The district playoffs kick off Tuesday as 28 teams vie for the coveted District One AAA title and seven work for a pass into the state tournament. The Suburban One League will be well represented, and features the team that will have the biggest target on its collective backs, the top overall seed in Pennridge.
In all, 11 Suburban One teams will play in the district tournament, with the American Conference co-champions Upper Dublin and Plymouth Whitemarsh joining five squads from the Continental Conference and four from the National Conference. Both Council Rocks and all three Central Bucks teams will playing in the second season.
#1 Pennridge (first-round bye)
The Rams went 13-1 en route to winning the Continental Conference and are 17-1 overall. They have not lost a game since a 2-1 defeat to Hatboro-Horsham on Sept. 15. They boast all-league seniors Stevi Parker, Maggie Butcher and goalkeeper Ashley Schoellkopf as well as all-league junior Natalia Pinkney, plus a supporting cast loaded with talent and ready and willing to step up to the task of proving why Pennridge was awarded the number one seed in the district.
The Rams -- who made it to the district final last season -- will receive a first-round bye and will play their first game at 7 p.m. Oct. 27 when they will host the winner of the Central Bucks East (16) vs. Upper Dublin (17) first-round matchup. Council Rock South (8), Central Bucks West (25) and Continental Conference rival Hatboro-Horsham (9) are all potential quarterfinal opponents.
"We made it to the final game last year. I think it's a reasonable expectation to get back to that," said Pennridge coach Jorge Rodriguez. "But there are a lot of teams on the other side of the district that we're not very familiar with. Is it reasonable for us to get to the finals? Yes. Is it going to make or break our season? I think the goal is to get as far as we did last year in states.
"For me, I would much rather play a team that I don't know. The coaches in our league pay attention to who's doing what and who's where, and I think teams might adjust to what we're doing, making it very difficult to score. A team from the other side that's not familiar with our team might try to play a different style or not know the players that we have, so I would prefer to play teams that we don't know."
#3 Council Rock North (first-round bye)
The Indians finally broke through this year, defeating archrival Council Rock South twice, claiming the National Conference title and working their way to a 13-1 league record (14-2 overall). The third seed in the district, North await the winner of the Boyertown (14) vs. Garnet Valley (19) first-round matchup. North is the lone Suburban One team in its quarter of the bracket and would not face another Suburban One squad until the semifinal.
With a senior class filled with standouts such as Helena Gemmell, Caitlin Hannagen, Alex Hoffman. Alexa Hone, Kaitlin McNamara and Sarah Scheidell, the Indians are poised to make some noise in the district ... provided they show the skill and intensity that their coach expects of them.
"Kids can sometimes get very satisfied with themselves," first-year head coach Larry Sullivan said. "I need to keep shaking that tree. You look at the Phillies. They had the best season in team history, but they got too comfortable. You can't let yourselves get comfortable.
"I like the seniors on this team, but I really like my juniors as well. And I'm happy with my bench. We've got a good 16, 17 players we can put in there if we need to.
"If you had asked me in the beginning of the season, I'd tell you I don't even know how I felt about districts. But now, I think if I'm doing my job correctly and the girls are playing to the level they know they can play at, we can have a really good run. I feel confident we can win. But if you're lax and you're not ready, you can get surprised. Everything they did up to this point means nothing now. Records mean nothing."
#8 Council Rock South vs. #25 Central Bucks West
The defending District One champion Golden Hawks are no strangers to postseason success. Nor are they strangers to their first-round opponent, fellow SOL squad Central Bucks West. South came in second in the National Conference with an 11-2-1 record (13-3-1 overall). West claimed the fifth spot in the Continental Conference with its 6-8 league record (6-11 overall).
This will be the second straight year that these two teams have met in the playoffs. South got by the Bucks in penalty kicks in last season's district semifinal.
"Last year C.B. West took us to penalty kicks," said South coach John Oberholtzer. "They're a good team. They play very good high school ball. It's not going to be easy. And Hatboro's in there in our bracket. We're going to have our hands full getting to Pennridge ... and that's assuming they advance. Anyone can beat anyone in districts."
The Hawks will be without Alexa Crosier, who is out at least this week with a concussion. But injuries are part of the game, and Oberholtzer believes his team has the ability and the experience to keep playing until Crosier is able to rejoin the squad.
"Having won districts last year, they certainly know how to win in the playoffs," Oberholtzer said. "They are tempered. They are ready. The seniors aren't ready to end the year. I think if we see the old Council Rock South team, and put a couple goals in, especially the first one, we'll be in good shape."
#9 Hatboro-Horsham vs. #24 Great Valley
Hatboro-Horsham proved this year to be a team that can beat an opponent with its spread-out offense just as easily as it can shut down an opponent with it's stellar defense and goalkeeping. The Hatters finished second in the Continental Conference with a 10-3-1 record (13-3-1 overall).
Great Valley finished its season at 6-7 for third place in the Ches-Mont League's American Division.
#10 Central Bucks South vs. #23 Downingtown West
Despite losing 10 seniors to graduation, the Titans reloaded on talent and rolled to a 10-4 Continental Conference record (12-5 overall), good enough for third in the league. Just a few years removed from the district title, South still features several players who experienced the championship playoff run, and having experienced the high-intensity league play, the Titans feel they're primed for playoff-caliber soccer.
"A lot of girls stepped into new roles for us, and we actually had a better record this year," said South coach Joe Bocklet. "We still have a core group that was involved in the district championship. They're ready for any pressure situation. We've got good playoff experience. The girls that have been part of it need to show that leadership."
South is surrounded by unfamiliar teams in its quarter of the bracket. But as far as Bocklet is concerned, the Titans need to focus on playing their own game.
"We've gone to a lot of games to scout. We trust our scouting reports," the Titans’ coach said. "We have a very good feel for where we're at. We believe we can play with anybody. We'll be prepared. We need to use our strengths to our advantage and do what we know how to do well."
Number 23 seed Downingtown West finished fifth in the Ches-Mont League's National Division with a 7-6 league record.
#12 Neshaminy vs. #21 Unionville
The third place team from the National Conference, Neshaminy boasts one of the most potent offenses in the area, led by sophomore Megan Schafer and supported by a host of teammates, including Jamie Mason, Katie Suchodolski and Erin Farrell.
They will host Ches-Mont League American Division runner-up Unionville, which racked up an 8-5 league record.
#15 Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. #18 Bishop Shanahan
Plymouth Whitemarsh capped off a four-year building project when it claimed a share of the American Conference title for the first time in team history. The Colonials posted an 11-1 league mark and went 12-1-1 overall.
The Colonials clinched a share of the title on the last day of the regular season. Coach Steve Slack is hoping that having played high-intensity soccer through to the final whistle of the final game will help the Colonials.
"Last year we had clinched everything pretty early," Slack said. "Having big games right up until the end helps keep the momentum the same. Having won a share of the title, we'll definitely go into districts with a little more confidence than last year and hopefully we can get that first playoff win and move forward.
"Our program before (the current senior class), we were happy if we got a handful of wins. It started to change a little bit and the last couple years we've been able to add a few more pieces. Winning starts to become a habit, but you have to know how to win. These girls know how to win."
In Bishop Shanahan, the Colonials will face the fourth-place team from the National Division of the Ches-Mont League.
#16 Central Bucks East vs. #17 Upper Dublin
The Patriots, the fourth-place team out of the Continental Conference, finished at 7-5-1 in the league, 10-5-2 overall, and will participate in one of the two all-SOL first-round matchups. They will face American Conference co-champion Upper Dublin in the first round. The Flying Cardinals rolled to their fifth-straight conference title this year with an 11-1 record (13-4 overall).
East coach Paul Eisold is pleased that his squad will host its first-round game, and doesn't mind playing a fellow Suburban One team in the opener. In fact, the winner of this game will advance to play another league team, the district's top seed, Pennridge.
"Our league is so good, anywhere you are, you're going to be going through Suburban One teams," Eisold said. "Whoever it is, we're just going to go at them, play them tight and take it from there.
"We're glad we got a home game. We're trying to take this program to the next level, so it's huge for us to get a home game.
"The girls are prepared, they're ready to play, they just have to execute. They're reserved, but they feel that there's a lot of business to be taken care of. We're unpredictable, we're young, and at this point, it works in our favor. The girls play their hearts out. Teams are going to have to take a second look at us. We can create damage."
Of course, the team lining up across from the Patriots will be looking to make some noise as well. And, adding a little extra fuel to the fire, there's some extra familiarity to this matchup as well. Central Bucks East defeated Upper Dublin, 1-0, in a nonleague matchup on Sept. 26. Cardinals' coach John Topper expects a similarly low-scoring affair this time around.
"This is a team we match up well against," Topper said. "If we do a better job of capitalizing on our chances, that's going to be the key, I do not expect an abundance of chances in this game."
One intangible the Cardinals have an abundance of is experience. The Cards have been to the districts every year dating back to before this year's seniors were freshmen, so all returning players have experienced playoff caliber soccer.
"They've got experience from the past seasons," Topper said, "and we really have made an effort to beef up our nonleague games. So when you get to the playoffs, we're used to that level.
"This season, our league was a struggle. To get a share of the title is a nice thing. But they're not content. We think we've got a chance to make a nice playoff run."
#20 Pennsbury vs. #13 West Chester Rustin
For a time, Pennsbury coach Kaitlyn Battiste wasn't sure her team would even qualify for the district tournament. But a solid finish to the regular season earned the Falcons a 20th seed. Though they travel to West Chester to take on 13th-seeded Bayard Rustin, the young Falcons hope to make a good showing and maybe pull off an upset or two.
"We finished the season strong, and I think we were deserving of a playoff spot," Battiste said. "Now we have to go out and prove it.
"Rustin is talented, and they have solid athletes. But records don't matter. We've talked lately about second chances. This is a second chance.
"We have a lot of youth. There's some uncertainty but there's also growing excitement. We keep saying that this is movie-worthy: The weather is supposed to be perfect, West Chester Rustin is a new school with beautiful new facilities ... it seems like conditions made for the underdog."
It won't be easy, though. West Chester Rustin boasts a 10-2-1 record in the American Division of the Ches-Mont League. And there will be no Hollywood ending unless Pennsbury works as a unit and plays to the best of its ability. The Falcons are ready to give it their best shot.
"The younger players don't really know what to expect," Battiste said. "The older players, the girls that have been there before, have the experience. They don't want to settle for one playoff game. They're looking for something bigger and better. Our goal is not just to make the playoffs."
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