Check out the recaps for SOL girls’ soccer teams in action Wednesday. Pennridge/CB East photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos. All SOS photo galleries for GIRLS’ SOCCER can be viewed by clicking HERE. Wissahickon/Quakertown photos courtesy of Josh Stelzer.
SOL Colonial
Pennridge 2, Central Bucks East 1
At some point, Tori Angelo realized she was putting a lot more in than she was getting back.
There were plenty of times last season where the Pennridge forward would exert energy in the pursuit of getting a goal, only to lose out on the opportunity to finish. Given that her position on the field is predicated on scoring, it was a difficult sophomore season in terms of production.
It’s early, but so far Angelo is filling up her account.
“Maturity,” Rams coach Audrey Anderson said of what’s been different. “She’s got four goals in three games and last year, she probably had a total of four goals. That’s a sign of her maturity, she’s stronger this year and she’s more focused so we’ll definitely take it.”
Angelo scored twice, both in the first half, Wednesday as the Rams topped the Patriots in their first meeting this fall. The junior’s first goal was a bit messy, with a deflected ball off a teammate’s foot catching her in the abdomen before she could settle but as she noted, they all count the same.
“I’m kind of known to be an aggressive player in club and I’ve worked to carry that over to the high school team here,” Angelo said. “I’m working to try and keep getting the ball in the back of the net. A lot of times I’ll do a lot of work and especially last year, I didn’t have nearly as many goals as I wanted, so I’m trying to do more of that.”
From almost the opening whistle, the Patriots were on the back foot and even needed some intervention to avoid falling behind five minutes in. A shot from Pennridge’s Liv Grenda struck the right post, then the left post but something kept it from going over the line and East keeper Mae Leedy made the right move to dive on it first and ask questions later.
While the first 40 minutes belonged to the hosts, East was at its strongest in the final stretch. Last season’s SOL Colonial co-champions with Pennridge, the Patriots have endured a frustrating start to league play but know they aren’t out of anything yet.
“Every minute matters,” senior Gwyn Krystkiewicz said. “I think it’s coming. There’s a lot of potential here and we’re going to make something happen.”
Angelo snagged her first goal 10 minutes in, making a pass in to Sophie Craig then running behind her teammate, happening upon the right spot as an East defender tried to dislodge the ball off Craig’s foot.
About five minutes later, a high-arcing ball found its way out of Pennridge’s defensive third and ever so slightly off the forehead of Liv Grenda, who smoothly settled the pop-up into her path. The junior midfielder made a move at midfield, then hit a slithering ball diagonally across the pitch, hitting Angelo in-stride down the right flank.
With one big touch and one right-footed strike later, it was 2-0 Rams.
“We had to find a way to get around them besides just using our speed,” Angelo said. “We work on having defenders in the box and having to play a ball in because we know that’s what happens most of the time. Not every goal is going to be pretty, but all that matters is they end up in the back of the net.
“We’ve done a good job of not just kicking up the field. We want to play through our mids and not by-pass anybody.”
Last fall, the Rams got off to a tremendous start, but a rash of injuries started chipping away at their starting lineup and ultimately their depth. In order to keep players like Angelo, Grenda or Craig from doing too much too soon, Anderson is adopting more of a committee approach this fall.
“I’m trying to do a better job this year of managing minutes,” Anderson said. “We’re three games in and I think I was able to rest everybody on the field except (defenders) Lauren Murphy, Casey Malone and Anna Croyle, so I think that’s a pretty good showing of how deep we are.”
It meant some valuable experience for some of the reserve players too on Wednesday as they happened to be on the field when the Patriots came battling back.
“In the second half, East did a really good job not letting us find those gaps to play in behind,” Anderson said. “That creates less scoring opportunities for us.”
East sliced the lead in half with 6:36 to play after winning a free kick on the left wing about 35 yards out. Elliot Forney hit the service to the opposite post, putting the ball into a group of players with both sides where it popped loose on the near side for a wide-open Jessie Bernabe to slam it home.
“I think from tonight, we saw what happens when you don’t give up when we lose the ball,” Krystkiewicz said. “You continue to push. Always keep pushing, no matter if it gets hard or you’re tired or anything, always keep going.”
Pennridge (3-0 SOL) hosts CB West at 3:30 pm on Friday. East (2-2, 1-2) hosts Souderton at 10 am on Saturday.
PENNRIDGE 2 0 – 2
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0 1 – 1
Goals: P – Tori Angelo 2, CBE – Jessie Bernabe
Central Bucks West 2, Central Bucks South 1
Sitting on their first loss of the season over the long weekend, the Bucks got back in the win column Wednesday while also picking up their second win over a rival Central Bucks school this fall.
“I actually thought we played really well tonight. I thought we controlled most of the game. We were in their end a lot. We had a lot of good chances in the first half, and finally, we got a goal with about 10 minutes left in the half,” West coach Mike Moyer said. “Courtney Moylan hit a great back post corner kick, and Kate Weyer made just a fantastic head ball to keep it in play and Ashley Lott used her height and headed it in for us to go up 1-0.”
The Titans have been very stout so far this season on the defensive end but have struggled at times with creating chances offensively.
“West played a great game and out -worked us. We didn’t create enough scoring opportunities and need to focus on that moving forward,” South coach Gabbie Nolan said. “Our goalie Kristen Conway truly kept us in the game with great saves. She deserves credit for the way she played.”
CB South did get a goal on Wednesday, with senior Allison Sauers converting from the penalty spot, which tied the game 1-1 in the second half.
“They were very organized in the back, and they were very organized in the midfield, but we just felt like worst case scenario – we’re going to win the game 1-0 because they really didn’t penetrate us too much in the back, but lo and behold, we give up a penalty kick – our third one in four games,” Moyer said. “They made it, and it gave them the momentum they needed.”
West started to even out its for-against ratio on penalty kicks, drawing a foul in the box with 13 minutes left. Kate Weyer, a standout defender, took the PK and buried it for West and the Bucks were able to close out the win from there.
“Credit to us, we just stuck to the game plan. We had a lot of good chances. My midfield – Eva Wierzbowski and AC Castro – were phenomenal,” Moyer said. “My back line – Courtney Moylan, Ava Longo, Janelle Blocker and Ava Brunner have just been playing great.”
West (3-1 SOL) is at Pennridge for a 3:30 pm start on Friday. The Titans (2-2, 1-2) host North Penn at 3:30 on Friday.
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1 1 – 2
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0 1 – 1
Goals: CBW – Ashley Lott, Kate Weyer; CBS – Allison Sauers
North Penn 4, Souderton 0
The Knights did not start the season with an easy schedule, but even if the results didn’t come, their effort never wavered.
Going up against a Souderton side coming off a huge win of its own and again playing on its home field, North Penn’s energy and effort proved to be the difference.
“Last week was definitely a rough start to the season result-wise, but I really liked how we were playing and it felt like we were building in the right direction,” North Penn coach Mike Rio said. “We had stretches in the first three games where I thought we played really well, and the goal tonight was to do that for 80 minutes and the girls definitely rose to the challenge. The effort has been there, and it was really great to see that pay off tonight.”
After beating CB West with a committed defensive effort on Friday, Souderton wasn’t able to muster the same type of performance against a hard-charging North Penn side.
“Couldn’t get the energy and communication where it needed to be tonight in order to really compete,” Souderton coach Ian Smith said. “Credit to North Penn as they were first to every ball and worked harder than us throughout the match. It just seemed like they wanted it more tonight.”
While North Penn led just 1-0 at half, the Knights were getting the ball forward and combining well as a group which had put them in front to begin with.
“The first goal started from a punt where we were able to settle at midfield and string a couple passes together where Reyna Doherty was able to send Andie Salmon to the corner who then crossed it to Maddy Murphy to finish it,” Rio said.
Sam Ridler had a key save late in the first half to keep North Penn in front, then the Knights defense converged for an important play in the second half while up 2-0.
“Freshman Sienna Stunkard fought hard to get in behind and push the ball past the outrushing keeper. The ball didn’t have enough on it to reach the net and sophomore Julia Decaro poked it towards the net, but North Penn had numbers back to just clear it off the line in time,” Smith said. “From then on we never really appeared to be in it. Senior Natalie Rankin showed some good fight toward the end of the match and started to create some chances for us up top. She even got in behind and sent a shot skimming off the crossbar. Unfortunately, it was too late for us to make a significant impact on the match.”
The Knights had four different scorers and plenty of contributors on Wednesday.
“I also thought Kayla Balislisa had a really great game at outside back,” Rio said. “She’s been allowing our midfield players to get forward and it’s giving us a lot more options.”
Doherty started the second goal with a throw-in to Lauren Blanch, who did the rest herself by dribbling through Souderton’s defense and poking one past the keeper to start the second half.
Murphy added an assist to her goal with a fantastic cross that found Sydni Schorn for a header and Kylie Holmes capped the scoring when she cut through the defense to turn a pass from Meaghan Fox into a goal.
“We knew Souderton had some strength defensively, and I am really proud of the way the girls kept the pressure and kept fighting,” Rio said. “They held us to one goal after the first half, and we responded well to come out at halftime and make sure we were able to put the game away.”
Souderton (2-3, 1-3 SOL) hosts Lansdale Catholic on Thursday in a rescheduled game, then travels to CB East at 10 am on Saturday. North Penn (1-3, 1-2) visits CB South at 3:30 pm on Friday.
NORTH PENN 1 3 – 4
SOUDERTON 0 0 – 0
Goals: NP – Maddy Murphy, Lauren Blanch, Syndi Schorn, Kylie Holmes
SOL Patriot
Bensalem 2, Pennsbury 1
What a difference a week makes.
After getting trounced by Council Rock North 8-0 on August 31, the Owls didn’t play again until facing Pennsbury on Wednesday. In his five years leading Bensalem, coach Bob Crawford had only tied the Falcons once while losing every other time out.
With Tuesday’s rain washing out the Owls practice, Crawford actually broke out the game tape from the CR North game and had his team watch it again.
“We had to show them they were doing things correctly even though they lost 8-0,” Crawford said. “I told them to keep trusting what they’re doing and just play with a lot of energy. If they put all their energy into the game, everything else will fall in from there.”
This is a fairly young Bensalem team too. There are just four seniors on the roster, with three usually starters but that number reduced to just one early in Wednesday’s first half. Beyond them, it’s four juniors and a lot of sophomores who needed to see they could do it on the field.
“They’re starting to realize they can play at this level,” Crawford said. “It comes down to us as coaches to get them to believe in themselves. They’re going to do pretty amazing this year, I think but it starts with them believing they belong where they do.”
Through their battles over the years, Crawford has always credited Pennsbury for being a program that steps on a field expecting to win and often finding a way to do so. In previous years, it seemed like the Owls might be primed to win one of their own, only for the Falcons to rally late or score a goal from nowhere to turn the tables.
Kylie Smith scored early in the first half to give Bensalem a 1-0 lead that Crawford said was a boost of confidence for the entire team. However, Pennsbury made it a 1-1 game to start the second half.
“Usually, when we let a goal in, all their shoulders go down,” Crawford said. “Today, they didn’t.
“Pennsbury put a big push on us, they had us on our heels.”
Crawford emphasized it was a total team win on Wednesday and he cited his team’s defense as the example to back it up.
“We weren’t doing any single tackles, we played team defense, everyone was getting back between the midfield and defense, they committed to playing that kind of style,” Crawford said. “That allowed us to not have to defend 1-v-1. Against some of their bigger or more skilled kids, they’re just going to light you up, so our girls just supported each other.”
Vanessa Shay put Bensalem back in front, scoring off a direct free kick.
“It went in, sometimes you get a little bit lucky too, you know,” Crawford said. “I was just really proud of the whole bunch today.
“I hope they realize now that if they support each other, good things are going to happen. If they put in the effort and support each other, more things will come to them than bad things.”
Pennsbury (1-1-2, 1-1-0 SOL) hosts CR South at 3:30 pm on Friday. Bensalem (2-2, 1-2) travels to Harry S Truman at 3:30 on Friday.
BENSALEM 1 1 – 2
PENNSBURY 0 1 – 1
GOALS: B – Kylie Smith, Vanessa Shay
Council Rock South 2, Council Rock North 0
Wednesday was certainly an interesting day for CR South coach Nick Heim.
In the morning, he woke up and went to his job teaching at CR North. When the school day ended, he made the short trip across town to coach his Golden Hawks team against their archrival for the first time on South’s new turf field.
After that, he had to go back over to North for Back-to-School night and any awkwardness that ensued.
He also wouldn’t trade any part of it.
“It was the first game for us on the new turf at South and to open against our sister school made it even more special. North-South is everything high school sports should be about,” Heim said. “There is a great respect between the two programs. Between (Indians coach) Gavin (Flannigan) having a lot of my players through their youth in club ball, and me teaching at North, the programs know each other really well.”
Sharing opposite ends of a school district and the same division in the SOL means every North-South game is an important one. At the same time, it’s also about more than 80 or so minutes of soccer, as Wednesday exemplified.
Golden Hawks senior Allison Roberto unfortunately tore an ACL in preseason for the second straight year, sidelining her and taking away any chance she had to play in a varsity North-South game, let alone one on her home field.
“She never got the opportunity to lace them up against North. When I asked Gavin if she could start and we knock it out of play, he didn’t hesitate to say absolutely,” Heim said. “Their program agreed to allow our senior to have a special moment – it says a lot about their program and the class they exude.”
Wednesday’s match was very much an important one for both teams on the field as well. CR North had won its first three matches overall and first two in league while the Hawks had split their first two SOL contests.
Last year, every point mattered in the SOL Patriot table, and it’s looking like that could be the case again this fall, so both teams wanted a positive result.
“I thought we came out and had the better run from the start. They are a very, very good team with talent all over the field. We did our walk-throughs the day before, but we stressed to the girls that North-South games often come down to heart, and discipline,” Heim said. “I thought we stuck to our game plan pretty well for the majority of the game.”
Hawks senior keeper Karissa Smedley was one of the standout performers, picking up a hard-earned clean sheet after being called into action early on some North set pieces.
“Karissa Smedley showed a ton of heart in goal. Early in the game she got hit pretty hard but continued to be really aggressive on set pieces,” Heim said.
South broke the scoreless tie midway through the first half with a few familiar names combining on an effort goal. Kim Speiser started the sequence by hitting a set piece from midfield, finding Kylee Bamberger for a header that led to a scrum and Lily Bross knocking it home in the melee.
“North came out firing, and for periods of the second half connected five passes here or eight passes there. We weathered the storm a bit in all reality,” Heim said. “I thought our defensive unit did a really nice job limiting their creative players up top. Jenna Waterman, Fiona Reckner, Kim Speiser, and Maggie Kane had their hands full but helped keep chances in the run of play at bay.”
The score held 1-0 for most of regulation until the final minute when North put numbers up to chase an equalizer. CR South was able to counter with Cam Blatz bagging the sealing goal with about 20 seconds left.
“While not on the score sheet, the midfielders for us put in tremendous effort and were crucial for us,” Heim said. “Zoe Brossman, Reghan Mudie, Kathryn O’Kane, and Kylee Bamberger were dangerous, and had to do a lot defensively to help keep their talent from taking over.”
The teams will meet again next month in the annual Rock Cup game at CR North and more than likely, it will have a lot of meaning for both teams in more ways than just 80 minutes of soccer.
“Most importantly, when the game is over you see a lot of the girls going and hugging their club teammates and friends,” Heim said. “It’s a great rivalry to be a part of.”
CR North (3-1, 2-1 SOL) visits Neshaminy at 3:30 pm on Friday. CR South (2-1) hosts Pennsbury at 3:30 pm Friday.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 1 1 – 2
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0 0 – 0
Goals: CRS – Lily Bross, Cam Blatz
Neshaminy 7, Harry S Truman 0
Neshaminy used four different scorers – led by a hat trick from Bri Garyah – to pick up its second win of the season on Wednesday.
Angelina Daino had two goals, Kylie Maxwell scored once and assisted two others and Carly Fox rounded out Neshaminy’s scoring. Dylana Shearer, Mercedez Paino, Gyzell Rowan and Allie Ortman all registered assists.
Neshaminy (2-0 SOL) hosts CR North at 3:30 pm on Friday. Truman (0-3) hosts Bensalem at 3:30 pm on Friday.
NESHAMINY – 8
HARRY S TRUMAN – 0
SOL Liberty
Abington 3, Upper Dublin 1
Abington has its midfield figured out.
After Wednesday’s win over the Cardinals, coach Rick Tompkins is a little more confident his defense might be on the same path to figuring itself out. A second half shutout from the defense helped the Ghosts to a second straight win while the midfield took care of the offense.
Senior Maura Day scored the game-winning goal and assisted on the two others.
“She really did a lot of good things today,” Tompkins said.
The teams, separated by about a 15-minute drive down Susquehanna Road, are usually competitive when they meet and Wednesday was no different. Maura Day slipped a through ball to Lily Day to put Abington up 1-0 early, but UD’s attack responded.
Lili Kleiman continued her run of form to start the season for the Cardinals, taking advantage of a rare Abington defensive miscue on the evening to level the score.
It was a rallying point for the Ghosts backs and Madison Oldham, Jocelyn Pollock and Kara Slavin came together to avoid any further breakdowns.
“The defenders really had to step up,” Tompkins said. “I give them a lot of credit, they did a really good job.”
Tompkins also credited his freshman goalkeeper, Addison Hayden, for playing with confidence behind her back line.
Maura Day curled in a free kick to put Abington back in front in the second half, then set up an insurance goal off another corner that fellow senior Carley Slavin headed home.
“The second half, I thought we dominated. I thought they moved the ball well and started having more confidence in their ability to hold onto the ball rather than just whacking it all over the place,” Tompkins said. “We’re getting a little bit better, but we have to start putting some wins together.”
Abington (3-2, 2-1 SOL) visits Wissahickon at 3:30 pm on Friday. Upper Dublin (1-3, 0-3) travels to Plymouth Whitemarsh at 3:30 pm on Friday.
ABINGTON 1 2 – 3
UPPER DUBLIN 1 0 – 1
Wissahickon 2, Quakertown 1
The Trojans know any trip to Quakertown, much less one under the lights, is going to be a battle and it’s just what they got on Wednesday.
“They came out with a ton of energy,” Wiss coach Chris McDaniels said. “They made it difficult to move the ball, and their press paid off in the first goal.”
Faith Greenday scored in the 27th minute for the host Panthers, putting the Trojans in a familiar spot of trailing in the first half of a game.
Of course, Wiss has experience both trailing in the first half and rallying out of said deficits, as they did late in the first half on Wednesday.
“We leveled before half on a nice build up that included Sage Stelzer, Kylie Friedman and Lannah Werynski and ended with Emma Greenberg finishing a rebound,” McDaniels said.
After halftime, the visitors were able to adjust and had a much better start after the restart whistle.
“We matched their intensity and eventually our chasing led to capitalizing on a mistake at the back for them,” McDaniels said.
“Lannah Werynski finished after her and Greenberg put in the work defensively. They had some chances late, but the back line played well, and goalkeeper Meredith Blight was always in the right place.”
Werynski has been on a roll for Wissahickon this fall, scoring the game-tying goal last week against Upper Dublin, the game winner last Friday against Lower Merion and again on Wednesday.
“She’s been dribbling at defenders and winning 1v1 battles. I’ve enjoyed watching her be so aggressive going to goal,” McDaniels said.
Wissahickon (3-1, 2-1 SOL) hosts Abington at 3:30 pm on Friday. Quakertown (1-2) hosts Hatboro-Horsham at 4pm on Friday.
WISSAHICKON 1 1 – 2
QUAKERTOWN 1 0 – 1
Goals: W – Emma Greenberg, Lannah Werynski; Q – Faith Greenday
Hatboro-Horsham 2, Plymouth Whitemarsh 0
Emma Levin doesn’t have the luxury of going unnoticed.
The Hatters junior midfielder, a standout all-SOL pick and a national champion with her Coppa Rage club squad this past summer, gets plenty of attention from every team Hatboro-Horsham faces. On Wednesday, she was getting more attention than usual under the lights as the Colonials simply didn’t want to let her out of their sights defensively.
“The Hatters had a rough start of the game but bounced back quickly to get the win. We had to make some unfamiliar changes in the second half because Emma Levin was being man-marked everywhere on the field,” Hatboro-Horsham coach Kelsey Daley said. “So with some changes and different girls stepping up for us when we needed, it really made a difference for us.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh’s defensive approach worked in the first half, keeping the Hatters scoreless after 40 minutes.
Mixing things up at the break, the Hatters were able to open the game up a bit in the second half and capitalized six minutes after the restart when Caroline Shegogue dipped a ball just under the crossbar off a Mia Malofiy assist.
Even with the extra attention, Levin still found her way into the scorebook, adding an assist on Alli Hewish’s side-post finish late in the half.
“Sarah Roesing and Caroline Shegogue controlled the middle by winning mostly all 50/50 balls and that set the tone for the rest of the team,” Daley said. “Everyone gave us some really good minutes and tonight was a team win.”
Alyssa Tooley notched her fourth shutout in goal on the season.
PW (1-2 SOL) hosts Upper Dublin at 3:30 pm on Friday. Hatboro-Horsham (3-0-1, 3-0-0) travels to Quakertown at 4pm on Friday.
HATBORO-HORSHAM 0 2 – 2
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 0 0 – 0
Goals: HH – Caroline Shegogue, Alli Hewish
SOL Freedom
William Tennent 4, Cheltenham 0
A defensive-minded effort from William Tennent was enough to slow Cheltenham in one of the two matchups sharing the same mascot – in this case, Panthers – in the Freedom division Wednesday.
“Abby Meehan and Erin Somerville were standouts on the back line and were able to stop any momentum by Cheltenham’s forwards,” Tennent coach Elise Jara said. “Our defense did well to contain their offense and we were able to possess the play and transition from defense to offense quickly using the width of the field.”
Tennent’s attack was also busy, generating 24 shots on goal. Jackie Sowers opened the scoring on one of two assists from freshman Sofia Jakimoski, with her other helper going to Theresa Ditri on the second tally.
Ditri ended up with a brace, but only after Paige Marek made it 3-0 before Ditri wrapped up the scoring.
“They came out ready to play from the start and we struggled to find our momentum. WT did the little things well today,” Cheltenham coach Leah Matusow said. “We will learn from this game and look to get better together at practice tomorrow.”
Tennent hosts (2-2, 2-1 SOL) New Hope-Solebury at 3:30 pm Friday. Cheltenham (0-2-1) hosts Upper Moreland at 3:30 pm on Friday.
WILLIAM TENNENT – 4
CHELTENHAM – 0
Goals: WT – Theresa Ditri 2, Jackie Sowers, Paige Marek
Lower Moreland 2, New Hope-Solebury 0
The Lions of Lower Moreland hit the road to meet the Lions of New Hope-Solebury under the lights in a match of former Bicentennial Athletic League-turned-SOL rivals.
Lower Moreland has now played three matches this season, with all three ending the same way. The Lions win 2-0, Nikki Sahl scores both goals and the defense played well to record a shutout.
“Sandra Malave and Amelia Brown combined with the rest of the defensive line – including Sophia O’Brien, Abbie Wassterstron and Paige Lennon – and simply refused to allow a goal,” Lower Moreland coach Todd Hill said. “Although New Hope turned up the heat in the second half, the defense maintained their disciplined and workman-like approach to grind out another shut out. I am very proud of this unit.”
Sahl, who now has six goals on the season, punched one in each half.
“She simply has a sense for the goal and she keeps finding the back of the net again and again,” Hill said.
New Hope-Solebury coach Matt Duffey – in his first year with the Lions – felt like his side competed well with the team currently atop the division standings.
“We played hard, we didn’t give up, and we showed major strides in understanding our system of play,” Duffey said. “Lower Moreland has a very solid team and I felt we stayed with them very well.”
Duffey pointed to the continuing standout play of keeper Margaret Tresler as well as defenders Brooke McLaughlin, Nicole Michael on defense.
“Very solid performances by our whole midfield as well,” Duffey said. “I think Lower Moreland will say that we gave them a tough game.”
While the outcome has been the same three times for LM, it doesn’t mean the Lions are doing the same thing each time out. Hill, also in his first year, has seen his team grow through this early part of the schedule.
“Honestly, this was the best our girls have played. They are beginning to get more creative out there -they are understanding more and more that the game is not just a north to south attacking game – they are getting their heads up and seeing the field and moving the ball better and better,” Hill said. “The middle of the field was really helped by aggressive and smart play by our outside midfielders Ruby Levin and Kenna Rozanski.”
New Hope-Solebury (0-3-1, 0-2-1 SOL) is at William Tennent at 3:30 pm Friday. Lower Moreland (3-0) hosts Springfield Twp at 3:30 pm Friday.
LOWER MORELAND 1 1 – 2
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 0 0 – 0
Goals: LM – Nikki Sahl
Springfield Twp 3, Upper Moreland 1
Kaleigh Evans’ boot stayed golden for the Spartans as the goal-minded striker netted her second hat-trick of the season to power a rally on Wednesday.
An early-match coating of rain put the Spartans off to an uneven start, then they found themselves behind when Upper Moreland’s Willow Taylor converted an assist from Kyra Favors for a 1-0 lead just 10 minutes in.
“We had a little trouble controlling the ball early on and Upper Moreland did a great job of capitalizing on misplayed balls. Taylor took advantage of those miscues in the opening 10 minutes,” Spartans coach Dan Malora said. “We fought hard after that and made some key adjustments to change the flow of the game.”
The main adjustment was just getting Tess Talbot to the right place.
“Coach (Lisa) Benvenuto does such a great job preparing the Bears back line, we had to try and find different ways to attack. Our big spark was getting Tess Talbot into the middle of the field,” Malora said. “She took on the strong UM central play and helped our back line deal with the piercing runs by Favors.”
Then it was up to the Spartans’ forward line to get to work and the trio of Evans, Alana Decker and Kalei Noonan did just that.
Evans buried her first goal in the waning moments of the first half, knotting the score with a rip to the upper 90 after she created an opening of space for herself.
With a new game in the second half, Springfield Twp’s pressure took over.
“We kept the same strategy going into the second half and after 12 minutes Alana Decker found Kaleigh Evans who took the break and put a shot into the other 90,” Malora said. “The game went back and forth for the rest of the second half. A break away over the top lead to Kaleigh Evans’ second hat trick of the season.”
Evans has now registered seven goals in just three games.
Defensively, the Spartans were also up to the task late.
“Senior Keeper Emily West made some big time stops during the game and put up with some heavy, last minute attacks by the Bears,” Malora said.
Springfield Twp (2-1 SOL) visits Lower Moreland at 3:30 pm Friday. Upper Moreland (1-2-1, 1-2-0) is at Cheltenham at 3:30 pm on Friday.
SPRINGFIELD TWP 1 2 – 3
UPPER MORELAND 1 0 – 1
Goals: ST – Kaleigh Evans 3, UM – Willow Taylor
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