Horton, she took the ball across and put it in the far corner from the left side,” Tompkins said.
Casey Touey scored the game winner with a Horton assist that left Tompkins searching for words.
“I still don’t know how Horton did this- she was way back in the defensive third marking the outside back,” Tompkins said. “It was a 50-50 ball, and she shielded her off the ball and hit a first time ball over the top, and Touey ran onto it and buried it.
“In the second half, the girls came out, they were very composed and they got the job done. In the first half, we were kicking the ball out of bounds, we were doing a lot of things we try not to do, but Neshaminy put a lot of pressure on us.”
The Ghosts’ coach credited the efforts of several players in the win.
“Riley Crabtree and Arianna Mancini in the back were ridiculous,” Tompkins said. “They were very, very solid, and Abby Bautista won a thousand balls in the midfield. She just played hard.
“It was a battle. Neshaminy’s got good midfielders, and they were kind of double teaming Camryn (Lexow) a little bit, and Abby had to clean up the mess, and she did a pretty good job of it.”
Abington (15-3, 13-1 SOL) will get a first round bye as a top eight seed in next week’s District One 4A Tournament. Neshaminy (12-5, 9-3) was the 10th seed in power rankings that will be finalized at Sunday’s seeding meeting.
Abington 0-2 2
Neshaminy 1-0 1
UPPER DUBLIN 4, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1
Tina Haig erupted for the hat trick – scoring all three goals after the intermission to break a 1-1 halftime tie and propel the Cardinals to the non-league win. It was the third win in as many games in the final week of the regular season for the Flying Cardinals.
“We have been through some ups and downs this year, and we said at the beginning of this week, if we get on a roll, I think we can do some good things,” UD coach John Topper said. “We have three good wins this week, and East is always a big one. They’re one of the better programs in the area, so that was really a nice way to finish off.
“If things finish up the way they look, we should have a home playoff game. That was kind of a goal we set.”
In the first half, Emily Booth put the Cardinals on the scoreboard, using an assist by Karolina Bocul.
“Karolina just did a great job of pressing their defender, forcing a turnover, and Emily got in on goal and tucked it away nicely,” Topper said.
The Patriots netted the equalizer, and that 1-1 score held until halftime.
“At halftime, we got them all together to talk, and really the girls took over the conversation, talking about what they were seeing on the field and what they needed to do,” Topper said. “It was really a great thing to see.
“They decided how they needed to attack the second half, and just them taking that ownership – you really saw a difference in the second half.”
The second half belonged to Haig and the Cardinals. In the 51st minute, Haig scored the go-ahead goal with a Booth assist. Three minutes later, it was Haig turning a Julia Eustace assist into a goal. Haig’s third goal in the 70th minute was unassisted.
“Obviously, Tina got back to her old tricks and she was a natural goal scorer – I think she scored a goal with right, her left and her head in the second half, so she had a true hat trick,” Topper said. “Just a lot of the things we’ve been talking about all year really came together, and the team really meshed.”
Topper pointed to captain Lexie Moss as a key to the second half.
“She was pulling a lot of the strings out there, kind of directing traffic in a very good way,” the UD coach said.
Topper credited the efforts of several other players in the win.
“Sascha Keitz and Laura Pendleton were absolutely stellar in the back in defense,” he said. “Rachel Adelman, our freshman keeper, made some point-blank saves to keep them off the score sheet.
“Anna Desch just was wreaking havoc on the right side, and it really opened up some space in the middle of the field for our goal scorers.”
Upper Dublin – the 16th seed in the latest district power rankings – closed out the regular season with an 11-6-1 record (9-4-1 SOL). Central Bucks East finished its season with a 5-11-2 mark (2-8-2 SOL).
Central Bucks East 1-0 1
Upper Dublin 1-3 4
PENNSBURY 2, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0
The Falcons capped a grueling stretch of four games in five days with a shutout win over the visiting Titans. The non-league win came 24 hours after an emotional overtime victory over Neshaminy for the conference title.
“I was happy to see the girls respond with some mental strength today,” coach Kaitlyn Battiste said. “Everyone is dealing with this race to the end.
“I don’t know which teams were fortunate enough to only have three games this week, but it’s been a grueling stretch. These girls are used to the physical grind of multiple games in a short period of time through club tournaments and showcases.
“High school soccer is different; it’s so much fun because of the rivalries and community pride on the line, but it is mentally and emotionally demanding. A full week of games and classes and they still brought it.”
In the 19th minute, Christine Cataldo-Smith (Rosie Bostian assist) scored a goal that turned out to be the game-winner. The Falcons took that 1-0 lead into halftime. Gabby Zalot added an insurance goal in the 51st minute.
“I was pleased to see different players still listening to feedback from coaches and trying to make adjustments,” Battiste said. “Eighteen games in six weeks – the season flew by.
“I’m pleased with the results we earned this week but more excited about the effort and desire they show to be better.”
Central Bucks South (9-7-1, 5-6-1 SOL) will wrap up its regular season with a non-league game at Villa Joseph Marie on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Pennsbury closed out its regular season with a 15-2-1 record (10-1-1 SOL)
Central Bucks South 0-0 0
Pennsbury 1-1 2
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 2, WISSAHICKON 0
The visiting Golden Hawks scored a pair of second-half goals to earn the non-league win in their regular season finale.
“We played pretty well considering we came off an emotional win yesterday,” coach Nick Heim said of his team’s 2-0 win over Council Rock North in Thursday’s Rock Cup. “This is the type of game where you could have a letdown with playoffs on your mind.
“We struggled to find a goal in the first half and had trouble with Wissahickon’s off-sides trap. Finally in the second half, we were able to find two goals to separate us.”
Carly Hickey put the Golden Hawks on the board, using a Sammy Jones assist. Madison McDowell added an insurance goal.
Heim credited the efforts of several players.
“Kimmie Herritt played well in the midfield for us, and Skylar Nowmos, Dana DeDominicis, Carly Hickey and Emily Kavash played solid in the back,” the Golden Hawks’ coach said. “Carly Irvin had great minutes for us today as did Erin McStravock.”
Emily Helmich and Chelsea Jameson combined for the shutout in goal.
Council Rock South closed out the regular season with a 13-4-1 record overall (8-3-1 SOL). Wissahickon finished the season 7-11 overall (7-7 SOL).
Council Rock South 0-2 2
Wissahickon 0-0 0
PENNRIDGE 1, NAZARETH ACADEMY 0
Abby Groff scored a first-half goal with an assist from Lindsey DeHaven. That would be all the scoring the SOL Continental Conference champions would need to earn the non-league win in their regular season finale.
Pennridge – which will have an opening round by in the District One 4A Tournament – closed out its regular season with a 15-2-1 mark (9-2-1 SOL).
Nazareth Academy 0-0 0
Pennridge 1-0 1
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