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FORT WASHINGTON – Alison Hunter acknowledged that her Wissahickon squad knew exactly what it had to do to stop Upper Dublin, the only team ahead of the Trojans in the American Conference standings. “We came out and watched them, and we know what they’re going to do,” said Hunter, a key member of the Trojans’ defense. “We just try and make sure that if a Cross has the ball we all crash.”
The Flying Cardinals turned in a solid enough defensive effort.
The dangerous Cross sisters - Amy and Kelly combined for five goals and five assists with Amy leading the way with four goals and one assist. While those numbers are almost ordinary for a sister combo capable of combining forces for double-digit efforts, one of the two seemed to have a hand in every big goal in the Flying Cardinals 11-6 win over the Trojans.
“It’s really frustrating because I think we all feel as though we tried so hard, but no matter how hard we tried, one of the Crosses comes in and does something, and that makes it a little more frustrating,” Hunter said.While the contributions of the Crosses are impossible to ignore, they had plenty of help in this win. Brooke Callanhan contributed the hat trick in a solid supporting role, and three other players added single goals for the Flying Cardinals, who have a stronghold on the American Conference’s top spot.
“Now I can sleep,” Cross said. “I know Jamie (Donahue) is a very thorough coach, and it was no secret they came to scout our game on Tuesday.
“We knew they knew us and they were ready for us, and that can become a mental thing, so I try not to dwell on that – cut the girls loose.”
The fun began early for the Flying Cardinals as Callahan scored on a come-around goal less than a minute into the game. Then – just over a minute later – Emily Hitchings turned an Amy Cross pass into a goal.
Aubrey Bossert answered for the Trojans, scoring on a free position to make it a one-goal game, but not for long. Amy Cross came up with the ball on the ensuing draw and scored on a shot into the bottom corner of the net 24 seconds later.A Callahan interception set the stage for another Amy Cross goal, and the Flying Cardinals led 4-1 at the 15:48 mark. Exactly 33 seconds later, Callahan (Kelly Cross assist) connected for a goal, and then it was the Cross sisters combining as Kelly found Amy streaking to goal for the score and a 6-1 Upper Dublin lead.
“That was really big because it definitely gave us the confidence we needed,” Kelly Cross said of opening up an early lead. “It also helped us get comfortable and situated and make sure we knew this was our game.”
“We set the pace,” Amy Cross added. “We made sure they knew we were here to play, and we were going to give them a tough game because we knew they wanted it just as much as we did.”
A Sam Stutman goal (Aubrey Bossert assist) made it a 6-2 game, but Amy Cross found Kathleen Speese for the score. Again, the Flying Cardinals answered, this time using an Aubrey Bossert goal. Hitchings and Ashley Bossert exchanged goals to close out the half as the Flying Cardinals took an 8-4 lead into the intermission.
“It didn’t come down to where the lead was,” Donohue said. “When you play a team like Upper Dublin, it’s intense from start to finish.
“The failure came when we had the ball on attack, and we did not score. We were shooting it right at the goalie.”
An O’Reilly goal (Kelly Cross assist) 28 seconds into the second half put the Flying Cardinals on top 9-4.“(Our game plan) was to play our game and to not let them think they were going to win,” O’Reilly said. “We had to pressure up, and we knew the girls to shut down, and that was that.
“We were all very anxious the first time we played them (a 12-10 Upper Dublin win), and we really got choked up at the beginning of the game. We all knew we were going to come into this game calm. We had a game plan, and we stuck to it.”
Back-to-back goals by Laura Frankenfield made it a 9-6 game at the 19:21 mark. That, however, turned out to be the Trojans’ last hurrah as Amy Cross scored on a free position, and Kelly Cross followed her lead and also connected on a free position to close out the scoring.
“We definitely knew it was a big game, but we didn’t want to psyche ourselves out though, so we tried to stay poised and confident but, at the same time, not overlook them,” Kelly Cross said.
That poise and that confidence resulted in a win that all but ensured the American Conference crown will remain in Upper Dublin’s possession.Despite the outcome, Donahue was pleased with her team’s effort.
“You know what – I never felt like the kids weren’t giving their all,” the Trojans’ coach said. “They never stopped trying. They were playing a new zone defense, and it really made Upper Dublin work hard. They didn’t have any easy shots, in my opinion.
“A lot of their shots came from Amy, came from Kelly, two girls that are going to go on to college and play at the Division One level. I respect Upper Dublin, and they represent our league very well.”
NOTES: Flying Cardinal goalie Anna Lauer turned away 10 shots in a solid outing. “She had three point-blank shots on her that she stopped, and she’s new this year playing at this level,” said coach Dee Cross, whose starting goalie – Wendy Laurent – is sidelined with an injury.
UPPER DUBLIN 11, WISSAHICKON 6
Wissahickon 4 2-6
Upper Dublin 8 3-11
Goals/Assists: Wissahickon – Aubrey Bossert 2-1, Laura Frankenfield 2-0, Ashley Bossert 1-0, Sam Stutman 1-0. Upper Dublin – Amy Cross 4-2, Brooke Callahan 3-0, Kelly Cross 1-3, Kathleen Speese 1-0, Emily Hitchings 1-0, Jordan O’Reilly 1-0.
Shots: W-24, UD-18
Saves: Jess Scannapieco (W) 6, Anna Lauer (UD) 10
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