By Nick DeLorenzo
Bensalem 5 Truman 2
After a slow start to the season, Bensalem’s offense finally came to life Wednesday afternoon with five goals – four coming from the foot of Jody Sokol – en route to a 5-2 win over Truman. It was the Owls’ first win.
The start of the game did not look promising for Bensalem as Truman got out to a 1-0 lead just two minutes into the game on a goal from Rubia Silva, but the Owls were able to control the damage and hold the Tigers scoreless for the rest of the half.
After coming up empty on a few great scoring chances early, Casey Gendron scored for Bensalem – finding the back of the net after a pretty pass from Sokol – to tie the game up at 1-1. After Gendron was tripped up on a breakaway attempt, Sokol drilled a free kick past Truman goalie Theresa Landrum with 18:41 left in the half to put the Owls up 2-1, a lead they would take into halftime.
Sokol continued her scoring flurry in the second half, adding a goal with 29:34 left in the game to put Bensalem up 3-1.
But just when the Owls thought they had the game in hand, Truman’s Becky Penaranda notched a goal with just under 20 minutes remaining to cut the lead to 3-2. Truman continued to put the pressure on Bensalem, coming close to tying the game on a few occasions, but then Sokol was able to beat the Tiger defense and score on a breakaway, completing the hat trick and sealing the win for the Owls.
Just for good measure, Sokol drilled a shot into the top right corner of the net on a penalty kick in the game’s final minute, giving her an astounding four goals and resulting in a final score of 5-2.
Bensalem was able to use their speed to beat the Truman defense for breakaway opportunities all afternoon, and the Owls could have possibly scored twice as many goals if it weren’t for a handful of outstanding saves from Landrum.
Bensalem head coach Lew Mladjen was not surprised with the performances from his skill players.
“Our two strikers [Sokol and Gendron] will beat anybody in the league,” the Owls’ coach said. “They have [been beating defenders] in the previous games, but we just weren’t finishing.”
The win was not only the first for the Owls this season but also the first for their rookie head coach.
After a few bounces didn’t go their way in the first few games of the season, Mladjen encouraged his team not to get down on themselves and to keep playing hard towards that first victory.
“[We feel] very good,” he said. “I know we can play with these teams and we played hard the last couple of games. Hopefully we can build from it.”
While Mladjen is proud of his team, he feels this first stepping stone will hopefully catapult the Owls into more success in the SOL National.
“I think we can compete with everybody – I really do,” Mladjen said. “If we just make the saves we need to make and finish the ball when we have our breakaways opportunities, I think we’ll be okay.”
Upper Dublin 3, Plymouth Whitemarsh 2
Larissa Nysch connected for the hat trick to the lead the Flying Cardinals to the hard-fought win.
The Colonials were minus three regulars due to injuries, including goalie Alison Melson, so PW freshman Jenna Kalman received the starting nod. Upper Dublin got on the scoreboard when Nysch scored on a penalty shot. Nysch connected on back-to-back headers to make it a 3-0 game.
PW cut that lead to 3-1 on a goal by Gabby Schumaker, and it was a one-goal game after goal on a penalty kick by Jen Lurty, pulling the Colonials to within one at the half, 3-2.
In the second half, Kalman had several big saves, and then it was Philadelphia-bound Brittany MacDonald making a stop on a shot by Emily Marvill, but neither team could connect as Upper Dublin held on for the big win.
As a result of the win, the Flying Cardinals improved to 4-0 in the SOL (6-0 overall) while PW dropped to 3-2 overall.
Central Bucks South 2 Souderton 0
CB South improved to 3-0 in the league and 6-1 overall with a shutout victory over Souderton
Ashly Saylor put the Titans on the board in the 53rd minute, and Molly Grove scored later in the second half to seal it.
South continues to play great defense – the Titans have allowed just one goal in their last three games.
After losing many key players from last year’s team, coach Joe Bocklet is happy with the way this year's nucleus has stepped up to start the season off hot.
"We're playing great," he said. "I'm pleased with the way we're playing defensively, but we're still working to improve the offense. We're getting plenty of chances, and I'd like to see them finish some more, but we'll take the results."
Wissahickon 9 Norristown 1
Wissahickon put on a goal scoring clinic at Norristown to improve to 2-2 in the SOL American Conference.
The scoring onslaught was lead by Lauren Becker and Alex Schafer, each of whom recorded a hat trick.
Head coach Chris McDaniels stressed the importance of getting back to .500, especially after a hard fought loss to conference-leading Upper Dublin last week.
"We were looking to get back on the right track after a tough loss," McDaniels said. "And today was a good day to do that."
Pennsbury 5 William Tennent 1
Becca Kovalik and Lindsey Jones each scored 2 goals in Pennsbury's victory over William Tennent.
After losing their league opener to Council Rock North, Pennsbury has won three straight league games, which gives coach Kaitlyn McGiniss and her team a lot of momentum and confidence moving forward.
"I like what I see out of our offense," the Falcons’ coach said. "We are finding players who are fitting into the right positions, and we are really starting to mesh and click."
So far this season, McGiniss has been impressed by the play of Kovalik, who also scored a pair of goals in Tuesday's game, and midfielder Molly Phillips, who also added a goal versus Tennent. Goalie Cassie Meade has given the Falcons senior leadership and has also been stellar in net, making a number of great saves during their three-game win streak.
Cheltenham 3, Springfield 2
The Lady Panthers took a 1-0 lead during a back-and-forth first half when they capitalized on a long throw-in, and they added a second goal on transition to go into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
Cheltenham opened up a 3-0 lead before the Spartans came to life. They capitalized on a corner kick from Paige Morrison to the head of Tierney Carabba, who found the upper left corner of the net to make it a 3-1 game midway through the second half. Paige Morrison attacked a ball inside the 18 and converted it into a goal. The Spartans continued to pressure, but Cheltenham held on for the 3-2 win.
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