Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action Tuesday. CB East/Bensalem photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL Liberty/Freedom
Abington 2, Cheltenham 1
Abington coach Rick Tompkins didn’t like what he was hearing from his team pregame and liked it even less when it seemed to carry out onto the field.
A late penalty kick call gave the Ghosts enough to escape from a win, but it was not an effort their coach wants to see repeated.
“I think maybe they looked past (Cheltenham), we have a big game coming up Friday and I heard the girls pregame talking if we can get past these two games and get to Friday and my first thought was ‘why don’t we concentrate on today,'” Tompkins said. “I think there was a bit of a mental lapse as a group and we were fortunate to get a win.”
Maura Day staked the Ghosts to a 1-0 lead, but the Panthers came right back.
“The score didn’t go our way, but this was our best game of the season so far. Abington scored early, but we didn’t hang our heads,” Panthers coach Leah Matusow said. “We came right back and had a beautiful run down the right side with a cross from Kayla Brockington and a finish by Peri Albert. Our girls brought all the positive energy today and fought till the end. Abington is a very skilled team, and they move the ball really well. There was an unfortunate penalty called in the box in the second half that wound up being the difference.”
Mei Mei Cheng left no doubt on her penalty kick take, blasting the shot past the keeper for the win, but Tompkins noted the call could have just as easily gone against Abington.
“I was pleased obviously it went our way, but I’ve seen that exact call not made in a lot of games,” Tompkins said.
Despite the subpar effort, which included a couple of misses from point-blank range on an open goal, the Ghosts did get a good effort from Lily Gray and Caroline Hughes.
“Lily Gray gave them fits,” Tompkins said. “She kept getting to the endline and bringing the ball across, but we couldn’t get on the end of it. She had the assist on Maura’s goal.”
Hughes, a senior defender, bailed out her team on a key play.
“We put ourselves in trouble,” Tompkins said. “We play a ball back to the keeper, it was mishit and it’s a little windy, so it’s coming back to her. Caroline was smart enough to get in and just clear it, she’s a senior and knew at the time we were holding a 1-0 lead, so she wasn’t taking any chances. I credit her maturity as a player for that.”
Tompkins also credited the host Panthers for their relentless play and for keeping his team under pressure even as the Ghosts cleaned up their efforts in the second half.
“I give them an ‘A’ for effort,” Tompkins said. “They just kept coming.”
Abington (6-2, 6-1 SOL) hosts New Hope-Solebury at 3:30 on Thursday. Cheltenham (2-7, 0-7) visits Hatboro-Horsham at 3:30 Thursday
ABINGTON 1 1 – 2
CHELTENHAM 1 0 – 1
Goals: A – Maura Day, Mei Mei Cheng; C – Peri Albert
Hatboro-Horsham 7, Lower Moreland 0
The Hatters’ offense clicked on all cylinders and got a boost from the return of senior Emily Thomas to the scoring column.
“Multiple players were able to score and get a lot of playing time,” Hatters’ coach Kelsey Daley said. “Sam Hollish and Martine Royds recorded the shutout.”
Mia Malofiy led all scorers with a pair of goals while Thomas, Emma Levin, Cait Carpenter, Christina Bender and Kitty Randa all scored. Caroline Shegogue, Levin and Thomas also notched assists.
Hatboro-Horsham (4-2-1 SOL) hosts Cheltenham at 3:30 on Thursday. Lower Moreland (5-4, 4-3) hosts Wissahickon on Thursday at 3:30.
HATBORO-HORSHAM – 7
LOWER MORELAND – 0
Goals: HH – Mia Malofiy 2, Emily Thomas, Emma Levin, Cait Carpenter, Christian Bender, Kitty Randa.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 1, New Hope-Solebury 0 (OT)
It took extra time, but the Colonials extended their winning streak to three matches on Tuesday, thanks to their senior leader and their smallest player.
“In overtime, sophomore forward Caelin Kosvitch finds junior Angelina Balcer out wide, she takes on the defender, beats her, and rips a shot on net. The New Hope keeper makes an incredible save, but we earn a corner kick. Fiona Gooneratne continues her stellar plays and hits a beautiful corner kick,” PW coach TJ DeLucia said. “The smallest player on the field, Abby Boegner at exactly five feet tall, attacks the corner with her head and finishes to win the game.”
PW keeper Caitlyn Dinh continued her stellar play, recording a third consecutive clean sheet, but her performance was matched by Lions all-SOL keeper Margaret Tresler.
“(We) dominated play with 23 shots on net. The New Hope goalkeeper put in an outstanding performance,” DeLucia noted. “Caitlyn Dinh continues to find her voice in net and is really demanding a lot from her teammates which is what we want and expect from her.”
The Colonials’ performance embodied more of the growth within the team that has been made through the first half of the season. Younger players are starting to find their roles and just as important, other players are coming back off injuries including Angelina Balcer, who debuted on Tuesday.
“We just got junior forward Angelina Balcer back yesterday who hadn’t played since August. She provides so much speed, energy, and activity,” DeLucia said. “When she’s on the field, it provides such a spark for everybody on the team. We were really missing that during our first run through the league. I’m excited to see what she brings moving forward.”
Kosvitch, a sophomore who scored the game-winner in PW’s first win of the season that kicked off the current streak, has also continued to impress even if her work isn’t showing up in terms of putting the ball in the back of the net.
“She plays the entire game, bouncing between center forward and midfield. Her work rate is absurd, constantly working to find space to receive the ball and start our attack,” DeLucia said. “As soon as we give the ball up, she immediately goes to work, trying to win it back. That doesn’t show up on the stat sheet, but the coaches see it and appreciate it.”
DeLucia also had plenty of praise for the day’s goal-scoring hero.
“I couldn’t be more happy that Abby Boegner scored a goal. She hasn’t stopped talking about trying to get on the scoresheet for the past few days. This is an outstanding kid – terrific student, super positive, vice president of her class. She’s incredibly popular among her teammates. She is really small but really fun to watch with the ball at her feet. Her confidence is growing by the game. Our assistant coaches do a great job of pumping her up and encouraging her to have some swag on the ball,” DeLucia said. “She played a bit last year as a freshman but was over-matched physically in our league which is such a physically demanding league to play in. This year, she’s a bit stronger, but more importantly, she’s understanding how to use her body to keep the ball. It’s now a matter of her recognizing how many touches she can take in midfield on a game-by-game basis and looking to switch the play more.”
PW’s back line of senior Liberty Daddonna, sophomores Brianna Reynolds, Meghan Wendler, Emma Vuotto and freshman Kate Lukens played solid in front of Dinh to help post the shutout.
New Hope-Solebury (1-6-1, 1-5-1 SOL) will travel to Abington at 3:30 on Thursday. PW (3-5, 2-5) will visit Springfield Township at 3:30 Thursday.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 0 0 1 – 1
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 0 0 0 – 0
Goals: PW – Abby Boegner
Quakertown 3, Springfield Township 1
The Panthers celebrated their six seniors and rebounded from Monday’s setback with a solid win over a competitive Spartans squad Tuesday night.
“Our six seniors all played really well, so that was nice,” Panthers coach Mike Koch said.
Koch said it was pretty evident that Springfield Township could be a dangerous team if given the chance, so the Panthers pressured them and tried to keep the ball from their forwards up top.
“We stayed organized and defended well,” Koch said. “All credit to that team, that team competed, they didn’t quit and played hard. I admire that about them.”
Spartans’ coach Dan Malora knew that was the kind of attitude his team would bring to the field, regardless of the score. Even giving up two goals in the first half and falling behind 3-0, Springfield wanted to put one on the board.
“They play hard every second of the game until the triple-whistle,” Malora said. “There is absolutely no quit in these Lady Spartans.”
Quakertown had plenty of corner kicks, so it was fitting the host team’s first goal came off one. Kyla Frederick, one of the team’s seniors, served the ball in and Carlee Roesener finished it off.
The Panthers tacked on a second before the break, thanks to a long-range strike from Kelly Kruez.
Senior Trinity Lucas added an assist in the second half when she served one up for Callie Abel to kick home.
“That was a pretty sweet goal,” Koch said. “It was really good service by Lucas and a good finish by Abel.”
Quakertown’s six seniors – goalkeeper Madison Peacher, Trinity Lucas, Kyla Frederick, Madelyn LaBonge, Hannah Hensel and Jade Williams – all saw plenty of time on the field.
“All six of them were significant parts of the victory,” Koch said. “It’s always nice to win on Senior Night, I know it’s always meaningful for them.”
Koch felt Frederick’s assist was a good footnote on her Senior Night performance and indicative of the senior’s mark on the team.
“For me, she is a really underrated player,” Koch said. “She plays outside back and outside midfield for us and leads us in assists. She’s not a goal-scorer but just a huge piece of what we do. She’s not getting the goals or numbers, but we like to attack width and she does a great job of that but can also defend out there.”
Springfield Township’s effort paid off with a great goal from one of its senior leaders to end the night.
“Alana Decker, Kaleigh Evans and Marlo Williams kept constant pressure, eventually drawing a free kick in the 70th minute,” Malora said. “The ball was placed around 30 yards out and that’s prime real estate for our senior captain, Emily Smith. I gave her the green light and she put the shot away.”
Springfield Township (2-6, 2-5 SOL) will take on PCL opponent St Hubert at 3:45 Wednesday. Quakertown (2-7, 0-7) visits William Tennent at 3:30 on Thursday.
QUAKERTOWN 2 1 – 3
SPRINGFIELD TWP 0 1 – 1
Goals: Q – Carlee Roesener, Callie Abel, Kelly Kruez; ST – Emily Smith
Upper Dublin 4, William Tennent 0
The Cardinals finally ended their nomadic ways and got to play a home match Tuesday.
While they stayed in good form by picking up another win, they also didn’t have to look far to see the numerous scars and reminders of why it took so long for them to get back home in the first place. The playing surface at the SPARK fields is playable again, but there’s still plenty of damage yet to be cleaned up ringing its perimeter.
“It was great to be back on our home field, but it’s still kind of sad because the landscape has been devastated,” UD coach Chuck Gesing said. “I called it ‘ground zero’ today and that’s not an exaggeration. However, everyone is happy to be able to play at home. I was impressed with how well we kept our emotions in check.”
Lili Kleiman, Upper Dublin’s lightning-fast winger, provided all the scoring the Cardinals needed with a natural hat trick for the game’s first three goals. Kleiman, a junior, notched tallies in the 16th, 20th and 62nd minutes.
“She’s no longer settling for shots from 25 yards out,” Gesing said. “She’s trying to get into the box and create havoc. She’s playing to her strengths.”
Alex Devers continued her good run of form, scoring for the fourth straight match for UD’s final tally in the 68th minute. Gesing also cited a few other players for their output on the offensive end.
“Regan Rubin had a strong outing. Olivia Hoffman and Cat Scullen did a great job off the bench, both found great passing lanes and brought energy to the game,” Gesing said. “I was happy with the effort of all our starters today.”
Rachel Adelman recorded her fourth shutout win of the season as UD’s defense put in another lockdown effort against a talented offensive unit.
“We knew how good (Tennent’s) Jackie Sowers is and that they would run their offense through her,” Gesing said. “She was effective early on, but as the game went on, we made life difficult and doubled her at times. We also knew Ariana Grose feeds off Jackie, and if we handled Sowers, Grose’s service would be limited.”
Tennent (4-4, 3-4 SOL) hosts Quakertown at 3:30 on Thursday. Upper Dublin (4-1-3, 4-1-2) visits Upper Moreland at 3:30 on Thursday.
UPPER DUBLIN 2 2 – 4
WILLIAM TENNENT 0 0 – 0
Goals: UD – Lili Kleiman 3, Alex Devers
Wissahickon 4, Upper Moreland 2
It’s been twice as nice up top for Wissahickon this season.
The Trojans have two top scoring options in Kylie Friedman and Margaret Wilde, and both played key roles in Tuesday’s win over the Golden Bears. Wilde had the game-winner, but it was Friedman who kept Wiss afloat in a sloppy first half, and combined, the two helped deliver a win for a second day in a row.
“You could see it in our legs, we were slow to the ball a lot in the first half, and despite the fact we controlled the ball and tempo, we gave them chances,” Wissahickon coach Chris McDaniels said. “Both times we did, they took advantage.”
The Bears jumped on the board first, with Willow Taylor spotting Emma Frasca in the seventh minute.
“We had a clear game plan coming out today. We knew we wanted to slow down Wissahickon’s build up and make them work for their shots. We knew that when we got opportunities, we were going to capitalize on them. The final score is not reflective of the game that was played,” UM coach Lisa Benvenuto said. “Willow Taylor was able to find Emma Frasca early in the game on a diagonal run. Frasca showed great composure in the eighteen and finished strong.”
Friedman put her team on her shoulders from there, bagging goals less than two minutes apart midway through the first half for a 2-1 advantage.
“First one, she gets played in behind, the keeper comes out, and with the ball still bouncing, she chips it with her right boot over the keeper’s head,” McDaniels said. “Their keeper was good and she’s tall, so it was a nice finish, really poised.”
The striker topped herself on the second goal, according to her coach.
“We had a throw-in in the attacking third but had to play all the way back to center back, then our other center back, Margo Kasenchar, broke two lines on the dribble and found Kylie in space between two defenders,” McDaniels said. “Kylie dribbled in on the keeper and finished it bottom-right.”
Taylor, after assisting the first goal, scored the equalizer for UM off an assist by Reva Naik. McDaniels said both the Bears’ goals were well-earned and credited Upper Moreland’s work rate.
“The two girls up top ran all over and made it so in the back, you couldn’t make a mistake,” McDaniels said. “They pounced the two times we did in the first half. Their left back, she was winning balls in the air and beating us to balls. They were scrappy all over the field and Lisa was yelling at them about winning first and second balls, which they did.”
Benvenuto lauded her team’s play on the day, even if UM didn’t get the result it was looking for.
“Reva Naik really controlled the left flank throughout the entirety of the match, and about a minute after Friedman’s second goal, Naik found Willow Taylor, who netted the equalizer. Reva really got into a rhythm today and showed how dangerous she can be,” Benvenuto said. “Our goalie Natalie Walton really stepped up her play today. She cut down the angles, came off of her line and played with confidence. Additionally, Annalise Messina was tremendously strong for us on the defensive line.”
The tie held until the near-midpoint of the second half. Wissahickon won a corner and with Wilde heading to the spot to send it in, the Trojan coaches opted to switch things up a bit.
“We’d been taking a lot of short corners and it was the first ball we decided to just whip one in,” McDaniels said. “Her left foot is special. She just hit a rocket into the far top corner with her left foot from the corner spot, just straight into the back of the net.”
Wilde has battled injuries the last three years but has become an impact player as a senior with Wissahickon. A Pitt recruit, Wilde has scored in the team’s last three games.
“Not many girls from our conference go to ACC schools,” McDaniels said. “She’s a really good player. Left-footed players in soccer are like left-handed pitchers in baseball, it just adds something more, and for her, if you give her a look from 30 (yards) out, she’s going to make you pay.”
McDaniels felt his team was able to narrow its focus at halftime and as a result, handled Upper Moreland’s pressure a bit better after halftime.
Upper Moreland wasn’t out of the game at that point, but a couple missed chances and a late insurance goal by Wissahickon’s Emma Baker sealed the deal.
“After being tied up at half, we understood that the next 40 minutes would be tough. The score was tied from the 22nd minute till the 57th minute. Margaret Wilde took a corner from the right side, and the angle at which she finished on was unreal, no goalie would have been able to save it. We still had some really strong chances following Wilde’s goal, but we could get them to fall,” Benvenuto said. “We showed grit, fight and determination today—traits that all coaches want in their teams. I am proud of our girls.”
Wissahickon (5-2-1, 5-1-1 SOL) visits Lower Moreland at 3:30 Thursday. Upper Moreland (5-2-1, 4-2-1) hosts Upper Dublin at 3:30 on Thursday.
WISSAHICKON 2 2 – 4
UPPER MORELAND 2 0 – 2
GOALS: W – Kylie Friedman 2, Margaret Wilde, Emma Baker; UM – Emma Frasca, Willow Taylor
SOL Colonial/Patriot
Central Bucks East 4, Bensalem 0
The Patriots boast more than a starting lineup’s worth of seniors, so it was fitting they all contributed on Tuesday’s Senior Day.
East’s 14 seniors got to take home a sixth straight win as the team continued its streak of victories.
Senior Elise Duffy, who has been on a tear offensively since the season began, notched her eighth goal in eight games.
Three of the day’s four goals were senior-related including the second, which was a senior-to-senior connection. Senior Meredith Black played a corner kick that classmate Courtney Curry, a center back showing a knack for scoring goals, headed in for a 2-0 lead.
Junior Brooke Roumy extended the lead to 3-0 on a blast from deep.
Senior Issie Reid rounded out the day, getting her first goal of the year while senior Skylar Gash recorded the shutout in goal.
Black, Curry, Duffy, Reid and Gash were celebrated along with Abby D’Ambrosio, Elliot Forney, Olivia Kallelis, Kelly Keen, Morgan Kelly, Ashley Macomber, Emi Steen, Chloe Strawn and Ashley Volans.
“It’s been fun watching our girls grow and be able to put the pieces together,” East coach Jake Nesteruk said. “We are still improving and need to work on some parts of what we do, but I could not be prouder of our seniors for the leadership they’ve given us. We are taking this one game at a time and preparing for the next one.”
Bensalem (3–3, 2-3 SOL) will host CB West on Thursday at 3:30. CB East (7-1, 6-1) will visit CR North at 3:30 on Thursday
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST – 4
BENSALEM – 0
Goals: CBE – Elise Duffy, Courtney Curry, Brooke Roumy, Issie Reid
Central Bucks South 2, Council Rock North 1
Tuesday was all about finishing for the Titans.
After losing five straight, the last four in shutout fashion, CB South was determined to snap its cold spell in front of the goal. Doing so meant cracking a CR North team that was starting to hit its stride.
“We had a couple tough games last week where we hadn’t gotten on the board, so we needed to make finishing a priority,” Titans coach Amy Moriarty said. “We utilized the space they were giving us out wide to make our runs and combine.”
Using that width paid off when the Titans’ two flank players combined to break their scoreless streak midway through the first half.
“We capitalized on a run from outside mid Eva Costello, who played a perfectly placed ground ball through the box,” Moriarty said. “She connected it with Brooke Hall, the other outside mid, who was able to finish.”
With their first goal and first lead in a while, the Titans weren’t content to sit on just one.
“We went into the half and knew we needed to keep the momentum going with more scoring opportunities and keeping organized in the back to keep their fast strikers away from the goal,” Moriarty said.
The Indians tied the game midway through the second half when they converted off a corner kick to make it 1-1.
Moriarty saw a determination in her team not to give up another goal, but also to not settle for just a draw. Just a few minutes later, Lily Black came through for the Titans.
“Lily charged through the midfield and struck a brilliant ball from 40 yards out that went over the goalie’s head into the far corner,” Moriarty said. “We went over taking chances and making them count. Lily took a chance with a long-ball shot and it paid off, making the difference for a much-needed win and a confidence boost for the team.”
The Titans’ coach credited her defense for walling up late in the match and preventing North from finding an equalizer.
“Emalee Day had a great game organizing the defense and making runs to help out the midfield all game,” Moriarty said. “Holly Joseph, Hailey Helsel and Bella Smouse kept North’s lead forward from penetrating and being a threat in the final minutes of the game.”
CR North (4-4, 3-3 SOL) will host CB East at 3:30 on Wednesday. CB South (3-5, 2-5) hosts Harry S Truman at 7 on Thursday.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1 1 – 2
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0 1 – 1
Goals: CBS – Brooke Hall, Lily Black
Central Bucks West 3, Council Rock South 0
Taylor Moyer played a part in all three goals as the Bucks won for the third time in as many games.
Playing on the road at CR South brought an uncommon condition for West with the Golden Hawks’ home surface being grass, not turf.
“We’re not used to grass. I think that it really slowed us down. I think we had the better of play in the first half, but it seemed like we were just playing slow, and we weren’t getting the balls in that we normally get and the quickness on the outsides,” West coach Mike Moyer said. “South did a good job in the midfield just containing us and breaking up our plays. We talked about that at halftime, and again, I told them that we’re playing too good for it to just be 1-0, and we wanted a goal in the first 10 minutes. We were able to do that.”
While the grass may have slowed the Bucks at times in the first half, it didn’t stall their all-state senior forward from getting her account opened about 15 minutes, in thanks to an assist from sophomore Ava Brunner.
“She played just a great ball through and put Taylor in one-on-one, and Taylor just played it low, right of the goalie. Perfect finish,” Mike Moyer said.
The Bucks came out of the half aggressive, and eight minutes in, Moyer again latched on to a good pass, this time from Taylor Madden.
“Taylor again had a really good shot that the goalie got a piece of, but it still was hit well and found the back of the net,” Mike Moyer said.
Moyer is also the Bucks’ set-piece ace, so when West drew a corner kick with about 10 minutes left, the senior sent the ball into play. Alexis Castro got on the end of it, heading in the ball to seal up the win.
“I thought my backline of Courtney Moylan, Kate Weyer, Ava Longo and Mariella Neri were fantastic today. Jules Brosky was again great in goal. She made a couple of really good saves to keep the clean sheet,” Mike Moyer said. “Shea Lubin has just been working so hard in the midfield and same with Eva Wierzbowski. It was just a really good team win.”
CR South has navigated a difficult schedule to open the season and the Hawks again made things tough on their opponent Tuesday.
“South is a good team. They’re strong in the back, they’re strong in the midfield,” Mike Moyer said. “They’re really well organized. I think the coach is doing a great job there.”
CB West (6-2, 4-2 SOL) will visit Bensalem at 3:30 on Thursday. CR South (2-5, 3-5) travels to North Penn for a 3:45 start Thursday.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1 2 – 3
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0 0 – 0
Goals: CBW – Taylor Moyer 2, Alexis Castro
Souderton 4, Harry S Truman 0
It’s easy to see why Avery Nogami is a Souderton captain by the way the senior plays the game.
Tuesday, her relentless style led to a lightning fast start and the boost the Indians needed to get their second win of the fall.
“Within the first seven minutes of the game, Nogami was able to secure a hat trick through a combination of Souderton’s high press and intensity. From that point out, the Indians never lost control of the game,” Souderton coach Ian Smith said.
Sophomore Nicole Schulingkamp provided the game’s other goal after halftime on a well-placed shot taken from outside the 18-yard box.
“Juniors Abby Kolb and Natalie Ranking put in a solid performance as well, helping the defense secure the win, while also contributing offensively by launching the attack for their team,” Smith said.
Truman (0-8, 0-7 SOL) visits CB South at 7pm on Thursday. Souderton (2-6-1, 1-5-1) hosts Pennsbury at 3:30 on Thursday.
SOUDERTON 3 1 – 4
HARRY S TRUMAN 0 0 – 0
Goals: S – Avery Nogami 3, Nicole Schulingkamp
Neshaminy 2, North Penn 0
After sitting on its first loss of the season over the weekend, Neshaminy got back on track with a win over the visiting Knights on Tuesday.
“It was our worst game of the season and we were frustrated after that game,” Neshaminy coach Renny Papendick said. “It was nice to come back and play a North Penn team that was well-coached and played the right way. It was a very good game.”
With the Knights looking to possess and move the ball, the Redskins used their depth in the midfield to disrupt North Penn’s movement and timing.
“We moved girls around, Paige Borkowski was really good for us today,” Papendick said. “Carly Fox was all over the place. We moved Mercedes Paino to a second attacking center mid, and she really dominated in that position. We were rotating six or seven girls into the midfield who all contributed.”
Neshaminy struck roughly 15 minutes into the game on a header when Paige Borkowski headed in Alexis Ocasio’s service. That would serve as the lone tally until late in the contest, when the hosts tacked on a late insurance marker.
“Abby Collins assisted Kylie Maxwell, she played in a really nice early ball,” Papendick said.
Even with a game against defending state champion Pennridge looming later in the week, Papendick liked how his team came back from a loss and kept its focus on a good Knights squad instead of looking down the road.
“I told the girls it’s one game at a time, so let’s take our next crossover game and focus on that,” Papendick said. “Our midfield was dominant. It was our best game of the season, so coming back off our worst game of the season against (CB) West, we played really well today.”
North Penn (3-4-1, 3-3-1 SOL) hosts CR South at 3:30 Thursday. Neshaminy (6-1) travels to Pennridge at 3:30 on Thursday.
NESHAMINY 1 1 – 2
NORTH PENN 0 0 – 0
Goals: N – Paige Borkowski, Kylie Maxwell
Pennridge 2, Pennsbury 1
The way coach Audrey Anderson described it, about the only thing that went right for the Rams on Tuesday was the outcome on the field.
“This is going to be a tough week for us, and it started with whatever could have gone wrong for us today, went wrong,” Anderson said. “Our bus got lost so we got there 15 minutes before the game was supposed to start, our water jug fell and spilled, it was one of those games you want to play and get out, but we were very happy with the win.”
Of course, there was also the matter of dealing with the Falcons, who last saw Pennridge in last year’s District 1 4A quarterfinals. Pennridge won that one on its way to a state title but on Tuesday, had to adapt to Pennsbury’s grass field.
“We stuck to our game plan and our style of play,” Anderson said. “It would have been easy for us to adjust to playing on grass by playing a different style, but we stuck to what’s been working for us and making sure we controlled the tempo.”
Anderson noted that defense was the key to getting a win, with the Rams looking to keep the Falcons from getting shots off and paying attention to lethal forward Taylor Mays while also respecting the other threats on Pennsbury’s roster.
“They all know each other through club anyway, so we had to make sure we took every player into consideration when we’re playing,” Anderson said. “We’ve learned the lesson before, anybody can score so for us, we’re making sure we’re taking care of the ball and we’re communicating to make sure everybody’s taken care of on the field.”
Crosses, both generating them and finishing them, have been an emphasis for Pennridge so it was a nice payoff that both goals Tuesday came off the end of a cross. Senior Riley Hepler thought she had the opener in the first half, only to have the goal waved off on an offside call.
So, given another chance a few minutes later, Hepler stayed on and did it again.
“She didn’t get down on herself, did the exact same thing, knew where she was on the field and put the ball in the back of the net,” Anderson said.
Early in the second half, senior Leah Malone tacked on an insurance goal that eventually became the game-winner when Pennsbury scored later in the frame.
“It was a great finish. Liv Grenda crosses a ball in and Leah brings it down, stayed composed in front of the goal and placed it past the keeper,” Anderson said. “I think Leah needs that, to have that pressure on yourself and to be that composed in front of goal to finish it, was huge for her.”
Anderson also lauded the play of Grenda and Sophie Craig as center midfielders as well as the entire defensive unit.
The result was a good start to what could be a big week for the Rams, who currently sit No. 5 in the District 1 4A rankings. They continue crossover play with a home game against SOL Patriot leader Neshaminy on Thursday, then turn right around and clash with CB West on Friday in a makeup of a game that was postponed due to referee shortage.
Anderson noted there is plenty at stake for her team and their upcoming opponents, but a win or loss isn’t going to make or break the season for any of them either. At the same time, that’s not how the players are going to look at it.
“Fortunately and unfortunately for me, these girls are competitors,” Anderson said. “They want to be on the field, they want to be playing and compete in every game. It’s sometimes hard when you want to take them off and rest them and they’re going ‘no, I’m fine.’ so you’re managing those personalities.
“You just have to remind them it’s game seven or game eight and hope they realize it’s a marathon and not a sprint.”
Pennridge (8-0, 6-0 SOL) hosts Neshaminy in clash of conference leaders at 3:30 on Thursday. Pennsbury (3-5-1, 2-4-1) will be at Souderton for a 3:30 start Thursday.
PENNRIDGE 1 1- 2
PENNSBURY 0 1 – 1
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