Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action Monday. Pennsbury/CB South photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f405978483 (Pennridge/Quakertown photos provided courtesy of Abbe Kiwak)
Nonleague
North Penn 2, Abington 0
A busy night at Crawford Stadium ended with the Knights picking up a quality win and evening their record back at the .500 mark.
“We played a really great game tonight. I thought defensively we were excellent, and Sam (Ridler) played so strong in goal,” North Penn coach Mike Rio said. “That’s back-to-back shutouts against really dangerous opponents who have a lot of skilled and fast forwards, so I’m really proud of our defensive unit for the work they have been putting out on the field.”
North Penn celebrated Community Night with a full slate of games, the girls following the boys’ match against PCL heavyweight La Salle with a defensive-minded effort. It takes a full team to post a shutout, and Rio lauded the forwards and midfield for the work they did and the back line cleared up the rest.
“We are really making it difficult for opposing teams to break us down, and it’s because girls are really grinding,” Rio said. “The six girls that played in the back today, Gardenia Mikhail, Izzy Kee, Izzy Rudnick, Jadyn Sperling and Allison Schall did an excellent job containing Abington’s attackers and playing composed. Can’t say enough about the defensive effort this team has put in over the past few games.”
North Penn split the bill for its offense evenly on either side of the intermission. Tactically, the Knights wanted to put balls in the channels wide and let their wingers keep Abington’s fullbacks pinned and working on defense.
“The first goal was a ball that Sophia Zampirri played through to Maddy Murphy, and she was able to hit a great shot low into the far post,” Rio said. “We took the one-goal lead into the second half and the talk was very similar to what we had on Friday. We knew they were dangerous and it was important to get the next one.”
Murphy announced her commitment to play at the University of Buffalo, and not surprisingly, the junior has been on a roll since.
Midway through the second half, North Penn doubled its lead while Murphy put herself into the book with a brace.
“Madi Morrow played a great through ball to Maddy Murphy, she beat a defender and then had a great left-footed shot by the keeper,” Rio said. “Maddy challenged herself at the start of the season to score more goals this year and she’s really taken on the responsibility and is making sure that she is making her chances count.
“She has really shown just incredible leadership and maturity for the team this year.”
The run of SOL crossover games, plus Monday’s non-league tilt with a top team in the SOL Liberty, gave the Knights a chance to reset and work toward getting themselves in position for the second half of the Colonial.
“Getting back to .500 is really big for us. We knew we were better than our record indicates, and we’ve been able to show that against some quality opponents over the past six games,” Rio said. “I couldn’t be prouder of the girls and how they have continued to grow and put in the work each day to improve as a group and individually.”
Abington (7-3-1, 7-1-1 SOL) hosts William Tennent at 7 on Wednesday. North Penn (5-5-1, 4-4-1) travels to Harry S Truman on Wednesday.
NORTH PENN 1 1 – 2
ABINGTON 0 0 -0
Goals; NP – Maddy Murphy 2
Pennridge 9, Quakertown 0
Sophie Craig’s absolute favorite thing to do on a soccer pitch is see her teammates succeed.
It’s a big part of the reason why the senior midfielder put in the time and reps – there were a lot of reps – to hone her corner kicks so when she got a chance to serve one,
there was a good chance one of her teammates would be on the end of it. Craig added two more corner kick assists on Monday as the Rams celebrated their annual Pink Night with a resounding win.
“I’m being more consistent right now,” Craig said. “I’d like to thank my teammates for putting up with all the balls I hit out of bounds in practice, I wouldn’t be hitting good balls without them sticking through with me.
“I really thank my teammates for believing in the balls I’m playing because sometimes, I don’t believe in them but when they do, that’s when they go well.”
Craig isn’t the only player on her team who can hit corners or free kicks, with the senior also a good dead ball hitter outside the corner marker but if she’s the one taking it, she wants it to be a good one. One thing the senior, with some guidance from coach Audrey Anderson, worked to tweak was her rotation and getting her hips through the service every time.
It has certainly paid off, with Pennridge feasting off Craig’s corners last week against Council Rock South and starting center backs Anna Croyle and Hannah Primwhere each heading in a Craig corner on Monday.
“Everyone on the field has a job and without them completing it, I’m nowhere,” Craig said. “I’m not in the corner without them, it’s mostly the forwards doing their job and getting to goal that gets us corners, so I’m proud of all of them.”
Craig also does a good job balancing the in-betweens of the central midfield. She starts most games between classmates Ava Kiwak, who plays more as a holder, and Liv Grenda, who can beat most anyone dribbling the ball, as a player who can defend, pass and test keepers from deep.
She’s not the biggest player either, but Craig doesn’t back down if it means an opportunity to see one
of her teammates shine.
“I’m A-OK being that person no one notices, I’d rather see my teammates accomplish their goals,” Craig said. “I want to aid them in finding themselves and being the best they can be. Helping them do that brings me more joy because I’m seeing them accomplish what they want.”
Craig is part of a big senior class motivated by falling a goal short in last year’s PIAA 4A state title game. The midfielder was a contributor when the Rams won the PIAA championship her freshman year and she wants nothing more than to help her team lift another trophy in November.
Unlike several of her classmates who will play high-level soccer in college, Craig has a little extra motivation to see them do it.
“I decided to focus on my academics in college and find myself outside of soccer,” Craig said. “That said, this being my last year, I want to make it my best year.
“We grew up together playing at Deep Run with Aud, so this last year means more than anyone knows to all of us.”
Pennridge had nine different scorers in its annual meeting against the rival Panthers. Junior Catilyn Peace had another nice performance, scoring a goal and assisting Riley Williams on another.
Lindsey Balmer also scored and assisted a goal, Tori Angelo finished off a great pass by Kiwak, and Croyle added an assist when Gabriella Howley hit in her rebound of a second half corner.
Peyton Rabinowitz and Bryn Constanzer rounded out the scoring for Pennridge.
Pennridge (11-0-1, 9-0-1 SOL) visits Bensalem at 3:30 on Wednesday. Quakertown (2-7-1, 2-6-1) hosts New Hope-Solebury at 3:30 on Wednesday.
PENNRIDGE 3 6 – 9
QUAKERTOWN 0 0 – 0
SOL Liberty
Upper Dublin 3, Upper Moreland 2
Not that winning games is ever easy, but the Cardinals hadn’t been tested much with back-to-back-to-back shutouts last week.
Monday, they took a shot and then another from the Golden Bears before showing their newfound confidence had carried over. The Cardinals scored three goals in roughly 12 minutes, erasing a 2-0 deficit and notching a fourth straight win.
“It was a test of character and I think it was a nice measure of how much we’ve grown over the last couple weeks,” UD coach John Topper said. “There were games earlier in the season where we’d play well, then give up a goal and the girls would seem deflated, but they really rallied and not only got the goals but looked on the front foot the second half.”
UD needed to rally thanks in part to a strong first half from Upper Moreland, with UM adding its second goal shortly after halftime. Mostly, it was the Golden Bears looking to set the pace in the first 40 minutes that helped them lead play.
“The crossover games are always competitive–we knew what Upper Dublin was going to bring to the table and knew we would have to alter their organization, and disrupt their possession,” Bears coach Lisa Benvenuto said. “In the first half we did a good job of stepping to the ball and utilizing our flanks. We knew that our transitions needed to be strong as we could catch UD off balance.”
That catch came in the 29th minute, with a quick turnaround leading to the opening tally of the game.
“Keiley Hawk found Willow Taylor on a perfectly placed chipped ball, Willow was able to beat UD’s keeper to give us the lead,” Benvenuto said.
Topper said his keeper, Jordyn Levine, got a piece of the ball, which then glanced off the crossbar and off Levine before going into the net, but no matter how it had gotten there, it was a 1-0 UM lead.
A free kick by Kyra Favors would extend the lead to two goals about 10 minutes into the second half.
“We went into halftime knowing that Upper Dublin would come out strong and high-pressure us. Once again, we were able to transition from our defensive end to the offensive end, where we were fouled just outside the box,” Benvenuto said. “Kyra Favors stepped up and buried the ball in the back of the net.”
To get back into the match, the Cardinals relied on a trio of players who have really started to come into their own to coincide with this win streak.
“They had some spirit and I was just really proud of the way they responded to facing a 2-0 deficit,” Topper said.
Abby O’Meara and Meg McMeel start most games as anchors defensively for the Cardinals, O’Meara on the back line while McMeel plays as a holding midfielder. With the duo capable of getting into good spaces offensively, the Cardinals had them move up the pitch to try and spark something.
“We put Abby in the midfield and Meg up top and it really changed the whole flow of the game,” Topper said. “They were getting forward pretty consistently and keeping Upper Moreland back on their heels. They each had some good chances, and each took one and made good on it.”
O’Meara, off an assist by McMeel, scored in the 61st minute to get Upper Dublin on the board. McMeel needed all of about 90 seconds after to tie things up, the midfielder turned forward unleashing and connecting on a drive from outside the box.
“We were unable to contain Upper Dublin. In a 12-minute span they were able to tie and take the lead,” Benvenuto said. “Upper Dublin put in a great effort to come back, and we couldn’t hold them off. We need to continue to learn from our mistakes, grow as a team and move forward.”
Along with O’Meara and McMeel, Peyton Ward has found a good groove recently for Upper Dublin and she kept that going by finding the match-winner in the 73rd minute.
“She hit a great left-footed shot, it was hard to tell exactly from where, but at least 20 or so yards out,” Topper said. “She’d made the keeper work two or three times before that and she’s really growing into the role of attacking midfield and become very dangerous.”
Some players are hesitant to shoot, especially from long range, when they’re getting used to a new role or position on the field, so Topper agreed it was a positive sign that both McMeel and Ward had the confidence to go for it.
“Those two have the ability on the ball to create their own shot and both were good solo efforts tonight,” Topper said. “I’m thrilled with the way they’re all coming along.
“Ava Shohen did a great job on the left tonight, we asked a lot of her getting endline to endline in the second half and Ally Stenstrom was particularly on defense.”
Upper Dublin (5-4-2, 4-4-2 SOL) hosts Lower Moreland at 6 on Wednesday. Upper Moreland (5-7, 3-7) hosts Plymouth Whitemarsh at 3:30 on Wednesday.
UPPER DUBLIN 0 3 – 2
UPPPER MORELAND 1 1 – 2
Goals: UD – Abby O’Meara, Meg McMeel, Peyton Ward; UM – Willow Taylor, Kyra Favors
SOL Patriot
Council Rock South 0, Pennsbury 0
While it wasn’t from a lack of effort, the Falcons and Golden Hawks both struggled to find the back of the net on Monday.
“It was definitely a very defensive game, both teams found themselves presented with multiple scoring opportunities,” Pennsbury coach Jenna Peters said.
Coming off 8-1 and 5-0 losses to CB East and CB West, the Falcons’ defensive unit responded with a stronghold effort. Peters credited the entire group at the back for drawing a line and holding their ground.
“Our defensive line delivered an outstanding performance. Rhyan Haws exhibited exceptional agility, consistently intercepting passes and even contributing to our offensive efforts at various points during the game,” Peter said. “Our goalkeeper, Madison Miller, proved to be an impregnable force, denying every attempt on goal. Paige Sweitzer also showed great defending by stopping numerous attempts to break our defense.”
Posting the zero defensively was a needed outcome, but naturally, Pennsbury wanted more than just a draw.
“While we certainly should have capitalized on our scoring opportunities, the girls still worked hard until the final whistle,” Peters said. “After two big defeats, today’s performance shows improvement, even if the final result falls short of what we hoped.”
On the other end, the Hawks defense also did its part to hold the line and pull a point from the contest.
“Abby Rozengarten and Cailey Doyle gave us great minutes today and Jenna Waterman and Juliette Salvi were both great in the back lane and dangerous for us offensively,” CR South coach Nick Heim said.
CR South (5-4-2, 4-4-2 SOL) travels to Souderton at 6:30 on Wednesday. Pennsbury (2-9-1, 2-7-1) hosts Central Bucks South at 4 on Wednesday.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0 0 0 0 – 0
PENNSBURY 0 0 0 0 – 0
SOL Colonial
Central Bucks East 3, Souderton 0
The Patriots and Indians’ suspended game from September 8th was not continued and instead was conceded by Souderton at half-time with the 3-0 score that had stood when play was halted.
Jules Santanello, Jessie Bernabe and Mia Forney had provided the East goals.
East (9-2-1, 7-2-1 SOL) hosts Council Rock North at 7 on Tuesday. Souderton (2-9, 1-9) hosts Council Rock South at 6:30 on Wednesday.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST – 3
SOUDERTON – 0
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