Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action Friday.
SOL CONTINENTAL
Pennridge 5, Central Bucks West 2
After every game this season, Rams coach Audrey Anderson has asked her players what they learned from the preceding 80 minutes.
Friday’s contest with a talented Bucks side led to a lot of lessons from that postgame talk. The final score doesn’t reflect the type of match the sides played and the Bucks gave Pennridge all it could take.
“It was a game that we hadn’t experienced all season,” Anderson said. “We hadn’t been behind at all. Going in, we knew they were going to come for us and we were going to learn some kind of lesson about ourselves in this game. I think us coming from behind to tie the game and take the lead showed our resilience as a team and was something we hadn’t been able to do before as a team.”
Pennridge had given up just three goals all season prior to Friday’s first half where they were hit twice by the Bucks.
“We came out strong and competed well,” West coach Mike Moyer said. “We got a free kick from about 35 out. Taylor Moyer hit a good ball that Tori Albrecht headed back into the box and Keely McGlone hit a great half volley to give us a 1-0 lead five minutes into the game.”
Pennridge seniors Maddie Anderson and Chance Hendricks have been on top of their game all season in the midfield and may have played their best game of the fall on Friday. About a minute after going down, Hendricks played a restart to Anderson, who headed it home to tie things up 1-1.
“It was something I hadn’t seen them do the entire season,” Anderson said. “They’re both pretty good but today, they were just playing off each other so well. It was the best game those two have played together since they were freshmen.”
The Rams found their energy after the goal and took their first lead at 2-1 off a goal by senior Lauren McIntyre. West, which played the Rams toe-to-toe in a 1-0 loss last month, came back with about four minutes left in the opening half.
“Our second goal came when Taylor hit a corner kick that went right into the goal. She hit it good and got a little help from the wind,” Moyer said. “Taylor is dangerous any time she’s taking any kind of set piece, you have to worry about it,” Anderson said.
Pennridge was able to find another goal, this one the eventual game-winner, when Emily Kriney scored with about 2:30 left in the half. It was again, another lesson for Pennridge.
“They always come out with a lot of energy so we know our energy level has to be high, especially for this game,” Anderson said. “I joke around with Mike Moyer that since I’ve been at Pennridge, I’d never been beaten by West until he started coaching last year. I did not want to lose to them and I don’t think the girls wanted to lose, but they are always going to be hard to play.”
Pennridge added two goals in the second half when junior Lindsey DeHaven converted a pair of penalty kicks.
Again, the final score may not show it, but the Bucks felt like they gave the Rams all they could handle.
“They are a really good team,” Moyer said. “Their midfield was spectacular today.”
Pennridge finished a 3-0 week that saw wins over Nazareth Academy, Quakertown and Central Bucks West. Anderson said the entire team played well and she was able to use the team’s reserves without a drop-off in energy.
“We talked about how much we learned this week about what we can do,” Anderson said. “We had three games this week and ending with West knowing it would be a tough game and coming out with a win, I think it built a lot of confidence in these girls and reassured them it’s not an accident with the results we’re getting.”
Pennridge (12-0, 8-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks South on Monday at 7 p.m., and Central Bucks West (9-4-1, 5-3-1) will host Gwynedd Mercy in a non-league game Monday at 5 p.m.
PENNRIDGE 3 2 – 5
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 2 0 – 2
Goals: P – Maddie Anderson, Lauren McIntyre, Emily Kriney, Lindsey DeHaven 2; CBW – Taylor Moyer, Keely McGlone
North Penn 3, Central Bucks East 1
Riley Saxman’s energy really stands out watching the Knights play, and she turned it into a productive effort on Friday.
In a match that saw all four goals come in the second half, Saxman was a difference-maker as the Knights rallied to claim three points and another valuable win in their hunt for a playoff spot. Saxman ended up with two goals, including the equalizer.
“It was a tough game and East was really strong and physical. We had some good possession but couldn’t really get a quality chance,” North Penn co-head coach Mike Rio said. “We knew we had to get something going offensively so we shifted the formation a bit. Ended up getting a corner and Riley Saxman put it in directly in far corner.”
Buoyed by the goal, the Knights took the game to East.
“We had a cross to Kloey Carminati who crushed a shot off the crossbar that Emily Varilla cleaned up,” Rio said.
Rio said his team was able to play smart soccer and keep East from creating chances while looking for another goal.
Saxman takes corners on one side while Grace Sacchetti handles the other. With the ball going on out Sacchetti’s side, Saxman would score her second off the senior co-captain’s service.
“She just plays hard every game, one of hardest workers in games and practice and I was really happy for her to get on the board,” Rio said. “She’s really been fighting all season to finish one of her chances and was able to do that today.”
The sophomore has played all over the field this season and has been quality in terms of setting up teammates for goals.
“She is just one of our players who absolutely loves to play soccer and always gives it her all out there,” Rio said. “Her touch and footwork has been phenomenal and she is always a selfless player on the field as well doing what she can to help the team be successful.”
North Penn (6-7-1, 3-4-1 SOL) will host Quakertown on Monday, and Central Bucks East (4-8-2, 1-6-2) will travel to Souderton Monday.
NORTH PENN 0 3 – 3
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0 1 – 1
Goals: NP – Riley Saxman 2, Emily Varilla
Central Bucks South 1, Souderton 0
The Titans have found their groove at the right time.
South used a very South-like performance built on a stellar defensive effort and a good performance in the midfield to contain Souderton’s potent attack before finding a really good goal to win it.
“Lauren Ewell, Bridget Curtis, Lauren Spear and Emalee Day played well as a defensive unit and were able to hold a potent offense at bay,” South coach Betsy Bullock said. “We knew they had speed on the flanks and were able to keep goalside of them. We also worked on denying the service.”
Souderton’s defense was equally stout and despite giving up more shots, the Indians made things tough on the Titans.
“Hannah Alderfer and Taylor Yoder both created a few chances early on. Alderfer had the best chance of the half in the first five minutes after she got on the end of a nice through ball,” Souderton assistant Ian Smith said. “Alderfer was one on one with the keeper but a strong defensive recovery and tackle sent the ball out of play for a South goal kick.”
The Titans defense and the midfielders in front of them were able to put the clamps on a bit, keeping the Indians from getting any more looks in the first half.
“The Indians also proved up to the task defensively, after South threatened once one with a strong solo run down the flank, which resulted in a shot and save from Souderton’s goalkeeper Morgan Molyneaux,” Smith said.
South keeper Shannon Snyder and Molyneaux exchanged key saves early in the second half before the game again settled into a defensive stalemate.
“Lauren Farrell, Janessa Watson and Grace Tecce played well at midfield,” Bullock said. “They played off one another’s shoulder cutting off the passing lanes.”
With three minutes to go, the Titans got a goal on a special effort from a freshman.
“Freshman Ksenia Semenovykh took an outside shot that sailed over the keeper for the game winner,” Bullock said.
“With three minutes left to play, South unleashed a powerful shot from 35 out that rebounded off the crossbar and off of a diving Molyneaux into the back of the net,” Smith said. “In the end, the Indians were undone by an ambitious effort and a bit of good fortune in favor of Central Bucks South.”
Central Bucks South (5-7, 4-5 SOL) will travel to Pennridge Monday, and Souderton (9-5-1, 4-4-1) will host Central Bucks East on Monday.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0 1 – 1
SOUDERTON 0 0 – 0
Goals: CBS – Ksenia Semenovykh
SOL NATIONAL
Pennsbury 4, Bensalem 0
Depth is a wonderful thing to have for any program, but especially one in the thick of a conference title race.
“We actually had some new faces step up big time for us today,” Falcons co-head coach Kim Lindemann said. “Sophomore Sarah Tuohy put the first two goals of the game in the net.”
Tuohy’s spent most of her time playing JV and even started Friday with the JV side, but when called up, she delivered.
“She’s been a solid JV player for us, but with a few injuries coming last Friday against CB South we had to look to find a spark from some other players. Sarah gave us great minutes last Friday so we knew she was up to the task today,” Lindemann said. “We brought her over at halftime and she immediately made an impact on the game.”
Taylor Mays assisted the second Tuohy goal, then bagged one of her own off a feed from Emily Welsh as the freshman continues a stellar debut season. Welsh also had a strong day, pocketing the fourth goal on a feed from Gabby Zalot.
“Another JV player who got some minutes for us today and created a spark was Kayla Karamis,” Lindemann said. “She gave us a lot of energy as an outside mid and really put pressure on Bensalem defense. We know it would be hard to find the back of the net against Bensalem’s goalkeeper, and it was great to see some new faces stepping up.”
Pennsbury (11-1-1, 8-0-0 SOL) will host William Tennent on Monday, and Bensalem (1-10, 1-7) will travel to Council Rock South on Monday.
PENNSBURY 0 4 – 4
BENSALEM 0 0 – 0
Goal: P – Sarah Tuohy 2, Taylor Mays, Emily Welsh
Council Rock North 2, William Tennent 1
The sole night game on Friday turned into a well-earned win for the Indians’ seniors.
“It was a thrilling Senior Night for our girls this evening,” CR North coach Gavin Flannigan said. “It was a very competitive game where both teams had the better of the play at times.”
Senior Night games sometimes lend themselves to slow starts, and Tennent was happy to push the advantage while the Indians tried to settle into the match.
“They scored midway through the first half on a breakaway and a great finish,” Flannigan said. “We started to gain a little more possession and managed to equalize through Paige Addis with a nice finish to the corner later in the first half.”
At the break, the Indians were able to settle down and made some adjustments with their defensive shape and plan. It worked out, leading to more possession and a bevy of offensive chances.
“We hit the crossbar on a great long range shot from Sammy Judge and had a couple of scrums around the goal but we couldn’t find a finish,” Flannigan said. “With three minutes left Taylor Brennan picked up the ball 30 yards from goal, beat a defender and hit a rocket over the keeper to give us the lead.”
Brennan isn’t a senior, but she has a knack for fooling her coaches into thinking she is with her composure and ability with the ball.
“We forget at times that Taylor is only a sophomore, our expectations are sometimes probably unrealistic, which is just a compliment to the kind of player she is,” Flannigan said. “We’ve been asking her to be a little more composed in those situations and pick and choose the right time to shoot, I don’t think we could’ve asked for more at that moment tonight. It was a goal that deserved to be the winner in any game.”
North, which would host a home playoff game if the District playoffs started this weekend based off Friday’s results, also leaned on the class it celebrated prior to the opening tap.
“Without being too cliché, our seniors were fantastic this evening,” Flannigan said. “Sarah Khantzian dealt with a number of crosses and shots, especially late in the game. Brooke Strobel and Kaleigh O’Donnell worked relentlessly in midfield, Olivia Durcan played aggressively and intelligently, Alyssa Lanigan made great runs to receive the ball and create space for others and aside from the goal Paige Addis had one of her better games this season in terms of her hold up play and retaining possession for us.”
After missing the postseason last year, the CR North seniors have been pushing hard to get back in the field this fall.
“We are very proud of this group and to see the support they got tonight from friends, family and graduated players only confirms this,” Flannigan said.
Council Rock North (9-3-1, 5-3-1 SOL) will host Neshaminy on Monday, and William Tennent (4-7, 3-5) will be on the road at Pennsbury on Monday.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 1 1 – 2
WILLIAM TENNENT 1 0 – 1
Goals: CRN – Paige Addis, Taylor Brennan
Neshaminy 8, Harry S Truman 0
SOL AMERICAN
Abington 1, Upper Dublin 0
Casey Touey may need a little time each match to figure out how she’s being defended but eventually she’s going to get her chance.
Friday, the junior shook off the strong man-marking of Upper Dublin’s Anna Desch long enough to bury a cross from Grace Quinn as the Ghosts picked up a crucial win. Touey’s goal early in the second half was enough thanks to a solid effort from Abington’s defense.
“That’s the best defensive effort we’ve had,” Abington coach Rick Tompkins said. “Even when they did get beat, they didn’t give up. Caroline Hughes clearing a couple off the line was really important.”
Hughes, a sophomore, saved two shots off the line after Touey had given Abington the lead while fellow backs Riley Crabtree, Emily Friel and Emily Quinn did a good job of covering each other in front of keeper Olivia Oliphant.
“I thought Olivia Oliphant did a nice job controlling the box today,” Tompkins said. “She’s been making steady improvement and Caroline, you can’t say enough, she’s really grown into the position.”
Upper Dublin’s defensive effort was pretty good too, holding Abington to just one shot on goal in the first half. But all Touey needs is one look and she made it count early in the second half.
“She’s a shark,” Tompkins said. “We’ve played 13 games and she has 16 goals. Everybody marks her but Grace has done a good job of complementing her. There are some things starting to come together.”
Freshman Maura Day nearly doubled the lead, her laser of a shot ringing off the post later in the second half.
“Maura’s been steady and Abby Bautista, I call her ‘Hartnell’ because she’s always on the ground but she just keeps winning the ball,” Tompkins said.
Abington (8-5, 8-2 SOL) will be on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh on Monday, and Upper Dublin (4-7-2, 4-4-2) will host Upper Moreland on Monday.
ABINGTON 0 1 – 1
UPPER DUBLIN 0 0 – 0
Goals: A – Casey Touey
Plymouth Whitemarsh 4, Cheltenham 0
It was a good week for Fiona Gooneratne and by extension, the Colonials.
Gooneratne had a first-half goal and two second half assists as PW won a seventh straight time.
“Fiona has been playing so well of late,” PW coach Ryan Zehren said. “She got the start today and didn’t let us down.”
PW led 2-0 at half and doubled the margin in the second half with Gooneratne helping it happen.
Hope Barrist recorded the shutout for PW.
“We are having solid and competitive practices and keeping the energy up,” Zehren said. “We have a tough week ahead of us so it was nice to play well this week. Our attention now turns to Abington.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (10-3, 8-2 SOL) will host Abington on Monday, and Cheltenham (3-10, 1-9 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Monday.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 2 2 – 4
CHELTENHAM 0 0 – 0
Goals: PW – Fiona Gooneratne, Natalie Lannie, Leah Kaye, Max Leszczynski
Wissahickon 4, Springfield Twp 2
Grace Mullen is a senior co-captain and a hard-working center mid.
But with things starting to go against her team on Friday, she did what a senior co-captain does and changed the outcome.
“We went down 1-0 early and Grace Mullen scores a big goal to level the score as Springfield was gaining momentum. Changed the course of the game,” Wissahickon coach Chris McDaniels said. “Grace picked up a loose ball and beat two defenders.”
Emma Baker added a first half goal as the Trojans went to the break up 2-1. Kylie Friedman added a brace in the second half.
Wissahickon (7-6, 6-4 SOL) will travel to Cheltenham on Monday, and Springfield Township (1-12-1, 0-10) will be on the road at Hatboro-Horsham Monday.
WISSAHICKON 2 2 – 4
SPRINGFIELD TWP 1 1 – 2
Goals: W – Grace Mullen, Emma Baker, Kylie Friedman
Hatboro-Horsham 4, Upper Moreland 0
Emily Thomas had a first half brace while Ally Eutermoser recorded one after the break to lead the Hatters.
Cam Ryan and Maggie O’Neill each had two assists, each giving one to Thomas and Eutermoser.
“The Hatters were able to record a shutout from Martine Royds and Siera Cruz with a 4-0 win,” Hatters coach Kelsey Daley said. “Everyone got some playing time in today and everyone played very well.”
Hatboro-Horsham (10-1-1, 8-1-1 SOL) will host Springfield Township Monday, and Upper Moreland (4-8-1, 3-6-1) will travel to Upper Dublin Monday.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 2 2 – 4
UPPER MORELAND 0 0 – 0
Goals: HH – Emily Thomas 2, Ally Eutermoser 2
Non-league
Villa Joseph Marie 1, Council Rock South 1 (2 OTs)
Aside from playing in the always tough SOL National, the Golden Hawks only have to cross the street to find a top-tier opponent.
Defending PIAA 3A champion Villa Joseph Marie always gives CR South a great match and the Hawks worked hard for a positive result on Friday.
“It’s special when it’s a neighborhood rivalry with schools being right across the street from each other,” CR South coach Nick Heim said. “They’re very good; very technical and move the ball well. They took it to us in the first half and went into half up 1-0 on us.”
The Jems, who play in the AACA, had the wind at their backs in the first half. Luckily for CR South, the wind did not change directions when the sides flipped ends at halftime.
“The game changed in the second half thanks to playing with the strong winds instead of against it,” Heim said. “We were able to get some dangerous services in and had a player taken down on one for a well earned PK. The two overtime periods were similar to the two halves with possession dominant for the team going with the wind.”
Sammy Jones converted the PK for CR South to level the score and eventually, earn the draw.
The Hawks relied on a number of players Friday and got some good play in their back end.
“Sydney Mandel came up with some big saves in goal for us today and Karly Wunder and Kim Speiser gave great minutes in the back for us,” Heim said. “Sammy and Allie Jones were dangerous with the ball and Carly Irvin made an impact in the midfield drawing the penalty.”
CR South, which topped conference rival Neshaminy on the road Wednesday, can only benefit from two quality matches this week.
“We talked about how this game will benefit us moving forward. Preparing to make a run for playoffs is more mental than physical and today was a solid mental test,” Heim said. “We know that no one is going to hand us anything in the last two weeks so to get the chance to play a quality no league game is important.”
Council Rock South (8-2-1, 6-1 SOL) will host Bensalem Monday.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0 1 0 0 – 1
VILLA JOSEPH MARIE 1 0 0 0 – 1
Goals; CRS – Sammy Jones
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