Check out the results for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action Thursday.
SOL AMERICAN
QUAKERTOWN 2, WISSAHICKON 1
If the first meeting between these two put Quakertown on the American map, this one made the statement the Panthers are in this to win it.
Much like the first time, Quakertown got out to a lead, then held off a furious charge by the Trojans, thanks to a whole host of players. Even with wind and rain whipping around the field at Quakertown, the Panthers firmed up when they had to.
"The first half, I feel like they had the run of play but we were able to score on a counterattack goal," Panthers coach Mike Koch said. "Haley Purcel got a ball, played it out to Katie Crouthamel, and Katie put a brilliant pass in to Ashley Gluck, our sophomore forward off the bench who brings all kinds of pressure and energy to the game."
Keeping the Trojans in check was a team effort, starting with the defense of Wissahickon's Maddie Elwell. Vic Sturgess and Sam Ramsden, normally forward players, were assigned the task of marking Elwell, each taking a half of work.
In the back, the Panther defenders handled the ball on the wet turf, and Koch said center backs Carley Peacher and Melina Jagiello are adept at handling a ball that's skipping or bouncing and may look tough to control. Goalkeeper Morgan Small continued her stellar season with a tide-turning save in the first half
"It was a foul and it was Maddie Elwell who got a free kick right outside the 18, probably 20 yards out and hit a laser that nine times out of 10 is a goal," Koch said. "Morgan made a fully-extended, in the air, save and parried it to the side."
Quakertown doubled the lead five minutes into the second half, and it seemed to lift a weight off the Panthers' shoulders.
"We played a much better second half and I think that goal relaxed us a bit," Koch said. "It gave us the opportunity to play a little bit less stressed."
Wissahickon was able to cut the lead in half late in the second half, but Quakertown's desire to stay atop the rankings and unbeaten prevailed.
"We were subbing forwards like crazy and pressing their backs because their backs were trying to press forward," Koch said. "We kept fresh pressure on because they definitely got energized on that goal and put us under pressure."
While the win puts the Panthers in good position starting the second half of conference play, they haven't won anything yet. With games against Upper Dublin and Hatboro-Horsham next week, it's two more big tests coming right up.
Quakertown (8-0-1, 7-0-1 SOL) will be at Southern Lehigh on Friday for a non-league game. Wissahickon (6-2-1, 5-2-1) will travel to Pennridge on Saturday for a non-league contest.
WISSAHICKON 0 1 – 1
QUAKERTOWN 1 1 – 2
HATBORO-HORSHAM 3, SPRINGFIELD 1
The Hatters honored their seniors with a win under the lights on a rainy Thursday.
Ali Hontz, Sarah Miller and Emma Roesing each scored once for the Hatters, who battled the elements and wore down a tough Spartans team.
"Our ability to play our style through the whole game worked well for us," Hatters coach Ike Onyeador said. "We didn't have much luck in the first half and we stuck with what we know and weathered the storm and got the goals we needed."
Onyeador is in his second season at Hatboro-Horsham but has his team flying high in its first season in the American. He attributes much of that to the senior class that was honored on Thursday and is looking to extend their careers past the last date of the regular season.
"They've been instrumental in accepting the standard that we've set in terms of what we want our soccer to look like. To be able to execute our ideas and tactics as well as they do is a testament to their desire to develop the Hatters program," Onyeador said. "We will get better each year and it will be because of what these seniors have done in their time with me as their coach."
Hontz and Miller have been mainstays in the Hatters’ scorebook all season, and at least one of them finding the back of the net has become an expectation. Roesing has stepped up in that area lately but has arguably been one of the team’s most indispensible players all season.
"Hontz and Miller are forwards, their job is to score goals. I'm on the other side of the spectrum, I worry when they don't score," Onyeador said. "Roesing is a great player for us who does a lot of good work with her possession, ball-winning and overall work rate, all the things that aren't kept on a stat sheet."
Onyeador said players like Roesing and Erica Paluszek don't have to score because they give so much value in other ways, but it's rewarding when they do put one away.
"(Roesing) is an all-league performer and she needs to get goals more often to prove that to others who don't necessarily recognize her worth."
Hatboro-Horsham (4-4-2, 4-2-2 SOL) will host Pennridge in a non-league game Friday, and Springfield (0-8-1, 0-6-1) will be at Upper Merion on Friday for a non-league contest.
UPPER DUBLIN 5, CHELTENHAM 1
The Flying Cardinals raced to a 4-1 halftime lead on their way to the win.
Scoring first-half goals were Paige Lawton (Sizzy Lawton assist), Sizzy Lawton (Paige Lawton), Emily Booth and Tina Haig. In the second half, Tori Hoffner connected on an unassisted goal.
Coach John Topper lauded goalie Devon Jones for turning in a standout effort.
"(She) had another excellent game in goal with several big saves to preserve the lead," the Cardinals' coach said.
Upper Dublin (7-3, 5-3 SOL) will visit North Penn in a nonleague tilt Friday at 3:45. Cheltenham (0-8, 0-7) will travel to Springfield on Wednesday.
SOL CONTINENTAL
WILLIAM TENNENT 1, CB WEST 0 OT
Tennent was able to break a deadlock in the first overtime period at War Memorial Field Thursday night.
Kimmie Mitchell lifted her team to victory when she finished Shannon McGuinn's cross to put away the Bucks. West was tenacious all match and pushed Tennent to its limits.
"Defensively we were very solid and our goalkeeper Lauriel Krouse played really well," Tennent coach James Barry said. "The back four communicated with each other and really held their shape. CB West threw a lot at us but we were able to stay in it thanks to some great defending through teamwork."
Krouse has been a top performer all season for Tennent and not just in the net.
"She's a senior captain so expectations are high, but she's also played a lot of different roles, she's played some games for us in the center of the field," Barry said. "She's just done whatever we've asked of her as a player. To have someone like that around the program is fantastic."
Barry knew neither team would have too many chances on a rainy, windy and chilly night and said for his team, it came down to minimizing mistakes. Tennent didn't want to gift the Bucks a goal, so clean play in the defensive third was crucial.
So long as the defense held, Tennent had a chance.
"The conditions were rough, players were tiring, so at some point we knew we were going to get an opportunity so it was just having the confidence in the goalkeeper and the back line to maintain the standard of play for us," Barry said.
A key player in defense was freshman Liz Layer, who teamed with senior Erin Thompson in the middle to lock down West.
In the end, it was McGuinn that created that chance.
"(McGuinn) plays as a forward for us, she's a very technically gifted player and an intelligent soccer player," Barry said. "Games like tonight we knew she wasn't going to get many opportunities around the opponent’s box, but when she did, she turned a defender and put in a great cross for Kimmie. She's a player we rely on to give us a special moment."
Tennent is in its first season in the Continental but hoping to be a factor in the second half of the conference slate. Barry said his team is getting some players back off injury and the freshmen and jayvee players that have been filling the gaps have grown quite a bit.
With a nonleague game coming up on Tuesday, his hope is to climb back to .500.
"We need to compete better against some of the bigger teams like the CB East and Pennridge, who have done well," Barry said. "We feel like we're set up in this second half of the season to give the real strong teams a better game and that's what we're looking for, we're looking for improvements."
Starting the second half of SOL play with an overtime win is certainly a way to do that.
"It pushes us to 4-5 and if we can get a good result Tuesday, we're at 5-5 and back to .500," Barry said. "Getting there I think helps the outlook of the players and gives them a bit more confidence and hope for the season. They know we're in a very tough conference and have very difficult games so if we can keep our record around .500 and keep improving, it gives us a good building block."
William Tennent (4-5, 2-4 SOL) will be on the road at Delaware County Christian for a non-league game on Tuesday, and Central Bucks West (4-8, 0-7) will host Gwynedd Mercy in a non-league game Saturday.
WILLIAM TENNENT 0 0 1 – 1
CB WEST 0 0 0 – 0
Goals: WT – Kimmie Mitchell (Shannon McGuinn)
CB EAST 2, NORTH PENN 1
A fast start provided all the scoring on a wet and windy evening, Thursday.
CB East's connection of Izzy Hunter and Hannah Zach bookended a pair of goals around a strike by North Penn's Grace Sacchetti inside the game's first 13 minutes. Hunter had the brace for the Patriots, scoring in the fourth minute and the 13th to pick up the eventual game-winner with Zach providing the assists each time.
"Both goals were a technical finish off a scrum in front of the North Penn goal," East coach Paul Eisold said.
Sacchetti scored in the sixth minute of play to quickly and temporarily tie the game.
"On a very wet, windy and cold evening, North Penn worked tremendously hard and fought to every ball," Eisold said. "They had a terrific attack with speed and confidence and it took superb defending by Abby Brown, Katie Bloom, Ashley Balderson, Katie Powell and Maegan Mannato to hold on for the win."
North Penn coach James Dehner said his team was led by another sterling effort from senior goalkeeper Hannah Lambert while Julia Berry, Emma Dickson, Kat Stevenson, Casey Cavanaugh, Amelia Eshraghi and Ava Lehrman were also strong.
Hunter and Zach weren't the only two to play well in the attack for CB East.
"We got great vision and play by Riley Kane," Eisold said.
Kristen Obetz made six stops in net for East.
Central Bucks East (6-5, 4-3 SOL) will be on the road at Souderton on Wednesday, and North Penn (4-7, 2-5) will host Upper Dublin on Friday in a non-league game.
NORTH PENN 1 0 – 1
CB EAST 2 0 – 2
Goals: NP – Grace Sacchetti 6'; CBE – Izzy Hunter (Hannah Zach) 4', Hunter (Zach) 13'.
SOL NATIONAL
PENNSBURY 5, BENSALEM 1
The Falcons remained undefeated, but it was not without serious effort.
Hoping the weather would help the offense get an early goal or two past the Owls' standout keeper Kathleen Rivera, Pennsbury was not that lucky.
"She is arguably the best keeper in the area," Pennsbury coach Kaitlyn Battiste said. "She was very clean in the back."
Instead, the Falcons let the weather do its thing and turned inward to find the drive to break through.
"Kelsey Butler and Whitney Roth upped their individual games today," Battiste said. "Butler and Roth's aggressive and creative movement were enough to pull Rivera out of position to sneak in some goals."
Butler netted the first goal for Pennsbury while Roth found the back of the net to start the second half. Meredith Webber, by value of a Hope Drewes assist, scored in the first half while Lizzy Kirk and Laurel Perkins found the net after halftime. Kirk also assisted on Roth's goal.
"We're very proud of those five because we were flooding them with shots that always seemed to end up in Rivera's hands," Battiste said. "The rain prevented us from recording many stats but she easily had at least 15 saves in the game."
Amanda Felice provided the goal for Bensalem.
Pennsbury (8-0, 6-0 SOL) will be on the road at Abington Saturday for a 4 p.m. contest. Bensalem (3-7-2, 2-5) will be on the road at Neshaminy on Wednesday.
PENNSBURY 2 3 – 5
BENSALEM 0 1 – 1
Goals: P – Kelsey Butler, Meredith Weber (Hope Drewes), Whitney Roth (Lizzy Kirk), Kirk, Laurel Perkins; B – Amanda Felice.
CR SOUTH 1, ABINGTON 0 OT
The Golden Hawks took advantage of their chance in overtime in a rain-soaked Thursday night game at Abington.
Sierra Tarantino scored with 5:45 left in the first extra session when the Ghosts' goalkeeper slipped on the wet grass. It was an unlucky end for Abington and a continued run of good play by Tarantino.
"Over our past couple of games she has really stepped up big time and has put in some great minutes," CR South coach Kim Francis said. "Her work rate and extra effort have helped her get the ball in the back of the net."
It was a tough game for both teams with low temperatures and a lot of precipitation swirling in the wind.
"The girls didn't have their best game tonight but they all fought until the end and never gave up," Francis said.
Council Rock South (6-4-1, 4-2-1 SOL) will host Marple-Newtown in a non-league game Friday at 3:30 p.m. Abington will host Pennsbury on Saturday at 4 p.m.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0 0 1 – 1
ABINGTON 0 0 0 – 0
Goals: CRS – Sierra Tarantino 84'
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 5, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
The Indians ranks were bolstered in their win Thursday.
Kayla Robinson and Bernadette Daries each had a brace for CR North with Blair Strobel providing the final tally. The highlight didn't come from the goal scorers however.
"Brielle Reich made her season debut," Indians coach Wendell Beres said. "The senior captain and All-SOL selection has been sidelined by a broken foot. We're very happy to have her back and she will provide us great leadership as we make our playoff push."
Council Rock North (7-3, 4-3 SOL) will host Villa Maria Academy. Harry S Truman (0-11, 0-7) will travel to travel to Upper Merion next Thursday for a non-league contest.
Goals: CRN- Kayla Robinson (2), Bernadette Daries (2), Blair Strobel
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