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North Penn coach Carrie Jankowski watched from the sidelines as super soph Elizabeth Fedele stepped to the line for a penalty stroke with 1:36 remaining in the first overtime of Monday’s District One AAA opener against Radnor.
“This is the moment she’s been waiting for,” the Maidens’ second-year coach said to her assistant.
Fedele made her team’s first stroke of the season count, firing a laser shot into the right corner of the cage to give the Maidens a dramatic 1-0 win over the Red Raiders.
“She loves strokes, absolutely loves strokes,” Jankowski said of Fedele.
The sophomore midfielder caught goalie Jordan Green and everyone on the sidelines by surprise when she opted to go right.
“Most girls do go left because it’s easier to shoot there,” she said. “I’ve been practicing going right for a while. There’s a hole in my basement wall because I practice to go to the right.”
North Penn’s fantastic finish was just one of several heartstopping endings on a day that saw five SOL teams advance while four were sent home for the season. Central Bucks West ((17) edged Plymouth Whitemarsh (16) 1-0 in overtime. Hatboro-Horsham (15) needed overtime as well to defeat Conestoga (18) 2-1.
Council Rock South (10) might have had the easiest day of the SOL schools in its 2-0 win over Interboro while Souderton (24) stunned Bayard Rustin (9) 1-0.
Pennsbury (27) gave defending district champion Mount St. Joe’s (6) a scare before falling 3-2. Upper Dublin (12) suffered a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Boyertown (21), and Council Rock North (8) was upset by Unionville (25) 3-1.
North Penn 1, Radnor 0 (OT)
The dramatic ending in North Penn’s 1-0 win made it easy to forget some of the high drama of regulation that saw the Maidens come within inches of winning it and – then later – within a second of losing it.
Late in the first half, a rocket by Fedele on corner play deflected off a defender’s stick and then ricocheted off the bar at the top of the cage and back onto the field of play.
The Maidens had 11 first-half shots to just two for the Red Raiders. The second half was another story entirely, and North Penn appeared to be in serious trouble when – with time winding down – Ericka Zitch found herself on a breakaway with wide open teammate Elie Kraus, who had just entered the game at midfield, on her right.
Zitch carried the ball into the circle, and Kraus deflected it into the cage, but the official – with the scoreboard clock in her line of vision – waved the goal off, indicating time had expired in regulation.
“I saw her pass the ball, and my heart sunk,” Fedele said. “I looked at the clock at the same time. I didn’t know if they were going to count it. I was praying, ‘Please don’t count it.’”
They didn’t, and the Maidens took advantage of the reprieve.
A second overtime appeared inevitable until – with time winding down – the Maidens were awarded their first corner since the opening half. The ball went to Fedele, who opted to dribble the ball toward the cage instead of firing a quick shot.
The move looked like a stroke of genius as an exhausted Radnor defender did everything but take Fedele down in an attempt to stop the sophomore midfielder, resulting in a penalty stroke.
“I haven’t really been executing on my corners lately,” Fedele said. “In practice, if I can’t get a shot off, I try to take it in.
“The dream is to get a stroke right there. I was trying to put it in the goal, and she (the defender) fell from behind – she was pushing from the back, and her stick was hooked onto mine.”
Fedele was money, and the Maidens were celebrating.
“Oh my god, me and Jena (Hanebury) just sprinted onto the field,” said Lynn Beatty, the Maidens’ speedy senior right wing. “That was the sweetest win anyone could ask for. We worked so hard all game for it.”
It is the second time in as many years the Maidens brought an end to Radnor’s season in the opening round – last year rallying from a 2-0 halftime deficit to earn a 3-2 overtime win.
“Last year, they weren’t intimidated,” Jankowski said of the Red Raiders. “They came out full of fire and heart, so I knew they would come out this way.
“Honestly, getting a win in districts is always a good thing. If it takes overtime and a stroke to do it, so be it.”
The Maidens will face the Mount in a second round game.
Mount 3, Pennsbury 2
Pennsbury came up just short in its bid to pull off the tournament’s biggest upset, but no one on the Falcons’ side of the field was feeling too badly after Monday’s 3-2 loss to the defending district champions.
“I was really proud of everyone on the field today,” junior Caty Ritchie said. “We had a few bumps this season, and in this game, we brought it all to the field and played as hard as we could.”
The game was a story of two halves.
“We dominated the first half, and they dominated the second half,” said coach Tracey Arndt, whose team took a 2-1 lead into the intermission. “My girls played great and gave them a run for their money. I’m proud of how they played.
“I just wish we had played this way the whole season. We would never have had to play Mount St. Joe’s in the first game. “
The Magic went on top 1-0 when Julia Reinprecht scored on a corner
“The girl just got back from Junior Pan Ams, and we knew she was going to give us trouble,” Arndt said of Reinprecht. “We put Melinda Feyko on her, and she just did fantastic.
“I think Julia was getting frustrated. She’s a wonderful player, but Melinda didn’t stop. She played well, and that allowed us to play around her. We didn’t have to worry about her as much.”
The Falcons used a Casey Tallman goal to knot the score, and they went on top when Mia Reed scored late in the half.
“The pass came in from the right, and it was a little bouncy, but she stopped it on a dime, turned around, got through two people and did a little fake – pulled right around the goalie and put it in,” Arndt said of Reed’s goal. “We just went crazy because it’s something I’ve been trying to get them to do all year, and she just did it effortlessly.
“It was just a shame that there was only 1:20 left in the first half because I think if we had played 60 minutes straight, maybe things would have been different because we had momentum. Halftime gave them a chance to regroup. You knew they would make changes.”
Mount scored a pair of second-half goals – both during corner play as the Magic had a 9-1 advantage in corners in the second half.
“You have to be pleased,” Arndt said. “There’s only one team that’s going to go home winning. Teams have to lose. I’m just proud of how they played today.
“I hope they understand how important every single game and every single practice is. I think they could have been up there with some higher teams had they focused a little more at different times during the season, but they can be proud of how they played today and leave on a happy note.”
Ritchie turned away six shots in a solid outing in the cage as the Mount held a 9-6 advantage in shots.
“She has been great,” Arndt said. “We had a goalie coach fall into our hands a week into the season who played at Penn State and was on the national team. Caty had it in her the whole time, and she has done fantastic. I give her a ton of credit because she held our defense together the entire season.”
The Falcons are already looking forward to next season.
“We’re losing some really key players, but the people we have coming back – we have so much to build on,” Ritchie said. “I have really high hopes for next season.
“I’m glad we went out with a bang. We left our name there, and they’ll be ready for us next season.”
Central Bucks West 1, Plymouth Whitemarsh 0 (OT)
Despite controlling play for the better part of the game, Central Bucks West needed a penalty stroke by Deanna DiCroce with 8:54 remaining in the first overtime to edge Plymouth Whitemarsh 1-0.
“I would say we dominated 70 percent of the game,” coach Alison Stone said. “Our passing was really good. I think we really showed what kind of team we are today.
“I would have been devastated had we not finally put the goal in because we played so well and deserved to win.”
It was DiCroce who forced the stroke when – with the PW goalie down – the senior forward lifted a shot, and a PW player lifted her stick to stop the shot on the goal line.
The Bucks held a 13-4 advantage in shots and an 8-5 edge in corners.
“We didn’t get as many corners as we’re used to getting,” Stone said. “We had eight, which was a lot, but for the amount of time we spent in the circle, I didn’t think it was as many as we’re used to.
“Their defense handled us well in the circle – they were marking well.”
It was the second heartbreaking opening round loss in as many years for the Colonials, who fell to Council Rock South 2-1 in overtime in last year’s opening round contest.
Hatboro-Horsham 2, Conestoga 2 (OT)
Forget about regulation. Hatboro-Horsham would just as soon play in a seven-on-seven overtime. It’s hard to blame the Hatters.
Five days after they defeated Central Bucks West with a goal 29 seconds into overtime, the Hatters were back at it again. This time the Hatters needed just 1:46 to bring an end to Monday’s thriller against Conestoga. Again, it was Jenna Gould emerging the hero for the Hatters.
The senior forward, who scored the game winner in her team’s 1-0 win over West, used assists from teammates Julianna Cossman and Lauren Purvis.
“Both at the beginning of the first half and the beginning of the second half, we came out a little slow,” coach Krista Greene said. “Once we get the momentum going, we don’t stop. It’s just getting the momentum that’s the key.
“I was a little nervous at first, but other than that, we controlled the game. It just took us a while to get it in the cage.”
Neither team scored in the first half. Conestoga got on the board at the 25:35 mark of the second half on a goal by Nicola Coakley. With 15:26 remaining, Purvis (Gould assist) scored the equalizer, and the stage was set for overtime.
“My coaching staff is very high energy, but the girls aren’t,” Greene said. “When they play, they’re very serious. They don’t cheer a lot, they don’t talk a lot, but you know that they want it.
“Once you get into the game – it’s not about tactics, it’s about keeping their spirits up and giving them the confidence they can come back from anything. That’s really what it’s all about with my team.”
Goalie Jenna Phillips turned away 10 shots for the Hatters, who held a 16-11 advantage in shots.
The Hatters will face second-seeded Methacton on Wednesday.
“I think I’ll ask the coach of Methacton, ‘How about if we just play seven-on-seven?’” Greene said with a laugh. “Our girls are so comfortable with it. Seriously, they play better seven-on-seven.”
Council Rock South 2, Interboro 0
Council Rock South actually scored five goals in Monday’s district opener but saw three of them waved off, forcing the Golden Hawks to settle for a 2-0 win in a game they dominated.
Rock South wasted little time before getting on the scoreboard. Kayla Hempel (Maria Karidas assist) scored 1:05 into the game, but the Hawks didn’t score again until three minutes remained when Katrina Wright hit pay dirt.
“It was somewhat of a frustrating game,” coach Pat Toner said. “We scored three goals that were called back and were given corners instead.”
An indication of the Golden Hawks dominance was their 25-2 advantage in corners. Rock South will face Downingtown West, a 4-0 winner over Owen J. Roberts, in a second round game.
Souderton 1, Bayard Rustin 0
Playing Souderton in the post-season is not high on any team’s wish list. Bayard Rustin, the tournament’s ninth seed, found that our first hand on Monday when the Indians pulled off the day’s biggest upset with a 1-0 win.
“I think our defense played a strong game, and our forwards did a better job of getting the ball in the circle and finishing it,” coach Mary Ann Harris said. “It’s a big win for us, but I think this team is capable of playing stronger.”
Junior Nicole Bencsik scored in a scramble in the circle on a ball off the goalie’s pads at the 14:23 mark of the first half. That goal held up until the final whistle.
“We left them get back into this game in the second half,” Harris said. “There were some fairly tense moments. We can play stronger than we played today.”
Souderton held an 8-4 advantage in corners, but Bayard Rustin had a 6-4 edge in shots. Souderton goalie Ann Jefferis turned away six shots.
It’s a rare day when the 24th seed has a home game in the second round, but the Indians will get just that when they will host 25th seeded Unionville on Wednesday. It was Unionville – the tournament’s 27th seed - that brought an early end to Souderton’s season last year, thanks to a 3-2 overtime win over the sixth-seeded Indians.
Boyertown 1, Upper Dublin 0
Upper Dublin and PW might want to battle it out when it comes to which team suffered the most heartbreaking loss.
The Flying Cardinals took 24 shots on goal in Monday’s loss to Boyertown and also drew 10 corners but could not convert. The Bears scored the game’s only goal eight minutes into the opening half when Lisa Spitko connected. The Bears had seven shots and six corners.
Unionville 3, Council Rock North 1
Unionville might rival Souderton as the team opponents least like to face in an opening round game. Last year, Unionville – seeded 27th – shocked the sixth-seeded Indians on their home field, rallying from a 2-1 halftime deficit for a 3-2 win.
On Monday, Unionville, this year seeded 25th, jumped out to a 3-0 halftime lead before the eight-seeded Indians got on the scoreboard thanks to a second-half goal by Michelle Delahanty (Elly Plappert assist). Rock North had 25 corners while Unionville had 10.
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