Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action on Wednesday. Abington/Springfield Twp photos provided courtesy of Troy Leatherbury. Check back for a gallery of photos. Wissahickon/Lower Moreland photos provided courtesy of Josh Stelzer.
Patriot/Colonial crossover
Souderton 2, Council Rock North 1
All season long, it’s been there in spurts.
For a stretch, Souderton will show the intensity and fortitude needed to come out of a match with a result but too often, it will fade. It’s something coach Ian Smith has made a focus of the season, and on Wednesday, he saw the performance he had been hoping for.
“Really strong performance from the team tonight that everyone can be proud of,” Smith said. “We’ve struggled a lot this season to maintain the level of intensity and mental toughness needed to get results, but tonight we got it from everyone on the field and the result came with it.”
It wasn’t flawless, especially early on and Souderton saw the folly of giving CR North too much space as the visitors put together a strong run and finish to take a 1-0 lead.
Up top, a change in formation helped Souderton keep pressure on CR North’s back line with a rotating duo of forwards.
“We moved junior Leah Kirkpatrick up top today, and I think she helped raise our intensity level with her ability to lead the line and press with intensity up front. From there, everyone else really started to take note and we found a foothold in the match,” Smith said. “Julia DeCaro helped us get a good rotation at that spot, putting North’s backline under a lot of pressure and creating chances for herself and our attack. From then on, we were able to keep both Leah and Julia fresh to put North’s back line under pressure.”
Much like Council Rock North had done to them, Souderton started to find space and played into it. Maggie Fisher made a strong run, toeing the touchline to keep the ball in play before firing a cross into the box.
“Freshman Sienna Stunkard was there to apply some pressure as North tried to play out. Sienna was able to win the ball and let loose a shot that was blocked well, but the rebound fell to her again and she got off a nice left-footed shot into the top corner,” Smith said. “From there the momentum really shifted and we got everyone fighting for everything on the field.”
The freshman would strike again in the second half.
“Sienna found her second and the game winner on a great shot from distance. It was great to see her rewarded for all her hard work this year,” Smith said. “She’s played a lot of minutes and does a lot of positive things, so it’s nice for her to be rewarded on the stat sheet as well.”
Smith again cited the standout play of senior goalkeeper Abby Allen as well as a few other players in a top to bottom strong performance.
“I thought Nicole Schulingkamp played great in multiple positions for us, and Mykaela Ruth had one of her best games in her high school career,” Smith said. “She was shutting everything down in the midfield and helping us control the pace there as well. Now our goal is to continue with the same intensity and mentality each game.”
CR North (7-3-1, 6-3-1 SOL) hosts Central Bucks East at 3:30 on Friday. Souderton (3-8-1, 2-7-1) visits Council Rock South at 3:30 on Friday.
SOUDERTON 1 1 – 2
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 1 0 – 1
Goals; S – Sienna Stunkard 2
Pennridge 5, Council Rock South 0
Karissa Smedley’s story with the Golden Hawks’ soccer program is a unique one.
The senior is a terrific basketball player, with an offer from Division II Georgian Court and several local Division III programs vying for her talents. Between the posts in goal on a soccer field, she looks like a natural, deftly making the routine saves and the spectacular with the same type of effort.
Consider that two years ago, she was a field hockey goalie, and it amplifies what she did on Wednesday.
Facing a Pennridge attack that was firing on all cylinders and pumping shot after shot on goal, Smedley made no less than 17 saves in a performance that drew congratulations from the Rams players, kudos from their coaches and one of the match referees bowing to her at the final whistle.
“I was terrified coming in last year,” Smedley said. “I hadn’t played goalie in a few years but this team, they picked me up every time. They’re the first ones to say a win is on me because of my saves and a loss is not on me, it’s on the whole team.
“It’s taught me that I can trust people, it’s helped me be a better teammate. I can’t be down on myself, because the team will get down, I have to help everyone stay up.”
The Rams, who won their third in a row and have outscored their opponents by a commanding 10-1 margin, almost looked like they were struggling to score at times on Wednesday. It wasn’t due to anything they were doing either, not with 24 total shots on goal or the ball moving from the middle to the wings and switching with ease.
It was the other team’s keeper who kept closing them off.
“I’m telling you, she took a ball that Tori (Angelo) shot in the first half, went to the ground and got back up and it didn’t even bother her,” Pennridge coach Audrey Anderson said. “We talked about it at halftime, just being composed because she was coming up with some huge saves. Nick (Heim) told me she had been a field hockey player, it’s just incredible, what an athlete.”
Pennridge had an answer in Joey Tomlinson, with the senior netting a brace for the second game in a row as she continued to get her finishing touch back in front of goal. Tomlinson opened the scoring with 13:28 left in the first half, taking a well-placed through ball by Caitlyn Peace and tucking a difficult finish inside the post while falling away from the goal on her shot.
What set the pace for the Rams wasn’t the shots or the eventual goals, it was the effort. Hailey Primwhere, the starting center forward, dropped back well past midfield trying to win the ball back in the first half, Tori Angelo expended a ton of energy attacking the back line and Tomlinson just kept hovering around the ball waiting for a chance.
“I was really happy with how our forwards helped us defensively, I felt like they helped us keep the ball in front of us and not have to defend too much,” Anderson said. “The connection in our midfield, just the one or two passes that we’re making is allowing our forwards to find that space and I think that was really, really working today.
“The diagonal ball was on, she just made some incredible saves.”
Anderson also pointed out that Tomlinson’s first finish wasn’t an easy one and chalked it up to the senior’s composure and maturity. Tomlinson, a Robert Morris recruit, said she was frustrated by the slump she had been in since the start of SOL crossover play and just pushed herself to be more clinical in front of goal.
“We all work hard together and we’ve been trying to score as many goals as possible preparing for postseason,” Tomlinson said. “We’re trying to work through our midfield, use our outside backs and keep making runs even when it gets frustrating.”
It helps to work hard too, and Tomlinson sure does that. After Riley Williams staked Pennridge to a 2-0 halftime lead on a brilliant strike hit to the far post after taking on a couple defenders, the Rams picked up in the second half putting pressure on goal.
Their next two goals would come from just sticking with a play. South’s defense went all-out trying to clear the box, blocking three or four takes that included one from Liv Grenda. Unfortunately for the visitors, that block went right back to Grenda and the junior midfielder booted home the rebound.
“Most of the girls have been there and already been in that situation, so they already know but I think it’s important for them to keep working,” Tomlinson said. “Even our younger players, they all know we want to be there at the end of the season.”
Tomlinson’s jersey number, three, was apt as that’s how many attempts it took to beat Smedley on the fourth goal. The South keeper parried a strike by Primwhere off the bar then somehow got to a follow-up from Angelo before it finally fell to Tomlinson, who managed to sneak it past.
“All her experience over her four years here is what’s helping her,” Anderson said. “The girls respect the fact that she works so hard. She’s not super-tall but near the end of the game I saw her almost win a ball in the air to put it in the back of the net, it’s those little things she does that wins the respect of the other players.”
Hawks coach Nick Heim pulled Smedley with about 11 minutes left, only after she had managed one more highlight save on a diving punch, just to give the senior a break after a busy night. Heim, who also coached Smedley in basketball, noted how the senior puts the outcome of a game on herself, even if it’s out of her hands.
“It’s something you can’t teach, it’s what makes the difference between a college athlete and the high school athlete, an insanely competitive spirit and willingness to accept more responsibility than she probably needs to and that’s why not just the staff but the girls trust her immensely,” Heim said. “She put on a performance. In the last two years, she’s won us some games and kept us in some games.
“She was our team MVP last year having not played soccer for a few years and I’m not sure of many programs that can say that. She’s a terrific athlete but more importantly, a great kid.”
Smedley, who included a point-blank kick save in her highlights, takes pride on defense in basketball and thinks that, along with her athletic ability and reaction time has helped her come up with some of those spectacular saves.
The senior said she was going to try and think about the saves, but also reflect on the goals she allowed and what she could do differently, but only for a day. She knows her team needs her and if history is to be repeated, she can’t dwell on her own past performances, good or bad.
“Last year, this was the outcome against Pennridge and we went and lit a fire under ourselves where we went on a run and made it into the playoffs,” Smedley said. “I think we can get that fire lit under us again and as long as we stay together as a team, we can make a run into districts.”
Pennridge (10-1, 9-1 SOL) hosts Bensalem at 3:30 on Friday. CR South (7-2-2, 7-2-1) hosts Souderton at 3:30 on Friday.
PENNRIDGE 2 3 – 5
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0 0 – 0
Goals; P – Joey Tomlinson 2, Liv Grenda, Riley Williams, Anna Croyle
North Penn 3, Bensalem 0
The only thing missing had been goals.
Last week, the Knights put together two strong efforts in a loss to Council Rock North and a draw with Council Rock South but didn’t find the net in either.
A foul drawn by Abby Plaugher would set up a prime opportunity to change that early in the first half.
“Keira Sparango got us started with a goal off a free kick that she put under the crossbar,” Knights coach Mike Rio said. “She’s been hitting great dead balls for us, and it was awesome to see one end up in the back of the net.”
Getting a goal is a great way to fire up a team and the invigorated Knights were keen to add on.
“We then got a great goal from Audrey MacNair who received a beautiful through ball from Meaghan Fox,” Rio said. “She was able to get down the flank and put it past their keeper. She’s worked so hard all season and I’m glad she was able to get on the score sheet.”
North Penn took the 2-0 lead to halftime, then added on thanks to a Lauren Blanch tally in the second half, with Blanch hitting a great strike from outside the 18.
“We really worked great today off the ball and we were able to possess and play a lot of quick passes and open up Bensalem defensively with all of our movement,” Rio said. “We’ve also asked girls to contribute off the bench and I’ve really been proud of the effort that girls have given and the energy they provide when we make substitutions.”
Defensively, things have been going well for North Penn. Wednesday marked a second straight shutout and the Knights have allowed just one goal in their last 260 minutes.
“We have really limited chances for the other team and have really given us a lot of stability back there. Sam Ridler has been great in net and has made the saves she’s needed to when she’s been called on,” Rio said. “Jamie Webb, Keira, Emily Patkos and Kayla Balislisa have been great as that starting back line.”
Bensalem (4-7-1, 2-7-1 SOL) travels to Pennridge at 3:30 on Friday. North Penn (2-8-1, 2-7-1) hosts Harry S Truman at 3:30 on Friday.
NORTH PENN 2 1 – 3
BENSALEM 0 0 – 0
Goals: NP – Keira Sparango, Audrey McNair, Lauren Blanch
Neshaminy 1, Central Bucks East 0
Going on the road to face a quality opponent is always a difficult task.
Knowing the Patriots would throw everything they had at them early, all Neshaminy wanted to do was keep things level through 15 minutes then go from there.
“East really came out aggressive right from the start, and pressed hard. Overall, our focus was just staying composed during the first 15 minutes and not allowing any major mistakes,” Neshaminy coach Josh Van Reed said. “Once we had a good opportunity to counter, we took advantage right away.”
The Neshaminy defense was able to make a stand and cleared the ball up the field. Senior Mercedez Paino was there to collect it, turn and size up the field in front of her.
Paino spotted a lane and hit a ball behind the defense that found sophomore Kylie Maxwell, who latched on in stride. Maxwell took one touch then placed a shot to the near post that found its way in for a momentum turning goal.
“They’ve connected so well this year together. It was a big goal,” Van Reed said. “You need your goal scorers to come through in big situations and she stepped up today when we needed her to.”
Van Reed felt the goal settled his team down, which allowed Neshaminy to start connecting more passes and find open players. The Redskins have had their best success this season when they’re linking passes and that was part of their halftime adjustments to keep finding ways to create chances.
“The midfield and defense certainly had their hands full today and handled the pressure very well,” Van Reed said. “Elliot Forney is a player you always have to be mindful of when on the field and I thought that Abbie Collins, our defensive center mid, did an excellent job stepping and containing at just the right times.”
It was also another strong effort in the back as Neshaminy posted a third straight shutout.
“Our keeper Hannah Labadie also really stepped up and made some tricky saves on some tough scrambles inside the box,” Van Reed said. “Overall, the team played great, containing the ball and cutting down passing lanes today every time East would switch the field.”
CB East(8-4, 6-4 SOL) travels to Council Rock North at 3:30 on Friday. Neshaminy (9-0-1, 8-0-1) visits CB West at 7 on Friday.
NESHAMINY 1 0 – 1
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0 0 – 0
Goals: N – Kylie Maxwell
Central Bucks West 4, Pennsbury 1
The Bucks’ youthful attack has started to find their legs.
Freshman Emery Sterling has had some nice moments so far but really turned things up on the road Wednesday. The forward finished with two goals and played a pivotal role in a third as West won for a fourth straight outing.
“We came out, and it was the best 20 minutes that we’ve played in a while. Emery Sterling had her best game to date in a West uniform,” Bucks coach Mike Moyer said. “She got in a couple of times and, on both sides of the ball, was fantastic.”
It didn’t take Sterling or the Bucks long to get going either, with the freshman testing Pennsbury within 10 minutes of the match starting.
“Em made a great run down the side, got a great shot – the goalie actually made a really good save, but Rian Detweiler was in the right spot at the right time to poke it home,” Moyer said.
Just a few minutes later, Sterling was at it again but this time, the goal would be hers.
“Em got a ball in the box. It was all individual effort. She went through one 50-50, the ball stayed at her feet. She went through a second 50-50, the ball stayed at her feet, and she just calmly tucked it into the corner,” Moyer said. “The second 20 minutes of the first half we kind of lost our rhythm and gave up a goal on a corner kick.”
It was a busy afternoon for the Falcons defense and their senior leader gave her all as she always does, scoring a goal to make it a 2-1 game at the intermission.
“Rylee Kaufmann put out another all-star performance doing the tough defensive work and finding the back of the net late in the first half to cut West’s lead to one before going into halftime,” Falcons coach Kaitlyn Battiste said. “We had a few other quality looks in front of the goal, but weren’t able to put them away.”
West responded well out of the half, rebuilding the two-goal lead about five minutes in. Mackenzie Gausch made a strong run, pulling the ball across and finding Kate Weyer, with the junior hammering the ball in with a quality finish.
With about eight minutes to play, the Bucks earned a corner kick, and their freshman standout would ice the result. Junior Ashley Lott, another newcomer in the attack, found the ball in a scuffle in front of goal and was able to get it to Sterling.
“Emery Sterling just composed herself in the box, there was a little bit of a scrum, and she was able to put it around the goalie,” Moyer said.
As the Bucks’ offense has started to click, the team’s midfield has also rounded into form.
“Eva Wierzbowski and AC (Alexis Castro) were pretty dominant in the midfield. We got really good minutes from Allie Pisch,” Moyer said.
Pennsbury (3-6-2, 3-6 SOL) travels to Central Bucks South at 3:30 on Friday. CB West (8-4, 7-4)hosts Neshaminy at 7 on Friday.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 2 2 – 4
PENNSBURY 1 0 – 1
Goals; CBW – Emery Sterling 2, Kate Weyer, Rian Detweiler; P – Rylee Kaufmann
Central Bucks South 9, Harry S Truman 0
A hat trick from senior Holly Joseph paced the Titans to a second straight win.
Allison Sauers, Riley Karpinski, Olivia Daniele, Gab Coulon, Brooke Commins, and Lily Black also found the back of the net for CB South.
CB South (5-6, 4-6 SOL) hosts Pennsbury at 3:30 on Friday. HST(0-9) visits North Penn at 3:30 on Friday.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH – 9
HARRY S TRUMAN – 0
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover
Wissahickon 3, Lower Moreland 1
The Trojans were certainly paying attention.
Lower Moreland’s come-from-behind win in overtime over Abington last Thursday definitely got Wissahickon’s attention. Wiss coach Chris McDaniels made sure to bring it up quite a bit prior to Wednesday’s match.
“It was a good motivator for us,” the Trojans’ coach said. “We came out ready to play.”
It took less than five minutes for the fired-up Trojans to cash in and they generated quite a few quality looks right off the jump.
“Kendall Dries hit a beautiful ball,” McDaniels said. “We had a nice counter-attack, the ball went out wide to Kylie Friedman and she played a ball over the top to Kendall. She stepped on it, pulled it back to her left foot and curled one into the top corner, it was gorgeous, it would have beaten any keeper.”
Wissahickon continued to get looks on goal but left the field at half wanting a bit more from them. McDaniels credited LM keeper Sandra Malave for making a couple key saves but overall, felt his team needed to be more productive in front of goal.
The team’s halftime talk centered on two main factors, first that the Trojans needed to be more diligent in front of goal going after rebounds and loose balls and second that two goals wouldn’t be enough.
“After we’d talked specifically about following up shots, Sophia Stehlik scored on a rebound of a Lannah Werynski shot,” McDaniels said. “There was a flurry in front of goal, we had a couple chances and eventually Sophia Stehlik put it in the open net.”
The genesis of the goal actually came from the back line.
“Margo Kasenchar I think was a bit frustrated that our attacking unit and mids had a few chances they probably should have put away,” McDaniels said. “She took an opportunity and darted forward, connected a couple passes and she was the one who put the ball in that landed in front of the net where Sophia got the tap-in, but it was Margo as a frustrated center back convincing our attacking unit to do a better job.”
The goal was well-earned and just what Wissahickon was looking for. It also wasn’t enough.
“We knew they were fine being down 2-0 and they felt like they were still in it,” McDaniels said. “We talked that three was the number and we needed to get that third goal.”
Lions coach Todd Hill credited the Wissahickon attack for keeping the pressure on his defensive unit all game long. While Lower Moreland held strong in the first half, giving up the two goals in the second half proved costly.
“Morgan Pennisi continues to be a threat, scoring another goal today with a left foot shot into the corner of the net,” Hill said. “Sandra Malave had some beautiful saves that kept us in the game. Payton Lennon, Kenna Rozanski, and Demmi Fox created some great counterattack opportunities from the midfield, but we were unable to capitalize except for the one goal.”
The Trojans would tack on their third goal for a 3-0 lead and a little bit of security when Werynski threaded a well-placed ball in that found Friedman and the senior forward toe-poked in a finish from a tight angle.
Defensively, McDaniels cited the play of Lucy Greenstein in a central defensive midfield role. Feeling the attacking unit had enough firepower, McDaniels opted to have Greenstein stick back and keep an eye on Pennisi among the Lions’ other threats.
“She’s got really good pace and we knew they were a counter-attacking team,” McDaniels said. “Lucy and our center backs for the most part sat pretty deep and kept them in front.”
Wissahickon (9-2, 8-2 SOL) visits Springfield Twp at 3:30 on Friday. LM (5-5, 5-4) hosts Upper Dublin at 3:30 on Friday.
WISSAHICKON 1 2 – 3
LOWER MORELAND 0 1 – 1
Goals: W – Kendall Dries, Sophia Stehlik, Kylie Friedman; LM – Morgan Pennisi
Hatboro-Horsham 2, Upper Moreland 0
Kitty Randa has been on a roll in the latter half of September.
A brace from Randa helped snap Upper Moreland’s three-match win streak and keep the Hatters unbeaten on the season. Since the start of crossover play, Randa had scored three goals and assisted three others for Hatboro-Horsham, which is 5-0 against the SOL Freedom.
“Kitty Randa opened up the scoring with an assist by Emma Levin in the first half,” Hatters coach Kelsey Daley said. “In the second half Kitty Randa found the back of the net again with an assist from Ali Hewish.”
Alyssa Tooley notched another shutout in goal with some help from her back line.
“Jordyn Harris played a really good game at defense shutting down the UM forwards,” Daley said.
The loss was a setback for a Golden Bears team that had found its stride with a clean sweep of three matches last week.
“Today we had a hard time getting into a rhythm. In the first half we played more reactive than proactive, and Hatboro was able to capitalize on one of their opportunities. In the second half, play equalled out and we were able to create some dangerous opportunities as well. In the end, HH was able to finish their chances and we weren’t,” Golden Bears coach Lisa Benvenuto said. “Annalise Messina and Katie Slear played strong throughout the entire game. Our defensive line was our strongest attribute today.”
Hatboro-Horsham (9-0-2, 9-0-1 SOL) hosts Cheltenham at 3:30 on Friday. Upper Moreland (5-6-1, 4-6) visits Plymouth Whitemarsh at 3:30 on Friday.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 1 1 – 2
UPPER MORELAND 0 0 – 0
Goals; HH – Kitty Randa 2
Abington 5, Springfield Twp 0
Maura Day is playing on a different level this season.
The Abington senior not only netted her third hat trick of the fall Wednesday, she added an assist on each of the Ghosts’ other
two goals as they bounced back from a loss to Lower Moreland last Thursday. Day, who has committed to Kutztown, is now up to a staggering 18 goals on the year in just 12 games and that’s with limited playing time.
“She’s double-covered every game and it doesn’t matter,” Tompkins said. “I think she’s got everything working and she’s playing very confidently. She’s not afraid to shoot the ball and she’s got a very good shot, she’s accurate as can be.”
Day and classmate Carley Slavin both excelled this summer with their club team, PSC Coppa Rage, winning the U17 USYS national title at the end of July. Slavin has also been terrific for Abington this fall with 10 goals and forward Piper McGinley is right there with 10 of her own.
Fittingly, Slavin and McGinley scored the two goals assisted by Day.
“It’s the big three,” Tompkins said. “The unsung hero is Piper, she does a lot of the dirty work that frees Maura up because she can hold the ball but still scores.”
It was the type of performance Tompkins wanted to see after the Ghosts blew a 2-0 halftime lead against Lower Moreland and lost in overtime.
“We’re moving the ball well and we’ve had a couple people who have been given opportunities and they’re doing well,” Tompkins said. “Jocelyn Pollack has been playing in the back and doing well and I have a senior, Neveah Brauer, who’s been hurt the last two years and is finally healthy that’s getting better every game.”
Addy Hayden had a big save on a breakaway to pick up the shutout in goal.
Abington (9-3,8-2 SO) travels to William Tennent at 3:30 on Friday. Springfield Twp (4-7, 3-7) hosts Wissahickon at 3:30 on Friday.
ABINGTON – 5
SPRINGFIELD TWP – 0
Goals: A – Maura Day 3, Carley Slavin, Piper McGinley
Quakertown 4, Cheltenham 0
The battle of the Panthers went in favor of the visitors from Quakertown.
While Quakertown only held a 1-0 lead at the half, coach Jon Gingrich felt his side played to plan right from the beginning.
“Our performance today was confident and positive, our goal for today was to play confident soccer as a team,” Gingrich said.
Madison Kalinowski put the visitors in front via an unassisted goal off a corner kick in the first half. Quakertown’s effort stayed high in the second half and the visiting Panthers would continue to add on.
“Carolyn Sipprell scored on a beautiful head ball goal, assisted by Mackenna Calabria for our second goal,” Gingrich said.
Grace Maceri, a junior, tallied the final two goals for Quakertown.
“My standout player for the game was freshman Faith Greenday, one of our central defenders, she was exceptional all game,” Gingrich said. “She was all over the field winning battle after battle, constantly defending and playing great balls to the midfield and strikers.”
The host Panthers have been battling some injury woes, but coach Leah Matusow continues to see a high level of resilience and grit, even as inexperienced players are called on to fill bigger roles.
“Quakertown has speed, skill and does a good job of creating opportunities. We had to work hard to stop their offensive runs. The score does not represent the effort and hard work our team showed today,” Matusow said. “I had a lot of players step up, as the injury bug continues to haunt us. I’m really proud of our younger players who are stepping into big roles and for the leadership of our juniors and seniors.
“We competed, didn’t let their goals get our heads down, and kept our energy up both on the field and on the sideline.”
Cheltenham (0-8-1 SOL) travels to Hatboro-Horsham at 3:30 on Friday. Quakertown (6-5, 4-5) visits New Hope-Solebury at 3:30 on Friday.
QUAKERTOWN 1 3 – 4
CHELTENHAM 0 0 – 0
Goals: Q – Grace Maceri 2, Carolyn Sipprell, Madison Kalinowski
Upper Dublin 5, New Hope-Solebury 0
The Cardinals had eight days to let their last performance linger – a 3-2 loss to Upper Moreland, so when they got back on the field Wednesday, there was some steam to let off.
“We felt we were better than our last result and came out with an attitude,” Cardinals coach Chuck Gesing said. “If we continue to play with that attitude, we are going to be tough down the stretch.”
Seniors provided four of the team’s five goals, led by a brace from Lilli Kleiman who now has 11 on the season. Alex Devers also found the back of the net, as did Regan Rubin which was a welcome sight for UD.
Rubin, a University of Nevada recruit, has been dealing with injury issues all season but getting her back would be a big lift for the Cardinals. An unexpected postponement last week gave the potent midfielder, who had more than a dozen assists last season, a little more time to get healthy and back on the training pitch with her teammates.
“Our ball movement was really good. The midfield of Alaina Sanders, Regan Rubin, Olivia Hoffman and Catherine Scullen did a great job of finding the open players and not forcing the play,” Gesing said. “The back line was solid as well. This was a game we really looked comfortable in and I’m hoping we build on it.”
Erin Seabrook took care of the fifth goal for Upper Dublin, while Jordyn Levine notched the shutout in goal.
The result was a tough one for New Hope-Solebury, but coach Matt Duffey credited his players for not giving in.
“We just got beaten by a very good Upper Dublin team. They press hard, they play aggressive soccer, and they really took it to us,” Duffey said. “Our girls kept fighting and didn’t give up. Great effort from Margaret Tresler in goal. Nicole Michael, Meeghan Griffith, Nina Meixler and Elena Shire also played well for us.”
New Hope-Solebury (2-9-1, 1-8-1 SOL) hosts Quakertown at 3:30 on Friday. Upper Dublin (5-4-1, 4-4-1) visits Lower Moreland at 3:30 on Friday.
UPPER DUBLIN – 5
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY – 0
Goals: UD – Lilli Kleiman 2, Alex Devers, Regan Rubin, Erin Seabrook
Plymouth Whitemarsh 2, William Tennent 1
After a lackluster first half from his team, Colonials’ coach TJ DeLucia started thinking about what he would say in the halftime huddle.
As he approached his players, he realized it wouldn’t matter. They were taking care of it for him.
“We came out asleep in the first half. Lot of illness this week. Long bus ride. Got to Tennent late and Tennent dominated the first half. We didn’t do much right,” DeLucia said. “When the coaches walked over to the team at halftime, the players were all talking to each other. It wasn’t silent. The coaches didn’t have much to say. I told them their season hung on the first ten minutes of the second half.”
DeLucia credited keeper Caitlyn Dinh and senior Ella Clark for taking charge of the team at half. It was Dinh who addressed her teammates when the coaches arrived while Clark, a two-time captain, brought everyone together for a few last words before breaking to start the second half.
Taking the lead from her teammates, senior Angelina Balcer brought it in the second half. The forward set the tone immediately for what the second half would look like, scorching a defender and scoring the tying goal in the first minute after the restart whistle.
“Angelina Balcer came out of the half firing,” DeLucia said. “She’s our catalyst right now and the freshman up top, Keira Whelan, is benefitting. Whelan can really finish.”
To that point, they proved it about 10 minutes later.
“Balcer beat another defender and crossed the ball in to freshman Keira Whelan who played the volley over the goalkeeper to take the lead,” DeLucia said. “Tennent battled and threatened for the final 30 minutes but we held on for a big win.”
The victory was PW’s sixth in a row and the Colonials are a perfect 5-0 in crossover play with one more to play before returning to the SOL Liberty.
William Tennent (3-8, 3-5 SOL) hosts Abington at 3:30 on Friday. PW (7-4, 6-4) hosts Upper Moreland at 3:30 on Friday.
WILLIAM TENNENT 1 0 – 1
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 0 2 – 2
Goals: PW – Angelina Balcer, Keira Whelan
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