Check out the results for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action. Check back for photos of the CR South/CR North game.
By Dan Beck
National Conference
PENNSBURY 6, NESHAMINY 3
Both teams stood at the top of National Conference heading into Monday’s matchup between Neshaminy and Pennsbury. For now, Pennsbury stands alone after their 6-3 defeat of Neshaminy.
The Redskins got themselves on the board first, though. Gabby Farrell scored with an assist from Brooke Mullin in the 13th minute.
It stayed 1-0 until the 32nd minute when Jadyn Peto got the first Falcons goal to tie it up with an assist from Kelly Amador. Then Amador followed that up with a goal of her own minutes later to give Pennsbury the lead.
“After we went down that first goal…it took a little of the wind out of our sails, but we just came firing back.” Pennsbury coach Kaitlyn Battiste said. “Kelly Amador—it was her birthday—she got us rolling. She assisted the first goal and then did all the work the second goal. She took on the keeper and beat her one v. one.”
Neshaminy knotted it up a minute later. Maggie Daeche scored on a penalty kick after a Falcons foul inside the box to make it 2-2 headed into halftime. Battiste said Neshaminy made the most of some Pennsbury mistakes in the first half to keep them in the game.
In the second half, the Falcons got going again. Riley Rudd made a run down the flank, earning the Falcons a PK of their own, which Meredith Webber buried to take back the lead for the Falcons. Cara Thomas then heated up, scoring in the 56th minute with an assist from Riley Rudd to make it 4-2.
Neshaminy answered right back, however. Farrell notched her second goal of the game, this one unassisted to cut the lead to one again.
But then Thomas came alive to put the game away for Pennsbury. Thomas scored her second goal in the 70th minute from Karina Raykova and then completed the hat trick with her third goal in the 74th minute with an assist to Amador to put the game out of reach.
“We told her ‘not just one goal, we need multiple goals from you today’ and she did it,” Battiste said of Thomas. “With her head, with her feet, it was awesome.”
Battiste wanted her team to come into this season with the big picture in mind—the state tournament. But she is pleased to get a big win over a strong opponent in the conference.
“The way we presented this game to the girls is that, ‘this is going to be our biggest test,’” she said. “It was all just about the attitude of who wanted to come out and play. We gave up a goal early, but the way we came firing back – they truly believed that they deserved to win that game. We learned a lot about the team today.”
Holly Bowser made six saves in goal for Neshaminy, while Nany Santiago saved three shots for Pennsbury. Battiste liked the play of Webber in the back, noting she provided “high energy” for the Falcons.
“It was a game of heart,” Battiste added. “There are still some things we need to learn from. We don’t like giving up three goals in a game. That’s not how we play, but it was a nice to see the way we continued to fight back.”
Pennsbury (7-0, 5-0 SOL) will host Council Rock South on Friday. Neshaminy (4-2, 4-1) will face Truman at home.
Neshaminy 2 – 1 – 3
Pennsbury 2 – 4 – 6
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 2, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0
It’s always a big game when the Council Rocks meet. Both teams are usually strong, and that’s certainly the case this year, but both North and South have had rocky starts to this season, dropping a few key conference games.
After losing last Friday to Neshaminy, Wendell Beres saw Monday’s game with neighboring South (a home game for the Golden Hawks, but played at CR North’s Walt Snyder Stadium) as a must-win.
Both teams had their opportunities to jump ahead in the first half, but it remained scoreless through 40 minutes. North’s Kayla Robinson hit the crossbar in the first half, which prompted Beres to talk with his forward at halftime.
“We told her at halftime, ‘keep those balls down.’” the Indians' coach said. “She did and her shot ended up in the back of the goal. Give her credit for remembering that in a big moment.”
Robinson put the Indians up 1-0 with the goal, with an assist from Tori Hill in the 50th minute.
In the 65th minute, Meredith Hill’s pass found the head of Caitlin Duffy, who put it in the back of the net to give North an extra goal advantage, 2-0. Duffy ran about 60 yards down the field to complete the header.
South had a handful of their own opportunities in the second half, but couldn’t find a way to close the gap on North. Jeri Belardo ended the game with six saves in net for the Indians to earn the shutout win.
“The entire team defended really well, not just the backs,” Beres said. “We didn’t leave anyone out on an island. Jeri made some big saves, and (senior defender) Casey McAlister had her best game since I’ve known her. She cleared one off the line, which would have made it 1-1.”
Monday’s game puts both North and South in 2-3 in the league. It’s not where either team wants to be, but Beres is encouraged by his team’s effort. The raucous environment gave the game a different feel for the players.
“It was a great game to watch,” Beres said. “Counting my time with the boys, this is my 12th North-South game and I can’t remember one that was that intense. It was definitely a playoff atmosphere, and for both teams to have that in game six is great. I think both myself and (South coach) Kim Francis would say that if we play that way in every game, we’ll both win a lot more than we lose.”
Beres sees the rivalry victory as an “identity win” for his squad and hopes to build some momentum into the latter half of the season.
“We’re going to be a blue-collar team that goes out and works hard every day,” he added. “Yes, it’s a big time rivalry and it’s always great to be on the positive side of that, but to me it’s about taking it one game at a time.”
CR North (3-3, 2-3 SOL) will take a week off from games and will meet Abington next Monday. CR South (3-3, 2-3 SOL) will play undefeated Pennsbury on Friday.
Council Rock North 0 – 2 – 2
Council Rock South 0 – 0 – 0
BENSALEM 2, HARRY S. TRUMAN 1
Bensalem got the best of Truman to pick up their first win in the National Conference, Monday night.
The Owls struck first in the fifth minute on a goal from Sydney Gold and Bensalem’s 1-0 lead held through the half. It was Gold's first varsity goal.
In the 65th minute, the Owls scored again. Karleigh Hund got the goal to put Bensalem up 2-0.
Truman scored in the 73rd minute with a goal from Jillian East but was unable to complete the comeback
Truman (0-7, 0-5 SOL) will play next on Thursday against Upper Moreland and Bensalem (2-6, 1-4 SOL) takes on William Tennent on Friday.
Bensalem 1 – 1 – 2
Harry S. Truman 0 – 1 – 1
ABINGTON 2, TENNENT 2 (2OT)
In a crucial National Conference battle between a pair of teams in the middle of the standings, no winner came away as the teams tied 2-2.
Abington scored before the end of the first half to take a 1-0 lead into the break with a goal from Camryn Lexow.
In the 60th minute, Tennent got on the board with a goal by Ashley Rivera, assisted by Emily Wasserleben to tie it up. Five minutes later, the Panthers scored again. This time, it was Shannon McGuinn taking a pass from Rachel McCabe.
Abington’s Julia Guarini tied it up in the 70th minute off a short corner kick to send the game into overtime, where it remained tied through the two 10-minute extra time periods.
Abington (3-2-1, 2-2-1 SOL) sits in fourth place in the National Conference and will play Cheltenham in a nonleague game Thursday. Meanwhile, Tennent (4-2-1, 3-1-1 SOL), in third in the National, goes to Quakertown Thursday afternoon.
Abington 1 – 1 – 0 – 0 – 2
William Tennent 0 – 2 – 0 – 0 – 2
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0, SOUDERTON 0 (2OT)
Spots two through five in the Continental Conference were already tight heading into Monday night’s slate of games, and CB South and Souderton did little to change that, as the two sides battled to a scoreless tie.Defense ruled the night as both teams failed to get the ball in the back of the net. Both coaches lauded the backlines for their effort.
“CB South gave little space away and made it very hard to operate and get inside the box,” Souderton coach Chris Felber said. “South was very well organized. It really wasn't until overtime that we created good chances.”
Monday night was the fifth shutout in eight games for the Indians, who sit in second place in the Continental, two points off undefeated CB East.
“[Our defense] has played very well and played a part in our early success, but [Sara Cassle and Hannah Schmidt—they are so tough and smart," Felber said. "They time their tackles so well. Both players give so much going forward, too. I would not change them for anyone in the league."
South’s keeper Sophia Boggs, fresh off a great overtime effort in the Titans’ loss to CB East, made 13 saves for the shutout.
“The defensive play of Nicole Willis, Mac Ehresman, Jaci Ross and Morgan Hilton kept it scoreless through two overtime periods,” South coach Betsy Bullock said.
The Titans now sit in a three-way tie for third place in the conference with Pennridge and CB West, three points off Souderton in second.
CB South (3-2-1, 2-2-1 SOL) resumes play on Friday afternoon against Quakertown, and Souderton (6-1-1, 3-1-1 SOL) travels to Lansdale to play North Penn.
Central Bucks South 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Souderton 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 4, QUAKERTOWN 0
Central Bucks East widened its lead in the Continental Conference with another win, this time against Quakertown.
Delaney Kennedy scored in the first minute off a pass from Emma Loving to put the Patriots up early. Loving scored next, an unassisted goal at the 33-minute mark, and East took a 2-0 lead into the half.
Loving scored again in the 50th minute with an assist from Hannah Zach. East made it 4-0 in the 68th minute on a goal from Jillian Kane, assisted by Andrea Jukubowski.
A trio of East goalies helped keep the shutout intact. Senior Katie Dolf, freshman Kristen Obetz and sophomore Lauren Patrick all saw time in net for the Patriots in the win.
CB East (6-0, 5-0 SOL) will meet up with rival CB West on Friday at home, and Quakertown (2-4, 1-4 SOL) will go to Warrington to play CB South.
Central Bucks East 2 – 2 – 4
Quakertown 0 – 0 – 0
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1, HATBORO-HORSHAM 0
CB West scored in the ninth minute, and that’s all the Bucks would need, beating the Hatters 1-0 on the road.
Mary Kate Vinkler scored the goal with an assist from Tricia Hauck to lift West to the win.
The Bucks had 14 shots to Hatboro-Horsham’s five. Jenny Sutorious made five saves in goal for West to grab the shutout.
Bucks coach Chris Shank noted the strong play of Abby Mulhearn and Ellie Manca in the win.
CB West (4-2-1, 3-1-1 SOL) will battle the conference-leading Patriots of CB East on Friday afternoon on the road in a critical game for both teams. Hatboro-Horsham (0-6, 0-5 SOL) picks up action on Thursday, battling Pennridge.
Central Bucks West 1 – 0 – 1
Hatboro-Horsham 0 – 0 – 0
NORTH PENN 0, PENNRIDGE 0
100 minutes. Zero goals.
North Penn staved off a number of chances by Pennridge, and the two teams walked away from East Rockhill without a winner decided.
After falling to Souderton on Friday, the Rams were once again kept out of the net by Hannah Lambert and the Maidens.
Lambert, the junior keeper for North Penn made 13 saves, to preserve the tie. On the other side of the field, Kaitlin Moran made three saves for Pennridge.
“Hannah Lambert and the defense of Jani Johnston, Riley Houlihan, Liz Volz and Kat Stevenson had phenomenal games as they were able to prevent Pennridge from scoring,” North Penn coach Jim Dehner said.
Pennridge (3-2-1, 2-2-1 SOL) will play again Tuesday, battling Palisades on the road, while North Penn (3-3-2, 1-2-2 SOL) will play at home in a key conference meeting with upstart Souderton.
North Penn 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Pennridge 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
American Conference
UPPER MORELAND 1, CHELTENHAM 0 (OT)
Brianna Byard scored the game winner to lift Upper Moreland to the overtime win.
After 80 minutes of scoreless soccer, the Bears struck first in overtime. 2:10 into the extra period, Amanda Walker crossed the ball to the center where Sarah Veneziale was stationed. Veneziale’s shot ricocheted off Cheltenhem keeper Eliana Wyler. Byard was there to finish off the goal and the game.
After starting league play 0-3, the Bears have roared back to win a pair of shutouts in a row.
Kim Benge made four saves in the win, while Wyler made ten saves for the Panthers.
Upper Moreland had a majority of the chances, outshooting Cheltenham 21-5 in the game. The Bears dominated the second half, leading in shots 16-1. Bears coach Lisa Benvenuto noted three scoring opportunities her team had down the stretch.
“In the second half, [we] turned up the intensity,” the Bears’ coach said. “The last time [we] went to overtime was against Plymouth Whitemarsh where [we] lost. They wanted this game.”
Benvenuto credited Walker, Veneziale, Byard Ashley Kleinert, Sydney Bachmayer, and Christina Kane with outstanding play for the Bears.
Upper Moreland (2-4, 2-3 SOL) returns to action Tuesday when they will take on Norristown. Cheltenham (3-3, 2-3 SOL) will play Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday.
Cheltenham 0 – 0 – 0 – 0
Upper Moreland 0 – 0 – 1 – 1
SPRINGFIELD 1, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 0
The Spartans struck early when Sarah Potocki lofted a shot over the goalie’s head into the back of the net in the opening 15 minutes of Mondays’ game. Potocki’s goal capped a passing sequence that began with Katherine Nelson and then went to Emily Giampietro, who set up a goal that turned out to be the game winner.
“This (win) is huge because we lost to Upper Moreland on Friday,” coach Suzette Wolf said. “We didn’t show up for that game, so this was big because it got our spirits up again. It really just proves the talent and strength that we actually have, but we’re young.
“Whatever wins we get – it’s a fight. The girls are fighters to the end. They don’t give up.”
Wolf credited the strong play of her defense in the shutout.
“My four defenders played solid,” she said. “They were outstanding.
“Lindsey Smith was impenetrable. My outside backs were freshman Julie Kelly, freshman Sam Wynne and Emily Walsh. They were solid, and they worked together. We’ve been having a hard time figuring out who we wanted on defense, who would be the right fit and who would mesh together well, and these four have earned their spots.”
Wolf also lauded the standout performances of sisters Katherine and Meghan Nelson
Springfield (3-2 SOL) is off until next Tuesday when the Spartans will host Upper Dublin while Plymouth Whitemarsh (2-3, 2-4) will travel to Cheltenham on Friday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0-0 0
Springfield 1-0 1
WISSAHICKON 10, NORRISTOWN 0
The Trojans had a handful of players get in on the goal-scoring action in their 10-0 defeat of visiting Norristown.
Madison Elwell, Kysta Memis and Talia Abrahams each scored a pair of goals in the first half for the Trojans. Mady Foglia also added a goal in the first half, as the Trojans led Norristown 7-0 at the break. Elwell had two assists while Foglia and Jasmine Bishop each assisting a goal.
In the second half, Lieke Black had a shot deflect off the post, but she reclaimed the ball and put it back for a 54th minute goal.
In the 70th minute, Inken Senftieben made it 9-0. In the 79th minute Sam Comonitski found Kelly Dickson on a through ball as the Trojans came out with the win.
Nicole Hastings and Keanna Haney split time in goal and made three total saves.
Wissahickon (4-1, 4-0 SOL) will meet Upper Dublin for a battle between teams atop the American Conference on Friday. Norrsitown (0-4, 0-4 SOL) will go home to face Upper Moreland.
Norristown 0 – 0 – 0
Wissahickon 7 – 3 – 10
UPPER DUBLIN 7, UPPER MERION 1
The Flying Cardinals stayed unbeaten in 2015, downing the Vikings in SOL action Monday.
Sizzy Lawton collected her second hat trick in as many games with goals in the 10th, 26th and 47th minutes. Talia Nysch scored goals in the 39th and 43rd minutes, and Paige Lawton also added a pair of goals – connecting in the 78th and 80th minutes to close out the game.
Upper Dublin (6-0, 5-0 SOL) will take on Wissahickon at home on Friday, a clash between the American Conference’s two undefeated teams. Upper Merion (1-6, 1-4) will host Springfield on Thursday.
Upper Dublin 4-3 7
Upper Merion 0-1 1
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