SOL Field Hockey Wrap (9-13-11)

NATIONAL CONFERENCE

WILLIAM TENNENT 8, BENSALEM 3
The Panthers sprinted to a 4-0 lead before 15 minutes had elapsed in Tuesday’s game. Colleen McCabe (Rachael Mueller assist) got the ball rolling with a goal at the 23:53 mark, and Jamie Schuck (Mueller assist followed with a goal. By the time Taylor Prichett scored her second of back-to-back goals at the 16:13 mark (the goals with assists from Mueller and McCabe), the Panthers led 4-0. The first of two goals by Bensalem's Kelly Nolan (A.J. Ewing assist) made it a 4-1 game. Tennent's Taylor Skiba (Brittany Mitchell assist) and Allie Cochran (MeKenzie Merrick assist) scored to send the Owls into halftime with a 6-1 lead.

Nolan (Ewing assist) and McCabe (Merrick assist) exchanged goals, and Mueller connected to close out the scoring in the second half.

COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 2, NESHAMINY 1 (OT)

CONTINENTAL CONFERENCE

SOUDERTON 2, HATBORO-HORSHAM 1
The Indians found themselves on the short end of a 1-0 score at halftime. Carlie Baldus (Caroline Hagan assist) scored the only goal of the opening half for the Hatters.

Souderton knotted the score early in the second half on goal by Rachel Valentine (Taylor Yoder assist), and Cait Wetzler scored the game winner, connecting on a breakaway with 5:01 remaining in regulation.

The Hatters held a 7-6 edge in corners. Both teams had 14 shots. Souderton coach Mary Ann Harris lauded the effort of Hatter goalie Maddy Wagenfeld.

“She stopped every corner that we had,” Harris said. “We didn’t play as well as we played yesterday.

“We need to get more consistent play out of our team. That’s what we’re looking for.”

NORTH PENN 1, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0
Juliamae Marger turned a Carly Pickford pass on a corner into a goal six minutes into Tuesday’s contest. That 1-0 lead held up the rest of the way.

The Maidens and Bucks both took 10 shots on goal. Maiden goalie Shannon Keen turned away six shots in the shutout.

CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 8, QUAKERTOWN 1
The Titans opened up a 5-0 halftime lead on their way to the decisive win.

“The kids followed the game plan,” co-coach Marie Schmucker said. “They had a lot of nice plays and played well as a team.”

SOUDERTON 6, NESHAMINY 0 (Monday, Sept. 12)
Rachel Valentine and Alayna Brown each connected for the hat trick in a non-league contest the Indians led 2-0 at the intermission. Brown also had a pair of assists in the win.

AMERICAN CONFERENCE

NORRISTOWN 2, UPPER MORELAND 1
Erin Meade (Amber Stainback assist) spotted the Golden Bears a 1-0 lead when she scored at the 18:41 mark of the first half, but that lead held up for just two minutes as Gina Pellechio (Samantha Kidd assist) answered with a goal for the Eagles.

Norristown took a lead it would not lose when Natalie Mitchell turned a Pellechio feed into a goal with 2:48 remaining in the first half. Neither team scored the rest of the way.

Coach Stacie Staufenberg lauded the strong play of Sammi Kidd in recent outings.

“She’s just a hustler, she has very good timing, and she sees things on the field that other players don’t see,” the Eagles’ coach said of her senior attack midfielder in a diamond midfield. “She doesn’t want to be there – she wants to be a forward. She loves the forward spot.

“She doesn’t realize how much she brings to the game. In the Upper Merion game, I moved her to attack forward, and I put somebody else in her spot. That’s when you saw the other team score. She wants to score and make it happen, but she’s doing what the team needs her to do.”

The Eagles held a 20-4 advantage in shots. Golden Bear goalie Saige Wenik turned away 10 shots.

UPPER MERION 3, CHELTEHAM 0
Amanda McAteer did it all for the Vikings in Tuesday’ win over the Lady Panthers. The junior midfielder scored a pair of goals – the first assisted by Mia DiBella. McAteer’s second goal came on a penalty stroke.  She also had an assist on Dominique Gambone’s goal that opened the scoring.

“She’s our workhorse,” coach Angie Yanocha said of McAteer. “She’s playing a center midfield spot, and she really had an impact.

“They all played well as a team and worked well together, but Amanda definitely stood out. She always keeps the momentum going. Her stroke was beautiful. Her first goal came on a corner shot, and she just blasted it. It was a rocket that I don’t think anyone had a chance to touch.”

Yanocha went on to acknowledge the efforts of her midfield, which featured McAteer, Madi DiBella, Jackie Schauble and Danielle SanFelice.

“They worked really well together and did a nice job of keeping the ball up in the attacking end,” Yanocha said.

The win was the first of the season for the Vikings, who improved to 1-2 in league play (1-3 overall).

“It was big especially coming off yesterday’s loss in overtime to Norristown,” Yanocha said. “In that game, we were down 2-0 going into the second half but came back and tied it 2-2. Momentum was in our favor.

“Ultimately, we ended up losing in overtime, so they were really discouraged because Norristown was an evenly matched team.”

For the Vikings, Tuesday’s game was their first at home this season.

“We didn’t even scrimmage on our own field,” Yanocha said. “We had two really good scrimmages, and then all this rain came, and I feel like we lost our momentum and continuity

“The girls really wanted the win today.”

UPPER DUBLIN 1, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH
In a battle of American Conference squads with high hopes, the Flying Cardinals received a goal at the 18:09 mark of the first half when Stephanie Speese (Marie Wheatley) scored on the rebound of a corner shot.

“Initially, it was pretty evenly matched in terms of possession,” Upper Dublin coach Heather Boyer said. “We got a corner and we were able to execute on that.

“Somewhere in the second part of the first half, PW turned up their intensity a notch or two, and we started to get a little frantic.”

Boyer called a timeout to calm down her players.

“We came out in the second half really strong,” the Flying Cardinals’ coach said. “PW put some pressure on late in the game. They really turned it up a notch and had several corners in the last five minutes.”

The Flying Cardinals’ defense – sparked by the 10-save effort of goalie Dana Russell – stood tall.

“Defensively, Jen Harchut had an outstanding game,” Boyer said. “She had several stick saves, and she really stepped up and made huge plays.

“(Goalie) Dana Russell turned away some serious, serious shots. To her credit, she stayed cool, calm and collected and kept answering with saves.”

The Cardinals survived a late-game injury that forced Boyer to shuffle her lineup.

“I moved Kelly Cross back to center back and shifted Emily Hitchings back to center middie,” the Upper Dublin coach said of her center midfielder and forward respectively. “That can be really stressful, but they adjusted well.

“My corner team of Kelly Cross, Emily Hitchings, Jen Harchut and Sydney Lang did a very good job of holding the fort down. It wasn’t because PW wasn’t putting the effort forth. They really were. They forced the corners and got good shots on goal. We were just fortunate enough to be able to answer every shot.”

The win upped the Flying Cardinals to 3-0 in SOL play while PW fell to 1-2 in league play.

NORRISTOWN 3, UPPER MERION 2 (OT) (Monday, Sept. 12)
The Eagles opened up a 2-0 lead, using goals by Vanessa Fosco (Sammi Kidd assist) and Gina Pellechio, but the Vikings rallied to knot the score, sending the game into overtime.

“I made some changes and that made the difference,” Norristown coach Stacie Staufenberg said of the Vikings’ comeback.  “The kids played a great seven-on-seven.

“They had some numbers up situations, but our defense held. My players kept playing and recovered.”

The Eagles won it on a textbook play.

“One of my seniors brought the ball down on the wing and made the beautiful cross all the way over the stroke line, and my wing is a senior as well, and she put it in the net,” Staufenberg said of the game-winning play that was set up by Kidd and finished off by Pellechio. “It was a classic play, and we got lucky to finish off on such a high note.”

Breezy Hagel had a defensive save for the Eagles.

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