Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action Wednesday. Bensalem/Pennsbury photos courtesy of Greg Lindsay, CR North/Neshaminy photos courtesy of Trish Sexton. (CB South/NP photo courtesy of Mike Tait/CBSouth & Hatboro-Horshan/Quakertown photos courtesy of Jessica Cassel/HH soccer)
SOL Colonial
Pennridge 2, Central Bucks East 0
Early in a season, many teams will talk about identity,
Pennridge wasn’t sure what its identity would be this season, and through five games, the Rams still might not be able to answer that question. That’s not a bad thing however, as Pennridge has shown an ability to be pretty adaptable over its last three fixtures following an 0-2 start.
Facing their biggest test of the early season on Wednesday, Pennridge came through with a quality win to take an early lead in the Colonial Division standings.
“If we want to be a chameleon, we can be a chameleon,” Rams coach Lucas Kriner said. “That’s kind of a cliche way to talk about it, but we have the pieces to take any shape we want, and tonight was a good example of that.
“We shouted instructions onto the field, the girls were able to pass the instructions along and adjust and that was the brilliant piece to the performance from them that they were able to keep their shape and stay organized even as the information was changing as the game went on.”
Senior Emma Shaeffer, who’s a bit of a chameleon in the way she can fill different roles at center forward, played a pivotal role in the offensive side of the game. The co-captain drew the foul that set up Mikayla Loux’s penalty kick early in the second half, then added the insurance goal shortly after when she perfectly timed a run under a pass from Gabriella Howley.
“It’s a really good group of girls,” Shaeffer said. “Everyone is really positive, everyone cheers each other on and that really does contribute to how well we’re playing recently.”
CB East had its share of moments too, but the Rams back line – featuring Natalie Walter, Addy Mills, Harper Posey, Peyton Rabinowitz and Avery Runk at times – and senior goalkeeper Seretha DeMoss were able to come up big for their first shutout of the season.
After starting the season 0-2, Pennridge has won three straight matches.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
No Scoring
2nd Half
P – Mikalya Loux (PK) 41st
P – Emma Shaeffer (Gabriella Howley) 48th
Pennridge coach Lucas Kriner on his team’s adaptability: “We’ve had a different game plan for every game, so the girls have shown a lot of versatility and I kind of don’t mind that we’re that, we don’t need to have a static identity. We can be a number of different teams depending on the circumstances. We are trying really hard to emphasize the togetherness of this team, and you can only play how we played tonight when you are together.”
–Shaeffer’s impact: “She’s a workhorse for us. We ask her to stretch us vertically, ask her to check back, even tonight in the last 10 minutes, we told her ‘Emma, if you get the ball, shield it for us,’ so we could play the game management piece.
“I’m really excited about what the rest of the season looks like for her. She’ll do what you ask her to do and that’s something you need from your forwards.”
–Rams defender Addy Mills on finding their stride: “The first couple of games, it was a struggle to get our wheels rolling. These past couple of games, we finally figured out how to play together, finally score – the first two games we didn’t even score a goal – so I’m just really proud of all us for coming together.”
CB East coach Jake Nesteruk on the match: “Pennridge is a very good team, this was a well-deserved game for them. We definitely will learn from this. I don’t think it was a terrible game from us, I liked what we did, I think we just have to create a few more high-quality chances and defend better in some moments.”
Up next: Pennridge hosts North Penn on Friday. CB East hosts Souderton on Friday.
PENNRIDGE 0 2 – 2
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0 0 – 0
Central Bucks South 3, North Penn 1
The Titans took control in the second half to pick up their first division win of the season.
South opened the scoring, but the Knights were able to capitalize with the sun at their backs to bring the game level at halftime. A couple of effort-led goals would turn the tide in the second half, CB South pouncing on a loose ball off a corner for the winner and adding some insurance on a well-executed service and finish.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
CBS – Charlotte Manley
NP goal
2nd Half
CBS – Khloe Montini
CBS – Riley Karpinski (Kelly Donnelly)
CB South coach Dana Coe on the win: “We solidified the game after many great opportunities with two hard fought goals in the second half. Khloe scored off a corner kick rebound from Tessa Hughes’ corner. Kelly Donnelly made a run from the back and hit Riley Karpinski on a perfectly timed cross to solidify the win.”
–Props: “Tessa Hughes and Monika Daley dominated our midfield. Alana Peev and Tenley Rogers held our defense together. Peyton Mumm and Brooke Carrigan left everything on the field to fight for our first home win and keep our fire going.”
Up next: North Penn visits Pennridge on Friday. CB South visits CB West at 7 p.m. on Friday.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1 2 – 3
NORTH PENN 1 0 – 1
Souderton 4, Central Bucks West 0
Kahlan Hurley had a monster effort in goal, being credited with 17 saves, while Cailee Cush scored twice and Julia Purvy notched two assists in a well-rounded effort by Souderton on Wednesday.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
S – Cailee Cush (Kylie Cummings) 22th
2nd Half
S – Hannah Beckett (Sienna Stunkard) 44th
S – Cailee Cush (Julia Purvy) 51st
S – Lily Heron (Julia Purvy) 79th
Souderton coach Melissa Lollar on the win: “It was truly a team win from front to back. This group of players has been working really hard since the offseason to start seeing positive results on the field.”
Up next: CB West hosts CB South at 7 p.m. on Friday. Souderton visits CB East on Friday.
SOUDERTON 1 3 – 4
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0 0 – 0
SOL Patriot
Pennsbury 8, Bensalem 1
There are two stages to scoring in soccer: creating chances and finishing them.
The Falcons have had the first part down all season, routinely putting a barrage of shots on goal. It’s the second part that’s been the work in progress, but Pennsbury coach Jenna Peters figured it had to give sooner or later.
Wednesday might have been the turning point as the Falcons put away a season-high eight goals with a whole host of players getting involved in the scoring.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
P – Sofia Gorski (Corinne Russo)
P – Ashley Haubein (Sofia Gorski)
P – Corinne Russo (Ashlyn McEwing)
P – Ashlyn McEwing
P – Jules Hammer (Clare Caldaro)
2nd Half
P – Abbie Ellis (Sydney Becker)
P – Rylee McCann (Jill Patrick)
P – Dakota Hibshman (Sydney Becker)
Falcons coach Jenna Peters on the win: “Going into this game, our goal was to capitalize on the chances we were creating. At practice, we focused a lot on finishing and possessing the ball, making sure we didn’t force unnecessary plays. The girls took this advice to heart and executed it. I’m incredibly proud of their teamwork, both on and off the ball.”
–Scoring early: “We came out strong from the start and kept things simple and calm. Our first goal came early, with Corinne Russo slipping a ball to Sofia Gorski, who took a great touch and finished well. From there, the girls’ energy was high, and we started earning corners and creating more opportunities.”
–Keeping the attack sharp: “At halftime, we reminded them to treat the second half like it was 0-0 because Bensalem is a strong team and would continue to battle until the very end. In the second half, Abbie Ellis found the back of the net after a well-timed pass from Syd Becker. We continued to encourage the girls to keep it simple and work the ball around.
“This was a team win where we saw a lot of different goal scorers, which is something we’ve been focusing on. I’m very proud of their effort, how they started strong, and how they finished.”
Up next: Pennsbury hosts Neshaminy on Friday. Bensalem hosts Harry S Truman on Friday.
PENNSBURY 5 3 – 8
BENSALEM 0 1 – 1
Council Rock North 2, Neshaminy 0
Keagan Terry had a day on Wednesday.
The Council Rock North junior is one of many players on the Indians roster adjusting to a new role this season. With a 
winner on Wednesday taking at least a share of the division lead, Terry proved the difference-maker by scoring both goals in a clash of new-look teams that still brought plenty of effort.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
CRN – Keagan Terry (Darcy McCullough)
CRN – Keagan Terry (Sarina Igval)
2nd Half
No scoring
CRN Coach Gavin Flannigan on the match: “I would describe this as a typical SOL matchup between two teams who competed really hard and a game where both had spells of domination. Both groups lost key players from last season and where we would both normally be more prepared for each other I think it was probably harder to plan or understand the strengths and weaknesses. Neshaminy is always a tough game, they’re well coached, well prepared, and you can guarantee they will play a full 80 minutes with intensity.”
–Terry’s double effort: “I thought we had the better of
the first 30 mins or so, we started well and were able to take advantage of some good combinations and create some early shots. About 10 minutes in, Darcy McCullough slipped a pass in behind for Keagan Terry who was able to strike a low, hard shot past the keeper that gave us some good momentum and we capitalized again when Sarina Igval created a turnover and crossed for Keagan to finish again. Both goals were really well taken and I thought we deserved our lead at that point.”
–Second half battle: “In the second half Neshaminy were the stronger team, they dominated us in territory for long periods and were very aggressive in winning first and second balls. We really had to dig deep and defend well, and we were proud of our effort to get the result in the end. Every time you win a division game you can feel good and keeping a clean sheet in the process is really pleasing.”
–Props: “Everyone deserves praise today in different ways, our backline and goalkeeper for a clean sheet, we also had to shuffle some players around through injury and we got some really great minutes from Sofia Cozza, Claire Kelly, Ashley Barone and Darcy McCullough, and it’s hard to ignore Keagan with her two goals.”
Up next: CR North next plays Sept. 8 when it hosts Pennsbury. Neshaminy visits Pennsbury on Friday.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 2 0 – 2
NESHAMINY 0 0 – 0
Council Rock South 4, Harry S Truman 0
The Golden Hawks only had one game on their schedule this week, so they used it as an opportunity to get plenty of names into the scorebook.
Four players – Riley O’Halloran, Gianna Kirlin, Macy Laidlaw and Addison Linne – each scored a goal with Kinne getting the first of her career while Ella Mayberry and Madison Hyams shared shutout honors in goal.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
CRS – Riley O’Halloran (Anna Horn) 39:34
CRS – Gianna Kirlin (Macy Laidlaw) 33:00
2nd Half
CRS – Macy Laidlaw (Gianna Kirlin) 38:30
CRS – Addison Kinne
CR South coach Nick Heim on the win: “I felt we executed well today in what we have been working on in practice. Anna Horn was dynamic for us and Gianna Kirlin seemed to be everywhere in the final third. Our back line moved the ball well for us and Addison Kinne finished the game with a great goal off a corner clearance in her first varsity action. We were able to use our depth in a strange week that only features one game. Credit to Truman for battling for 80 minutes and being organized defensively making us earn the chances we had.”
Up next: CR South next plays Sept. 9 when it hosts Bensalem. Harry S Truman visits Bensalem on Friday.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 2 2 – 4
HARRY S TRUMAN 0 0 – 0
SOL Liberty
Plymouth Whitemarsh 4, Wissahickon 0
Labor Day is supposed to be a day off from work.
That memo escaped the Colonials, who showed up in full force Monday night – ahead of their first day of school – to put in some extra work ahead of a big week. Wissahickon had PW’s number last year and the team’s senior-led group wanted a little bit of payback, knowing every point could come into play later as the division table starts to get sorted out.
A goal in the final minutes of the first half sparked the Colonials, who broke things open after halftime and won their third match in a row.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
PW – Keira Whelan (Marleigh Burton) 37th
2nd Half
PW – Maddie McGuckien (Maddi Lazaroff) 45th
PW – Liv Patete (Keira Whelan) 48th
PW – Bella Zeoli (Liv Patete) 64th
PW Coach TJ DeLucia on the win: “We’re really pleased with the game today. We have a lot of respect for the Wiss program, and we weren’t happy that we didn’t get a win against them last year. The team came in on Labor Day Monday night to get some work in, in preparation for this game. So, there was complete focus on what the expectations were today.”
–Scoring before half: “The first 20 minutes, I felt it was a little too even in midfield. We hadn’t asserted ourselves yet. We did have some chances during that time, but we weren’t very aggressive or clinical in front of net. Finally, with two and a half minutes left in the first half, Marleigh Burton beat her defender, put a cross in from the endline that was deflected by Mia Baron and fell to Keira Whelan who put it in the back of the net.”
–Second half surge: “At halftime, we spoke about dominating the first 10 minutes of the second half. We weren’t happy with only one goal. Less than five minutes into the half, we win a free kick, and Maddi Lazaroff plays a beautiful ball to Maddie McGuckien who heads it in for her second goal of the year. Less than three minutes after our second goal, Liv Patete put a ball in at the back post. Instead of toe-poking, which our team has a tendency to do, she ran the ball into the back of the net – putting into practice something we addressed at halftime.”
–Finishing it off: “To finish our scoring, with 16 minutes remaining in the game, junior Bella Zeoli put a Liv Patete cross into the net for her first goal at the Varsity level. The team was really really excited for Bella to score.”
–Standouts: “Maddie McGuckien was an absolute standout today in defense. She continued her momentum from the Quakertown game and was dominant. She played the full 80 minutes to close the game down and kept the clean sheet. Centerback Kaiane Jayo and goalkeeper Olivia Bragg played a big role in that, as well.
“Liv Patete was really good against Quakertown, has brought great energy off the bench and was rewarded today with a goal and an assist. Marleigh Burton was a highlight today. She has been super coachable in terms of implementing what Coach Slack has asked of her. She was dangerous all day and the coaches were really happy to see her get rewarded with an assist.”
Up next: PW hosts Hatboro-Horsham on Friday. Wissahickon next plays on Sept. 9 when it visits Quakertown.
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 1 3 – 4
WISSAHICKON 0 0 – 0
Quakertown 3, Hatboro-Horsham 2
Finding themselves trailing by a goal at halftime, the Panthers put together a late-stage comeback for a win that created quite the logjam in the Liberty standings.
Brielle Bailey opened things up for Quakertown midway through the first half with a well-taken goal into the upper corner,
but the Hatters responded with two straight for a 2-1 halftime lead. Faith Greenday, a standout senior committed to Alvernia, has been off to an excellent start this season, and she continued it in Wednesday’s second half.
Greenday assisted the equalizer from freshman Shylee Williams with 10 minutes to play, then put the game on her foot with four minutes left by scoring the winning goal off a pass from sophomore Maya James.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
Q – Brielle Bailey
Hatboro-Horsham goal
Hatboro-Horsham goal
2nd Half
Q – Shylee Williams (Faith Greenday)
Q – Faith Greenday (Maya James)
Quakertown coach Jon Gingrich on Greenday: “Senior midfielder Faith Greenday assisted the tying goal and scored the winning goal. She put in a lot of work all game long. She was all over the field for us. All game, she put us in positive positions with good passing and attacking from right and left positions.”.
–Standouts: “Junior holding mid Brynn Gillian was an absolute beast for us as well in the midfield. She broke up a lot of their attacks, winning a lot of head balls and finding simple passes to our wings to start our attack. Sophomores Shylee Williams and Brielle Bailey caused havoc on the right side of the field both got goals today and constantly worked the right sideline for crosses all game.”
Up next: Hatboro-Horsham visits Plymouth Whitemars on Friday. Quakertown hosts Upper Dublin on Friday.
QUAKERTOWN 1 2 – 3
HATBORO-HORSHAM 2 0 – 2
Abington 2, Upper Dublin 1
It’s been a little bit of a slow start for the Ghosts, but they finally cracked the goose eggs in their season scoring column and win column on Wednesday.
Gianna Jones got Abington off to a quick start, taking an opportunity to put one over the keeper for the Ghosts’ first tally of the year. While the Cardinals would tie the match up after halftime, Abington gained the final advantage thanks to Mia Sarro who scored on a low-drive corner kick.
Up next: Upper Dublin (2-3-0) hosts Quakertown on Friday. Abington (1-2-0) next plays Sept. 9 when it visits Plymouth Whitemarsh.
ABINGTON 1 1 – 2
UPPER DUBLIN 0 1 – 1
SOL Freedom
Lower Moreland 3, Springfield Twp 2
Shannon Mahon put the Lions on her back Wednesday.
The junior had a role in all three of Lower Moreland’s goals in a stirring come-from-behind win, scoring a pair and assisting the game-winner. LM needed every bit of that performance with a determined Spartans team on the other end pushing the hosts to the limit.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
LM – Shannon Mahon (Emma Leibert)
Springfield Twp goal
2nd Half
Springfield Twp goal
LM – Shannon Mahon
LM – Jordyn Fox (Shannon Mahon)
Lower Moreland coach Todd Hill on the win: “I am really proud of our girls for a gutsy effort. Springfield is talented. They gave us lots of challenges all throughout the game. Yet our girls remained committed to winning the game. When we went down, our girls did not lose their composure but kept fighting. While it was far from a perfect game, our girls worked really hard to create chances in front of the net. I was really pleased with the way that they were unselfish, finding each other for scoring opportunities.”
–First half: “We took an early lead 12 minutes into the 1st half when Emma Leibert sent a a through ball to Shannon Mahon, and Shannon beat the defender to start the goal scoring. We knew, however, that Springfield had a lot of offensive firepower and that we had our work cut out for us. Sure enough they scored a scrappy goal with the ball bouncing in front of our net to tie the game as we went into halftime.”
–Fighting back: “The second half continued to be a battle, with Springfield scoring again early on a penalty kick. The score stayed 2-1 Springfield through a majority of the second half. However, with 18 minutes left in the game, Shannon Mahon received a ball from Evie O’Brien and this time willed her way to the goal through impressive determination to score the game to tie it up.”
–Finding a winner: “At that point, we wondered if we just needed to hold on for a tie game to try to take things into overtime. However, the girls were pretty determined and continued to put pressure on Springfield’s defense. Their determination paid off with 10 minutes left in the game when Shannon Mahon found Jordyn Fox in front of the net. Jordyn really maintained her composure and placed the ball in the net for the go-ahead goal.”
–Mahon’s performance: “A big shoutout to Shannon Mahon. She really elevated the energy for our team today and took on the responsibility of pushing our team to not settle for a result other than a win.”
–Standouts: “Another standout player today was freshman wing Evie O’Brien. Evie did a great job getting up and down the sideline, recovering for defense and pushing the attack. She had a great game. Also a shout out to goalkeeper Giuls Fogarty who did a really good job against a strong Springfield attack.”
Up next: Springfield Twp visits William Tennent on Friday. Lower Moreland travels to New Hope-Solebury on Friday.
LOWER MORELAND 1 2 – 3
SPRINGFIELD TWP 1 1 – 2
William Tennent 6, Cheltenham 0
In a battle of Panthers, it was William Tennent’s persistence that ultimately won the day.
Despite being thwarted early on, Tennent’s attack kept pressing the issue and once the first goal found its way into the back of the net, more quickly followed. Juniors Bailey Kasner and Grace Bochnak paced the attack with two goals each, Kasner adding an assist in a big afternoon.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
WT – Bailey Kasner (Lia Jablonowski) 24th
WT – Grace Bochnak (Margot Vant Hoenderdall) 24th
WT – Grace Bochnak (Lia Jablonowski) 28th
2nd Half
WT – Mia Rahn (Bailey Kasner) 43rd
WT – Leah Guzman (Olivia Jakimoski) 61st
WT – Bailey Kasner (Leila Santos) 71st
Tennent coach Elise Jara on the win: “After a slow start to our game and some good saves from Cheltenham’s keeper we finally found the back of the net in the 24th minute. Once we were able to secure the first one, we had two more in a four-minute period.”
Up next: Cheltenham travels to Chichester at 7 p.m. on Thursday. William Tennent hosts Springfield Twp on Friday.
WILLIAM TENNENT 3 3 – 6
CHELTENHAM 0 0 – 0
Upper Moreland 5, New Hope-Solebury 0
The Golden Bears rotated players often on Wednesday, giving every player a chance to step on the field and contribute in a bounce-back effort for their first division win of the year.
Brooklyn Kavanaugh scored her first varsity goal for a very early lead and Eva Gorrell made sure UM had a two-goal advantage at half. The second half belonged to the offensive duo of Leah King, who scored twice and Kayla Robinson, who impressively assisted all three Bears markers in less than eight minutes.
Scoring Summary
1st Half
UM – Brooklyn Kavanagh (Eva Gorrell) 2:30
UM – Eva Gorrell (Hailey Kramer) 37:00
2nd Half
UM – Leah King (Kayla Robinson) 70:17
UM – Madeline Cox (Kayla Robinson) 71:35
UM – Leah King (Kayla Robinson) 78:00
Goalkeeper Saves: UM Gracie Costello 2, NHS Stella Lontchar 6
UM coach Lisa Benvenuto on the win: “Today’s game was a strong team effort from start to finish. We moved the ball well through the middle third and created several quality offensive opportunities, with multiple players stepping up to finish. Fresh legs rotated throughout both halves, allowing us to maintain a consistent level of play. We’ve been focusing on finishing our chances in training, and today we saw that hard work pay off.
“Most importantly, this was a great team win—every player contributed, and the energy and effort across the field made the difference.”
Standouts: “Kayla Robinson had a standout performance, assisting on all three of our second-half goals. She continues to play with great composure and vision, seeing the field well and making smart decisions that elevate our play.
“Brooklyn Kavanagh scored her first varsity goal, a big moment for her and the team.
“Eva Gorrell was a steady presence in the midfield, controlling play and helping us connect from back to front, and netted her first varsity goal.”
Up next: New Hope-Solebury hosts Lower Moreland on Friday. Upper Moreland travels to Cheltenham on Friday.
UPPER MORELAND 2 3 – 5
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 0 0 – 0
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