Souderton fell to Great Valley in Saturday’s District One Tournament quarterfinals. The Indians remain alive in the quest for a state berth.
WEST CHESTER – Kelly Kelly was quick to credit Great Valley for its performance in Souderton’s 15-7 loss to Great Valley in Saturday’s District One quarterfinal game, but the difference in the game, according to the Indians’ coach, was less a matter of execution than depth.
“What makes all the world of difference is they have a really deep bench,” Kelly said. “They had four or five girls they were subbing in and out the whole time versus we had one or two.
“The depth on their bench is solid. We started to drop down a little bit (in the second half), but it was just as hot for them, but they had a bit more subs than we did.”
And on a day that was hotter on the turf than even the high 80-degree temperatures made it feel, the game took a decided turn in Great Valley’s favor in a second half. The Indians – in their first quarterfinal appearance since 2004 – trailed by just a 6-4 score at halftime, but the second half belonged to the Patriots.
“We were really proud of our play in the first half in terms of movement on attack and defensively keeping them between our hips,” Kelly said. “We did a really nice job against their 1v1’s with the second slides, so I’m really proud of how our defense played. They came together as one and didn’t let them take the 1v1’s in the first half.
“In the second half, we kind of lost our communication on defense, and they started going 1v1 a little more. Offensively, in the first half, we had a lot more movement. In the second half, we lost that, and that’s where we came up short.”
Early on, things didn’t look promising.
The Indians won the first two draws of the contest, but turnovers after both resulted in goals at the other end.
“They’re hoping for the mistakes,” Kelly said of the Patriots. “They set themselves up so that if there are any turnovers, then they are so spread out they have somebody in that area to pick it up and bring it right back down.”
More than eight minutes had elapsed before the Indians, trailing 3-0, took their first shot, but things changed in a hurry after Kelly called a timeout with 12:32 remaining in the opening half.
Less than a minute later, Natalie Bulgier scored on a free position, finding the net with a powerful bounce shot. It was a 3-2 game after Brittany Roynan found Krista Schneider for the score with a nifty pass out of the Indians’ set offense.
The Patriots scored a pair of their own to take a 5-2 lead, but the Indians came roaring back. Bulgier converted another free position into a goal, and after Souderton won the ensuing draw, it was Bulgier finding the upper corner of the net with a perfectly-placed goal to make it a 5-4 game with 4:55 remaining in the opening half.
The Indians came up with the ball on the ensuing draw, but Great Valley turned a ground ball on Souderton’s offensive end into a goal. The Indians had a chance to get closer, but Great Valley goalie Mia Tornetta turned away a free position shot, and it was a 6-4 game at the intermission.
“I think our attack did a pretty good job of re-defending,” said Bulgier, who led the Indians with three goals. “We did get turnovers from them, and their coach was getting frustrated with the turnovers they were making.
“I think that was an advantage, but we didn’t capitalize enough on them.”
The Patriots – benefitting from their deep bench – held a decided advantage in the second half, outscoring the Indians 8-1 in the opening 20 minutes on their way to the quarterfinal win.
“I think it’s how much they spread out – they really use the entire field down there, so it’s really hard for defense to be able to crash on them when they’re so far out and the first slide is maybe 10 feet away,” senior Kelly Williams said. “They have very good ball movement. They’re a good team, they have good shot selection.”
Williams did her part to keep the Indians within striking distance, turning away 12 shots.
“She had a great game – she was coming out of the cage confidently,” Bulgier said. “This is the number four team, and for her to be that confident definitely boosts the defense’s confidence.”
The Indians received second half goals from Juliana Ofalt (Schneider assist), Kyra Shank and Ally Sonn (Ofalt assist).
Souderton – one of four teams battling for the final state berth – will travel to Springfield-Delco for a playback game on Tuesday. The winner will advance.
Souderton 4-3—7
Great Valley 6-9—15
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