Gallagher, Bears continue postseason push
Girls Soccer
BOYERTOWN 4, GOV. MIFFLIN 2 » Kaleigh Gallagher helped create a goal, then found her own scoring touch.
The Boyertown senior forward had an assist and three goals in her team’s 4-2 non-league victory over the Gov. Mifflin girls soccer team Friday.
Gallagher set up Grace Conover’s opener seven minutes into the game then scored two more in the first half, in the 22nd and 27th minutes. She completed her hat trick in the 57th minute on an assist from Sierra Landes.
“I think lately we’ve been able to find our forwards and go at defenses,” Gallagher said. “During the PV game (4-0 victory last week) it showed, that we were able to get forward and penetrate. I know I’ve had struggles in being consistent every single game – it’s a hard thing to do being that person every game – but I felt really good today.”
Mattie Gallagher, Boyertown’s sophomore goalkeeper and sister of Kaleigh, made nine saves and didn’t allow a goal (she was substituted out with the Bears up 4-0). The daughters of Ursinus football coach Pete Gallagher, Kaleigh was equally excited after Friday’s game over her father’s Bears, who are 5-0 and riding high after last week’s 21-17 win over perennial thorn-in-their-side Johns Hopkins. Ursinus ended the No. 8 Blue Jays’ 45-game regular-season winning streak.
Gov. Mifflin scored a pair of consolation goals thanks to Jeyda Coronado and Stella Mollica, who found the net on a nice diving header on a cross from Gillian Maack with five minutes to play.
Boyertown improves to 8-7 overall and improved to No. 26 in the District 1-AAAA power rankings. At 7-4 in the PAC (4-4 PAC Liberty), the Bears are in position to make the PAC playoffs through a wild-card place, but will need to make the most of their final week games against firstplace Spring-Ford and Norristown to earn a place in the disrtict playoffs (top 24 qualify). “We’ve progressed a lot. When we are on and we play our game it’s hard for teams to stop us. But we just have to stay consistent,” Gallagher said. OWEN J. ROBERTS 2, BOYERTOWN 0 » Past, present and fu-
ture of the Owen J. Roberts’ girls soccer program descended upon Wildcat Stadium Wednesday night in hopes of seeing a milestone reached.
Center stage was 22-year head coach Joe Margusity, the architect of many years of Wildcats’ success.
With another positive result added to the ledger – a 2-0 victory over longtime rival Boyertown – the many wins of Margusity’s coaching career reached 400 victories, one of just two girls soccer coaches in Pa. history to achieve the mark.
Senior forward Mahogany Willis scored a goal in each half – both times on assists from junior Mia Baumgarten – while the OJR defense, led by senior Kylie Cahill, denied Boyertown consistently throughout, holding them to a single shot on goal.
The state record of 435 wins in girls soccer is held by Hampton great Frank Christy, who retired in 2012.
At 14-1 overall (7-1 PAC Liberty), this year’s Wildcats have the makings of a team worthy of being mentioned with the past distinguished OJR teams that include the 2003 PIAA championship team or the 2005 PIAA runner-up.
“I feel great,” Margusity said. “There was a lot of alumni here and got a lot of nice texts from alumni being glad to be a part of all the wins that led up to 400. Hundreds and hundreds of kids added to that, it wasn’t just this team but this team will be special because they’re the team that won the 400th. But somebody had to win the first one and there’s a lot of great kids that have come through here.”
Boyertown was anything but charitable though, likely deserving a better result after being the better team in the first half. The Bears are 4-4 in the PAC Liberty and are 7-4 in the PAC (7-7 overall), and remain in the chase for one of the PAC’s two wild-card playoff spots for the final four.
“Our Achilles’ heel has been our inability to score in close games. I didn’t think it’s a lack of effort, more a lack of execution,” Boyertown coach Bill Goddard said. “I thought our kids played their hearts out.
“Forty minutes in we’re down 1-0 nothing and it was a bit of a cruel result to be down. But they fought the entire game and I was happy the way they continued to fight. But you have to give credit to Owen J. They made the most of the two mistakes we made and ultimately you get points for scoring goals.”
Kaleigh Gallagher had a hand in all four goals during the Bears’ PAC Liberty Division win over the Vikings on Oct. 2.
Gallagher scored twice and added a pair of assists while Grace Conover and Taylor Landis each scored once. Cassidy Landis and Mattie Gallagher combined for the shutout in goal.
Boys Soccer OWEN J. ROBERTS 3, BOYERTOWN 2 »
The Wildcats picked up a PAC Liberty Division win after being rewarded a penalty kick during the second overtime period against the Bears on Oct. 4.
Goalscorers for Boyertown were Jimmy Towers and Colin Brisbois while Ryan Burkhardt was credited with an assist.
Mike Weir had a hand in three goals to help lead the Vikings to a PAC Liberty Division win over the Bears on Oct. 2.
Weir had a pair of goals and an assist while Max Chamorro and Matt McCabe each scored once. Andrew Daubenspeck made seven saves for his fifth consecutive shutout.
Field hockey OWEN J. ROBERTS 5, BOYERTOWN 1 »
Bridget Guinan scored two goals to head the Owen J. Roberts field hockey team’s 5-1 win over Boyertown on Oct. 5.
Maddi Koury, Bridget Gallagher and Eloise Gebert also got in the scoring act for Roberts (6-2, 11-3), which padded a 2-1 halftime lead by scoring three in the second half of this Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division tilt. Jenna Kirby was credited with a pair of assists while Koury and Riley Hanson each had one.
Boyertown got its goal from Sydney Fox, with Cassie Kidwell on the assist. Hialey Levengood had a seven-save day in goal.
Cristina Dougherty notched a pair of goals while Gabby Martina had a goal and two assists during the Vikings’ PAC Liberty Division win over the Bears on Senior Night on Oct. 4.
Isabel Lobiondo, Teresa Bartkowski and Katie Wuerstle each had solo goals while keeper Hannah Roerden faced just one shot to earn the shutout. Boyertown keepers Haley Gable and Hailey Levengood combined for 13 saves. The Warriors rallied and scored four second-half goals en route to a PAC Liberty Division win over the Bears on Oct. 2.
Katy Benton scored three times while Liz Chipman finished with a goal and an assist as Molly Frey made one save to preserve the shutout. Olivia Hoover had a pair of assists while Mackenzie Henry had a goal and Emily Owens had an assist. Haley Gable and Hailey Levengood combined for 13 saves for Boyertown.
Boys cross country
Jacob McKenna’s top time of 15:43 wasn’t enough as the Rams were edged by the Bears in a PAC meet.
Boyertown’s Christian McComb finished second with a 15:49 while teammates Todd Barton (16:08), Dominic DeRafelo (16:15), Tyson Smyth (16:16) and Josh Endy (16:18) finished sixth through ninth. Spring-Ford’s Shane Ainscoe took third place with a 15:53.
Girls cross country
The Rams took the four top spots, led by Sydney Galster and Gabriella Bamford’s 19:53 clocking on the way to a PAC win over the Bears.
Rachel Murphy (20:12) and Rachel Moyer (20:39) followed close behind for respective third and fourth place finishes. Boyertown’s Zora Bergery ran a teambest 20:51 for fifth place.
Girls volleyball
The Bears extended the Rams to five games but couldn’t come away with the PAC win on Oct. 5.
Boyertown opened up with a 26-24 win in the opening set to which Spring-Ford responded with a 25-16 win. Boyertown then claimed the third set 26-24 before SF rattled off the next two sets, 25-14 and 15-4.