SOL Girls' Soccer Wrap (9-26-13)

Check the results for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action Thursday. Check back to view photos of the Pennsbury/Neshaminy and CR North/CR South games.

National Conference

NESHAMINY 2, PENNSBURY 1 (OT)
For 58 minutes, the two top teams in the National Conference battled back and forth until someone finally got on the scoreboard. Cassandra Berger headed down the left side of the field and sent a cross to Mary Webb that Redskins keeper McKenna Mullin bobbled, allowing Webb to knock it in the back of the net and do something no other team has done this season - hold a lead over the Redskins. Not only did Webb’s goal put the Redskins in a hole for the first time in 2013, it also was the first goal scored by a league opponent and just the second goal scored on the ‘Skins this season.
“It was a great game and we were obviously so excited to score first,” said Falcons coach Kim Voorhees. “ But with less than 10 to go, they got a free kick and capitalized on it.”
In the 74th minute, Amy Heller served Katie Suchodolski the ball, and she put in the equalizer.
“It was definitely an exciting game,” said Redskins coach Rachel Clemens. “I was very proud of my girls and how they responded to being down a goal. The goal scored against us fueled a little more intensity.”
Sucholodolski’s goal sent the game into overtime, but only five minutes elapsed before Jess Kelly scored the game-winner when she was left unmarked on a corner kick, preserving her team’s perfect 9-0 (7-0 SOL) record.
“They showed a lot of character and heart to come from behind and win,” said Clemens. “They put up a good fight, but we definitely had more opportunities to finish.”
The Redskins held a 22-8 advantage in shots in the victory, and although the Falcons lost, there is still a silver lining.
“We are happy to know we are right there with them,” said Voorhees, who credited freshman Meredith Webber for containing Redskin standout Megan Schafer. “We were really proud of how the girls played overall, and we will look forward to seeing them in the last game of the season.”
The Falcons absorbed their first loss of the season as their record felt to 4-1-2 (7-1-2 overall), and they look ahead to host Bensalem on Tuesday while the Redskins host Truman.
NESHAMINY  0-1-1   2
PENNSBURY  0-1-0   1

COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 1, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0 (OT)
The matchup of these crosstown rivals is always an electric one, but it was senior night for the Golden Hawks, and that provided even more of a spark, carrying the Hawks to the win over the Indians.
“It was our senior night and that played a huge role in terms of getting them pumped up,” said Hawks coach Kimmy Francis. “Regardless of how either team is doing, it’s always going to be a huge game.”
The Hawks’ game plan was to attack on every tap, and Francis felt they were more than successful in doing that.
“Our goal was to answer the whistle,” said Francis. “We wanted to be all over the place and have crazy   energy, and we answered all three whistles huge.”
Although the Hawks were playing a solid game and controlled most of the possession, the shot prospects were few and far between for both teams, sending the teams into overtime after battling to a scoreless tie.
Three minutes into the extra time, Becca Davey received a ball from a wide pass and slipped it in to Nikki Caffey. Caffey got a shot off but there was a scramble and Gabi Rosenfeld ran through the loose ball and finished it for the game-winner.
“As a whole, they came out and performed well,” said Francis. “It is one of the first games I can say we played 80-plus minutes and played them well. There is usually a lull or a weaker half, but today it was a solid group effort.”
The Hawks need to recover quickly to host Downingtown East in an important non-league game on Friday while the Indians host Tennent on Tuesday. The Hawks upped their record to 5-1-1 (6-1-1 overall) and move into second place spot while the Indians fell to 3-2-2 (3-3-3 overall).

BENSALEM 0, ABINGTON 0 (2 OT)
The Owls’ goal heading into Thursday’s game was to close out the first round of league play with a win at home. Unfortunately for both teams, two overtimes couldn’t determine a winner.
“It seemed to me that at the start we came out pretty fast, and as the game wore on, the momentum seemed to shift a bit,” said Owls coach Lew Mladjen. “With each minute that went by without us scoring, Abington gained momentum.”
An abundance of whistles, especially in the second half, didn’t help either team.
“The refs played a major role in it both ways,” said Mladjen. “But the players still can play the game. So many fouls were being called on both us, that there were a lot of free kicks, but both teams were a step too late.”
“My girls took this pretty hard,” continued Mladjen whose team has shown marked improvement from last season. “We viewed this game as a game we were targeting so we could set the next half of the season up the right way.”
Although disappointed to walk away with a tie, the Owls lost to the Ghosts twice last year, so Mladjen admitted it’s a step in the right direction.
“Hopefully, they take the positives away,” the Owls coach said. “A tie is not easy to come out with in this league no matter who you are playing.”
Abington coach Rick Tompkins was impressed with the spark that Emily Valleras provided the Ghosts on attack along with the play of Gabby Nolan, who led the team with four shots.
The Owls (2-3-2, 2-6-2) start the second half of the season with the daunting task of facing both Pennsbury and Neshaminy next week and they host Cheltenham in a non-league game Friday afternoon. The Ghosts record is now 2-4-1 (3-6-1 overall), and they match up with Council Rock South on Tuesday.
BENSALEM   0-0-0-0   0
ABINGTON    0-0-0-0   0

WILLIAM TENNENT 5, TRUMAN 0
The Panthers cruised to their first league win on Thursday, staking out a 3-0 lead before halftime. Melissa Andoloro led the Panthers with two goals while Ashley Swaim, Alyssa Christiansen and Renee Turgyan each chipped in single goals for the Panthers, who upped their record to 1-6 SOL (2-7 overall). The Tigers finish the first go round in the league 0-7 (1-8 overall). Tennent will try and maintain momentum on Tuesday when the Panthers travel to Council Rock North while Truman visits undefeated Neshaminy.
WILLIAM TENNENT  3-2    5
TRUMAN   0-0   0

Continental Conference

CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1, HATBORO HORSHAM 0 (Wed., Sept. 25)
The Bucks and the Hatters battled for forty minutes, yet no one was able to get on the scoreboard.
“It was an even first half, and there were very few chances for us and a couple better chances for them,” said Bucks coach Jorge Rodriguez. “We really couldn’t connect on the ground, we played a lot of kick and run soccer.”
Coming off a 0-0 double overtime tie with North Penn on Tuesday, the Bucks were determined to get one in the win column and came out in the second half and possessed the ball.
“We started playing more possession soccer and were able to get in behind them a little more,” said Rodriguez.
Finally the Bucks’ surge paid off when Carmen Talesco played a corner kick to Shea McCarty in the 52nd minute, setting her up to head in the game-winner. The Hatters weren’t finished, however, and with less than two minutes to go, Hatter Annette Disipio was right in front of the net when she attempted a shot. West keeper Grace Bendon answered with lightening fast reflexes and stopped the ball short of the goal line, preserving the shutout and preventing what would have been her team’s sixth overtime session.
“In the last ten minutes, Horsham really came at us strong,” said Rodriguez. “Our senior captain Emily Grove had her best game of season, playing outstanding in middle of field.”
"I was proud of the effort and performance," said Hatters coach Ben Winderman.  "West didn't give us much in terms of space, but our girls were resilient, and these are games that we will eventually get on the other side of." 
Winderman praised the play of Mikaela Malofiy, Rachel Kaplan, and Maddy McNutt.
Rodriguez admitted that the Bucks aren’t in the best place right now and are struggling to adjust to life without Division I recruit Kelsey Horst, who has been out since suffering a high ankle sprain against CB East.
“Losing Kelsey, who is one of our forwards, has been a little tough,” said Rodriguez of his Siena-bound standout. “She is a senior captain and is our fastest player.”
The Bucks will face Upper Dublin on Friday in what could be a key matchup for two teams who want to make an impact in the post season.
“We are hoping to be playing for something at the end, but it’s so tight in our conference,” said Rodriguez.  “This team didn’t have the best record last year but they had a big push in October and went into playoffs with a really low seed but made it to the state semifinals.”
Rodriguez is hoping Horst will be back on the field soon to help propel the Bucks’ (4-0-3 SOL, 5-1-3) on a run next month. The Hatters (1-5-1 SOL, 2-5-2) will face CB East on Tuesday in Hatter Stadium.
CB WEST  0-1   1
HATBORO HORSHAM  0-0   0

PENNRIDGE 3, NORTH PENN 0 (Wed., Sept. 25)
The Rams finished the first half of their league season with a shutout win over the visiting Maidens. Although the Rams had their share of possession in the first half, they were unable to find the net, and the teams went into halftime scoreless.
A different and more energized Rams squad came out in the second half as they flooded Maidens’ keeper Laura Leonard (6 saves) with nine shots on goal. Jackie Stevens was the first to get on the board in the 59th minute, scoring an unassisted goal. In the 67th minute, Audrey Butcher added a goal to up the lead to 2-0 before Danielle Chenowyth closed out the scoring for the Rams in the 76th minute when she scored off Olivia Fernandez’s rebound that hit the crossbar. The Rams, who scored all of their goals in a 17-minute span, held North Penn to only one shot as goalie Amanda O’Hara picks up her 8th shutout in 10 games.
The Maidens saw their record drop to 0-4-3 SOL (0-5-4 overall) while the Rams upped their SOL mark to 5-0-2 (8-0-2 overall). Both teams are off until Tuesday when the Rams host Central Bucks South and the Maidens host Souderton.
PENNRIDGE  0-3   3
NORTH PENN  0-0   0

QUAKERTOWN 1, SOUDERTON 0
The duo of Linzi Wolfe and Shannon Gibat once again proved lethal as they combined for the game-winner in the victory over the Indians. Gibat sent Wolfe a ball in the air in the 73rd minute and Wolfe headed it in for the Panther’s win. Wolfe has been instrumental in the Panthers’ steady climb through the ranks in the Continental Conference, recording three goals and 10 assists for the season, and the Panthers will certainly be one of the teams to watch as league play begins its second go round on Tuesday. The Indians fell to 0-5-2 in the league (3-5-2 overall) and face North Penn on Tuesday while the Panthers are now 4-3 in the league (6-4 overall) and travel to CB West, which also has four league wins.
QUAKERTOWN  0-1   1
SOUDERTON  0-0   0

CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 3, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0
The Patriots (5-0-2, 9-0-2 overall) are hard to stop these days, winning four of their last five league games and maintaining their top spot in the conference, which they share with Pennridge after Tuesday’s tie.
Shaun Kane put the Patriots on the scoreboard in the 31st minute, using an Annie Axenroth assist. They took that 1-0 lead into halftime.
“South took the game to us the majority of the first half, and we were fortunate to be leading at the half,” East coach Paul Eisold said. “South was unable to convert some dead ball opportunities in the first 20 minutes or the outcome may have been difference.”
Another Kane goal, once again with an Axenroth assist, put the Patriots on top 2-0 seven minutes into the second half, and a goal by Emily Palmer (Nicole Pannella assist) in the 70th minute put the finishing touches on the win.
Paige Marcinkowski was credited with the shutout in goal, and Eisold credited the strong defensive play of Mariah Lichter as well as Hollo Moyer and Abby Emmert. Emma Loving and Miranda Meehan, according to the Patriots’ coach, played well up front.
“South continued to fight for the ball and played very aggressive,” Eisold said. “We were able to sustain the high pressure by South and slowly took over the game by finishing opportunities.”
The Titans (2-4-1, 3-5-1 overall) will have to contend with Pennridge on Tuesday while East hosts Hatboro-Horsham.

American Conference

WISSAHICKON 3, UPPER MORELAND 2
The Trojans got off to a good start when they scored off a scrum that ensued after a corner kick in the eighth minute to gain a 1-0 lead over the Golden Bears. The Bears had an answer for the Trojans’ early goal as Morgan Valera knotted the score when she drove in a penalty kick ten minutes later. Linsday Walder added another goal for the Bears in the 29th minute when she converted an Ashley Kleinert pass into a goal, giving her team a 2-1 lead at halftime. In the second half the Trojans worked out some kinks and outplayed the Bears, scoring two goals in fifteen minutes for the victory. Two minutes into the second half, Emily Vervlied scored the equalizer and in the 57th minute Liz Gregorio scored the game-winner for the Trojans.
The Trojans upped their record to 4-1-2 in the league (4-3-2 overall) and will face Upper Dublin when league play resumes on Tuesday. The Bears saw their record fall to 3-3-1 SOL (3-5-1 overall), and they visit Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday.
WISSAHICKON  1-2    3
UPPER MORELAND  2-0   2

PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 5, SPRINGFIELD 0
The Colonials have now shut out three opponents in a row after they soared to a 5-0 victory over the Spartans. Crissy Terraces led the Colonials’ attack with a pair of goals while Carly Abbott, Maddie Berman and Monica Dresnin each added single goals. The Colonials, who led 3-0 at the half, are proving they have a multitude of offensive weapons as they have scored 14 goals in the last three games.
The Spartans’ record fell to 2-5 in the league (2-6 overall), and they gear up to play Cheltenham on Tuesday while the Colonials upped their record to 5-2-1 and host Upper Moreland as the second half of the season gets underway.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH  3-2   5
SPRINGFIELD  0-0   0

NORRISTOWN 1, CHELTENHAM 1 (2 OT)
The Eagles and Panthers were both looking for their first league win, unfortunately neither of them got it as they were forced to settle for a 1-1 tie after 100 minutes of play. Ruby Tomasic scored the lone goal for the Panthers, whose record matches the Eagles’ at 0-6-1 in the league. Norristown travels to Upper Merion on Tuesday while Cheltenham visits Springfield.

UPPER DUBLIN 2, UPPER MERION 0
The Lady Cardinals kept their spot at the top of the conference after shutting out the Vikings on Thursday. Gabrielle Bloom and Rachel DiFrangia scored for the Cards, who picked up their fourth shutout of the season as their record jumped to 7-0-1 SOL (7-2-1 overall). The Vikings’ record dropped to 4-2-2 (5-4-1 overall).  The Cards square off against Wissahickon on Tuesday while the Vikings host Norristown.
UPPER DUBLIN  1-1   2
UPPER MERION  0-0   0

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