Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action Tuesday. Pennsbury/CR South photos provided courtesy of Diana Leferovich. Check back for a gallery.
SOL CONTINENTAL
North Penn 2, Central Bucks West 1
Two things hadn’t really gone in North Penn’s favor so far this season – overtime and winning on the Snyder Road grass fields.
Taking care of the latter helped eliminate the threat of the former Tuesday. Tia Sheehy scored on a breakaway with 20 seconds left to snap a 1-1 deadlock, propelling the Knights to their first win on the grass surface and avoiding the idea of extra time.
“It was just kind of the way it worked,” Knights co-head coach Mike Rio said. “I think at the end of the game there, we had our most consistent play in their offensive third than we’d had for most of the game. It felt like we were getting close and something could break for us and it did there at the end.
“It’s almost like an overtime goal with that much time left in the game, but our girls just kept the fight until the whistle.”
Sheehy indirectly had a hand in both the Knights’ goals. The speedy forward had a rocket of a shot parried over the bar by CB West keeper Jenna Abazza about 15 minutes into the second half, giving the Knights a corner kick.
Center back Casey Cavanaugh, usually tasked with preventing goals, made it count when she knocked in Riley Saxman’s service to go up 1-0. It was an earned reward for the defender, who was a constant presence in breaking up West passes in the Bucks’ attacking third.
“She’s been strong for us all season,” Rio said. “It’s her first year really being back after a couple years of injuries and things like that, and she’s been playing phenomenal all season in the back. She’s just consistent, wins the balls and plays hard. She’s been really close on a bunch of corners, and at the start of the game, we talked about how she was going to get it today, and soon enough, she got on the end of it and ran it into the goal.”
North Penn kept the Bucks at bay most of the day, but they couldn’t hold off forever. Just three minutes after going ahead, the Knights saw their lead disappear thanks to a solid effort from Alexa Vail.
A reserve forward, Vail was an impact player for West, putting a number of shots on frame, including one that tied the game off a pass from Erin Fitzsimmons. Taking the pass and opening space, Vail beat Knights keeper Anna Fiore for the 1-1 deadlock.
“Credit to West, they’re a fantastic team with a lot of skill in different areas of the field,” Rio said. “They have speed, some strength and some technique on the ball. We knew we had to play them pretty tight to try and limit their quality opportunities.”
Fiore still made 11 saves to pick up the win and bailed out the Knights a couple times when the otherwise determined back line had a breakdown. Even with senior defender and co-captain Emily Schurr sidelined and midfielder Grace Sacchetti, the team’s other co-captain, lost to an injury just seconds before halftime, the Knights stayed tough.
“They played hard and fought hard,” Rio said. “Losing a captain with seconds left can really bring a team down and demoralize a team, but I was really proud of the way the girls fought at the start of the second half to get that first goal and fought the rest of the game.”
North Penn (4-3-1, 2-1-1 SOL) returns to its turf field Thursday night to host CB South. Central Bucks West (4-3, 2-2) will be home Thursday night against Quakertown.
NORTH PENN 0 2 – 2
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0 1 – 1
Goals: NP – Casey Cavanaugh, Tia Sheehy; CBW – Alexa Vail
Pennridge 1, Souderton 0
Many of the names on the roster are different, but the product on the field was pretty much the same.
Meeting for the first time since the PIAA 4A title game back in November, Souderton and Pennridge had another tight, well-played match that was ultimately decided by a single goal. Boosted a little bit by a Community Night crowd, the Rams found a goal on an effort play symbolic of what both sides brought to the proceedings.
“Going into it, we wanted to make sure we understood what our game plan was,” Rams coach Audrey Anderson said. “I didn’t want to change up things for us, not yet anyway, so it was nice to see we were able to hold onto the ball enough to keep Averie (Doughty), (Hannah) Alderfer and (Taylor) Yoder, all those girls, in check.”
Souderton’s last two games, including a win Monday at CB East, had gone to overtimem but the Indians were up for the challenge Tuesday. Still, the Rams were determined to keep Souderton’s high-scoring offense in check and succeeding in handing Souderton just its second shutout of the season.
Lauren McIntyre and Maddie Angelo led the defensive effort at center back for Pennridge, helping keep Doughty to just a few opportunities while right back Ashley Gordan was able to get up field and put pressure on the Souderton defense.
“I thought on the defensive side of the ball we did a really nice job of playing together,” Anderson said. “We talked about making sure we never allowed 1-v-1 anywhere on the field. If someone pressured, we wanted cover behind them and I thought we did a good job there.”
Souderton’s defense was equally tough and the Indians’ center back pair of Darby Kramer and Payton Carroll stood their ground very well. Kramer had one of the game’s best plays, making a dead sprint back to break up a 1-v-1 between Pennridge’s Leah Malone and keeper Morgan Molyneaux late in the game and down just one goal.
“Overall, a hard-fought game between both teams. Certainly looked a lot like the times the two teams met last year,” Souderton assistant coach Ian Smith said. “Both teams know each other very well, a lot of the girls play club together, and there’s an always a good energy surrounding the matchup.”
Pennridge started to win the battle in the midfield, with the trio of Chance Hendricks, Maddie Anderson and Grace Myers playing into space and launching shots on target. Hendricks, a senior, had a dominant game despite being quite unlucky to not put a ball in the net.
“The three center mids we had today were really, really good, they were comfortable on the ball and they didn’t panic,” Audrey Anderson said. “They connected with each other. We didn’t bypass players and play long balls when we didn’t need to.”
The main reason the game went to half tied and stayed that way well into the second half was the play of Molyneaux in Souderton’s goal. A first-year starter, the junior made 10 stops on top of sweeping off her line and commanding the penalty box with poise.
Molyneaux also shook off a collision with Pennridge’s Emily Kriney in the first half on a 50/50 ball and made key stops, first on the Rams’ Abby Brown late in the first half and the other a leaping effort to palm a distance shot by Hendricks off the crossbar.
“Pennridge is the best team we’ve played so far this season and I think a game like this shows our potential,” Souderton coach Lindsy Jones said. “In the second half, we were a little more direct than we wanted to play, but I thought in the first half we came out stronger than them and I was so proud of them. If we can get a taste of that potential against one of the best teams in the state, we know we can work on that and continue to build off that.”
Pennridge finally broke through with about 13 minutes to play. Malone was able to gain the endline and served in a pinpoint cross that wove its way through a couple barriers to the far post where a determined Kriney stuck it home.
“Emily is the person that would run through 10 people if it meant she was going to score a goal,” Anderson said. “I was so happy for her, she works so hard so it’s good to see her get that result.”
Pennridge (6-0, 4-0 SOL) visits Central Bucks East on Thursday. Souderton (6-2, 3-2) has a couple days off before a Friday trip to PAC side Boyertown.
PENNRIDGE 0 1 – 1
SOUDERTON 0 0 – 0
Goals: P – Emily Kriney
Central Bucks East 2, Quakertown 1
The Patriots had to dig, but didn’t need to change their approach to grab a hard-earned win on Tuesday.
“We were really solid in possession tonight. Kept the ball moving and did the work defending higher up the field,” East coach Jake Nesteruk said. “Good games from our starters, especially Liv Black, Emma Martin, and Olivia Portner in the midfield. Chloe Strawn was excellent. Our bench came in and made the difference in key minutes.”
Portner and Strawn figured heavily into East’s success. Strawn set up Portner for the game’s opening goal in the 14th minute before switching roles in the second half.
The Panthers came back on a 40-yard free kick strike by Sam Barkholz to make it 1-1 at the half.
“Qtown was really well coached and organized. Scored a great restart goal and pushed the tempo,” Nesteruk said. “Cori Pursel was great for them in the back.”
Even with the game tied at the break, the Patriots didn’t feel the need to mix things up too much.
“We kept things status quo. Just kept preaching to win the ball in their half, simplify in the midfield and push forward numbers when we can,” Nesteruk said. “Chloe made a great play off a good ball.”
Portner sent things in motion, but it came down to an effort play by Strawn to send the Patriots in front.
“The ball got played in from the right side about 30-35 out and behind the back line,” Nesteruk said. “Chloe just made a break for it, ran through it, and finished. Good hustle goal. We really, really needed that.”
CB East (2-4-1, 1-3-1 SOL) hosts conference-leading Pennridge on Thursday at 4:45. Quakertown (4-4, 1-3) visits CB West under the lights at War Memorial Field on Thursday night.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1 1 -2
QUAKERTOWN 1 0 – 1
Goals: CBE – Olivia Portner, Chloe Strawn; Q – Sam Barkholz
SOL NATIONAL
Pennsbury 4, Council Rock South 3
Falcons co-head coaches Kim Lindemann and Kaitlyn Battiste have won district titles, led their team through state playoff battles, guided their teams to conference titles and experienced pretty much all there was to see.
Then, Tuesday afternoon happened.
“In 10 years of coaching together, we agreed that we have never seen a game quite like that,” Lindemann said. “Three goals, in the final three minutes, to win the game is pretty unbelievable.”
Amazingly, all seven goals came in the second half. Evie Ciaccia staked the Falcons to a 1-0 lead just a minute into the half, finishing a pass from Gabby Zalot.
“In the first half both sides were feeling one another out. I believe we hit the post/crossbar three times in the first half, so we were knocking but just couldn’t put it away,” Lindemann said. “At the same time we knew South was going to be dangerous on the attack and on counters. At halftime, we spoke about how important it is to stay disciplined. We knew South was capable of punishing us on any mistakes.”
From there, it was the Sammy Jones show as the superb CR South senior netted a natural hat trick with goals in the 57th, 68th and 75th minute.
“At the beginning of the second half, we got going early when Gabby Zalot played a beautifully chipped ball just over their back line for Evie Ciaccia to run on to and finish. After that, I think we took our foot off the pedal and got too relaxed,” Lindemann said. “South did exactly what we knew they would, and took advantage of our mistakes. They managed to put three away on us and it looked like our chances were fading.”
Pennsbury, which has won five straight SOL National titles, was facing a true litmus test. A loss wouldn’t have ended their title chances, but the outcome of the match was still up to the players on the field.
“Then our girls took over and decided to take the game into their hands,” Lindemann said. “We managed to score three goals in the final three minutes of the game.”
An unbelievable sequence unfolded for the Falcons, starting with Rosie Bostian burying Kendall Palantine’s corner kick in the 77th minute. Just a minute later, the Falcons won a free kick on the edge of the penalty area and some good fortune allowed Ciaccia to get a deflection off the Bostian service and send it to defender Bella Arcuri for the finish to tie the game.
The Pennsbury blitz ended in the 79th minute when freshman Taylor Mays came up clutch again, turning a throw-in from Gianna Durle into the winning tally.
“We often talk to the girls about how each game teaches us something, and win or lose our job is to learn and grow to ultimately be playing our best soccer late in the season,” Lindemann said. “Today’s game clearly taught us that until that final whistle blows, we always stand a chance. Scoring three goals in three minutes is a pretty unbelievable way to come back and take a game from a strong league opponent.”
Lindemann adamantly cited the entire team’s effort in authoring Tuesday’s remarkable comeback. Every year brings new faces into the fold and the Falcons are still far from a finished product.
“This team is learning to come together and find ways to win no matter what challenge they are presented,” Lindemann said. “We know how dangerous that can be late in the season when the games matter the most and we are working on using games like this to be the best team we can be come October.”
Lindemann started the standout efforts with a pair of veteran players in Gabby Zalot and Rosie Bostian and a pair of players off the bench.
“Gabby really controlled the middle for us and Rosie found a way to get us big scoring opportunities late in the game,” Lindemann said. “Grace Palmieri and Lauren Dignan gave us great minutes off the bench at outside mid today as well. They really raised they level each time they came on the field.”
Durle’s throw-in led to the winner, but was only part of her impact.
“Gianna Durle was great on both ends of the field for us,” Lindemann said. “Defender Bella Arcuri putting the game tying goal away was huge. She stayed hungry in front of the net and gave us the chance to keep playing. And of course Evie Ciaccia and Taylor Mays with two big goals as well.”
Council Rock South (4-2, 2-1 SOL) visits William Tennent on Thursday while Pennsbury (5-1-1, 4-0) hosts Harry S Truman.
PENNSBURY 0 4 – 4
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0 3 – 3
Goals: P – Evie Ciaccia, Rosie Bostian, Bella Arcuri, Taylor Mays; CRS – Sammy Jones 3
Bensalm 7, Harry S Truman 1
The Owls picked up a conference win with a big first half, opening up a 5-1 lead over the Tigers.
Bensalem (1-5, 1-3 SOL) will travel to Council Rock North Thursday, and Harry S Truman (0-4) will be on the road at Pennsbury on Thursday.
BENSALEM 5 2 – 7
HARRY S TRUMAN 1 0 – 1
Goals: B – Lexi Cahill 2, Eeluah Barrole, Averill McCoy 2, Sydney Ryan, Armani White
Neshaminy 3, William Tennent 1
SOL AMERICAN
Abington 3, Wissahickon 0
Usually, a team coming off a win doesn’t change all that much going into its next game.
Such was not the case for the Galloping Ghosts on Tuesday. Despite topping Plymouth Whitemarsh last Friday, Abington coach Rick Tompkins wasn’t pleased with his team’s effort.
“We played pretty badly against PW and decided we would change our defensive formation,” Tompkins said. “We implemented it for this game and it worked. We were much more composed in the back and it made a big difference. Olivia Oliphant got her first shutout which was big for her confidence.”
Tompkins’ main issue was the type of soft goals the unit was allowing. Abington had also given up the first goal in every match it had played this season prior to Tuesday, but the defenders seemed to be more relaxed on Tuesday.
Inserting the new formation against the Trojans was going to put the defenders up to task early.
“(Kylie Friedman) up top, she’s good and (Carly) Amato is very good,” Tompkins said of Wissahickon’s forwards. “I think their goaltending is pretty decent as well, the goals we scored were good goals. They have a good team, no doubt about it. We were able to catch them a little bit, go out in front and put the hammer down.”
Abington had to replace a starting lineup’s worth of seniors off last year’s SOL American title team, so Tompkins expected some ups and downs. That said, he’s been pleased with several players seizing the chance to take a bigger role.
“Grace Quinn has stepped up, she’s already got a bunch of goals,” Tompkins said. “We’re a work in progress for sure, but we have a couple good wins here.”
Another player thriving early is freshman Maura Day, who had the Ghosts’ second goal Tuesday on a penalty kick.
“She just completes pass after pass,” Tompkins said. “She has great vision. She’s the one who gets us started, she has a very good first touch and she’s been a revelation.”
Quinn had the first goal for Abington, while Casey Touey continued to be a threat, drawing the foul that led to Day’s PK then assisting Lily Gray.
Wissahickon (3-3, 3-2 SOL) visits Upper Dublin on Thursday while Abington (4-2, 4-1) visits Hatboro-Horsham Thursday night.
ABINGTON – 3
WISSAHICKON – 0
Goals: A – Grace Quinn, Maura Day, Lily Gray
Plymouth Whitemarsh 3, Upper Dublin 0
Coming off a pair of tough defeats to close last week, the Colonials bounced back with a complete effort on Tuesday.
“We just played so well all over the field. We had a game plan, executed it and stuck to it,” PW coach Ryan Zehren said. “We went up 2-0 in the first five minutes and never looked back.”
After falling to Abington on Friday and Lower Merion on Saturday, Zehren had some concerns about how his team would respond. Those concerns were quelled when Lindsey Berman scored off a Leah Kaye assist and Natalie Lannie from Ava Schreiber doubled the lead.
“I was worried going into the game that last week’s tough results, games we were in for the most part and had leads at halftime, could have lingered,” Zehren said. “However, we had a fantastic session yesterday and the girls rose to the challenge of overcoming those loses from the start today.”
PW also had to contend with an Upper Dublin attack finding its footing and loaded with speed.
“Our backs did a great job not letting the ball hit the ground and recovering for each other,” Zehren said. “It was a team effort from our core defenders Gabby Cooper, Bella McNew, Kaitlyn Flanagan and Ava Schreiber, as well as Guadeloupe Carmona and Raya Gauntlet coming off the bench and giving solid minutes.”
Fitting of a team effort, not all contributors made the scorebook.
“Anni Shula didn’t make the stat sheet, but she played well in the midfield on both sides of the ball,” Zehren said.
Upper Dublin (2-4-1, 2-2-1 SOL) hosts Wissahickon on Thursday. Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-3, 3-2) visits Upper Moreland on Thursday
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 2 1 – 3
UPPER DUBLIN 0 0 – 0
Goals: PW – Lindsey Berman (Leah Kaye), Natalie Lannie (Ava Schreiber), Max Leszczynski (Catie Branscome)
Upper Moreland 3, Springfield Twp 2
A miscue by the Golden Bears put them behind early but only served as a rallying point.
“When the first goal of the game is an ‘own goal’ it can break your team or make them rise,” Bears coach Lisa Benvenuto said. “Our girls stepped up today. I am really proud of the way the girls responded and continued to play our game.”
After going down in the sixth minute, Grace Burns helped rally her team back to the lead. Burns first assisted Emma Frasca’s equalizer in the 14th minute then put UM ahead off a feed from Madison Zachweija in the 33rd minute.
Kathryn Morrow added a goal late in the half, which held up as the winner after the Spartans’ Elena Hincapie scored in the 69th minute of play.
“We had some great ball movement through the middle, and our communication on a whole has really improved over the past couple of games,” Benvenuto said. “Springfield is always a competitive game for us, they never let down, as shown by Hincapie’s goal in the second half.”
Upper Moreland (3-3-1, 2-2-1 SOL) plays host to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Thursday. Springfield Twp (0-6-1, 0-5) has a nonleague contest at home against St. Hubert’s on Wednesday.
UPPER MORELAND 3 0 – 3
SPRINGFIELD TWP 1 1 – 1
Goals: UM – Emma Frasca, Chloe Burns, Kathryn Morrow; ST – Elena Hincapie
Hatboro-Horsham 6, Cheltenham 1
The high-flying Hatters maintained their place atop the SOL American table.
“HH is off to a great start to the season,” Hatters coach Kelsey Daley said. “A lot of girls got a lot of minutes in today and it was a complete team effort to win today.”
Emily Thomas led the way with a brace, while Maggie O’Neill, Aly Yankanich, Cam Ryan and Lydia Nolin also scored. Kara Thomas had two assists with Gabby Liott and Caroline Shegogue also adding helpers.
Cheltenham’s goal came from Lola Jahss. Despite results not going in their favor, the Panthers and their young core of players continue to put forth a good effort.
“We’re trying hard,” Cheltenham coach Mark Woodcock said.
Hatboro-Horsham (6-0, 5-0 SOL) will host Abington in a key conference battle Thursday, and Cheltenham (1-6, 0-5) will host Springfield Township on Thursday.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 4 2 – 6
CHELTENHAM 0 1 – 1
Goals: HH – Emily Thomas 2, Maggie O’Neill, Aly Yankanich, Cam Ryan, Lydia Nolin; C – Lola Jahss
Non-league
Council Rock North 4, Conwell Egan Catholic 2
The Indians shook off a slow first half to rally for a win over a side from the PCL.
“We definitely weren’t at our best today, but a lot of that was due to the play of CE,” CR North coach Gavin Flannigan said. “They created turnovers and capitalized on our indecision and mistakes.”
The Eagles flew out to a quick lead, but the Indians rode a brace from Alyssa Lanigan to take a 2-1 lead. CR North couldn’t make it hold up as a long range shot from Conwell-Egan sent the match to the half tied 2-2.
“In the second half we gained some composure and focus and we were able to control the game,” Flannigan said.
Paige Addis battled through a scrum to score the game-winner and Sammy Judge iced the win with an effort from distance. Grace Needham and Sarah Khantzian made six total saves in goal.
“Although we didn’t play the way we wanted, getting the victory was important,” Flannigan said. “We will get back to practice tomorrow and be ready for another league game on Thursday.”
Council Rock North (5-1-1, 2-1-1) will host Bensalem on Thursday.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 2 2 – 4
CONWELL-EGAN 2 0 – 2
Goals: CRN – Alyssa Lanigan 2, Paige Addis, Sammy Judge
About the Author
