Check out the recaps for SOL boys’ soccer teams in action Friday. CB East/CR South photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a
Gallery of photos. (Wissahickon/William Tennent photo courtesy of Josh Stelzer/Wissahickon soccer. Pennridge/Truman photo courtesy of Althea Tomlinson/Pennridge soccer)
SOL Crossover games
Plymouth Whitemarsh 1, Cheltenham 0
It was a result a long time coming for the Colonials.
Injuries and illness have left the Colonials shorthanded in every match this fall, but first-year head coach TJ DeLucia has seen his group just press on and keep battling. It didn’t come easily against a Cheltenham team that’s battled just as hard this fall, but PW could finally tally a win on Friday.
“After losing some players, we changed formation after two games. We’ve had to plug in players in different positions almost every game. Every player is completely willing to play wherever for the team,” DeLucia said. “We have wings playing defense and forwards playing midfield. No one complains. They make it work, they ask questions and they want to learn.”
PW nearly came back from a three-goal deficit against Wissahickon on Wednesday, and while the Colonials couldn’t get the result there, DeLucia felt it was the start of something bigger.
“After Wiss, which was such an incredible effort, we told the team that our season was restarting and our record was 0-0,” DeLucia said. “So, now we’re 1-0 and we have to keep getting better each day, and I expect that we’ll be playing our best soccer in October.”
Sophomore Caelin Kosvitch, who DeLucia called “a rising star,” netted the game-winner on a well-taken goal from long range.
Another sophomore, goalkeeper Caitlyn Dinh, has impressed all fall and drawn plenty of praise from PW’s opponents. Friday, she was able to keep the clean sheet and help her team pick up the win.
DeLucia has lauded Dinh’s preparation and consistency even with inexperienced players and lineup changes in front of her.
“She’s the real deal. Studies the game, watches film, analyzes and takes notes. IQ is through the roof. She commands the box. Comes off her line. And her reactions and technique on point blank shots are just the best I’ve seen from any keeper in my six years with the program,” DeLucia said. “We have a talented but young and inexperienced backline, so she has to be the leader back there and be completely dialed in for 80 minutes. She welcomes that challenge as a sophomore.”
PW needed every bit of Dinh’s efforts, especially with Cheltenham applying a lot of pressure in the second half.
“Even though we lost to PW 1-0 today, the score is not reflective of the game our girls played. Aside from the goal we gave up midway through the first half, we played competitively and had a dominant second half,” Panthers’ coach Leah Matusow said. “We had some good set pieces and opportunities off of our corners, just didn’t finish. The PW keeper made some nice saves. The energy from our team was great and I continue to be proud of the fight we bring to every game.”
The Colonials had plenty of other standout contributors on Friday, starting with their senior leader in the center of the field.
“Through it all, senior captain Fiona Gooneratne has kept the team together and working hard. She was strong in midfield today, along with sophomore Abby Boegner and junior Ella Clark,” DeLucia said. “Cheltenham had no quit and kept the pressure on all game. Defenders Liberty Daddona, Katie Lukens, Meghan Wendler, Brianna Reynolds, and Lauren Ianniello held strong to finish the game out.”
Nothing builds confidence quite like a winning result can and DeLucia is hoping the Colonials have turned the corner.
“We have some consistency now from the Wiss game and today, so I’m hoping our defense continues to grow together and our new midfield will begin to feel more comfortable with each other and how we want to attack the rest of the way,” DeLucia said.
Cheltenham (2-6, 0-6 SOL) will host rival Abington at 3:30 on Tuesday. PW (1-5) will host New Hope-Solebury on Tuesday at 3:30.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 1 0 – 1
CHELTENHAM 0 0 – 0
Goals: PW – Caelin Kosvitch
Upper Dublin 4, Springfield Township 2
The Cardinals’ attack put together its best output of the season at the right time.
A gritty and hardworking Spartans squad became the first team this fall to put multiple goals away against UD’s defense, but the visitors had more than enough answers.
Goals by Alex Devers, Lily Kleiman, Ava Costanzo and Meg McMeel propelled UD to an important win.
“Springfield never quit, scoring once in each half and making life difficult for UD,” UD coach Chuck Gesing said. “The coaches credit the outstanding effort of Berkley Harmon, Maddie Amoia, Olivia Hoffman and Cat Scullen for keeping the pressure on Springfield and eventually breaking the game open.”
UD struck early, snagging a lead in the first five minutes of play behind Devers, who scored for the third consecutive game, but the Spartans recovered well.
“In the 13th minute, Kalei Noonan played a beautiful free kick into the box and Alana Decker finished off the play with a flick header over the keeper,” Springfield coach Dan Malora said.
The Spartans would get another goal, thanks to some hustle and heart.
“Freshman Leni Rumer ran down a ball in the corner that everyone else had given up on. She saved it from rolling out, got off the cross and Kaleigh Evans finished the sequence,” Malora said. “After that, Upper Dublin played some stout defense and made it really hard on our attackers.”
The Cardinals, who had allowed just two goals on the year entering the game, rallied to regain the lead just before the half thanks to their speedster attacker Kleiman.
Gesing said it was a matter of being a little more determined offensively that led to the outpouring of goals.
“We challenged the girls not to settle for shots they can always get (outside the box). We said – let’s get in the box and see what happens,” Gesing said. “Alex got in deep early and buried one near post, Lily was able to get inside and score and Ava found the ball bouncing in the box, behind defense and she was able to tuck it away. That allowed some space further out for McMeel to find hers from distance.”
Springfield Twp (2-5, 2-4 SOL) travels to Quakertown for a 7pm Tuesday start. Upper Dublin (3-1-3, 3-1-2) faces William Tennent at 3:30 on Tuesday in what is scheduled to be the Cardinals’ first home match of the fall.
UPPER DUBLIN 3 1 – 4
SPRINGFIELD TWP 1 1 – 2
Goals: UD – Alex Devers, Lili Kleiman, Ava Constanzo, Meghan McNeel; ST – Alana Decker, Kaleigh Evans
Abington 3, Lower Moreland 0
The Ghosts’ rounding-into-form attack was enough to halt Lower Moreland’s five-match winning streak as the sides opened their crossover slate Friday.
“Abington overcame a determined and well-organized Lower Moreland team,” Ghosts coach Rick Tompkins said.
Senior Mei Mei Cheng opened the account for Abington with a first half goal. The Ghosts, behind junior Maura Day, would add two more goals with one coming on each side of the halftime break.
“Maura Day had a beautifully driven corner kick that Carley Slavin headed in for a 2-0 lead, and Maura added the third Ghosts goal late in the game to seal the victory,” Tompkins said. “Madison Oldham and Anna Cleary played extremely well for Abington.”
Abington (5-2, 5-1 SOL) will visit neighborhood rival Cheltenham at 3:30 on Tuesday. Lower Moreland (5-3, 4-2) will play host to Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday at 3:30.
ABINGTON 2 1 – 3
LOWER MORELAND 0 0 – 0
Goals: A – Mei Mei Cheng, Maura Day, Carley Slavin
Hatboro-Horsham 3, Upper Moreland 0
The Hatters’ attack rebounded from a shutout loss Wednesday to hand the next-door rival Golden Bears a loss as SOL crossover play began.
“It was a total team effort today to get the win,” Hatters coach Kelsey Daley said.
Sabrina Ibrahim, Mia Malofiy and Christina Bender all scored in the first half to pace the Hatboro-Horsham offensive output.
The Hatters got on the board in the first five minutes and made the most of their opportunities.
“We made some mistakes early on that we couldn’t make up for on the back side. We had our chances, some really good opportunities that we just couldn’t capitalize on,” UM coach Lisa Benvenuto said. “For the majority of the match, possession was pretty even between both teams. We had the build up, the ball movement, but couldn’t find the back of the net.
“Great effort today from Kyra Favors, Mallory Roedig, Molly Meakim and Annalise Messina.”
Martine Royds picked up the shutout in goal for the Hatters.
Upper Moreland (4-1-1 SOL) will step out of SOL play to visit Upper Merion at noon on Saturday. The Hatters (3-2-1) will travel to Lower Moreland for a 3:30 start on Tuesday.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 3 0 – 3
UPPER MORELAND 0 0 – 0
Goals: HH – Sabrina Ibrahim, Mia Malofiy, Christina Bender
Quakertown 4, New Hope-Solebury 1
The Panthers got a much-needed offensive boost Friday.
“I was pretty satisfied with what we did today, we created a lot of chances and didn’t give up very many,” Quakertown coach Mike Koch said. “We got more dangerous than we’d been in recent games, so that was a good thing. It was a good game in all facets.”
Koch said the stretch of crossover games could be good for his team, giving the Panthers a chance to face some unfamiliar opponents.
This fall, the Panthers have been at their best with the ball out wide, and Koch was pleased to see his team get back to doing that on Friday.
“We did a good job moving the ball through the midfield which created opportunities to get the ball out wider,” Koch said.
Callie Abel opened the scoring midway through the first half unassisted, then the Panthers added on three more goals, all coming off a set-up by another player. Koch said all of his team’s goals were well-taken, but freshman Rachel McMonagle had a highlight on the team’s third tally.
“It was a laser,” Koch said. “It looked like it was going to burn a hole in the back of the net.
“Callie Abel and Trinity Lucas’ goals were well-hit balls, and Carlee Roseener’s goal was the result of some hard work to get to the right spot and finish a free kick from Kyla Frederick.”
Brianna Stefenack and Angela Calvanese also tallied assists for Quakertown.
“I have some freshmen, McMonagle, who scored the goal, and Ashlyn Calabria and Taylor Kletzing who have all been really big parts of our program,” Koch said. “Ashlyn and Taylor really did a lot of good work as well today.”
New Hope-Solebury (1-5-1, 1-4-1 SOL) will visit Plymouth Whitemarsh at 3:30 on Tuesday. Quakertown (2-2-2, 2-1-2) will visit Wissahickon to make up a weather postponed game on Monday at 3:30.
QUAKERTOWN 2 2 – 4
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 0 1 – 1
Goals: Callie Abel, Trinity Lucas, Rachel McMonagle, Carlee Roesener; NHS – Ciara Maguire
Wissahickon 6, William Tennent 0
The Trojans offense capped off the week with a strong offensive output.
Wissahickon, which went 2-0-1 in its three matches, recorded 11 goals on the week. Five players, led by a brace from Margaret Wilde, scored for the Trojans on Friday. Kylie Friedman, Emma Baker, Amanda Brecher and Lucy Greenstein each added a single goal.
“First clean sheet for Taylor Piergrossi in goal,” Wiss coach Chris McDaniels said.
Wissahickon hosts Quakertown in a make-up game Monday at 3:30. Tennent will take on William Tennent at 3:30 on Tuesday.
WISSAHICKON – 6
WILLIAM TENNENT – 0
Goals: Wiss – Margaret Wilde 2, Kylie Friedman, Emma Baker, Amanda Brecher, Lucy Greenstein
Bensalem 1, Central Bucks South 0
Friday’s contest could have been a mirror-match for its two contestants.
The Owls and Titans have both faced a very difficult slate of games this season, and both have put forth consistently strong efforts but just haven’t seen the results they’ve hoped. While Bensalem got the win on Friday, it wasn’t one that came without stress.
“We played really well in the first half, played a possession style game and controlled the ball,” Owls’ coach Bob Crawford said. “It was really back and forth and the second half, they really took it to us. We were on our heels the whole time and it was a good thing we scored the first half.
“We eked out a win, it was two tough teams going at each other.”
Bensalem got the game’s lone goal off a set piece in the first half. Lily Salayda hit an in-swinging corner kick with her left foot that stayed alive due to some work from her teammates in the box before Averi McCoy was able to punch it home.
The Owls have competed all fall, but results are hard to come by against SOL Patriot opponents, and Crawford noted it doesn’t get any easier in these crossover games.
“It felt real good, the girls were really happy, a lot of them have been putting the work in for three or four years and weren’t getting the results,” Crawford said. “They’re starting to see if they stay together and play together, they can win.”
In a 2-0 loss to Neshaminy on Monday, the Owls came on strong after halftime and Crawford felt that experience helped his team out greatly against the Titans.
“What they took from Neshaminy is how hard it is to win a ball,” Crawford said. “Neshaminy is really good at winning the 50/50 balls by being willing to put their bodies in there. They really pushed us around, and the girls started to see they can’t let themselves be pushed around, they have to get in there if they want to win those balls.”
Bensalem thrived with its possession in the opening 40 minutes, keyed by Lexi Cahill and Sam Daut leading in the midfield and Farrah Watson and Caitlin Groves working hard up top.
“We got lucky a couple times but our girls also battled really, really hard and I’m proud of them,” Crawford said. “CB South, I know their record isn’t going the way they wanted to, but they are a very tough team and very well coached. Every team on our schedule is so good, it just gets tougher and tougher.”
The Owls’ defense was tested repeatedly in the second half, but goalkeeper Haley Esposito was able to keep the ball out of the net and the defenders in front of her stood tall. Senior Delaney Bell and her sister Devon, a freshman, plus Vanessa Shay, were standouts on the back line.
“Teams may see our records from the past, we’re not a small school but we are smaller when it comes to soccer, so I think some teams take us for granted a little bit,” Crawford said. “That may play into our advantage now, but I’m not sure in the future it will.
“Even when the second half wasn’t going our way, they never hung their heads and just kept battling. They’re a group that’s always going to keep fighting no matter what the score is.”
Bensalem (3-2, 2-2 SOL) will host CB East at 3:30 on Tuesday. CB South (2-5, 1-5) will host CR North at 4 p.m. on Tuesday.
BENSALEM 1 0 – 1
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0 0 – 0
Goals: B – Averi McCoy
Central Bucks West 2, Neshaminy 1
The Bucks rode a stirring second half comeback to knock Neshaminy from the ranks of the unbeatens in a very intense SOL crossover game Friday.
“We came into the game not knowing anything about the other division,” West coach Mike Moyer said. “We knew Neshaminy was 5-0 or 6-0 and they had been winning games 4-0, 4-1, and we just knew this game was going to be really tough. I’m super proud of my girls for going out there, winning every 50/50 that they could and just playing our game and not catering to their game and coming out on top. It was just a good win.”
West controlled the stat sheet in terms of set pieces, getting 15 corners, but it was Neshaminy that made the most of them.
“They had one corner kick in the second half and they scored to go up 1-0,” Moyer said.
The lead barely lasted long enough to take note of it.
“On the tap, we played a quick ball to Shea Lubin, she beat her girl, played a ball through to Riley Corona,” Moyer said. “Riley had a great one touch to make it 1-1, and I felt that changed the whole momentum of the game.”
It was an unexpectedly fast turn of events for a Bucks’ team that seemed a bit rattled at the break.
“We kind of settled in. The first half we could not have played any worse, and we still were the better team. That’s what I tried to tell the girls at halftime – ‘Listen, we just played our worst half of the season, and we’re tied 0-0 with a team that hasn’t lost yet,’ so that was the motivation going into the second half,” Moyer said. “They scored, and it was like, ‘Oh my god, what’s going on,’ and then we scored right away. That to me is like just how awesome of a team we have. We were down 1-0, and they literally countered with a great goal six seconds later.”
Halftime proved quite busy for the Bucks, between the motivational talks, a few pointedly direct comments to a few players that needed to up their game and some tactical adjustments.
“We changed our formation for the second half,” Moyer said. “We felt we could go at them and we did. The ball was in their half 35 of the 40 minutes. We just dominated, but it was one of those games where we just couldn’t score.
“Finally, we got a set piece. We take a corner kick, there’s a scrum in the box. The ball comes back to Taylor (Moyer), and Taylor hits a missile that the goalie makes a great save on, but Shea Lubin is right there to knock it home for a 2-1 win.”
The week ends with back-to-back big wins for West after falling to CB East on Monday, and Moyer had no shortage of standout players in Friday’s rally.
“Props to Jules Broskey, my goalie, and props to Courtney Moylan and Kate Weyer – they were unbelievable in the back today,” Moyer said. “In the second half, Alexis Castro and Eva Wierzbowski were great in the midfield. I destroyed those two at halftime, and the way they responded in the second half was exactly the way I hoped they’d respond. The way they responded in the second half was phenomenal.”
CB West (5-2, 3-2 SOL) hosts Council Rock South at 3:30 on Tuesday. Neshaminy (5-1) will host North Penn for a 3:30 start on Tuesday.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0 2 – 2
NESHAMINY 0 1 – 1
Goals: CBW – Riley Corona, Shea Lubin
Central Bucks East 3, Council Rock South 0
In their first seven matches, the Patriots have now faced three of last year’s SOL conference winners.
After opening the season with a win over 2020 Liberty champion Abington, they added a second win over a conference champion when they knocked off the 2020 Patriot champ Golden Hawks to start SOL crossover play.
“It was a tough game for us to manage not being sure what to expect, but I am proud of our group to set the level of physicality and knock the ball in their half the way we did,” East coach Jake Nesteruk said.
Elise Duffy continued her stellar senior season, bagging her seventh goal of the fall and dishing off an assist to Camryn Williams, who also had a big game for the Patriots with two strikes.
Williams tallied first, assisted by Duffy, to give East a 1-0 halftime lead. Duffy would double the advantage in the second half before Williams iced it with a goal assisted by Courtney Curry.
“I was so proud of our group for managing this game from the start and keeping the clean sheet. I thought we made some key adjustments to create some better quality chances. It was great to see some of our kids returning from injury and get some minutes in key moments where we needed possession and better defending higher up the field,” Nesteruk said. “Issie Reid was excellent off the ball today, I thought Gywn and Ashley Macomber created a number of chances from wide spots. Elise was dangerous turning and starting our press.”
East’s first goal came late in the first half with just 1:21 on the clock and giving a crucial blow to a Hawks defense that had been otherwise stout.
“We had a few opportunities on the counter but ultimately East put a second one in to stretch their lead. Karissa Smedley was fantastic in goal for us, making some unbelievable saves in both halves. She kept us in it for a while,” Hawks coach Nick Heim said. “Need to regroup and work on some things and prepare for the rest of the tough crossover schedule.”
CB East (6-1, 5-1 SOL) will visit Bensalem on Tuesday at 3:30. Council Rock South (4-3, 3-2) will travel to CB West on Tuesday at 3:30.
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1 2 – 3
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0 0 – 0
Goals: CBE – Camryn Williams 2, Elise Duffy
Council Rock North 3, Souderton 0
Taylor Brennan is becoming a problem for opposing defenses, as evidenced by her hat trick against Souderton on Friday.
“Taylor’s ability is no surprise to any of our opponents, it seems like they look for her every game, what is admirable is that her work rate and her selflessness for the benefit of the group does not go unnoticed,” CR North coach Gavin Flannigan said. “She is a captain, leads by example and is willing to do what’s necessary for the team.”
After a slow start to the season in terms of games played and results on the field, North has caught up in both regards.
“A long week was punctuated by a good squad performance. This time last Friday we had played three games in two weeks and now we have played seven. Our schedule this week was tough, and finishing with a cross divisional game with an unfamiliar opponent is never easy,” Flannigan said. “Since pre-season we have been telling the girls that we believe in the depth of the roster we have, today was an example of that belief.
“We were able to share minutes across the whole roster, and the energy we got from the group definitely made a difference against a team that seemed a little short handed in numbers today.”
Two of Brennan’s goals came from the penalty spot and her first put North ahead early. It wasn’t enough to deter Souderton, which rode some good goalkeeping to keep it a one-goal game at the break.
“We went down early in the match after giving up a pretty weak penalty that CR North was able to convert. After the first goal we were on our heels a bit and we held onto the one-goal deficit thanks to a number of strong saves from senior goalkeeper Ashlyn Odenwald,” Souderton coach Ian Smith said. “Odenwald made a particularly impressive save off a corner kick, scooping an effort directed toward the back post with the palm of her hand and out of the net.”
Souderton has struggled in terms of results but not in willingness to play hard and not give up on a game. Few players on the roster epitomize that more than Avery Nogami, who gives her all every second she is on the pitch.
“We started the second half with a pretty good response and were able to win 50-50s in the midfield as we tried to pressure CR North,” Smith said. “Avery Nogami (senior captain) did a great job of putting some pressure on the CR North back line, but we weren’t able to convert on our few attacking chances.”
A corner kick led to a scrum inside the six-yard box that Brennan was able to finally punch home for her second and some needed breathing room. Souderton would get called for another penalty late in the match while trying to get back in the game, giving Brennan a chance to seal the win and her hat trick.
CR North is hoping its two-match win streak will continue to grow as the team starts to settle in after some early-season changes.
“We made some changes after our loss against CR South, some tactical, and some due to losing DJ Lepore to an ACL for the season. Losing DJ made us rethink a lot of things, which tells you her importance to the team,” Flannigan said. “We have managed to find a lineup that we think maximizes the players available and allows us to utilize the depth we have across the roster. Shannon Liedl was impactful today, as were Lexi Fischer, Ella McAleer and Julia Puckett late in the game.
“We continue cross division play next week with some more tough games, but as a staff we are delighted with the reaction we have gotten this week to our slow start.”
CR North (4-3, 3-2 SOL) will visit CB South for a 4pm start on Tuesday. Souderton (1-6-1, 0-5-1) hosts Harry S Truman at 5pm on Tuesday.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 1 2 – 3
SOUDERTON 0 0 – 0
Goals; CRN – Taylor Brennan 3
North Penn 3, Pennsbury 0
The Knights have been at their best this fall when they’ve been able to possess the ball and move off of it to connect passes.
It hasn’t always led to goals, but everything came together the right way on Friday as North Penn picked up a win over the visiting Falcons to open the crossover slate.
“We’ve been doing a lot of things really well, it felt good to finally connect a little bit more on the offensive end. I thought the way we moved and possessed the ball was fantastic,” Knights co-head coach Mike Rio said. “We played with a lot of composure around the whole field in using our space and finding the right players.”
Lauren Blanch and Ella Broadhurst both scored early as the Knights jumped out of the gates fast.
“We were able to finally take care of the chances we created. Ella And Lauren each hit really great shots from just outside the 18 for our first two goals and then Andie Salmon scored after a great corner from Riley Saxman,” Rio said. “After falling short of getting a positive result Wednesday, this was a great way to end the week and start off our cross league schedule.”
With the schedule the Knights play, faster is better when it comes to time on the ball and knowing where to go next. The team has put a lot of time into honing its passing, movement and possession.
Keeping the ball also reduces stress on the defense, and goalkeepers Anna Fiore and Grace McGarry were able to combine for the shutout against a solid Falcons’ attack.
“We’ve just been working on playing the ball fast and keeping it moving. The girls consistently try to find the open player and string passes together,” Rio said. “The competition that we play against is so strong that you don’t get a lot of time to mess around with the ball before you are being pressured. We have stressed the importance of working hard on and off the ball and the girls are not taking any plays off when they are on the field.”
North Penn (3-3-1, 3-2-1 SOL) travels to Neshaminy for a 3:30 game Tuesday. Pennsbury (3-4-1, 2-3-1) hosts Pennridge for a playoff rematch at 3:30 on Tuesday.
NORTH PENN 3 0 – 3
PENNSBURY 0 0 – 0
Goals: NP – Lauren Blanch, Ella Broadhurst, Andie Salmon
Pennridge 7, Harry S Truman 0
The Rams continued to put away goals as they opened crossover play against the Tigers.
Freshman Jessie Moylan grabbed her first varsity goal on a terrific header to highlight the day for Pennridge. Joey Tomlinson, Riley Hepler, Emily Kriney, Sophie Craig, Gabby Hermann and Kate Brashear also each scored a goal.
Despite the setback, Truman defenders Theresa Emrich, Kelsey McFarland, Taylor DeCaro, Ashley McManamon, and Marissa Olsen played a strong second half to record a scoreless frame.
Truman (0-7, 0-6 SOL) will visit Souderton at 5pm on Tuesday. Pennridge (7-0, 5-0) will travel to Pennsbury in a rematch of a district playoff game last year at 3:30 on Tuesday.
PENNRIDGE 7 0 – 7
HARRY S TRUMAN 0 0 – 0
Goals: P – Joey Tomlinson, Riley Hepler, Emily Kriney, Sophie Craig, Jessie Moylan, Gabby Hermann, Kate Brashear
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