Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action Thursday. HH/Upper Dublin photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. William Tennent Lower Moreland photos courtesy of Greg Zesinger. Check back for galleries of both games.
SOL LIBERTY
Abington 4, Quakertown 2
After finally getting Abby Bautista back, Abington coach Rick Tompkins thought he lost her again.
The senior midfielder hadn’t played a minute this season due to a knee injury she picked up in practice the day before the team’s first game. A starter and stalwart in the middle, Bautista came back just in time for Senior Night and looked to be authoring a storybook tale with a great header goal off Lesha Karaba’s corner.
Then she was on the ground in front of goal.
“When she went down I thought ‘Oh my God, now what,'” Tompkins said. “Then she got up and it was only a bloody nose, I knew she was OK.”
Abington struck first, with the senior Karaba threading a ball to sophomore Anna Cleary who converted her first tally of the season.
“We put a lot of passes together, especially in the second half,” Tompkins said. “Everybody played well, it was a team effort. Anna hadn’t played much, but she had a real good week of practice and was the first one off the bench so it was nice to see her get rewarded.”
The Panthers rallied back to make it 1-1 at halftime.
Baustista put her face on the line to give her team the lead back, but didn’t miss more than a few minutes getting patched up. Abington held the No. 1 spot in the District I 4A rankings to start the day
“It gives us so much more flexibility and it was the first time all year we’ve really been healthy,” Tompkins said. “Adding a piece like Bautista this time of year, it’s ridiculous.”
Maura Day and Casey Touey supplied Abington’s other goals. Day converted a penalty kick to go ahead 3-1, then the sophomore slipped a through ball to Touey that the senior turned into a breakaway finish.
The Panthers stayed engaged and took advantage of a miscommunication to bag a second goal.
“Quakertown fights hard, they’re defensively-minded and they don’t give you anything,” Tompkins said.
Tompkins cited the play of senior co-captain and center back Aly Holden not only for her play Thursday but throughout the fall.
Abington (7-0-1 SOL) hosts Wissahickon on Monday and Plymouth Whitemarsh on Wednesday. The Ghosts need just one win to secure an outright SOL Liberty title.
“Wissahickon is like our nemesis, we’ve never been able to take care of them easily and Chris (McDaniels) does a nice job,” Tompkins said. “They play a similar style that we do and he’s got a few girls who can really play so it will be important for us to be ready.”
Quakertown (4-7-1, 3-6-1) will host Calvary Christian next Tuesday.
ABINGTON 1 3 – 4
QUAKERTOWN 1 1 – 2
GOALS: A – Anna Cleary, Abby Bautista, Maura Day, Casey Touey
Wissahickon 4, Plymouth Whitemarsh 2
The Trojans’ offense was productive and came through in a back-and-forth game with the Colonials.
Wissahickon’s Kylie Friedman and PW’s Gabby Cooper traded goals in the first half as the teams took a 1-1 draw to the break.
Friedman tallied again to put the Trojans in front for good. Lexi Hobson played a nice ball that junior Natalie Ryan finished for a 3-1 Wissahickon lead.
Leah Kaye, who assisted Cooper’s goal, set up PW’s second when Bella McNew put away her corner kick to cut the lead to one goal.
“Anna May scored with her left foot after a nice one-v-one to solidify it at 4-2,” Wiss coach Chris McDaniels said.
May made her return after missing Tuesday’s match with Upper Dublin. The junior midfielder picked up a gash that needed stitches last week against Quakertown.
PW (2-6 SOL) will face Upper Dublin on Friday.
Wissahickon (5-3-2, 4-3-2) travels to Abington next Monday night. The Trojans held the No. 21 spot in the District I 4A rankings after Thursday’s result.
WISSAHICKON 1 3 – 4
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 1 1 – 2
Goals: W – Kylie Friedman 2, Natalie Ryan, Anna May; W – Gabby Cooper, Bella McNew
Hatboro-Horsham 1, Upper Dublin 0
A second half goal by Emily Thomas was enough to get the Hatters a win in their regular season finale.
Upper Dublin, which has been dealing with injuries and playing as many as seven sophomores together, battled the Hatters to a scoreless tie at halftime.
“We came out very sluggish today and didn’t play with the intensity we normally bring to every game,” Hatters coach Kelsey Daley said.
Marissa Rapino assisted Thomas on the goal, which was scored with about 25 minutes to play.
“Aly Yankanich and Bridget McFadden played very well for us in the back,” Daley said. “Sam Hollish recorded a shutout, her seventh of the season.”
Hatboro-Horsham (8-2 SOL) held the No. 9 seed in the District I 4A rankings and does not have a game scheduled next week.
“The Hatters will now patiently wait for how other games go to find out what we will be seeded for the playoffs,” Daley said.
Upper Dublin (1-8) will visit Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 0 1 – 1
UPPER DUBLIN 0 0 – 0
Goals: HH – Emily Thomas
SOL COLONIAL
Central Bucks East 0, North Penn 0
The Knights haven’t seen wins come the way they had hoped this fall, but there’s been no doubting their effort.
Honoring their six seniors on Thursday, the Knights battled CB East to a deadlock behind a determined effort.
“I thought North Penn was excellent tonight,” East coach Jake Nesteruk said. “They played a very, very good game on both sides of the ball and were really deserving of the result. Our girls were organized and sharp tonight but just couldn’t find that clear chance.”
North Penn, which earned a pair of draws this week to finish SOL play, continued to play with a high intensity and plenty of energy.
“I’m really proud of the way the girls ended the season,” Knights co-head coach Mike Rio said. “They played a great game tonight and fought hard, it was definitely a performance to be proud of.”
Rio was also very complimentary of his seniors and the way they continued to lead and teach the rest of the team despite not having the success they hoped for after last year’s state quarterfinal run.
“The senior class is a great group and will definitely be missed. For the past four years they’ve been an absolute pleasure to coach,” Rio said. “We had two hard-fought double OT games where they all showed great character in just continuing to fight and play hard.”
While the playoffs won’t be a reality for North Penn (1-6-3) this fall, Rio believes the team is set up to work for a return to the postseason next season.
“They have done a great job teaching the underclassmen that to be part of a high school program is like being part of a little family and we have to stand by each other through the ups and downs,” Rio said. “Our girls can all hold their heads high after how they played tonight.”
Nesteruk felt his team did well to handle the Knights’ relentless pressure all night.
“We had a very good game from Gianna Marino tonight at outside back. She was under a lot of pressure from their group and handled it excellently,” Nesteruk said. “Liv Portner and Bailey Schellhorn were on another level tonight and Emma Martin, Cam Williams and Chloe Strawn were a handful.”
East (4-4-2 SOL) entered play in the No. 17 spot in the District I 4A rankings. Only the top 16 teams qualify for the playoffs this season and with no further games on the schedule, the Patriots will have to wait out results next week.
“I’m proud of the effort regardless of the result,” Nesteruk said.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0 0 0 0 – 0
NORTH PENN 0 0 0 0 – 0
Pennridge 4, Central Bucks South 1
A fast start and a hat trick from freshman Liv Grenda helped the Rams seal their fifth straight conference title on Thursday.
Thanks to CB West’s loss earlier in the day, Pennridge went into its annual Pink Out game needing just one win in its last two games to seal up the title. It only took two minutes to get started with Grenda snaring the early tally.
Grenda doubled her tally and the lead shortly after, giving the Rams a 2-0 lead less than 10 minutes into the contest.
“We scored two goals in eight-and-a-half minutes, which isn’t too shabby but we know in our conference we need to have a fast start,” Rams coach Audrey Anderson said. “We can’t leave things to chance or be decided by a bad bounce. Our goal is to put our foot on the gas and leave it there.”
CB South, which has a creative and tenacious offense, was able to cut the lead in half about 22 minutes into the half. Emalee Day was able to break through the Pennridge defense and pull the Titans within 2-1.
Pennridge has responded well when scored on this season and thanks to Riley Hepler, did so again on Thursday. The junior, starting at target forward for the second time this week, tallied a goal to make it 3-1 at halftime.
“We’re trying some new things out, some things other teams haven’t seen yet and moving players around to see what works and what doesn’t,” Anderson said. “Riley is a different type of player than our other target forwards, so as coaches we want to see what can work.”
Grenda capped her night off with a strong individual goal, taking the ball right at and through the Titans’ defense before tallying the hat trick.
“She did a really nice job of going forward in that final third and she just has a nose for the goal,” Anderson said. “She’s such a good dribbler and I was happy to see her last goal come off the dribble and not out of the air. I’ll take all of her goals but she’s so dangerous on the dribble that when she gets players backing up, it gives her opportunities to take shots.”
Anderson said senior Lindsey DeHaven had another strong game, tallying a pair of assists to go with good communication and her usual strong play winning the ball out of the air.
Likewise, the Rams’ defensive unit played well against a Titans offense that can be lethal picking apart back lines with its passing.
“We stayed compact and did our best to win the first ball as they tried to split our defenders,” Anderson said. “We were pretty good out of the air, Anna (Croyle) always seems to have a pretty good feel for the flight of the ball in the air so not much gets past her. We did a good job of reading the flight of the ball and denying the through balls.”
While Thursday wrapped up the conference crown for the Rams, it’s not the same group that started the streak five seasons ago. Some players have been key players in multiple title runs, but this was an accomplishment earned by this team.
“We talked about it in preseason and I was happy the girls were able to see what actually goes into winning a championship in our conference,” Anderson said. “I respect every team in our conference, every game is a struggle and the scores might not always tell the whole story. For our younger players, to see how much work it takes to prepare and win a title in the conference we are in is important.”
Pennridge (9-1, 8-1), which sits No. 5 in the District I 4A rankings, will host CB West next Tuesday. Anderson said the match, which was rescheduled from Sept. 29 due to weather, should benefit both teams as they prepare for the postseason.
CB South finished its slate of scheduled games 1-7-2.
PENNRIDGE 3 1 – 4
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1 0 – 1
Goals: P – Liv Grenda 3, Riley Hepler; CBS – Emalee Day
Souderton 6, Central Bucks West 0
It was a match the Indians needed to have, so Hannah Alderfer made sure they got it.
The senior forward had a stellar day, scoring three goals and assisting another as Souderton fought to keep its playoff hopes alive. Alderfer scored two in the first half, finished the frame as a defender then capped the day with her team’s sixth tally.
“We had to win this game to have a chance for the playoffs so everyone, not just me, was really pumped up,” Alderfer said. “We’re just trying to get to the point where we can continue our season.”
The Indians applied high pressure from the outset and kept it up, leading to a wealth of opportunities for the forward line. With a couple starters, including co-captains Averie Doughty and Gianna Natale, out injured, Souderton put some new faces in the lineup and rallied.
Alderfer was also on her game, scoring the first goal eight minutes in off an Ella Kreger throw-in that Alexis Stefanowicz headed right into the forward’s path. She doubled the lead with 15 minutes to play when Avery Nogami’s shot was blocked, popped in the air and came down for the trailing Alderfer to slot home.
“We have a great group of seniors and senior leadership but Hannah’s individual performance really stood out for sure,” Souderton coach Ian Smith said. “The mantra before the game was our seniors deserve a postseason.”
West won the first meeting between the teams despite the Indians trying to rally back in, so Souderton wanted to strike first, cause errors and take advantage as much as possible.
Souderton also got a spark from sophomore Natalie Rankin, who was called up from JV just hours before the game and plugged in to start at left back. Rankin played about 70 minutes, only sitting the last few minutes of the first half when Alderfer dropped to fullback to help hold the lead.
Taylor Yoder, a senior who switched from forward to defense this fall, moved to center back and helped command the backs with senior keeper Morgan Molyneaux. Molyneaux made seven saves to pick up the shutout win.
“The halftime message was the same as it’s been all week, this is our season right here and right now,” Smith said. “We have a great team with a ton of talent and we need to show up and perform. We have to put teams away and we did that today.”
Midfielder Kaitlyn DiCandilo got the second half barrage started with a solo effort, driving through the middle of the field and lofting a shot that got through the keeper’s hands and in for a 3-0 edge.
Nogami, who also jumped into a starting spot from her usual super-sub role off the bench, saw her work pressuring high pay off about 10 minutes into the second half. The junior got served a long ball over the top, fought through a tackle from the keeper and follow-up from a defender before settling the ball and touching it home.
“Everyone works off each other’s energy all the time,” Alderfer said. “If one person’s not working as hard, you see the whole team kind of collapses but the same thing is true when we all work hard, we’re capable of really coming together like this.”
Alderfer chalked up an assist, running down a ball on the left flank and hitting a square ball that forward Katie Pazdziorko got a clean finish in front of goal. The two would flip-flop roles a few minutes later, with Pazdziorko making a run down the right and laying the ball in front of goal for Alderfer to collect a hat trick.
“I wanted it so bad,” Alderfer said. “I hadn’t been scoring lately and I just needed something to get me going again.”
Souderton (5-5) found itself at No. 20 in the District I 4A rankings following the game. Smith said he’s looking into scheduling additional games next week while the Indians try to fight their way into the postseason.
“It was long past overdue,” Smith said. “I’ve been moving people around left and right, but everybody stepped up today and helped get the monkey off our back with that inconsistency that we’ve been dealing with. It’s something now behind us and a performance like that is all you ask for.”
Jules Broskey made seven saves for the Bucks. CB West (6-2-1) travels to Pennridge on Tuesday.
SOUDERTON 2 4 – 6
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0 0 – 0
SOL PATRIOT
Neshaminy 4, Bensalem 2
Headers equal cupcakes.
Neshaminy assistant coach Josh Van Reed has a standing rule that every time the Redskins score on a header in a game, they get cupcakes at the next practice. Thanks to Nina Mason, there will be a sweet reward the next time the team hits the training field.
“It’s kind of silly, but our second goal was a head ball goal and that got our bench fired up,” Neshaminy coach Renny Papendick said. “It was funny, these girls obviously want to win, but the cupcake factor was a big thing.”
Neshaminy found itself holding the No. 16 spot in the District I 4A power rankings at the start of the day. By the end of the night, the ‘Skins also had a chance to win at least a share of the SOL Patriot title.
While the Owls haven’t won a game this fall, Papendick said they are a much stronger team than the record shows.
“It’s amazing to me that they’ve not won a game this year because they’re very talented, they’re very well coached and they battle,” Papendick said. “They’re absolutely better than the record shows. I’ll go to bat and say Suburban One is the toughest league around, we’re loaded top to bottom.”
Set pieces are a focus for every coach and every team, and Neshaminy has put a lot of time into them over its past few practices. Thursday, the team’s first three goals came off restarts, including the all-important cupcake bringer.
“We scored off two corners and a free kick,” Papendick said. “Our center back Jordyn Fregia had two assists off corner kicks and outside back Alexis Ocasio had a beautiful free kick that led to an assist.”
Neshaminy never trailed and led 2-0 at the break off the results of Fregia’s corner kicks. Mercedes Paino scored first, connecting on a shot after Fregia dropped a corner into the box early in the game.
Mason – a fearless player and great athlete – followed up by going up and heading the ball into the net. Papendick said he had to make sure the senior was on his roster this fall.
“Nina Mason is such an interesting story, she’s a big-time recruit for rugby and I almost had to beg her to play this season,” Papendick said. “She’s nationally ranked and getting full offers to play rugby in college. She’s also the punter for the football team and she’s just an overall beast. She’s a great kid to coach and has such great energy.”
After the break, Ocasio helped extend the lead when her service found forward Jenna Winchester for a flick-in tally. Shaylee Nelson turned Paige Borkowski’s pass into a goal from the run of play as Neshaminy went up 4-0.
Bensalem scored both its goals in the second half.
Neshaminy (4-2-1 SOL) has one conference game left against Council Rock North on Monday. Taking advantage of PIAA rules this fall, the Redskins have added a game with Cavalry Christian on Saturday and Phoenixville next Wednesday before the district playoff cutoff.
“It’s such a strange season with the late start and having to be so careful with COVID that we haven’t done as many team activities as we wanted,” Papendick said. “We wanted to make sure it was as positive as possible for our seniors but we also want to make a run. Whatever the PIAA and District I decides for states, we want to be in the mix and we think we’re definitely good enough.”
Bensalem (0-8, 0-7) will visit Council Rock North on Friday.
NESHAMINY 2 2 – 4
BENSALEM 0 2 – 2
Goals: N – Mercedes Paino, Nina Mason, Jenna Winchester, Shaylee Nelson
Council Rock North 2, Pennsbury 1 (OT)
The Indians had not played a game since Oct. 8 but made their return to the field a memorable one.
“A really important win for us today against a league opponent,” Indians coach Gavin Flannigan said. “We are incredibly proud of girls after a long layoff. To come back with a performance like that after not playing a game for two weeks was fantastic.”
Despite the layoff, CR North entered play holding a District I 4A playoff spot. The Falcons, who still lead the Patriot conference, also held a playoff spot at the start of the day.
Befitting a team that had been playing the past two weeks, Pennsbury was in sharper form at the start of Thursday’s match.
“In the first half Pennsbury dominated us for long periods. We were on our heels a little and couldn’t find any real possession,” Flannigan said. “Mairin Coghlan came up with a couple of really good saves and our defense working as a team allowed us to stay even at halftime.”
The Indians focused their halftime talk on effort as a group and also adjusting to what they had seen in the first half and trying to level out play. However, it would be the Falcons who kept building off their opening half.
“Pennsbury has a really strong spine with Darrien Furness, Emily Welsh and Taylor Mays. Trying to play through them is very difficult, and it was their spine that created their goal,” Flannigan said. “They won a 50/50 in the middle and Taylor Mays burst through to finish over our keeper.”
CR North was finally able to settle in following the Falcons’ goal but still trailed heading into the final minutes. A corner kick would lead to a breakthrough as Jayne Bogle was able to punch the ball home following a scramble in front of goal.
Flannigan said the late goal really fired his group up and the Indians came out hard in overtime. Early into the period, Taylor Brennan cut inside and rifled a left-footed shot into the top corner of the goal.
“Our intensity was excellent today and although it was really a true team effort I thought that Sophia Gile was excellent in the middle of the field for us. Her work rate and aggressiveness changed the dynamic of the game in the last 20 minutes and OT,” Flannigan said. “Both Mairin and Grace (Needham) made some good saves and our back four was solid throughout.”
CR North (4-3, 3-2 SOL) will host Bensalem on Friday night. Pennsbury (5-3) does not have a scheduled game next week.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0 1 1 – 2
PENNSBURY 0 1 0 – 1
Goals: CRN – Jayne Bogle, Taylor Brennan; P – Taylor Mays
SOL FREEDOM
William Tennent 2, Lower Moreland 1
The Panthers finished off an unbeaten conference season but had to work hard to get it.
“It was definitely scrappy,” Tennent coach Bill Hontz said. “We tried different formations to put pressure on Lower Moreland’s back line.”
Despite their best efforts, the Panthers seemed heading for a scoreless tie at halftime. However, Gabby Sowers was able to take advantage of a scuffle in front of goal and punched home a goal with about 40 seconds on the clock.
“We wanted to get Caroline Weir a little rest, but Gabby Sowers stepped in and became the workhorse, scoring the first goal,” Hontz said. “She also set up the second to Jules Colella that turned out to be the game-winner.”
Hontz said the goal was important not only getting a lead but allowing the Panthers to rotate some more players in and rest others.
Lower Moreland continued to play hard despite a season hindered by injury. Sophomore Demmi Fox, just back from injury, tied the game up in the second half.
“Our sophomore duo of Payton Lennon and Demmi Fox played well,” LM coach Mike Gould said. “Payton had another great game in the midfield and it was Demmi’s second game back. We went four games without a goal and since Demmi came back, she’s sparked our offense and as a team, we scored four in the past two games with Demmi scoring two.”
Gould gave his team plenty of praise for executing the game plan they had set up prior to starting play.
“We knew they had a ton of talent in the middle of the field, but as a team, Tennent wanted to play really direct,” Gould said. “We focused on constantly pressing their midfield and our center backs – senior Maggie McGarry and freshman Amelia Brown – had great games. Obviously we wish we could have gotten a result but we executed just what we wanted in the run of play.”
Looking for a spark, the Panthers turned to Colella.
“Jules is a versatile player that another coach suggested playing up top for another threat,” Hontz said. “Sure enough, she scored by winning the ball off a pass from Gabby then fought off a defender and put it away at the far post.”
The Panthers (9-1, 8-0 SOL) ended the night in the No. 7 spot for the District I 4A playoffs and will now prepare for the next stage of their season.
“Our goal is to stay healthy and mentally prepared for the games we have in front of us, which will get more and more difficult game by game,” Hontz said.
Lower Moreland closed out conference play with a 4-3-1 record.
WILLIAM TENNENT 1 1 – 2
LOWER MORELAND 0 1 – 1
Goals: WT – Gabby Sowers, Jules Colella; LM – Demmi Fox
Upper Moreland 3, New Hope Solebury 0
An all-around team effort paid off with a stellar second half for the Golden Bears.
“Today’s match was a complete team effort and win. We used yesterday’s practice to prepare for today, and those elements showed,” Bears coach Lisa Benvenuto said. “We had really great shape throughout the midfield and we kept possession of the ball through our system. We had opportunities in the first half that we just didn’t finish. It was a different story in the second half.”
Emma Frasca finally dented the scoreboard seven minutes into the second half.
“Emma Frasca netted our first goal off a pass from Kathryn Morrow. Frasca’s shot was perfectly placed,” Benvenuto said.
Willow Taylor drew a penalty kick when she was taken down in the box, then stepped to the spot herself and confidently buried the opportunity.
Kyra Favors finished the game off when finished off a flicked-on ball by Abby Engadget.
“Upper Moreland looked aggressive and ready to play,” Lions’ coach Derek Antonini said. “New Hope was outmatched in effort on the day.
“Margaret Tresler, Juliana Cauvino and Brooke McLaughlin had solid efforts on the day defensively. Ciara McGuire And Ava Marrone played well for the Lions as well.”
Natalie Walton posted her third shutout of the season for Upper Moreland.
“Every player on our team contributed to this win,” Benvenuto said.
UPPER MORELAND 0 3 – 3
NEW HOPE SOLEBURY 0 0 – 0
Goals: UM – Emma Frasca, Willow Taylor, Kyra Favors
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