Four SOL teams advanced to the second round of the PIAA Tournament. To view photos of the CR North/CR South and the Pennridge Conestoga games, please visit the Photo Gallery.
PIAA Class AAA Girls Soccer Championship Tournament
Council Rock North 2, Council Rock South 1
Kaitlin McNamara has proven time and again throughout her high school career how valuable she is on the defensive side of the field.
In the opening round of the PIAA Class AAA Soccer Championship tournament on Tuesday, McNamara provided some invaluable offense as well.
The senior defender headed in a goal with 7:47 left in the game to give Council Rock North the go-ahead marker that would stand as the game-winner in the Indians' 2-1 victory over archrival Council Rock South.
McNamara was on the offensive end for a North corner kick. South broke up the kick, but Sarah Cannon intercepted the clear and played it in, where McNamara beat Golden Hawks' goalkeeper Sam Lawson to the ball and headed it into the net.
"Sarah Cannon played an amazing ball across and luckily I was able to hold my line and get that goal," McNamara said. "Defense is the most important thing about our team, but being able to get that goal against a huge rival in a huge state game, it was just an amazing feeling."
On defense, McNamara was her usual steadying presence. After allowing a goal to Council Rock South's Paige McDowell (Kate Jackson assist) in the opening minutes, the North defense held a ferocious Golden Hawk attack off the scoreboard for the remainder of the game, with McNamara leading the way.
"She's like the coach on the field," said Indians' coach Larry Sullivan. "She runs the defense. She's disciplined, she's tough. We really can't survive without her back there."
"Kaitlin saves my butt all the time," said goalkeeper Helena Gemmell, who made nine saves in the victory. "Just having her and Julia Wexler back there is awesome. I trust Kaitlin with everything. Julia as well, I trust all my defenders."
And with the defense on top of its game, the Council Rock North offense made the most of its offensive chances. Caitlin Hannagen netted the game-tying goal in the 21st minute when she headed in a high bouncing rebound.
"(South's) goal was a little bit of a wakeup call," McNamara said. "We came up a little slow and we picked it up after that. Caitlin Hannagen had an amazing goal to tie it up, then we just kept going from there."
The Golden Hawks did the same, and threw everything they could on the North cage. The Hawks had three consecutive corner kicks 10 minutes into the second half, but could not solve the hosts' defense. Throughout the second half, the Hawks pressured but were unable to score.
"They played their hearts out," said Council Rock South coach John Oberholtzer, whose team finishes the season with a record of 17-5-1. "The kids were great. They played their hearts out. We outplayed them for the most part of the game, I thought.
"(North) played physically, we played the ball. When you look at the number of fouls, it was obvious they were trying to take us off that game. But the kids played with a lot of heart. We don't have the biggest, strongest athletes on the field, but they played both ways tonight, they played really well and I'm very proud of my seniors. They played their hearts out."
Coming into the season, no one on the Indians' team had ever beaten Council Rock South. This year, three of the Hawks' five losses came at the hands of their district rivals.
"Council Rock North has that momentum and that belief," Oberholtzer said. "They're a senior team and tough as nails. All those kids are tough, they run to the ball, they're good tacklers, they don't take it easy."
The Indians received outstanding efforts from Lexi Crocker and Nicole Moonan, both playing out of their normal positions.
"Tonight we got such a great game out of Crocker on the right wing," Sullivan said. "She's evolving. And I got Moonan back, put her out of position and she did a great job in the center. They're maturing as a team."
That maturity and mental edge is proving to be key for the Indians, who advance to play Owen J. Roberts in Saturday's quarterfinal matchup at a time and place to be determined.
"We're playing every game like it could be our last, because it could be," McNamara said. "We think we can win any game when we put our minds to it."
"We have more to accomplish," Gemmell added. "I don't think it's our time to be done."
Pennridge 1, Conestoga 0 (OT)
Stevi Parker scored on a penalty kick in the middle of the first overtime period as District One champion Pennridge battled past Conestoga, the sixth seed from District One, in Tuesday's opening round matchup, played at Souderton High School.
"I know Stevi, I know where she's going to go with her shot," Pennridge coach Jorge Rodriguez said. "I said my little prayer before she took the shot. I know she said her little prayer. When the ball hit the back of the net, that was the first time my heart settled a little bit. The game was a little nervewracking."
Parker's free kick was set up when a Megan Shenk cross deflected off a defender's hand.
The Rams had several opportunities to close out the game in regulation. Freshman Marissa Sheva had shots in both the first and second halves that just went wide of the net.
"Marissa was probably the player of the game, she really gave us a push offensively," Rodriguez said. "Marissa put in a great effort tonight. Sarah Wiley gave us some great minutes.
"We always get one or two players stepping up every game, and everyone else reacts to that. It fuels everybody."
Rodriguez singled out senior center back Maggie Butcher for providing one of her best defensive games of the year. He also noted the rest of the defensive line -- Caitlin Sheva, Audrey Butcher and Julia Rufe -- for outstanding play in what turned out to be a defensive battle.
"Conestoga came in with a game plan, and they executed it very well," Rodriguez said. "And we countered well. We were very organized. Overall, this was a good team effort."
The Rams will face a familiar opponent in Saturday's quarterfinal matchup. Pennridge will face District One third seed Strath Haven -- which the Rams defeated 2-1 in the district semifinal -- at a time and location to be determined.
In other games:
Strath Haven 2, Abington Heights 0
Owen J. Roberts 2, Archbishop Wood 1
State College 0, Lower Merion 0 (State College 4-2 PKs)
Obama 9, Peters Township 0
Upper St. Clair 3, Penn Trafford 0
North Allegheny 3, McDowell 1
PIAA Class AAA Boys Soccer Championship Tournament
Central Bucks East 3, Abington Heights 0
A long after-school bus ride to Scranton may have meant that Sean Jenkins would have to wait to blow out the candles on his cake, but that doesn't mean the Central Bucks East senior didn't celebrate his birthday in style.
Jenkins scored all three goals as the Patriots -- the third seed from District One -- dispatched District 2 champion Abington Heights, 3-2, in Tuesday's PIAA Class AAA Boys Soccer tournament at Scranton High School.
Jenkins staked the Patriots to a 1-0 halftime lead on the strength of his goal off a Ben Marks corner kick midway through the opening half. Fifteen minutes into the second half, Jenkins received a cross from Eric Vare and headed into the cage for a 2-0 lead. And with about 14 minutes left, Marks was tackled on a breakaway and Jenkins buried the penalty kick to complete the hat trick.
Goalkeeper Jacob Nesteruk came up big with a pair of huge saves while the Patriots were ahead 1-0. East outshot Abington Heights, 18-5.
"We actually didn't start out all that well," said Patriots' coach Mike Gorni. "It took us a while to get going. Jacob made two excellent saves to keep us ahead until we got the second (goal) in."
The Patriots will face District One champion Conestoga in Saturday's quarterfinal, at a place and time to be determined. The Pioneers defeated District 3 third seed Wilson, 2-1, in the first round.
Council Rock North 3, Emmaus 2 (2OT)
Dalton Andrusko scored two goals, including the game-winner in the 109th minute, as Council Rock North, the second-seed from District One, defeated District 11 champion Emmaus, 3-2, in double overtime in Tuesday's opening round game played at Whitehall High School.
Andrusko's game-winner came on the rebound of an Alec Neumann header that bounced off the crossbar on an Alec Greenhalgh corner kick.
"That was great for him because he's a senior," North coach Wendell Beres said of Andrusko. "We've really been drilling it into the seniors that this could be your last game. And when the going gets tough, the seniors lead the way.
"Dalton's the guy who works a little bit extra. He's the one who's not going to give up on the play, he's going to give everything he has to succeed."
North led 2-1 after 15 minutes, with Andrusko (9th minute) and Derek Antonini (15th minute) bookending an Emmaus goal. Blair Geiger scored both goals for Emmaus, the second coming with about four minutes left in regulation on a free kick.
"There were a lot of nerves early on," Beres said. "We grinded through those first 15, 20 minutes. The second half we really played our game."
Neumann finished the game with two assists.
The Indians advance to play Hempfield, the second seed from District 3, in Saturday's quarterfinal at a place and time to be determined. Hempfield defeated District 12 champion La Salle, 2-0.
Central Dauphin 2, Central Bucks South 1
A shorthanded Central Bucks South team battled valiantly, but two quick goals from District 3 champion Central Dauphin made the difference as the Titans -- the fourth seed from District 1 -- fell 2-1 in a first-round game played at HersheyPark Arena.
With sophomore goalkeeper Matt Weigner out after receiving a red card in the Titans' last game, junior midfielder Connor Stackhouse stepped between the pipes and made several big saves for South.
"Connor did great," said Titans' coach Don Brady. "He made two very good saves midway through the first half. That really helped take the pressure off us.
"Obviously, you look at 'what if?' If we had Matt in goal and had Connor in the midfield, I believe we could have beaten this team."
The Rams scored in the 67th and 68th minute to take a 2-0 lead. Brendan Rennie cut the deficit to 2-1 in the 76th minute on a strong solo effort that began in the midfield and ended with Rennie slipping behind the defense and beating the CD goalkeeper.
"We hung in there," Brady said. "We went down 2-0 and we came back eight minutes later. And we had some chances. We were getting forward in the last eight minutes."
South received a stellar effort from Jarod Meyer in the midfield.
"Jarod did a nice job keeping things under control without Connor there," Brady said.
South finishes the season at 15-8-1 overall. The Titans finished in third place in the Continental Conference and made it to the state tournament for the first time in the school's eight-year history.
"Last year we got beat in the quarterfinals by Conestoga in penalty kicks," Brady said. "Our goal all along was to get to that point, win the match, which we did against Strath Haven, and get to states. And we did that.
"The kids accomplished their goals and they played well. It was tough to lose like we did -- we lost 2-1 to Conestoga (in the district semifinals), 2-1 to Central Bucks East (in the consolation final) without Matt and with Connor in goal, and 2-1 to Central Dauphin. That's not fun, but the kids did some great things throughout this season."
In other games:
Conestoga 2, Wilson 1
Hempfield 2, La Salle 1
State College 3, Cumberland Valley 3 (5-4PKs)
Upper St. Clair 2, Allderdice 0
Cathedral Prep 5, Peters Township 4 (PKs)
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