BOYS SOCCER
Pennsbury 1, Abington 0 (OT)
For a guy who spends most of his time on the defensive side of the soccer pitch, Jerry Lan certainly knows how to make his offensive contributions count.
The sophomore defender scored the first goal of his varsity career with less than a minute remaining in the first overtime period as Pennsbury defeated National Conference opponent Abington at Stephen A. Schwarzman Stadium on Wednesday.
Lan followed up a Brendan Cooper cross in a scrum off a restart to score the only goal of the game and keep Pennsbury in the thick of the chase for the league title.
"I was up there for the header and it went up, but I stayed up there just in case anything happened," Lan said. "The next thing I know, Brendan Cooper came in, crossed it over and I was there to finish."
"Those are the kind of things that happen in a scrum," said Pennsbury coach Tom Stoddart. "We talked to the boys about always anticipating the best on offense and the worst on defense and keeping your feet moving at all times. That was a nice goal."
The victory puts Pennsbury (6-1-1 league play, 7-2-1 overall) back on the winning track following Monday's loss to Neshaminy and halts Abington's (5-4, 6-5) four-game winning streak.
"Dropping the game Monday night to Neshaminy, coming in here, which is such a tough place to play, this is a huge three points for us," Stoddart said. "We definitely had a rhythm in there early on and we lost it for a while, but it was good to see us get it back. Some of these other games we've lost our rhythm and had trouble getting it back. So it was good to see us get it back and keep our composure and get the big win."
Despite playing without senior captain Sawyer Waters, who is likely lost for the season due to injury, the Falcons successfully held off the Abington attack for 90 minutes, giving goalie Pat Lestingi little work to do en route to recording a shutout.
"Not having Sawyer, it's a little bit of extra motivation to play your best," Lan said. "You want to live up to what he did."
"We're trying to find the right combination at this point to help make up for Sawyer's loss," Stoddart said. "We have some depth here. Sawyer's a big loss, but we have to move on. Jerry had a really, really nice game today. The goal aside, he had a really nice game in the back, too."
Both teams had their opportunities to end the game in regulation, with the squads trading scoring chances early in the second half. Abington threatened on a long kick that was headed wide of the net, and not long after, a Pennsbury shot rolled wide on a fast break down the field. The Falcons also had a few attempts sail over the top crossbar in the second half.
"The seniors up high, Evan (Caterson) and Matt (Montgomery), were dangerous and gave us some opportunities," Stoddart said. "Charlie Rushing did a really nice job in the middle, he controlled the field for us. Brendan Cooper on that last play, keeping that ball alive, his determination and speed really worked well for us."
And while the Falcons come away with three crucial points in the standings, the Ghosts are left to think about what could have been. The loss ends a four-game win streak and comes in the middle of a difficult stretch for Abington, which plays four games this week. Following Monday's win over Council Rock North and the loss to Pennsbury, the Ghosts face Neshaminy on Thursday and Upper Dublin on Friday.
"I said to the kids, 'We'll take the tie. At the end, when it's all over, that could be huge,'" said Abington coach Randy Garber. "We played our hearts out, we played 90 minutes, there was less than a minute before the end of the first overtime period, and we got nothing out of it.
"Our league is very, very competitive. One little mistake and you end up losing a game. We beat Neshaminy by a goal, Council Rock North by a goal, today Pennsbury beat us by a goal. There's not much difference in the first four teams at the top of the league. A lot of times it's about who has the little bit of luck and where the ball falls."
And while the ball didn't fall in his team's favor, Garber was anything but disappointed in his players' efforts on this day.
"The kids played well," he said. "Our goalie, Sean Gannon has been on fire and he's doing a great job. Chris Tracey in the back was giving us great effort back there. Without him, we wouldn't be getting the results we're getting. Kyle Rocks and Billy Natter in the midfield, Danny Sheppard up top, we ask a lot of him, he gets kicked a lot and gets knocked on the ground a lot, but he gets up. He's a tough kid.
"The kids gave a great effort. I have no problems with the effort that was made today. It's a tough way to lose, but we have to go right back at it tomorrow with a team that's really doing well. We've got our hands full."
Central Bucks East 2, Pennridge 0
Central Bucks East moved into the top spot in the Continental Conference with its win over Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday, coupled with C.B. South's loss to Souderton.
On Wednesday, the Patriots maintained that lead with a 2-0 win over Pennridge.
Sean Jenkins put the Patriots on the board in the 11th minute on the deflection of a Ben Marks shot, and Marks made it 2-0 off an assist from Miguel Diaz.
"We came off the Hatboro-Horsham game playing very well," said East coach Mike Gorni. "But Pete Valimont has Pennridge playing very organized. They're at the bottom of the league, but they're still coming out and fighting every game. We did what we needed to do to win this."
The Patriots have won nine of their last 10 games, and while the team is playing well, Gorni stops short of calling it a great team.
"We were not at our best today -- we didn't finish a lot of our opportunities, but we were able to put the pressure on when we needed to," he said. "We have to take one game at a time. We can't look past anyone. We're not a great team yet. It's good to win a game when you don't play your best, but you can't make those same mistakes against the better teams we're going to see down the line. We've had a couple unbelievably great games, and we've had some games where we've played one good half. And we've had long periods where we're really good, but we're not a great team yet."
The Patriots improve to 9-2 in the league, 10-2-1 overall. Pennridge drops to 0-10, 1-12.
North Penn 3, Central Bucks West 2 (2 OT)
North Penn was eight seconds away from winning Wednesday's game against Central Bucks West in regulation, but a Mike Bamford penalty kick goal forced overtime.
And in the second extra frame, the Knights left no doubt, as Matt Ross scored on a one-timer from about 18 yards out on a Matt Robinson corner kick to end the game. North Penn improved to 6-1-2 in Continental Conference play (7-1-2 overall). West drops to 5-4-1, 6-5-2.
"They had some adversity tonight," said North Penn coach Paul Duddy. "To their credit, they responded very well.
"This was absolutely a huge game. West is right there with us (in the standings). This keeps us close to the teams up top."
Mike McCollough's direct kick and Curt Washburn (McCollough assist) gave the Knights a late 2-1 lead, but West would knot the game in the final seconds to force overtime.
"Alex Evans played well for us tonight," Duddy said. "He created a lot of opportunities for us. And Mike Bamford was great tonight for Central Bucks West."
Cheltenham 3, Upper Merion 0
Kyree Willis, in his first varsity start, assisted on Cheltenham's first and third goals as the Panthers downed Upper Merion, 3-0, in Wednesday's American Conference matchup.
Dan Marinho scored the Panthers' lone first-half goal. David Goldberg added two after the break.
"I thought we did a nice job controlling the game," said Cheltenham coach Chuck Gesing. "We scored in the first 10 minutes and we were able to dictate from there."
Brian Henstenburg recorded the shutout for the Panthers, who also received strong play from center midfielder Stew Mills.
Cheltenham improves to 2-4-1 in the conference, 2-5-2 overall.
Central Bucks South 1, Quakertown 0 (OT)
Central Bucks South coach Don Brady called Jarod Meyer the player of the match.
So it was only fitting that it was Meyer who ended it.
Meyer launched a free kick from about 30 yards out that sailed over the Quakertown goalkeeper and into the net in the overtime period as the Titans pulled out a 1-0 win over Quakertown in Wednesday's Continental Conference game.
Matt Weigner made 12 saves as the Titans posted their sixth shutout of the season on a muddy field at Quakertown.
"Quakertown played really hard and with good intensity," said South coach Don Brady. "And the field was bad, very muddy. Our guys did well to battle through that and hold them off."
With the win, the Titans improve to 7-2-1 in league play (9-2-1 overall) and remain in second place. Quakertown falls to 0-7-1, 1-7-1.
Council Rock North 3, Harry S Truman 2
Council Rock North spotted their opponents a 2-0 lead before rallying to a 3-2 win over Harry S Truman in Wednesday's National Conference matchup.
Alec Neumann scored off a free kick about 30 minutes into the first half to trim Truman's lead to 2-1. Billy McConnell scored off a restart in the opening seconds of the second half, and Dalton Andrews netted the game-winner with 10 minutes left.
The Indians also received a lift from Ian Fitzsimmons, who returned from a knee injury and played a strong game.
North remains atop the National Conference with a record of 7-2-1 (7-2-1 overall). Truman falls to 1-8, 2-9.
Neshaminy 2, Council Rock South 1
Rich Schafer scored the game-winning goal with 12 seconds left in regulation as Neshaminy earned a hard-fought 2-1 win over Council Rock South in Wednesday's National Conference matchup.
"Rich does a nice job for us," said Neshaminy coach Rich Reice. "He doesn't get in the spotlight a lot, so it was good to see him get that goal."
Tyler Katz scored the Redskins' first goal, in the 61st minute, to open the scoring. Chris Spadaro knotted the score for South in the 72nd minute, setting the stage for Schafer's last-second dramatics.
"There was a definitive wind, and it was at our backs in the first half," Reice said. "We were able to pull the trigger a couple times and we hit a crossbar.
"South is an excellent team. It was an emotional win."
Reice praised the efforts of Ryan Rabea in the win, which lifted Neshaminy to 6-2 in the league, 8-2 overall, and kept the Redskins in the thick of the hunt for the league title.
"Ryan Rabea was a spark plug for us off the bench," Reice said. "He really gave us a spark today."
Hatboro-Horsham 3, Souderton 3 (2 OT)
Souderton battled back from three one-goal deficits to forge a 3-3 tie with Hatboro-Horsham in Wednesday's Continental Conference matchup.
"This was a well-played game," said Souderton coach Tom Quintois. "It was a hard-fought, physical game. Hatboro is a very good attacking team. And we've got a young back line and a young team. But they're learning, and this was a good game for that."
Souderton moves to 2-4-2 in league play, 5-4-2 overall. The Hatters stand at 4-3-1, 5-4-1.
Upper Moreland 4, Norristown 1
Coming off of its big win over Plymouth Whitemarsh on Monday, Upper Moreland kept its winning ways going with a 4-1 win over Norristown in Wednesday's American Conference matchup.
The Golden Bears led 2-1 at the half before pulling away after the break.
"We pulled it all together in the second half," said Upper Moreland coach Jack Knauss. "We weren't playing as well as we would have liked in the first half. We had the big win over PW on Monday, and they came in to today's game and they had to focus. But toward the end of the second half, we really took it to them."
Nate Roberts and Tyler Foerst each had a goal and an assist for the Golden Bears. Timmy Hayes and Jim Byrnes added solo tallies and Carl Wambold recorded an assist. Kyle Walder made several great saves in goal for Upper Moreland, which improves to 4-3 in league play, 5-4 overall.
"We're playing well, and right now, our goal is to make it to the playoffs again," Knauss said.
Upper Dublin 1, Plymouth Whitemarsh 0
GIRLS SOCCER
Pennridge 1, Central Bucks East 0 (2OT)
Pennridge withstood a furious start by Central Bucks East in Wednesday's Continental Conference clash, and took a scoreless game into double overtime before Shannon Chynoweth netted the game-winner on an assist by Marissa Sheva from a cross.
"They manhandled us in the first half," said Pennridge coach Jorge Rodriguez. "They were very physical, and they took it right to us. Our defenders made some great plays to keep us in the game."
Ashley Schoellkopf recorded the shutout in goal for Pennridge, with defensive help from Caitlyn Sheva, Julie Rufe and Stevi Parker.
"I thought in the second half we slowly started to control the game," Rodriguez said. "The overtimes went back and forth and Shannon got the chance and was able to put it away for us."
The Rams remain atop the league at 9-1 (12-1 overall). The Patriots fall to 6-4, 7-4-1.
Central Bucks South 1, Quakertown 0
Nicki Weiss scored (Kelli Joerger assist) in the 47th minute as Central Bucks South topped Quakertown in Wednesday's Continental Conference matchup.
"This was our third game in a row," said South coach Joe Bocklet. "I thought we controlled most of the game, so it was good to see them still going strong."
The Titans, who beat Souderton on Monday and Central Bucks West in overtime on Tuesday, capped off the busy stretch with the victory over the Panthers.
"In our division, Souderton is at the bottom, and they're much-improved from earlier in the season," Bocklet said. "No game in our division is easy. It was important for us to get all three wins. This puts us right in the mix (for the league title)."
The Titans held a 10-5 advantage in shots. Sarah Fothergill made nine saves in goal for the Panthers, who fall to 1-8 in league play, 2-8 overall. Megan Radwanski (two saves) and Meghan Kaminski (three saves) combined for the shutout for South, which improved to 8-3, 9-4. Bocklet also noted the efforts of Emily Casey and defenders Kendall Brodie and Kristen Upton.
"Kendall and Kristen are doing a great job holding down the back line for us," Bocklet said.
Council Rock South 1, Neshaminy 0
Chrissy Vollrath's coach called it a "miracle goal."
Call it what you will, but it stood up as the game-winner as Council Rock South edged Neshaminy in a National Conference showdown under the lights at Neshaminy on Wednesday.
"It was one of those goals where you go, 'It went in?'" said South coach Jim Oberholtzer. "The shot came through a lot of people from about 25 yards out and went toward the far post. The shot wasn't ripped, I don't know if Neshaminy's goalkeeper was screened, but the ball somehow ended up in the goal."
The victory moves South to 8-1 in league play (10-2 overall), three points behind first-place Council Rock North. Neshaminy remains in third in the conference at 6-2 (7-3 overall).
"For both teams, these points tonight were critical," Oberholtzer said. "Council Rock North is undefeated, so if we took our second loss here, we really would have been behind the 8-ball.
"Our defense was outstanding tonight. They did a terrific job on (Neshaminy forward) Megan Schafer. She's a legitimate D-I soccer player, and we played her tough. And our seniors really stepped it up."
Oberholtzer credited Vollrath, Alexa Crozier, Paula Jurewicz and Kate Jackson for their strong efforts.
Bensalem 4, William Tennent 1
The key to winning Wednesday night's game, in coach Lew Mladjen's eyes, was simple.
"We finally put 80 minutes together," said the Bensalem coach as his Owls topped William Tennent, 4-1, in a National Conference game under the lights.
An outstanding performance from Casey Gendron, who contributed to all four goals, didn't hurt, either.
"Casey was out three-quarters of last year after having knee surgery," Mladjen said. "She was not allowed to even touch the ball until August. It took her some time to get that touch back, and tonight she put it all together."
Gendron assisted Brie Rock on the Owls' first goal of the night. Rock returned the favor, assisting on both of Gendron's goals. The senior captain then set up Sarah Smith on the final goal of the game.
"This is a big win for us," Mladjen said. "It puts us in a really good spot. And we've got four league wins, we had two last year, and we've still got pretty much the entire second half of the season to play."
Mladjen also praised the play of sweeper Christine Cueto.
With the win, Bensalem improves to 4-4 in league play, 4-6-1 overall. Tennent moves to 3-7, 4-7.
Pennsbury 5, Abington 0
Uche Onuoha scored twice and Lexi Brown had a pair of assists as Pennsbury built a 3-0 halftime lead and rolled to a 5-0 victory over National Conference opponent Abington on Wednesday.
Cassandra Berger opened the scoring in the ninth minute. Lindsey Jones added a goal two minutes later on a direct kick from about 20 yards out. Onuoha scored her first (Brown assist) in the 23rd minute, then added a second-half goal in the 60th minute (Jenn Boone assist). Alexa Moors capped the scoring in the 73rd minute on an assist from Brown.
"We definitely didn't have our best game against Neshaminy (a 3-0 loss on Monday)," said Pennsbury coach Kaitlyn Battiste. "We had a little powwow, rethought our season, and we want to finish strong. The girls continue to work hard. There are lots of people working well together, and we had a lot of production tonight."
Sarah McDonald recorded the shutout for the Falcons. Battiste also praised the efforts of Jones, Boone, Kym Brewton and Steph Fisher.
With the win, Pennsbury improves to 5-3 in league play (5-5-1 overall) and keeps then within striking distance of the league leaders. Abington falls to 0-9, 0-11.
Central Bucks West 2, North Penn 0
Central Bucks West took full advantage of a flat effort by North Penn, scoring a goal in the first 90 seconds of both halves en route to a 2-0 win in Wednesday's Continental Conference game.
Shea McCarty scored the first goal for the Bucks, who improve to 3-5 in league play (3-7 overall).
North Penn coach Jim Dehner credited Lizzy Kohler, Katie Huber and Katie Miller for their efforts in the disappointing loss.
"You have to give West credit," Dehner said. "They came out and played well and they beat us.
"This was a game where, if we continue to play like this, we can forget the playoffs. We have four league games and two non-league games left. We need to play better. We need to learn from this."
With the loss, the Maidens fall to 4-5-1, 6-5-1.
Cheltenham 4, Upper Merion 0
Emily Leibowitz scored twice and Allie Graul and Tiana Han each added one as Cheltenham topped American Conference opponent Upper Merion on Wednesday.
The Panthers improve to 5-3 in league play, 6-4 overall. Upper Merion falls to 1-5-1, 1-5-1.
Council Rock North 3, Harry S Truman 0
Savanna Yourtee scored two goals and Lexi Crocker added one as the Indians remained undefeated on the season (9-0-0 National Conference, 10-0-0 overall) by downing Harry S Truman on Wednesday.
Crocker and Sarah Cannon each recorded an assist in the win.
Hatboro-Horsham 4, Souderton 0
Tory Adlam scored twice, and Kelsey Shafer and Sydney McNutt each added one as Hatboro-Horsham posted a 4-0 victory over Continental Conference opponent Souderton on Wednesday. Mary Kate Bateman recorded three assists for the Hatters, who also received strong defensive play from Maria Guerra and a shutout from Lindsey Day in goal.
The Hatters improve to 7-2-1 in league play, 8-2-1 overall. Souderton falls to 0-9, 2-9.
Upper Moreland 6, Norristown 1
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