CB East defeated CR South in a battle of division leaders in SOL girls’ soccer action. Andrew Robinson was there and recaps all the action. Photo courtesy of Tracy Valko: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f405978483
SOL Patriot/Colonial crossover game
Central Bucks East 6, Council Rock North 0
What’s been going on at the back end of CB East’s formation would be hard to overlook, if the defenders had any notion of bragging about it.
Instead, the Patriots back line keeps showing up, keeps putting the clamps down and keeps chalking up three points in the standings without need for fanfare. It’s a veteran group confident in its identity, and more importantly, in each other, that’s been showing in the results.
East’s back line kept it going on Tuesday as the Patriots won their eighth straight match.
“It’s camaraderie on and off the field, honestly,” center back Katie Bullard said. “We’re such good friends off the field, and when we’re on the field, it shows in the way we work so well together.”
Tuesday’s back four featured senior Grace Craig at left back, seniors Sophie Schorn and Bullard as the center backs and junior Jessie Bernabe at right back. With senior Sofia Mignon acting as a disruptor in her holding midfield role and keepers Mae Leedy and Aralynn Patterson, the collective back seven have been incredibly stingy following a 1-2 start to the season.
Since Sept 2, the Patriots have allowed just two goals and won nine of 10 matches, the lone non-victory a 1-1 draw with Pennridge.
“There’s a lot of trust, too,” Craig said. “We have a lot of trust in each other. We believe that if there’s a mistake that’s made, that person’s going to fix it, but we always have each other’s back and we’re just super-tight.”
They’re not just a brick wall in the back, either. Bernabe usually lines up as a winger higher up the pitch, so she’s got a knack for scoring but don’t overlook the others either.
Tuesday, the back line contributed two goals with an assist and helped create a fourth. East coach Jake Nesteruk wants the fullbacks to get up the field and engage in the attack, a strength of Craig’s to go along with her set piece delivery.
Fittingly, it was a defender-to-defender goal that opened the night’s tally. A late corner kick in the first half allowed Craig to drive a service in that found Mignon and Schorn in front of goal, Schorn getting the last piece of it to register the goal with just 1:20 to play before the break.
“I think that’s what makes it a lot stronger too,” Schorn said. “Last year we had the opportunity to work through everything and make sure we had a really strong back line and once we had that solid, this year it’s been letting them go to goal.”
East’s attack was senior-heavy last year. This season, the Patriots’ attacking triangle is all freshmen between Mia Forney, Kiera Sleicher and Ava Mignon who have been very productive even after talented junior midfielder Mikayla Gray went down for the year with a knee injury.
“I think it actually helps that they’re young,” Craig said. “They know they can trust us as the older players in the back, so they can go play with more freedom and they can make their mistakes because we’re all there to support them.”
After opening the season with a win against Abington, the Patriots dropped their next two. The fact those losses came against their two biggest rivals in CB West and CB South, including a blown 1-0 halftime lead against West, certainly didn’t sit well.
It more than lit a spark and almost nobody has put a goal past the East defense since then.
“It was a wake-up call,” Bullard said. “Having that first game stolen from us against West was a wake-up call but losing to South was putting our foot down like ‘that’s not happening again’ and I think we’ve really shown what we’re capable of these last, now, eight games.”
For visiting CR North, it’s been a grueling slate of games. Last week ended a slate of five fixtures in 11 days that included six overtime periods and each time it seems like a player returns from injury, coach Gavin Flannigan has seen someone else go down.
What hasn’t waned is the team’s effort. Even Tuesday, the Indians battled and only trailed by one goal until the Patriots broke the game open in the final 26 minutes.
“We have little experience at times on the field, and I think that shows when you’re playing against really good teams like tonight,” Flannigan said. “We give a goal away a minute before halftime and it changes the momentum. All of a sudden, the floodgates open with the PK and that’s because East is a good team.”
East’s back line had a formidable test on Tuesday in North forward Mia Cairone. At one point in the second half, Cairone saw Schorn, Bullard and Sofia Mignon collapse on her with Bernabe and Craig both hovering nearby should she somehow get through all that.
“I’m just really proud of the energy we’re able to keep on the field,” Bullard said. “Even when there’s a mistake or we’re under pressure on the back line, we know we’re coming out of it on the other end.”
North keeper Mairin Coghlan stood tall against a lot of pressure, Sydney Linus, Lexi Fischer and Taylor Fischer all worked hard and Isabel Diaz also gave max effort in her minutes.
With another quick turnaround on Wednesday against Villa Joseph Marie, the Indians gave their starters some rest once East started to pull ahead.
“We can’t fault the effort, we can’t fault the tactical stuff, they’re listening to us and following through as best they can,” Flannigan said. “I said to the girls, when we leave here, we have an opportunity to go right back out again and focus on getting a win.”
Forney drew a foul in the box with 25:50 left to set up a penalty kick, which Sofia Mignon stepped up and converted. Three minutes later, Bernabe got on the board with a terrific goal that saw the junior chip a shot from 25 yards out that clipped the bottom of the bar.
“When I go up, I trust that Katie, Soph, Grace, they all have my back and I think that’s the same for anyone else,” Bernabe said. “When one steps up, we know there’s going to be someone covering behind us.”
The back line’s three seniors certainly don’t mind, if anything, they were trying to incentivize Bernabe to stay in the back.
“You score more when you play outside back,” Schorn said.
Forney, was a general pest to North’s defense all night, had a goal robbed by the crossbar early in the second half. The freshman got hers eventually, capitalizing on a nice cross by Madelyn Hill following a run that developed off a win and outlet pass by Bullard.
“We’re fine letting the forwards shine,” Bullard said.
Stella Genin had the goal of the night with nine minutes left. Jules Santanello played a corner out to the junior, who started at right winger in front of Bernabe, with Genin then getting around the ball and hitting a half-volley rocket into the back of the net.
Lauren Curry wrapped up the scoring by converting a PK in the last two minutes.
The defense was happy enough chalking up the three points in the league standings. Schorn, a co-captain, also wanted to make sure the team’s two keepers got their due in the win streak.
“I want to credit them,” Schorn said. “They switch on and off, each one plays a half, and they both communicate with us really well.”
As strong as the Patriots have played in the back, they’ve also done it without Chantal Van Dongeren. The senior, an All-SOL performer, is getting close to returning from injury.
East’s next game is the big one. For the first time, the Patriots will host the annual Kick for Pink game against CB West, the rivals uniting for a good cause at 7 on Friday following the East-West boys game at 5 in a doubleheader.
Bullard could barely contain her excitement and it’s not like Craig, Schorn or Bernabe were any less eager for what should be an intense match.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1 5 – 6
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0 0 – 0
Goals: CBE – Sophie Schorn, Sofia Mignon, Jessie Bernabe, Mia Forney, Stella Genin, Lauren Curry
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