Check out the results for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action Tuesday. To view photos of the CR South/Bensalem game, check back for the Photo Gallery.
National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 1, PENNSBURY 0
Even before Tuesday afternoon’s matchup, there was perhaps no hotter team than Council Rock North. The Indians proved that to be true, defeating the National Conference’s last unbeaten team, Pennsbury in Newtown.
The game’s only goal came early. In the third minute, Tori Hill played in a corner that was cleared out by the Pennsbury defense. Mackenzie Siverd then took a shot on net that was deflected to Becca Margolis, who kicked it home for the goal.
After that, according to coach Wendell Beres, it was “hold on for dear life.”
The Indians did just that, coming away 1-0 winners over the National Conference’s top dog Pennsbury. A few weeks earlier, the Falcons defeated North 4-0, but the red-hot Indians would have none of that this time around.
Jeri Belardo stood tall in net for North, making eight saves, three of which, were very good scoring opportunities for Pennsbury.
“There was nobody better on the field today than Jeri Belardo,” Beres said. “They had three good looks that on most days they’d finish. It may have been a little misfortune for them, but also it was a little bit of Jeri being Jeri. I think she is the best goalkeeper in our league and she showed it today.”
So what changed this time around?
Beres has long preached that he wants his team ready for when it matters most, and noted he didn’t want to give away all his information and “tricks” so early in the season
“Yesterday, we worked on set pieces quite a bit—both offensively and defensively—because I think that’s where Pennsbury has hurt us in the past,” he said. “We were very dangerous on those [set pieces] today and it resulted in a goal.”
In addition to Belardo’s strong play, Beres credited his defense, specifically junior Lauren D’Amelia.
“She had a great game,” Beres said. “She has been steady on the outside all season. She had her hands full today because Pennsbury’s left side is very dangerous and they like to get forward. She did a fantastic job of limiting their opportunities and making the big time defensive plays when we needed her most.”
Beres had two goals going into the game: No. 1, improve on the Indians’ performance from last time against Pennsbury; and No. 2, “shock the world.” Looks like his team accomplished those goals.
The win is big for North, who sat at #22 in the District One power rankings released yesterday. The Indians (7-3, 6-3 SOL) will look to keep the momentum going Thursday against Truman. Pennsbury (10-1, 8-1 SOL) will play Bensalem at home.
Pennsbury 0-0 0
Council Rock North 1-0 1
ABINGTON 2, NESHAMINY 1
A month ago, if you saw Tuesday’s result, you might not have believed it.
Neshaminy gave Abington what Ghosts coach Rick Tompkins called a “traditional Neshaminy thumping,” winning 6-0. On Tuesday, Abington snatched a big upset, winning 2-1.
With a Pennsbury loss earlier in the day, Neshaminy had a chance to move into a tie for first place with the Falcons. Instead, the Ghosts had other plans.
Back on September 11, when the two teams first met, Abington battled Neshaminy to a scoreless tie through 35 minutes. But Neshmainy’s Gabby Farrell scored two quick goals right before the half and it took the air out of Abington’s sails. Still, the Ghosts left that game with some confidence, knowing they could play with one of the conference’s top teams.
Fast forward to Tuesday night, Camryn Lexow got Abington on the board first with just over six minutes remaining in the first half. Gianna Beck assisted the goal and the Ghosts had a 1-0 lead heading into the locker room.
“She can do just about anything,” Tompkins said of Lexow. “She’s a fine technical player. She scores goals, she plays defense, and she’s very well-liked by her teammates.”
Jackie Ziegler tied it up for Neshaminy in the 51st minute with an assist from Brianna Tobin.
In the 63rd minute, Abington put itself on top again. Julia Guarini found Kailey Horton to make it 2-1 Ghosts. They would go on to hold that lead through the final whistle.
“It was a total team effort,” Tompkins said. “It’s a good win for our program. They generally have their way with us. We got the lead in the first half and they came back and tied it. In years past, that might have caused the roof to cave in, but today we found a way to score the game-winner.”
Tompkins knew he had to neutralize the threat that punished them in game one: Farrell. So the wily coach stuck midfielder Maddy Doyle on Neshaminy’s star for the whole game. It worked.
“Maddy Doyle sacrificed her offensive game tonight in order to mark Gabby Farrell—a very, very skilled, quick player,” he said. “Maddy did a great job on her and kept her off the score sheet.”
The Abington program has made many strides in 2015 and Tuesday night’s win is just more evidence of that.
“If you’re going to play us, you’re going to have to take it to us because we’re not going to give it to you,” Tompkins said. “I feel good for the senior class. They went through some tough years and I’m sure they enjoyed that win tonight.”
Abington (6-4-1, 4-4-1 SOL) will face another tough team in Council Rock South, who they beat earlier in the season, Thursday. Neshaminy (8-3, 7-2 SOL) will go to William Tennent Thursday to try and right the ship.
Neshaminy 0-1 1
Abington 1-1 2
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 2, BENSALEM 0
The Golden Hawks scored a pair of goals to sink Bensalem in a road game.
Kiera Flanagan scored first for South, taking a pass from Jesse Magee in the 13th minute.
In the 43rd minute, Kasey Schlupp scored with another assist from Magee as South took the 2-0 National Conference win.
CR South (6-5, 4-5) is getting back on track with another win and will face a test Thursday against Abington. Bensalem (2-10, 1-8 SOL) will go on the road to face Pennsbury on Thursday afternoon.
Council Rock South 1-1 2
Bensalem 0-0 0
WILLIAM TENNENT 5, HARRY S TRUMAN 2
Truman got out to an early lead, but Tennent fought back to grab the win.
Amanda McElhare put the Tigers on the board first in the 25th minute, scoring the first half’s lone goal.
The Panthers went to work in the second half. Freshman Paige Schmidt scored in the 50th minute and Nikki Reh gave Tennent a 2-1 five minutes later off a long shot from 30 yards out.
But the Tigers had an answer. One minute later, Amber Kiley tied the game at two for Truman as the two teams headed into the final 20 minutes of the game.
Tennent rallied in the closing 15 minutes. Nikki Reh received a corner kick from Shannon McGuinn to score her second goal of the game and give the Panthers the lead back. McGuinn got a goal of her own on a penalty kick in the 72nd minute. Then Lynn O’Conner scored in the 75th to make it 5-2 Tennent.
Despite the loss, Truman coach Mike McHugh was very pleased with his team’s play, calling it “one of Truman’s best efforts.”
William Tennent (8-4-1, 5-3-1 SOL) will go to Neshaminy for a test on Thursday. Truman (0-12, 0-9 SOL) will play host to CR North.
William Tennent 0-5 5
Harry S Truman 1-1 2
Continental Conference
QUAKERTOWN 2, SOUDERTON 1 (2 OT)
Mike Koch knew he had someone special on his team; he was just waiting for her breakthrough.
That breakthrough came Tuesday night in Quakertown’s upset of Souderton. Freshman midfielder Haley Pursel scored the Panthers’ two goals in what Koch called a “defining game”
Quakertown and the Indians played to a scoreless tie at the end of the first half. In the 29th minute, Katie Crouthamel found Pursel for a goal to give Quakertown the lead.
Souderton's Tori Dowd scored the equalizer with five minutes left in regulation. Quakertown dealt with a lot of pressure in the second half, but the heavy defense of the Panthers kept it tied. Morgan Small came up big in net for the Panthers, stopping 11 shots.
“Souderton put us under the gun for the last 30 minutes,” Koch said.
Koch switched things up in overtime.
“We made the decision to put more pressure on them in overtime as opposed to the defending we had been doing more in the second half,” he said.
It set up Crouthamel to win the ball in the middle of the field and find Pursel once more up field. Pursel buried home the game winner for Quakertown from about 30 yards out. Koch likes the combination of Crouthamel and Pursel. Crouthamel, he said, puts defenders under pressure, causing them to come to her, leaving players like Pursel open. Tuesday night served as a coming out party for the first-year player Pursel.
“She’s just a star waiting to happen,” Koch said. “It can be hard as a freshman to embrace that role and I had been talking with her about doing that and she had two brilliant goals today. I believe it’s a defining game for her.”
Last week, the Panthers shocked CB West when they erased a three-goal deficit to come away with a tie. On Tuesday, they got over the hump and beat a talented Souderton team.
“They are a really good team,” Koch said. “[Souderton coach] Chris [Felber] has done a really nice job with that team and it’s nice to beat a really quality team and they certainly are that.”
The Continental Conference isn’t always friendly, but it is certainly sweet when you are on the winning end.
“I think we keep growing as a team,” Koch added. “We’re very young—we did not have a senior play tonight. We’re going to keep getting better. If we can compete with Souderton, we can compete with anybody and our goal is to continue to try to do that.”
Souderton keeper Viv Feliciani came up with a stop on a Quakertown penalty kick in the first half. The Panthers had four shots on target.
Quakertown (3-8-1, 2-7-1 SOL) will look to stay hot against North Penn Thursday and Souderton (8-3-1, 5-3-1 SOL) will face CB West under the lights on Thursday night.
Quakertown 0-1-0-1 2
Souderton 0-1-0-0 1
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 4, NORTH PENN 1
The Patriots picked up yet another win, jumping on North Penn early and holding on for the win.
East got on the board first in the 19th minute when Gabby Learn took a pass from Emma Loving for the goal. Shortly after, Carly Whiton scored with an assist from Loving.
After getting two assists, Loving got a goal of her own just before the half to make it 3-0 East.
Loving made it 4-0 Patriots in the 55th minute with an assist from Bri Talbot.
CB East (11-0, 9-0 SOL) is now the last remaining undefeated team in the SOL and will go to Hatboro-Horsham on Thursday for an afternoon game, while North Penn (3-7-2, 1-6-2 SOL) will battle Quakertown Thursday.
North Penn 0-1 1
Central Bucks East 3-1 4
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 4, HATBORO-HORSHAM 0
With a Souderton loss, CB South now takes sole possession of second place in the Continental Conference with a win over Hatboro-Horsham.
Aleksa Peev got things started in the fifth minute for the Titans. Kylie Walsh had the assist on a Peev goal. Walsh scored for herself later in the half, taking a beautiful feed from Corinne McDonald to make it 2-0.
Peev got her second goal of the night, dribbling across the box for the goal that made it 3-0.Walsh then found Brooke Steigerwalt for the fourth and final Titans goal.
Taylor Marinelli made four saves in net for the shutout for South.
CB South (7-2-1, 6-2-1 SOL) returns to action Thursday for a tough matchup with Pennridge. Hatboro-Horsham (SOL) will battle conference-leading CB East Thursday.
Hatboro-Horsham 0-0 0
Central Bucks South 2-2 4
PENNRIDGE 3, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1
Katie Fischer gave the Rams the early lead, scoring ten minutes in with an assist from Jessica Milligan. It remained 1-0 Rams through the break.
Thirty seconds into the second half, Lindsey Morgan scored for the Bucks to tie the game at a goal apiece.
Fischer scored again with just under seven minutes to go in the game to give the Rams the lead again. Kennedy Peace then received a pass from her sister Kouri Peace in the 75th minute and scored to put the game out of reach.
Pennridge (7-3-1, 5-3-1 SOL) is faced with a key game Thursday, a home game against CB South. CB West (4-5-2, 3-4-2 SOL) will pay a visit for Souderton in another big game.
Pennridge 1-2 3
Central Bucks West 1-0 1
American Conference
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 0, UPPER MERION 0 (2OT)
One hundred minutes and zero goals. Upper Merion and Plymouth Whitemarsh battled through double overtime to scoreless tie.
Julia Loane was big in net for the Vikings, stopping 12 shots.
“It was a whole team effort today and both teams had opportunities,” Upper Merion coach Laura Himler said. “[Our] defense played exceptionally well, taking balls out of the air and working passes out of the backfield.”
For the Colonials, coach Chris Young credited the play of Devon Taormina and Ragan Ebersole.
Upper Merion (1-9-1, 1-7-1 SOL) comes away with a nice draw and will face Norristown Thursday. Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-4-2, 4-3-2 SOL) will travel to Wissahickon on Thursday.
Upper Merion 0-0-0-0 0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0-0-0-0 0
WISSAHICKON 6, UPPER MORELAND 0
Wissahickon rebounded from a 6-1 loss at the hands of Pennridge on Monday with a big win over Upper Moreland.
The Trojans struck early and often. Krysta Memis scored after a nice cross from Jasmine Bishop in the second minute. Maddie Elwell then faked out a defender and scored in the 11th minute. Talia Abrahams caught a long ball from Memis and finished it with a goal before the end of the half to make it 3-0 at the break.
In the 54th minute, Mady Foglia scored with another assist from Memis. Bishop scored in the 78th minute, taking a ball up the left side and making a move on the defender for the goal. Mary Mathews added another Trojans goal in the final seconds as Wisshickon rolled 6-0.
“[Our] backs, Bishop, Matthews, Kirsten Haney, Megan DeGroat, and Emily Vervlied, held tight the Trojans’ line—very organized, very nice connections, very pretty,” Trojans coach Shannon Creamer-Franke said.
Wissahickon (7-3-1, 7-1-1 SOL) will go against Plymouth Whitemarsh on Thursday and Upper Moreland (5-5-1, 4-4-1 SOL) will face Upper Dublin Thursday.
Upper Moreland 0-0 0
Wissahickon 3-3 6
SPRINGFIELD 7, NORRISTOWN 0
Grace Baraclaugh scored twice, and Deejay Bosca, Emily Cooney, Meghan Nelson, Katie Fitzpatrick, and Lindsey Smith added goals as Springfield blanked Norristown.
Springfield (6-5, 6-3 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Thursday and Norristown (1-9, 0-9 SOL) will play on the road against Upper Merion.
UPPER DUBLIN 7, CHELTENHAM 0
The Flying Cardinals opened up a 4-0 halftime lead on their way to the shutout win on a day that saw seven different players score a goal. The Cards got on the board with an own goal in the fifth minute, and a minute later, Paige Lawton found the net. A goal by Becca Watson in the 14th minute made it a 3-0 game, and Megan Boyle's goal in the 40th minute gave the Cards their four-goal advantage at the intermission.
In the second half, the Cardinals received single goals from Sizzy Lawton (50th minutes), Lindsey Schreiber (55th) and Lexi Schneider (79th minute).
Upper Dublin (9-0-1, 8-0-1 SOL) will travel to Upper Moreland on Thursday, and Cheltenham (4-7, 3-6) will be on the road at Springfield.
Upper Dublin 4-3 7
Cheltenham 0-0 0
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