Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action Friday.
Cheltenham 4, Harry S Truman 0
Cheltenham coach Mark Woodcock knows there's talent on his roster, and he got to see it in action on Friday.
"Soccer is an art and when you have artists who are able to express themselves, it's a really great thing to watch," said Woodcock, who hails from England.
With an exceptionally young roster, that talent hasn't gotten a lot of chances to truly prove itself, but it's not for a lack of effort.
"We've got four freshmen either starting or playing a lot of minutes and a few more sophomores so it's taken them a little while to figure out the pace and the strength of the teams we play against," Woodcock said. "It's not that we lack for talent but a lot of our players are still learning what it takes to compete at this level."
Throughout the season, the Panthers have authored a good half or a good 60 minutes, but they hadn't put that full 80-minute match together. To the players' credit, Woodcock said they've played some of their best soccer against the upper-level teams they've come across even if it hadn't shown in the final result.
With so many freshmen and sophomores in the lineup, Woodcock said there's a natural shock when they match up with juniors and seniors, more so with the physical and experienced teams like Hatboro-Horsham and Upper Dublin.
"It doesn't come at the drop of the hat, it's something you learn like riding a bicycle and some of these games had been a learning experience," Woodcock said. "When they look back, I think they'll say it's not great to lose, but it is great to learn."
Woodcock attributed Friday's success on offense to a much cleaner game defensively. He noted sophomore Ella Brown and freshman Lola Jahss in the midfield, along with center defenders Cassie Malek and Elin McLaughlin for keeping the game clean and where the Panthers wanted it.
"Ella Brown, she's had a bit of a slow start to the season but today she really controlled the game," Woodcock said. "A lot of players worked off of her and because of that, they were getting in the right places and creating good opportunities. Lola Jahss, she has all the skill in the world, but again, she and Ella are really at the beginning of their learning curve."
Up top, freshmen Donya Baxter and Peri Albert continued to play with energy and have been receptive to the coaching they've gotten so far.
The next step for this group is consistency. Woodcock wants his players to translate that level they've found against top competition and bring it every game.
"We've played really good games against the top teams and although we haven't gotten the result, I leave those games feeling it's been a good experience and will really help us down the road," Woodcock said. "What we have to do is consistently put that performance in. I've always said consistency is the mark of a good team and if you can be consistent against the top, the middle and the bottom of the league, it says a lot about you.
"If we can see this kind of performance against the better teams in the league, there's no reason we can't be in every game and if we can find it against the teams in the middle or lower end of the pack, I think we can get some results."
Cheltenham (1-6, 0-6 SOL) will host Bodine High in a non-league game Monday, and Harry S Truman (0-7, 0-5) will host William Tennent on Tuesday.
CHELTENHAM – 4
HARRY S TRUMAN – 0
Goals: C – Lia Marquette 2, Talia August, Donya Baxter
Bensalem 4, Dock Mennonite Academy 0
A day after a well-earned conference win, the Owls coaches didn't want any drop off.
The goals didn't come quickly, but Bensalem made sure it didn't disappoint with a resounding nonleague win that also saw a lot of players see time on the pitch.
"The whole team gave a good effort today, I was able to play a lot of bench players that haven't gotten a lot of time," Owls coach Bob Crawford said. "It took a while to score because we were just missing the net, but all the girls worked very hard and we played a good possession game."
Earlier this season, the Owls beat Neshaminy then lost their next two games with lackluster showings.
Even though the ball wasn't going in, Crawford said his team kept playing the right way, pushing the ball up the field, sending in crosses and getting to the ball first.
"The first goal came closer to the half and it felt like everyone was a little more relieved," Crawford said. "We really wore them down toward the end of the game and were able to put three in pretty quick."
Mia Parker led the offense with two goals, while Kayla Poll and Alyssa Groves also found the back of the net. Sydney Miller, normally a fullback defensively, shifted up top for a bit and helped spark the Owls offensively.
The team's midfield had a particularly solid day, keeping the ball moving around to create those opportunities out wide and up top. Crawford noted the efforts of Julia Janzer, Karleigh Hund, Poll, Lauren Antry, Lexi Cahill and Alyssa Groves.
"It felt really good to play some players who haven't gotten a lot of minutes and they responded well to it," Crawford said. "Kayla Poll, she doesn't get a lot of minutes and she was able to score today so I was very happy for her.
"The one thing I'm really proud of is the kids on the bench are always very upbeat and waiting for their opportunity and a lot of them seized it today and showed me some good things."
Bensalem (3-3, 2-2 SOL) will host Council Rock South on Monday.
BENSALEM 1 3 – 4
DOCK MENNONITE 0 0 – 0
Goals: Mia Parker 2, Kayla Poll, Alyssa Groves
Council Rock South 2, Downingtown West 0
The Golden Hawks took to the road and brought plenty of offense with them.
CR South posted a 20-4 advantage in shots but again found the first goal hard to come by.
"We just kept plugging away and really stressed being calm and patient in front of goal," Hawks coach Nick Heim said. "We were stringing passes together well all game but just rushing our chances in front of goal."
Maddy McDowell provided the breakthrough on a shot from about 18 yards out, which was a welcome sight for a Hawks offense flustered by an excellent Downingtown West goalkeeper.
"Their goalie was the best shot-stopper we've seen yet this year and same up with some quality saves," Heim said. "We had to be really precise in the second half."
Heim said his team put up double-digit shots in the first half but still found itself in a 0-0 tie at the intermission.
"To the credit of the girls, they didn't get frustrated or hang their heads," Heim said. "After Maddy found the back of the net, I think we relaxed a bit for sure. We continued to play our game but we began to slow the game down a bit and play the pace we wanted to close the game out at."
Allie Jones provided the insurance goal to cap off a strong outing.
"Allie Jones was very dynamic for us and so was Sammy," Heim said. "Kimmie Herritt and Aubrey Hondros really controlled possession for us."
Council Rock South (4-2, 2-2 SOL) will travel to Bensalem on Monday.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0 2 – 2
DOWNINGTOWN WEST 0 0 – 0
Goals: CRS – Maddy McDowell, Allie Jones
Pennington 1, Pennsbury 0
Last year, the Falcons scored a major win when they defeated the New Jersey power 2-1. They didn't get a result this year but kept pace with a top-notch side.
"Pennington is probably the most complete team from front to back we've seen this season," Falcons coach Kaitlyn Battiste said. "They've got speed and skill in multiple positions. Each team had a few opportunities to put the ball away and they were able to capitalize today where we weren't."
Pennington, with a roster that boasts several Division I recruits, has tons of speed and likes to pressure the ball from first to final whistle.
"Neither team stopped battling and there was some solid possession on both sides of the ball," Battiste said. "I thought our girls played well; I didn't feel as much that we lost this game or did things wrong. It was more that Pennington did what they needed to do to win this game."
Battiste felt there were plenty of lessons for her team to take away from the match and felt her team put forth an effort worthy of a result on the field.
"Kendall Palatine was a force out there today; very dynamic and created multiple scoring opportunities for us," Battiste said. "Additionally, I thought Christine Cataldo-Smith and Evie Ciaccia kept battling for us up top. They didn't find the back of the net for us today, but they did a lot of other little things for us that kept us believing we still had a chance even up to the final whistle."
Pennsbury (8-1, 5-0 SOL) will be on the road at Neshaminy on Tuesday.
PENNINGTON – 1
PENNSBURY – 0
Souderton 2, Garnet Valley 1
The Indians fired a barrage of shots against GV's defense but had a hard time converting many of them.
Luckily, Sara Readinger plays for Souderton and made the most of two chances to hand the Indians a win on Friday.
"In the first half alone, Souderton tallied 15 shots and five corner kicks, but struggled to find the back of the net. A few smart saves from Garnet Valley's goalkeeper, combined with Souderton's inability to capitalize on their chances kept the game very close, despite Souderton's dominance," Souderton assistant coach Ian Smith said. "Souderton was able to find the back of the net with a little bit of luck, after a long range effort from senior Sarah Readinger took an awkward hop off the grass field and popped over the diving goalkeeper."
Indians coach Lindsy Jones also cited the play of Readinger's central midfield partner Campbell Power.
"She moved the ball well and changed the point of attack," Jones said of the senior.
The Jaguars capitalized on some of Souderton's frustration early in the second half.
"Within 10 minutes of the second half starting, Garnet Valley caught us unorganized in the back and evened the score out," Jones said. "Sara then broke the tie toward the latter half of the second half."
Morgan Molyneaux made the initial save on the GV goal, but her defense wasn't able to clear the ball and an unmarked striker following the play knocked home the rebound.
Readinger stayed steady and when her chance came, the senior buried it.
"With 18 minutes left in the match, Readinger hit a shot from over 20 yards out that hit the bottom of the crossbar and just dropped behind the line to put her team up 2-1," Smith said. "Readinger grabbed her first brace of the year and was perhaps a bit unlucky not to grab a hat-trick."
While the Indians clearly would have liked to put a few more away, they still picked up a nonleague win on the road.
"Souderton had a total of 25 shots, which is a good indication of how the match played out," Smith said.
Souderton (3-1-2, 2-1-2 SOL) will travel to Lansdale Catholic Saturday for a non-league game.
SOUDERTON 1 1 – 2
GARNET VALLEY 0 1 – 1
Goals: S – Sara Readinger 2
William Tennent 2, Wissahickon 1 (OT)
Becca Smith had no hesitation stepping up to the penalty spot in extra time with a chance to win her team the match.
"She hit the last one and she stepped right up to take this," Tennent coach Bill Hontz said. "I always want someone to step up rather than telling someone to take it."
Smith buried the PK in the 89th minute to hand Tennent what Hontz dubbed a "hard-earned" win over a game Wissahickon side on Friday.
"Caroline Weir made the difference today with a goal early and drawing the PK in the very end of the game," Hontz said. "We missed our chances throughout with Wissahickon's two keepers playing outstanding."
Paige Schmidt made her return for the Panthers, giving them not only their defensive ace back, but allowing Jenna Rodebaugh back in the midfield in a move that helped win the game.
"Making that small adjustment in our midfield helped control possession," Hontz said. "It was nice getting our star defender Paige Schmidt back from an ACL injury late last fall. She was a workhorse down the stretch last year and worked hard the last 11 months to get back on the field."
Hontz said Schmidt came to him and declared herself ready to get back on the pitch and contribute.
"I'm very proud of her and she will help us get back on track," Hontz said.
Weir scored in the 25th minute to put Tennent on the board before getting fouled in the box late to set up Smith's winning spot kick.
William Tennent (4-4, 2-2 SOL) will be on the road at Harry S Truman on Tuesday, and Wissahickon (3-5, 3-3) will host Upper Moreland on Tuesday.
WILLIAM TENNENT 1 0 1 – 2|
WISSAHICKON 0 1 0 – 1
Goals: WT – Caroline Weir, Becca Smith (PK)
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