Check out Thursday’s SOL girls lacrosse results.
National Conference
PENNSBURY 15, ABINGTON 9
The Falcons found themselves staring at a 9-6 deficit at halftime of Thursday’s key conference matchup against the Ghosts but rallied for the big win.
“Our offense was really struggling in the first half,” coach Kelly White said. “Really, the defense even to that point – they were keeping us in the game. They were stepping up, they were doubling, they were getting the rebounds, and Liana (Eyre) was playing fantastic in goal.
“The offense was struggling keeping possession and making good choices with the ball. They were getting flustered. They just weren’t playing as a unit. They were very disconnected.”
Things changed in a hurry a second half that saw the Falcons outscore the Ghosts 9-0.
“We had our halftime talk, and we told them, ‘You’re not out of this game, but you need to play composed. You need to play your game,’” White said. “Our defense was just not allowing them to have any scoring opportunities in the second half, and if they were getting shots on goal, Liana was snuffing them.
“At that point, our offense had truly gotten their act together and was stepping up. They were moving the ball the way they can move the ball, and they were moving off ball, which is the biggest thing that was hurting us in the first half.
“I’m proud of them because they pulled together and played their game in the second half. Once they got a goal or two, the momentum was theirs, and they just kept going to the very end.”
Joy Hopkins and Jackie Sweeney led the Falcons with four goals each while Kelsy Gumbert added the hat trick. Carson Smith had two goals, and Missy Frankil and Alyssa Matthews both had one goal. Anna Custer, whose performance in the midfield was lauded by White, had a pair of assists, and Rachel Pierce had one assist.
The Falcons improved to 2-0 in the league (5-1 overall) while the Ghosts fell to 0-2 in the league.
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 9, NORTH PENN 8
‘Believe.’
That was the Patriots’ theme heading into Thursday’s game against the undefeated Maidens, and if they didn’t believe before the game, they undoubtedly do after earning their biggest win in memory.
“The whole concept since I have come in is I’m trying to get them to believe in themselves because (it's hard) when you have a program that hasn’t won a conference game and never knows what it’s like to play hard and then see the rewards of it,” East coach Dipi Bhaya said. “I was most pleased that they actually played with heart and that they believed in themselves.
“North Penn is a well-respected, high-level team in the conference. You go into something like that with a team like this, and you might lose already before you even step on the field. You see it happen in sports all the time.
“My goal was to try and change that, so we did a lot of things to change that to prepare for this game. It was nice to see them actually play with heart and use the talents that they have and work together as a team in both ends.”
The Maidens were on the receiving end of four yellow cards and lost junior standout Kaitlin Suzuki after she was given her second card.
“We’re young and made young mistakes,” coach Jami Wilus Behm said. “The game was officiated much differently than games we have had so far.”
The Maidens were down a player for the final 15 minutes of the game.
“North Penn’s players are just so aggressive,” Bhaya said. “You can’t even tell they’re down a player – that’s how aggressive they are.
“I didn’t want that to get into my kids’ heads.”
The Patriots jumped out to a 4-1 lead but watched that disappear when the Maidens reeled off four unanswered goals to go on top by one. The Patriots rallied to take a 6-5 lead into halftime with Maggie Stella - in her first game action after an injury - scoring the go-ahead goal with 2:20 remaining in the opening half.
The Maidens tied the scored 6-6 midway through the second half and went on top 7-6 before the Patriots answered with a 3-0 run that was capped with Mary Kate Schwartz scoring her only goal of the game with 52 seconds remaining to put the Patriots on top 9-7. The Maidens made things interesting with a goal from Lauren Green with 19 seconds remaining to make it a one-goal game.
“I liked the fact that we were disciplined,” Bhaya said. “I thought we tried to play good skilled lacrosse as far as not getting ourselves in any kind of trouble because those cards can hurt you.
“I thought we tried to do the best we could. Their goalie made some really key saves in the second half. It kind of took the wind out of their sails, but what I was really pleased with was they played with heart and passion that I always knew they could.
“It was just nice to see that they finally saw what I see, and it was nice for them to see their hard work pay off. Them knowing that North Penn is a highly respected team in the area is a nice thing for the senior class.”
Bhaya credited the seniors for their performance in Thursday’s win.
“They really took over, and our goalie (Alana Rivas) made some key saves,” the Patriots’ coach said. “It was a nice game. It was back and forth. It could have gone either way.”
Marissa Glatt led the Patriots with four goals and one assist, and Julia Norek had three goals and one assist.
Bhaya credited her defense comprised of senior captain Kelsey Washburn, Julia Adams, Betty Weshey and Brook Cataldo as well as goalie Alana Rivas (eight saves).
“We only let them score two goals in the second half until 19 seconds were left when they scored their third goal,” Bhaya said. “I have to give kudos to my defense.
“Katt Miller goes end to end for us, and she was getting the draw controls. She was going up on offense, she was getting back on defense. She really was a key player. That entire defensive squad and the goalkeeping – I’m just really proud of them.”
Suzuki and Green led the Maidens with three goals each while Hannah Young had two goals and one assist. Jenna Stover was credited with nine saves in goal for the Maidens.
Behm put the loss in perspective.
“Most leagues beat up on each other in terms of wins and losses all year,” she said. “In our league, we have always had a champion that has gone undefeated, but this season all the games have been tight, and it seems like it’s anyone’s championship if you play well when it counts.”
While the Maidens fell to 4-1 in the league (5-1 overall), the Patriots are 2-3 in the league (5-3 overall). Not bad for a team that was 0-12 in the league last season.
“I was so glad that the girls at East didn’t play to the stigma of whatever they’ve been known as in the past,” Bhaya said. “They stayed in the present moment, and they’re actually starting to buy into what I’m trying to teach them.
“To see the smiles on their faces and to see them light up when they see something actually works – a coach’s dream is when they see a player gets it. You get to see the light bulb go off, and it’s just the most rewarding experience a coach could ask for. I was very, very happy for them, and I’m very proud of them.”
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 18, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 8
Things looked promising for the Titans when they opened up a 3-1 lead less than five minutes into Thursday night’s contest, but things changed in a hurry after a West timeout as the Bucks answered by reeling off six unanswered goals in a seven-minute span.
“We were dominating the draw controls at the beginning of the game, and then West started dominating the draw, and that’s where they took the momentum,” South coach Janique Craig said.“CB West does a great job of running through the ground balls and through the draw, and they were going hard to goal. Every single one of them on attack was a threat. They did a great job.”
The Bucks took a commanding 11-4 lead into halftime, and the Titans would get no closer than six the rest of the way.
“Knowing how competitive our league is, certainly this is a win we need,” West coach Tara Schmucker said. “Being up and down with the young team we have, it’s important that we’re starting to come out with some consistency.
“Hopefully, we will be able to carry this into our other league games.”
Junior Elena Romesburg led the Bucks with five goals while Jacqueline Fitzgerald added four and Amanda Gundlach, three goals. Jane Savard, Elle Ueland and Sarah Gebre each added a pair. Paige Savard had an assist. Fitzgerald and Gebre led the Bucks with four draw controls each.
“Jacqueline and Sarah both stepped up a lot for us,” Schmucker said. “Once we started getting the draw controls, we had possession of the ball and momentum.”
For the Titans, Megan Hamilton and Courtney Dietzel each scored two goals. Hamilton also had an assist. Sara Poli had a goal and an assist, and Corrine Kenney, Devon Dietzel and Tori Wigand each scored single goals.
The Bucks improved to 3-3 in the league (3-4 overall) while the Titans fell 1-4 in the league (2-5 overall).
NORTH PENN 18, PENNRIDGE 6 (Wednesday, April 10)
The Maidens opened up a 15-2 halftime lead on their way to Wednesday’s convincing win. Kaitlin Suzuki and Hannah Young each contributed five goals and one assist to lead the Maidens. Lauren Green added the hat trick and one assist while Chloe Novak had a pair of goals. Brittany Tyson, Emily Schulze and Julianna Hill each added single goals. Hill also had an assist.
Gabby DiDomizio had seven draw controls to lead the Maidens. In goal, Jenna Stover (seven saves) and Lauren Smith combined for nine saves.
The Rams were led by the two-goal effort of Aerin McHugh. Devon Rimmer added a goal and assist, and scoring single goals were Taylor Dachowski, Jackie Stevens and Aimee Beck. Allison Fugate had an assist. Danielle Nichols turned away eight shots for the Rams.
Pennridge coach Brieann Wolfe credited her team’s defense for stepping up in the second half, allowing the Maidens to score just three goals. Members of the Rams’ defensive unit included Christy Knipe, Allison Whitmore, Megan Krotowski and Jackie Stevens. The Rams, according to Wolfe, also focused on shot placement to score four goals.
American Conference
CHELTENHAM 13, UPPER MERION 10
The Lady Panthers found themselves trailing 7-4 at halftime and still were on the short end of a 9-7 score with 13 minutes remaining, but they roared back for the big win.
"Upper Merion outplayed us in every aspect of the game for the first 35 minutes,” coach David Burton said. “They had twice as many ground balls, had won more of the draw controls, and were simply playing much better than we were for much of the game.
"Fortunately for us, our goalie(s) kept us in the game until we finally began playing decent lacrosse late in the game.'
Steena Chantarath had nine saves in the first half.
"In the first half, we turned the ball over so often and missed so many assignments on defense, that Steena was under constant pressure in goal." Burton said. “She responded well and kept the game close.
“It was her first game back since tearing her ACL, and she got very little help from our defense. I know that she is in a lot of pain, but she did not seem to let it bother her - she is really a tough kid."
The Lady Panthers’ two-headed goalie took the form of Kelly Stuetz in the second half, and she was equally impressive, stopping 7 of the 10 shots she faced.
"There was a point in the last five minutes when we had a two-goal lead and Upper Merion had multiple shots on goal,” Burton said. “Kelly stopped shot after shot in that stretch and allowed us to secure a big victory."
Allison Hawkins led Cheltenham with five goals, 12 draw controls, and two assists. Gabby Szczepanek continued her solid play with four goals and eight ground balls, while Sammie McManus had three goals and 10 ground balls. Emily Hawkins scored a goal to round out the scoring for Cheltenham.
"We have struggled to put together a complete game,” Burton said. “Upper Merion really 'out-worked' us for much of the game. Liz Botto seemed to get every loose ball, and they transitioned well throughout the game.
“Amanda (McAteer) and Dominque (Gambone) are tough players and had good games today. Upper Merion is fast and aggressive, and we just did not match their intensity for much of the game. To our girls' credit, however, they battled back and pulled a tough, hard-fought victory today. I was really proud of the determination they showed today in grinding out a win."
McAteer led the Vikings with five goals and three assists while Gambone had four goals. Haley O’Malley added one goal to close out the scoring. Jackie Schauble had one assist and two interceptions on defense.
The Lady Panthers are 3-2 in league play (3-3 overall) while the Vikings fell to 3-3 in the league (5-3 overall).
WISSAHICKON 20, NORRISTOWN 1
The Trojans jumped out to a 9-1 halftime lead on their way to the decisive win. Zoe Gomez led a balanced attack with four goals and one assist. Laura Frankenfield and Lindsay Andersen both connected for hat tricks. Frankenfield also had four assists while Andersen had three. Bailey Weber had two goals and two assists while Rachel Zucker and Lauren Irvine both had two goals and one assist. Grace Kim (one goal, one assist) and Meghan Guzewicz (one goal, one assist) closed out the scoring for the Trojans.
Kerri Harner accounted for Norristown’s only goal. Sophomore goalie Jamie Justice was credited with nine saves.
The Trojans are 4-1 in league play (5-1 overall) while the Eagles fell to 0-6 in the league (1-6 overall).
SOUDERTON 12, UPPER DUBLIN 11 (Non-league)
It was a family affair when Souderton traveled to Upper Dublin on Thursday. Not only had Souderton coach Kelly Yemm Kelly played for Upper Dublin coach Dee Cross during a stellar high school career, her assistant – Ali Cross – is the daughter of the Upper Dublin coach, and Ali’s sister, Julie Cross, is one of the Flying Cardinals’ top players.
“It was kind of surreal in a sense,” Kelly said. “I’m an alumni, and you always like going back to your home field, although we didn’t have turf, but it’s always nice going back home, going back to a place I not only played at but also coached at.
“In the same sense, I feel like Souderton has become my new home. It was nice seeing the two come together.”
Making Kelly’s homecoming even nicer was the fact that her team earned the hard-fought win, opening up a 7-5 halftime lead and holding on for the win.
“It’s a great win,” the Indians’ first-year coach said. “We were definitely coming in excited to play against Upper Dublin, knowing they’re a strong team and have been a strong team for years.
“They come from such a great tradition and have a strong coaching background with Dee. The knowledge base is incomparable, but we went into it just going back to basics. We decided to focus on the little things. Catching, passing, shooting and defensive communication were our goals today. We just wanted to get the small stuff right today, and that’s where our game took a turn. We focused on the small things and weren’t putting pressure on ourselves to have impressive plays, and we just played our game.”
Chessie Rehmer and Amber Lambeth led the Indians with four goals each. Rehmer also had an assist. Nikki Palmer added two goals, and Alyssa Ziegler and Rachel Judge both had one goal. Alyssa and Jessica Ziegler each had one assist. Jen Bergey turned away 18 shots in a busy afternoon in goal.
“Our entire defense played as a unit today,” Kelly said. “I was really pleased with how my defense played, and I was especially pleased with how senior Alyssa Ziegler played. She stepped up and controlled the midfield transition ball and would bring it down and show such composure in the attacking end. She would slow the ball down and get the younger girls settled today as she stepped up into that senior leadership role.”
Taylor D’Ginto (five goals, two assists) and Julie Cross (three goals, four assists) led the Flying Cardinals. Rachel DiFrangia, Anna Trentini and Shelby Kenny each had single goals.
The Indians improved to 4-2 on the season while the Flying Cardinals are 6-2.
- Log in to post comments
