Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action Tuesday. Lower Moreland/New Hope-Solebury photos provided courtesy of Greg Zesinger. Check back for a gallery of photos. (Neshaminy photo courtesy of Jesse Garber https://jsgarber.zenfolio.com/p792701419)
SOL Patriot Division
Neshaminy 5, Council Rock North 4 (OT)
In SOL division play, every goal matters, every result matters and every point in the standings or the district playoff table is precious.
At the same time, for as intense as games between division rivals can be and while the ultimate goal is to win, high school athletics are meant to teach lessons. Both Neshaminy and Council Rock North showed that latter part in droves Tuesday in the final minutes of regulation in a tightly contested match that meant plenty to both sides.
On the field, it was a somewhat confusing moment, but CR North willingly put the ball out of play after an apparent injury. Neshaminy wanted to return the favor, but it didn’t quite go to plan.
“With five minutes left, we had a player go down, and the refs were not stopping play so North kicked the ball out. I told the girls to give the ball back to the defense for North on the throw-in,” Neshaminy coach Josh van Reed said. “Their defense hadn’t collected the ball cleanly with everyone having time to get set and we won the ball, made a quick pass and scored. Refs didn’t stop play and the goal counted.” 
In a remarkable gesture, van Reed brought his team in and asked them to do something not often seen.
“It didn’t sit right with me, so I called our girls in and told them to let (CR North) score and tie the game up,” van Reed said. “Tough decision but right decision, if you’ve played a long time, you understand and have to live with it. I’d much rather live with a tie or loss than winning that way.”
CR North coach Gavin Flannigan called van Reed the driving force in how everything played out but likewise acknowledged the moment as a teach moment for both sides.
“I want to take the opportunity to thank Josh and the Neshaminy team. With five minutes left, we kicked the ball out of play for an injury and as Neshaminy threw the ball back to us there was a miscommunication and they were able to take the lead at 4-3, but soon after Neshaminy allowed us to tie the game up as a gesture of sportsmanship,” Flannigan said. “Josh and his staff deserve credit for doing that in the moment with less than five minutes left in such an intense game.
“It would’ve been much easier to win the game and apologize afterwards, but kudos to them for the actions It was a real teaching moment for all the players and everyone in attendance, and exactly what we want to preach about with high school sports.”
There were still three minutes of regulation to play and while Neshaminy had a terrific chance to win in regulation, the teams would go to extra time. While he’d asked his players to concede a goal, van Reed felt it was the right thing to do and his team’s attitude heading into extra time told him all he needed to know.
“At full time, I explained further about the goal and then moved on. They were feeling that this was a game we should have put away and I agreed. But now we have to go win, and they were pumped,” van Reed said. “They wanted the win, and it showed from the tap. Everyone was working hard, 35 seconds later Kylie Maxwell dropped a ball back from the endline to Taylor Maxwell who hammered the winning goal near post.”
A match featuring some of the SOL’s top offensive players also delivered, with Neshaminy senior Kylie Maxwell collecting a hat trick and two assists, including one to her twin sister Taylor on the game winner. Taylor Maxwell added two assists to her overtime winner.
On the CR North side, Mia Cairone had a brace, Isabel Diaz and Sarina Igval each had a goal and assist and Sara Tyler and Bellla Lanza added assists.
Scoring Summary
1st half
N – Kylie Maxwell (Taylor Maxwell) 27:01
CRN – 20:28
N – Kylie Maxwell (Taylor Maxwell) 6:21
N – Keira Siwinski (Kylie Maxwell) 4:24
2nd Half
CRN – 16:03
CRN – 11:39
N – Kylie Maxwell (Abby Collins) 4:56
CRN 3:05
1st OT
N Taylor Maxwell (Kylie Maxwell) 9:25
Neshaminy coach Josh van Reed on the first half: “Our league games are always tough and this was the first of two tough games back-to-back. We started out a little flat at the beginning but settled in and were getting chances behind the defense. Kylie broke the ice 13 minutes into the half with a quick combination and a shot from a through ball from Taylor. It was a good finish.
“North kept pushing and got the ball behind the defense on the outside and found their mark to make it 1-1. From there, more chances began to come and we were rewarded with two goals just before halftime. The first was from a crossed ball from Taylor on the left side that Kylie quickly collected and put in. The third was a really nice play, where Kylie drove endline and dropped a ball back to the 18 where Keira hit a hard-driven onetime ball on the ground and into the corner.”
–Second half: “After halftime we let up a bit, they made some changes and were pushing numbers up. We were unable to clear a ball, and North connected a pass in behind our defense for their second goal. Their third goal again came shortly after on a through ball. So we were tied with 10 to play. We had some good chances again but couldn’t convert anything.”
–Near-miss at end of regulation: “Three minutes is a lot of time, we quickly had two good chances, the second coming from Kylie. We earned a free kick just outside the 18 in the middle. Kylie got a great ball and hit the underside of the post, then the ground and it bounced away from the goal. It was a fantastic shot.
“Kylie definitely stood out today offensively for us”
CR North coach Gavin Flannigan on the match: “Today was everything that is great about high school soccer. There were two good teams battling for 80-plus minutes, and unfortunately, we came out on the losing side. I think Neshaminy had the better of the first half and deserved the halftime lead, but we were really happy with how our girls responded in the second half to come back and tie the game.
“Defending Kylie and Taylor Maxwell is a tough task, and if you do that you have to deal with Abby Collins and Ava Hood, although the final score did not reflect it, I thought we played a pretty good game defensively overall.”
Up next: CR North (5-2, 2-1 SOL) hosts Council Rock South at 7pm Wednesday. Neshaminy (7-1, 3-0) hosts Pennsbury at 4pm Wednesday.
NESHAMINY 3 1 1 – 5
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 1 3 0 – 4
Pennsbury 4, Bensalem 0
The Falcons have been one of the breakout teams of the season so far, thanks to a team-first mentality and a host of different players able to put the ball in the back of the net. Playing under the lights Tuesday, Pennsbury did just that as four different players scored goals with three of them assisted by a teammate.
Junior Ashlyn McEwing was a catalyst with a goal and assist while the Falcons defense also recorded its third shutout of the season and second in a row.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
P – Ria Pvezner (Ashlyn McEwing)
P – Abbie Ellis (Clare Caldaro)
P – Sophia Quinn (Willa Corbitt)
2nd Half
P – Ashlyn McEwing
Pennsbury coach Jenna Peters on the win: “The players have continued to excel in their teamwork and support for one another, embodying the team-first mentality we’ve emphasized since the start of the season. The girls stepped up tonight and really played as a team and possessed the ball. The dedication and cooperation on display were key to our performance.”
Up next: Pennsbury visits Neshaminy at 4pm on Wednesday. Bensalem visits Harry S Truman at 3:30 on Thursday.
PENNSBURY 3 1 – 4
BENSALEM 0 0 – 0
Council Rock South 6, Harry S Truman 0
Five different players found the back of the net for the Golden Hawks, paced by Brooke Pavlow’s brace.
Scoring Summary
1st half
CRS – Teagan Shay (Gianna Kirlin) 35:50
CRS – Brianna Howard (Gianna Kirlin) 33:44
CRS – Brooke Pavlow 20:22
CRS – Olivia Cei (Anna Horn) 13:04
2nd Half
CRS – Brooke Pavlow (Madison Mohr) 30:26
CRS – Sam Riccio 21:03
CR South coach Nick Heim on the win: “Overall, happy with today’s result. We got contributions from a large number of players and executed the game plan that we worked on in practice the day prior. Some players got their first taste of varsity minutes today and fully took advantage with the opportunity.
“Joanne Mathew and Madison Hyams combined for the shutout.”
Up next: CR South visits Council Rock North at 7pm Wednesday. Truman hosts Bensalem at 3:30 on Thursday.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 4 2 – 6
HARRY S TRUMAN 0 0 – 0
SOL Liberty
Abington 2, Wissahickon 0
The Ghosts are certainly keeping it interesting so far this season.
Injuries have beset the team at seemingly every turn, most recently between the posts which left midfielder Nya Riggs having to step in as the emergency backup for about two-thirds of Tuesday’s match. Riggs stepped up and her defenders had her back as the Ghosts picked up a needed win
Scoring Summary
1st Half
A – Vivian Siravo
2nd Half
A – Alexis Whaley (Sara Kaeser)
Abington coach Rick Tompkins on the win: “We’re pretty banged up, I have three goalkeepers and they’re all out with injuries, we had our field player, Nya Riggs, play about two-thirds of the game. She went in and did a pretty good job.
“We moved the ball well, we had a lot of chances that we didn’t capitalize on. Wissahickon made some adjustments at halftime, and they were taking it to us. Sara Kaeser, who had a great game, slotted on through to Alexis Whaley, she finished it to make it 2-0 and we kind of coasted in.”
–Standouts: “Sara Kaeser and Madison Oldham are rocks back there on defense. They clean up all the messes. We had Vivian Siravo, she’s a sophomore, she had our first goal, and she hardly ever comes off the field. At the end of the game, she was exhausted, and it was because she’d worked her tail off. Every single kid on my roster played today, we got a lot of good contributions off the bench, and we needed them. I was pleased, it was the classic team effort.”
–Riggs’ effort in goal: “She’s very athletic, that made her the choice. She had one opportunit – it was a ball where you have to make a decision to come forward or not -one of those crazy ones that a lot of times gets finished for a goal – she came out strong, knocked it down with her hands and as they charged the goal, she covered on top of it. The action she had, she handled with aplomb.”
Up next: Wissahickon hosts Quakertown at 3:30 on Thursday. Abington hosts Plymouth Whitemarsh at 3:30 on Thursday.
ABINGTON 1 1 – 2
WISSAHICKON 0 0 – 0
Hatboro-Horsham 1, Plymouth Whitemarsh 0
The Hatters’ home opener kept it interesting to the very end. PW and Hatboro-Horsham have had a few dramatic endings in recent matchups and Tuesday was the latest chapter, a throw-in leading to the deciding goal in the final minutes as the tumultuous turning of the SOL Liberty table continues halfway through the first leg of division play.
Scoring Summary
2nd half
HH – Ryleigh White (Marisa Bennett)
HH coach Chris Artman on the win: “After opening the season with four straight road games, we finally had our home opener under the lights vs PW. It was a very hard-fought defensive game from the start. Once again, our back line came up big. Junior center backs Cara Neeld and Maddy Morino played the full 80 minutes and were solid from start to finish. Sophomore Lexi Cohen had another strong game in the midfield. Our defensive effort in the midfield was outstanding, challenging every ball and really made it difficult for PW to control the game. Senior keeper Molly Donaldson got the clean sheet”
–Winning goal: “Junior Marisa Bennett played a ball from the right side into the box and junior Ryleigh White put it into the back of the net for her third goal of the season.”
–Reinforcements step up: “The injury bug has got us recently, and we had four upperclassmen out with injury. Freshman Alyssa Moffa and Alexa Hain came up from JV and gave us some important minutes.”
–Up next: Hatboro-Horsham visits division-leading Upper Dublin at 3:30 on Thursday. PW travels to Abington at 3:30 on Thursday.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 0 1 – 1
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 0 0 – 0
Upper Dublin 6, Quakertown 0
Tuesday’s game was going to come down to the flanks. If the Cardinals could contain Quakertown’s fleet-footed and skilled wingers, then they’d have a good chance at maintaining their unbeaten start in the SOL Liberty standings.
The task fell to outside backs Sophia Sirianni, Shannon Connaughton and Lydia Bell, who were up to the challenge. Bell, a senior, unfortunately picked up an injury during the game, but her impact was very much felt helping Sirianni and Connaughton keep the flanks in check.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
UD – Abby O’Meara (Peyton Ward) 17th
UD – Bridget DiMartile (Erin Seabrook) 23th
2nd half
UD – Abby O’Meara 50th
UD – Ava Shohen 56th
UD – Bridget DiMartile 69th
UD – Bridget DiMartile 71st
UD coach John Topper on the win: “Early in the game, both teams moved the ball pretty well but I felt we definitely had the better of the opportunities. Abby O’Meara opened the scoring on a nice-left footed shot from Peyton Ward and Bridget DiMartile followed up on an assist from Erin Seabrook. We went into the half up 2-0 and knew the next goal was going to be a defining one to either put the game out of reach or get them back in it.”
–DiMartile’s hat trick: “She was able to find some spaces out wide today and really put some pressure on the backs. Not only did she get the three goals, but she had some dangerous crosses in there. I think it was coming, she’s been dangerous all year and some of those chances just weren’t falling her way.”
–Standouts: “Rosie Sitman did a great job playing up top, she was great in the hold-up play and springing the rest of our forwards and midfielders in the attack, she got two assists and was dangerous all over. Erin Seabrook, she’s our anchor in the midfield and does it on both ends so even when she’s not a goal-scorer, she’s always huge for us.”
–Defense: “Sophia Sirianni, Lydia Bell and Shannon Connaughton did a great job, Quakertown has some speedy talent on the wings, and our girls did a good job of keeping them in check and out of the scorebooks. Our keeper, Jordyn Levine, kept a clean sheet and it wasn’t for a lack of work. She dealt with some crosses into the box and shots from outside and had an overall great game.”
Up next: Quakertown visits Wissahickon at 3:30 on Thursday. Upper Dublin hosts Hatboro-Horsham at 3:30 on Thursday.
UPPER DUBLIN 2 4 – 6
QUAKERTOWN 0 0 – 0
SOL Colonial
Central Bucks East 7, Souderton 2
The Patriots got off to a quick start Tuesday behind an energized effort from Mia Forney and never seemed to lose a step as they moved to 3-0-0 in the crowded SOL Colonial table. Forney’s breakaway goal in the first three minutes, followed by a couple assists to Stella Genin to bracket a response by Souderton, then added a late second half goal powered an East attack that saw five players tally a goal.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
CBE – Mia Forney (36:54)
CBE – Stella Genin (Mia Forney) 26:20
S – Hannah Becker 21:06
CBE – Stella Genin (Mia Forney) 2:54
2nd Half
CBE – Madelyn Hill (Taylor Roumy) 33:14
CBE – Magee Williamson (Madelyn Hill) 24:21
CBE – Kiera Sleicher (Jessie Bernabe) 13:50
CBE – Mia Forney (Jessie Bernabe) 10:43
S – Ella Longacre 6:55
CB East coach Jake Nesteruk on the win: “Really proud of our girls for digging in tonight and getting better throughout the game. To break a 0-0 game early with such a great effort play by Mia helped us build the intensity. I thought in the first half, we scored two really great goals from Stella on the cutback from Mia. and all credit for Souderton for making the first half tense.”
–Maintaining play after halftime: “I thought in the second we hit the ground running, and it was a total team effort. To see Mads Hill finish off a great team goal, and same with Magee, it makes for a really special night. I thought Kiera Sleicher and Taylor Roumy had a really great bite to their game, and I thought some of the link up and decision-making Jessie Bernabe brought to this game gave us confidence. I’m really proud of the effort from the girls rotating in – I thought Cece Hayes and Paige Dougherty stepped in an and gave us some really solid minutes.”
Up next: Souderton hosts North Penn at 6:30pm on Thursday. CB East hosts CB West at 3:30 on Thursday.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 3 4 – 7
SOUDERTON 1 1 – 2
Central Bucks South 3, Central Bucks West 2
Twice, the Titans found themselves behind by a goal on Tuesday night and twice, they responded. CB South rallied twice to tie the game, then got the pivotal goal of the night on a penalty kick by Alana Peev to pick up an important win in the always-competitve battle of sister Central Bucks programs.”
Scoring Summary
1st Half
CBW
2nd Half
CBS – Khloe Montini 25:45
CBW – (PK) 16:00
CBS – Olivia Wade 12:37
CBS – Alana Peev (PK)
CB South coach Pat Lordi on the win: “What a tremendous performance by all the girls in a complete team effort. The second half was a complete team response to a back and forth game. The defense was really good only giving up a total of six shots. Our midfield play by Olivia Wade, Monica Daly, Morgan Hughes, Olivia Daniele, Khloe Montini and Payton Mumm was outstanding.”
Up next: Central Bucks South visits Pennridge at 7pm Thursday. CB West visits Central Bucks East at 3:30 on Thursday.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0 3 – 3
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1 1 – 2
Pennridge 4, North Penn 1
The Rams answered a first half challenge from the host Knights, again displaying some balance in their attack and chance creation to rebound from their first loss of the season.
Caitlyn Peace had a first-half brace, the senior bound for High Point getting back on track offensively, while Riley Williams had a goal and an assist and Addy Mills tallied two assists out of the back. Kaylie Thran had a goal and Madigan Posey an assist in the second half.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
P – Caitlyn Peace (Riley Williams)
NP goal
P – Caitlyn Peace (Addy Mills)
2nd Half
P – Kaylie Thran (Madigan Posey)
P – Riley Williams (Addy Mills)
Pennridge coach Audrey Anderson on the win: “I thought we played well, each game we are trying to be a little better than the game before. We made some adjustments at halftime, we talked about our energy level and how we can be more dangerous in the final third.
“I thought we found our outside backs a lot. Avery Runk and Natalie Walter were able to put dangerous balls in the box. Jessie Moylan was able to win most 50/50 balls in the second half, and Caitlyn Peace was dangerous up top the entire game. It’s also good to see some new players getting on the scoring sheet.”
Up next: North Penn visits Souderton at 6:30pm on Thursday. Pennridge hosts Central Bucks South at 7pm on Thursday.
PENNRIDGE 2 2 – 4
NORTH PENN 1 0 – 1
SOL Freedom
Upper Moreland 4, Cheltenham 1
UM may be the Golden Bears, but it was the efforts of a Hawk that led them to a win on Tuesday. Keiley Hawk got her team off to a promising start, bagging back-to-back first half goals, then had an indirect role in the final goal, her strike taking a deflection off an opposing player for an own goal.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
UM – Keiley Hawk (Stefanie Jones) 24th minute
UM – Keiley Hawk (Annalise Messina) 32nd minute
2nd Half
C – 45th minute
UM – Madeline Cox (Maggie Brophy) 53rd minute
UM – CH own goal 60th minute
Goalkeeper saves:
UM Gracie Costello 5 saves
CH Goalkeeper: 10 saves
UM coach Lisa Benvenuto on the win: “Today’s match was another solid effort and team win for us. We were able again to get a good rotation of players onto the field to help maintain our legs and our drive. Cheltenham is a physically strong team, and we knew that would show up for this game. They were very organized in their system and played well.”
–Hawk’s performance: “On our side, Keiley Hawk stepped up big today. She had a great game. She has been an integral part of our attack, on both finishing and finding her teammates.”
–UM contributors: “Madeline Cox was smart with the ball, she found her combination play and continued to be a difficult player to match and guard today. In the midfield; Grace Perce, Kayla Robinson, Maggie Brophy and Stef Jones were able to keep control of the ball and play through the system to help generate our attack. Annalise Messina was able to contain Cheltenham’s attacks, as well as be an offensive threat. A shoutout to Alison Diaz playing in her first varsity game today, she worked hard on the field and was able to provide a spark for her teammates.”
Up next: Upper Moreland hosts Springfield Twp at 3:30 on Thursday. Cheltenham hosts New Hope-Solebury at 3:30 on Thursday.
UPPER MORELAND 2 2 – 4
CHELTENHAM 0 1 – 1
Lower Moreland 3, New Hope-Solebury 0
The first of the two meetings between the Lions and the Lions this season went Lower Moreland’s way, thanks to a persistent front line that wouldn’t be denied by New Hope-Solebuy’s equally persistent defense.
Lower Moreland ran its winning streak to four overall and three straight in the Freedom Division ahead of Thursday’s clash with co-leader William Tennent.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
LM – Kenna Rozanski (Nikki Sahl)
LM – Shannon Mahon (Quinn Rozanski)
LM – Quinn Rozanski (Izzy O’Brien)
LM coach Todd Hill on the win: “Another good team win today. New Hope played a low block press against us, packing the defensive half of their field. Their goalie played really well, so scoring required some persistence, patience and a creative attack. I felt that our front line of Emma Liebert, Nikki Sahl, Shannon Mahon, Ruby Levin, and later Quinn Rozanski worked hard at being persistent, patient and creative and it paid off.”
Up next: Lower Moreland travels to William Tennent at 3:30 on Thursday. New Hope-Solebury visits Cheltenham at 3:30 on Thursday.
LOWER MORELAND 3 0 – 3
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 0 0 – 0
William Tennent 5, Springfield Twp 2
Coming into the season, the Panthers pegged their midfield as an area of strength due to the returning experience within the group. That unit got to display why on Tuesday, tallying four of the team’s five tallies as Shippensburg-bound senior Paige Marek led the charge with a brace and an assist. Junior Sofia Jakimoski matched Marek with two goals and an assist to power the midfield.
The Panthers will host Lower Moreland on Thursday as the two 3-0 teams in the Freedom table meet.
Scoring Summary
1st half
WT – Bailey Kasner (Sofia Jakimoski )32:11
WT – Paige Marek 20:31
WT – Paige Marek (Ava Higgins) 13:21
ST – Karly Hartman
2nd half
WT – Sofia Jakimoski (Paige Marek) 24:33
WT – Sofia Jakimoski (Leila Santos) 5:45
William Tennnt coach Elise Jara: “Outside of the first five minutes, we played a solid first half. Sofia Jakimoski and Paige Marek had solid games in the midfield. Bailey Kasner added finesse and speed up top and contributed in most of the play leading to our goals. Leila Santos and Alena Beer also had strong games as the outside mids. They were able to spread the play to the outside and use the width of the field to create opportunities.”
Up next: Springfield Twp visits Upper Moreland at 3:30 on Thursday. William Tennent hosts Lower Moreland at 3:30 on Thursday.
WILLIAM TENNENT 3 2 – 5
SPRINGFIELD TWP 1 1 – 2
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