Check out the results for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action Friday.
Pennsbury 0, Central Bucks East 0 (2 OT)
It is not easy to score goals on Pennsbury.
It is not easy to score goals on CB East.
So when the two of them met on the same field in the season opener Friday, it wasn't all that surprising that neither team could score on the other. Win, lose or in this case, draw, this match has become a fixture and for good reason.
"East is such a well-coached team and made adjustments at halftime that forced our players to make quicker decisions. At halftime and between each OT, we talked about playing this like a championship game," Pennsbury coach Kaitlyn Battiste said. "There's nothing better to test what you're made of than a double-OT game against a team with such a strong tradition of success."
It shouldn't come as much of a shock, but the standouts in this one were mainly on the defensive side.
"The team worked extremely hard and as a unit to stay with a talented Pennsbury," CB East coach Paul Eisold said. "Pennsbury made better use of their chances, but we had several opportunities as well."
"Kristen Obetz was spectacular in goal today," Eisold added. "Pennsbury worked the ball very nicely and she always came up big."
Eisold also lauded midfielder Julie Beedle and defender Anna Bound, who won a preseason battle for the left fullback spot, a position she had never played before. Beedle gave the Patriots a veteran presence to command the midfield, much needed in a defensive deadlock.
Bound did well in the aerial game and won a fair number of tackles against a precise Pennsbury attack.
"Her work ethic, determination and coachability gave her the opportunity to start today," Eisold said. "She took advantage of the opportunity."
On the Falcons' side, it was also a veteran and a new face who rose to the occasion.
"I thought senior Hope Drewes had a solid game for us. She was composed, both defensively and offensively," Battiste said. "We were asking a lot from a first-year varsity player in sophomore Evie Ciaccia. She was very active throughout the game and put a lot of pressure on East's defense."
Both East (Continental) and Pennsbury (National) are in loaded conferences, so playing each other in the opener is just a preview of what else is coming their way.
"As a whole, the team played really well possessing and moving the ball all over the pitch," Battiste said. "There were a lot of positives in this game we know we can build on."
Pennsbury (0-0-1) will be on the road at Bensalem for Wednesday’s SOL opener, and Central Bucks East (0-0-1) will host North Penn on Wednesday.
CB EAST 0 0 0 0 – 0
PENNSBURY 0 0 0 0 – 0
Council Rock North 2, Avon Grove 1
The Indians relied on a stellar defensive second half to win their season opener on Friday.
CR North owned the first half offensively, getting goals from Julia Urgas and Caroline Erlandson to take a 2-0 lead into the break. It's often said the 2-0 lead is the least safe in soccer, and when Avon Grove pulled a marker back midway through the second half, the Indians could have gone one of two ways.
"We were very comfortable in the first half and played well," North coach Gavin Flannigan said. "We had a third goal disallowed in the second half and then they scored soon after. That really changed the flow of the game quickly and we were hanging on a little at the end."
Heather McLaughlin had an active boot in both goals, sending in a cross that Brooke Strobel fed to Urgas on the opener, then playing in a corner kick that led to Erlandson's eventual winner.
With Avon Grove pressing, the Indians turned to defenders Lilly Ries, Meredith Hill, Bailee Mathews and Abby Schroeder to see out the result.
"They were just solid, cleared crosses, blocked shots and chased down runners," Flannigan said. "We didn't have (senior defender) Mia (Scalamandre) today either, so to close out the game as they did was impressive."
Council Rock North (1-0) will host Harry S Truman in Wednesday’s SOL opener.
AVON GROVE 0 1 – 1
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 2 0 – 2
Goals: CRN - Julia Urgas (Heather McLaughlin, Brooke Strobel), Caroline Erlandson (McLaughlin)
Upper Moreland 1, New Hope-Solebury 0 (2 OT)
Two freshmen connected deep into extra time to lift the Golden Bears to a dramatic season-opening win.
A ball from the left flank found Kathryn Morrow in the middle of the field and she directed it to Kaiya Herb on the opposite side. Herb took a few touches, then ripped a ball upper 90 on the far post for the winning strike.
"The Bears came into the game focused and ready," Upper Moreland coach Lisa Benvenuto said. "They held great shape through the first half and out-shot New Hope 7-4. Upper Moreland was able to move the ball well through the middle and connect with the flanks."
Benvenuto felt her back line and goalkeeping was the difference in the game.
"The back line was tremendous. Emma Meakim, Carly Wasson and Maddie Gerlach continued to play composed and worked as a unit for the duration of the 94-plus minute," Benvenuto said. "Jen Storbrauck had six saves to back them up."
UM also held firm in the center of the pitch, led by Morrow and Sarah Veneziale. Grace Burns and Chloe Leiter also helped contain New Hope-Solebury and jumpstart the counter-attack.
"I'm very pleased with the team's fitness and ability in possessing the ball," Benvenuto said. "It was a great team effort today. This is why we put in the work during the summer months and preseason."
Upper Moreland (1-0) will be on the road at Lower Moreland on Tuesday for a non-league contest.
UPPER MORELAND 0 0 0 1 – 1
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 0 0 0 0 - 0
Goals: UM - Kaiya Herb
Abington 3, St Hubert 1
The Galloping Ghosts are hoping their forward trio will be able to create and score plenty of goals this fall.
They got off to a pretty good start on Friday. Junior Cam Lexow scored twice and assisted the third goal while freshman Casey Touey did the opposite, scoring one goal and assisting the other two.
Abington (1-0) will host Lansdale Catholic in a non-league game Tuesday.
Central Bucks West 5, West Chester East 1
The Bucks let their midfield lead the way as they turned a 1-0 halftime lead into a commanding win in Friday's season-opener.
Hope Morrison led the charge with a brace, both strikes assisted by Erin Fitzsimmons out of the midfield. Senior midfielder and co-captain Grace Power netted the first half goal off a Trish Hauck assist, then Hauck got things going with a goal in the second half.
Alex Craine had the other goal for West, assisted by Tori Albrecht.
Power, Fitzsimmons and co-captain Sam Lubin, who assisted Hauck's goal, led the way in the midfield.
"It's a good mix of senior leadership and experience with a few talented young players," Bucks coach Chris Fehrle said. "The young players lack a ton of varsity experience but will be counted on heavily this year."
Fehrle also noted the play of senior captain Allie Walsh leading the defense, the Hauck-Craine-Morrison trio in attack and freshman goalkeeper Jenna Abaza.
"(Abaza) started and played 80 minutes in her first varsity game with a strong showing," Fehrle said.
Central Bucks West (1-0) will travel to West Chester Henderson for a non-league game Saturday.
CB WEST 1 4 – 5
WEST CHESTER EAST 0 1 – 1
Goals: CBW - Hope Morrison 2, Trish Hauck, Grace Power, Alex Craine
William Tennent 2, Wissahickon 0
A brace by freshman Caroline Weir was plenty as the Panthers' defense shut down the Trojans in their crossover opener on Friday.
Weir netted one goal on each side of halftime and first-year coach Bill Hontz had little hesitation to make the freshman a key part of the attack.
"She has plenty of speed and a strong will to never stop," Hontz said.
Facing a new-look Wissahickon team that still has plenty of speed up top, Tennent turned to its defense to back up Weir's goals. Hontz noted the play of defenders Danielle Scott and Liz Layer, as well as the all-around solid play of Rebecca Smith and Ashley Rivera.
The Panthers are hoping this start puts them on a path to contend for a playoff berth.
"It's a young group of girls that want to develop into proving they belong on the field," Hontz said.
William Tennent (1-0) will be on the road at Central Bucks West for Wednesday’s SOL opener, and Wissahickon (0-1) will travel to Quakertown on Wednesday.
WILLIAM TENNENT 1 1 – 2
WISSAHICKON 0 0 – 0
Goals: WT - Caroline Weir 2
Pennridge 3, Southern Lehigh 0
The Rams graduated 11 seniors but showed there's plenty left in the tank in their opening match on Friday.
Abby Groff and Lauren McIntyre scored in the first half while Lindsey DeHaven converted a second-half penalty kick for the final margin. DeHaven also assisted McIntyre's goal while Meghan Kriney had a helper on Groff's tally.
Pennridge (1-0) is off until next Friday when it will host Central Bucks South in its SOL opener.
PENNRIDGE 2 1 – 3
SOUTHERN LEHIGH 0 0 - 0
Goals: P - Abby Groff, Lindsey DeHaven, Lauren McIntyre
Upper Dublin 0, Conestoga 0 (2 OT)
UD coach John Topper isn't afraid to test his team during the season.
This year was no different as UD took a trip down to Conestoga for a tough opening-day matchup. Up against a traditionally strong team, the Cardinals’ defense turned in a stellar outing.
"Our keeper Devon Jones just played out of her mind," Topper said. "She had some point-blank saves that really kept us in the game. She played the best game I've ever seen her play."
Upper Dublin was also led by stout performances from two of its returning defenders.
"Our center back Sascha Keitz, she was phenomenal in the back, she's our general on the back line and she won a number of key one-on-one battles and did a great job of organizing our backs," Topper said. "Katelyn King also played wonderfully in the back.
"We have the better part of our back line returning this year and it's something we plan on building around as we move through the season."
Topper pointed to midfielders Tina Haig and Lexi Moss for their play in front of the back line and ability to match up with a physical Conestoga side.
Upper Dublin spent most of the match on the defensive, and while Topper felt like his attack could have been sharper, he saw plenty to like across the board.
"It's something to build on," Topper said. "Playing a good team like that in the first game of the season can be a bit nerve-wracking, but the girls really showed what they're made of and they're not going to get pushed off the field."
Upper Dublin (0-0-1) will travel to Cheltenham Wednesday for its SOL opener.
UPPER DUBLIN 0 0 0 0 – 0
CONESTOGA 0 0 0 0 – 0
Haverford 3, Plymouth Whitemarsh 1
The Colonials started the season with a loss, but coach Ryan Zehren saw a number of strong performances.
"Victoria Betterly and Natalie Lannie had strong games, winning many battles in the midfield," Zehren said. "Bella McNew and Ava Schreiber had outstanding performances on defense.”
Lannie recorded the only goal for PW.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (0-1) will host Upper Moreland in Wednesday’s SOL opener.
Perkiomen Valley 1, Quakertown 0
A mid-second half goal was the difference in Quakertown's loss on Friday.
Morgan Small made nine saves in goal to keep the Panthers in the game while coach Mike Koch noted the strong defensive play of Brenna Foster. Sam Barkholz and Haley Hangey turned in good efforts from the midfield and forward Ashley Gluck was dangerous up top.
"Gluck forced (PV keeper) Leslie Adams to make a huge save with two minutes left," Koch said.
Quakertown (0-1) will host Wissahickon in Wednesday’s SOL opener.
QUAKERTOWN 0 0 - 0
PERKIOMEN VALLEY 0 1 - 1
St Basil Academy 6, Springfield Twp 2
A five-minute spurt in the second half broke open a close game, but the Spartans still took plenty away from their opener on Friday.
"It was just a really exciting game because even if it sounds like the score was high, it was a competitive game the entire game," Springfield coach Suzette Wolf said. "We had a breakdown in the middle of the second half where they scored three goals in five minutes. Other than that, it was just a very competitive game."
St. Basil led just 1-0 at the half. Josie Thorp and DJ Bosca were the goal-scorers for Springfield.
Wolf was able to get a lot of players onto the pitch and is enthusiastic about the ability her team has.
"We actually played really well. We played strong," the Spartans’ coach said. "We were able to figure some things out, get people in different positions."
Springfield Township (0-1) will be on the road at Hatboro-Horsham for Wednesday’s SOL opener.
SPRINGFIELD 0 2 – 2
ST. BASIL 1 5 – 6
Unionville 4, Neshaminy 0
Neshaminy looked like it was in for a defensive duel with Unionville until the Indians erupted for four goals over the final 22 minutes of the second half.
Riley Spingler made 11 saves for Neshaminy in a losing effort. The Redskins took 12 shot in a contest that was a defensive battle until the Indians got on the scoreboard late.
Neshaminy (0-1) will travel to West Chester Rustin for a non-league contest Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
UNIONVILLE 0 4 – 4
NESHAMINY 0 0 – 0
Bensalem 9, Penn Wood 0
- Log in to post comments
