Souderton 2, Pennridge 0
The sequence was a riveting one as Souderton sent one shot after another on goal in Friday afternoon’s contest against Pennridge.
The first was stopped near the goal line by a Ram defender, the next was turned away near the left post by a diving Amanda Perricone, and after quickly righting herself, the Rams’ goalie turned away a third shot.
The fourth, however, proved to be the charm for the Indians as Alayna Brown turned a Taylor Yoder pass into a goal that gave the Indians – who dominated play – a 1-0 lead with 5:35 remaining in the first half. They took that slim 1-0 lead into halftime despite holding a 13-0 advantage in shots and a 5-0 edge in corners.
“That goalie is a good goalie,” Souderton coach Mary Ann Harris said of Perricone. “She’s the same goalie they had last year, so she’s experienced, and she foresees the shot ahead of the forward.”
Whatever her trick, Perricone was all but impenetrable, turning away 19 shots, but it wasn’t enough as the Rams never mustered any offense of their own, drawing just two corners and taking no shots on cage.
Brown put the finishing touches on a strong outing when – after Perricone turned away a rocket by Alex Atiyeh on a corner – she took the rebound of the goalie save and tipped it into the cage where it deflected off a Ram defender.
“I just reached for the ball, and I got my stick on it so it tipped in,” Brown said. “At first, I thought the ref was going to call it back, but the girl was already in the cage, so it didn’t matter that it hit her.”
Brown had an opportunity for the hat trick when – later in the half – she found herself on a breakaway. The junior forward pulled the ball to the right and managed to get by Perricone but wasn’t in a position to take a good shot and missed wide.
“We practice that a lot, and when you come up to the goalie, you make one pull and take a shot,” Brown said. “I tried to do that, but I got caught up in the goalie a little bit and didn’t get my shot in the goal.”
The Indians drew eight second half corners, and Harris liked what she saw.
“I was more pleased after we got in the second half,” the Indians’ coach said. “We played aggressively, and we haven’t played aggressively since we played at (CB) West.
“Today the second half was a little more aggressive.”
The win was the third of the week for the Indians, who improved to 4-1 in league play (6-2 overall).
“We had a little bit of a rough start to the season, but it was great coming back and getting the goals in and playing Souderton hockey – working as a team going down the field, maintaining possession and having nice transitions,” Atiyeh said.
In their three wins this week, the Indians allowed just one goal and – despite controlling play - scored five.
“We certainly need to practice capitalizing on our shots,” Atiyeh said. “I think it’s also the level of aggression in which we pursue the goal. We need that one extra umph to get to the goal, and it’s in.”
“We just have to work harder, be stronger in the circle and finish our shots,” Brown added.
A showdown with neighboring North Penn looms on the horizon for the Indians.
“We always want to play North Penn,” Atiyeh said. “It’s a really competitive game, and I certainly hope this week reflects on how the game will go. It will bring our competitive side out, and we’ll hopefully give them a run for their money.”
Central Bucks South 4, Central Bucks East 0
The Titans may have felt a bit of déjà vu when – two days after their 0-0 tie with North Penn – they found themselves deadlocked 0-0 at halftime of Friday’s game against the Patriots.
Things changed dramatically in the second half as the Titans exploded for four unanswered goals – two from Colleen Kempf and one each from Maddy Harding and Kayla Kenney.
“It took us a little while, but in the second half, they executed their goals right from the start and put four goals in the net,” coach Christina Ford said. “I was definitely pleased with the second half. We really stepped up. They were working hard, working together. They came out and bounced back from the first half and played the kind of hockey we’re trying to play for 60 minutes.
“We got right back into what we were doing before the tie with North Penn. It was good to see that again.”
Hatboro-Horsham 2, Central Bucks West 1
The Hatters haven’t had a whole lot to celebrate this season, but they were celebrating on Friday when they earned an exciting win over the Bucks.
“Oh my god, it felt so good,” said coach Melissa Shanley. “Me and my assistants were jumping up and down on the sidelines once we scored that second goal.”
The Hatters- who received an early goal from Robyn Barbell (Hannah Vogel assist) - broke a 1-1 tie when Vogel turned a cross by Lizzy Carr into a goal with eight minutes remaining. The final minutes were not without their anxious moments.
“With three seconds left, they called a corner, so there was no time on the clock,” Shanley said. “That was a little nerveracking.
“They took the hit, but Kasey Delhaus, our flier, sprinted out and got (the ball) out, and that was it. It was a great feeling. They played so well.
“There was an electricity today. Everybody was just feeling it. The adrenaline was at an all-time high.”
Shanley acknowledged the standout efforts of Delhaus, midfielder Caroline Hagan and midfielder/forward Courtney Daly.
The win upped the Hatters’ record to 2-3 in league play.
“This year is a learning year,” Shanley said. “I’m learning with them, and they’re learning with me. Everybody is piecing everything together, and we’re going to have a good year.”
Neshaminy 2, William Tennent 0
The Redskins received a first-half goal from Brittany Sheenan(Emily Hegner assist), and in the second half, Carly Kitchenman converted a penalty stroke for the 2-0 final.
“It was a great win for us today because we were on their turf,” coach Sara Camilli said. “Our team isn’t used to that surface, and our passing was really what made us successful.
“We just worked as a team the whole game. It was a total team effort. Tennent is really aggressive, and our team hung in there and was just as aggressive. We played a really nice game. I’m so proud of the girls. It’s nice to see them walk off the field and be proud of their win. It was hot, and they played hard the whole game.”
Abington 5, Bensalem 1
The Ghosts closed out a successful week by earning a decisive win over the Owls. Katherine Geating scored her first two goals of the season in the first half, connecting for her first with an assist from Hanna Sjoholm at the 23:20 mark and her second with an Elle Clark assist.
In the second half, the Owls cut that lead in half after a goal by Amanda Morton (Alexia Ewing assist). Abington senior Katie Frain found the cage under a minute later, using an Elle Clark assist. Sjoholm (Katherine Geating assist) scored to make it a 4-1 game, and Christina Geating closed out the score, using Clark’s third assist of the day.
North Penn 7, Quakertown 0
The Maidens responded to their 0-0 tie against CB South with a vengeance, sprinting to a 6-0 halftime lead on their way to the decisive win.
Juliamae Marger (Emilie Ikeda assist) put the Maidens on the scoreboard at the 25:44 mark. Laura Delongis (Marger assist) connected 36 seconds later. Ines Farre converted a penalty stroke into a goal, and then it was Marger scoring an unassisted goal.
Amy Coughlin (Farre assist) and Ashley Liss (Bobby Dougherty assist) added single goals to send the Maidens into the intermission on top 6-0.
In the second half, Coughlin connected to close out the scoring (Carly Pickford and Emilie Ikeda assists).
Maiden goalie Shannon Keen turned away four shots while Sarah Nortney and Amanda Kobrzynski combined for 11 saves for the Panthers. The Maidens held a 31-5 advantage in shots.
Upper Dublin 1, Upper Moreland 0
Nikki Gustafson (Kelly Cross/Emily Hitchings assist) scored with 1:24 remaining in the first half. It was the only goal the Flying Cardinals would need.
Upper Moreland’s Saige Wenik had 14 saves while Upper Dublin’s Dana Russell had four saves in the shutout. The Flying Cardinals, who improved to 5-0 in league play, had a 20-4 advantage in shots and a 14-3 edge in corners.
Wissahickon 7, Upper Merion 1
Madi Smith and Samantha Marino each scored a pair of goals while Lauren Becker, Emily Gallagher and Melanie Fry all added single goals. Becker and Gallagher each had an assist. Gretchen Guaglianone, Jackie Hibbs, Angela Virtu, Caroline Kovacs and Jacquelin Coupe also each contributed an assist.
For Upper Merion, Amanda McAteer scored an unassisted goal.
Upper Merion goalie Aly Frymoyer had 11 saves.
Council Rock North 3, Council Rock South 0
The Indians received goals from Michelle Hand, Kara Magley and Alex Kuzma. Hannah Plappert contributed a pair of assists.
Norristown 3, Cheltenham 0
Gina Pellechio contributed a pair of goals and Kelly Barbish added a single goal for the Eagles. Sammi Kidd added an assist.
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