Composed Souderton Area holds off test from PW
PLYMOUTH MEETING >> Pressure didn’t shatter Souderton Area’s composure on Friday afternoon, but rather brought it to another level.
Hard-charging Plymouth-Whitemarsh had battled to within a goal of Big Red in the closing moments.
But Souderton clung to an important final possession, calmly worked the ball around to drain the clock, and then goalie Tegan Farina made one more stop in the last few seconds to give Big Red a thrilling, 10-9 victory over the Colonials.
“This is a really big win,” said Souderton’s Lauren Hallman, who scored a hat trick to lead the Indians. “The draw was definitely key and just making good decisions (was vital). And I think we really capitalized on holding the ball when we had possession, and we made smart decisions.”
The win lifted Souderton’s overall record to 7-2 on the season.
“We kept our composure,” Big Red coach Claudia LaMarca said. “That was one of the first times we’ve been tested down to the wire. And I think we executed really well.”
The game pitted two Suburban One League contenders, as PW came into this one sporting a 4-1 record in the American Conference. Souderton came in with a 4-1 mark in the National.
“They’re a great team,” LaMarca said of PW. “They have some fantastic wins under their belt so beating them, I think, shows the girls we can compete with these high-level teams. And I think this is gonna be a game we can lean on when we need that extra push.”
BIG START >> Souderton Area came out firing, and scoring.
Big Red bolted to a 4-0 lead on a breezy day on the turf at PW.
“We have a lot of scorers,” said Hallman. “Everyone has
an opportunity and we can look for anyone on the field.”
Big Red’s scoring was balanced throughout, as Lexi Krebs and Reiley Knize each connected twice, and Avery Farina, Isabel John, and Ang Borisow each contributed a goal.
Souderton Area took a 9-5 lead into the final 10 minutes, and that’s when PW turned it on.
Mackenzie Leszczynski kept finding her way to the net, weaving her way through and around defenders to score a gamehigh four goals. John scored for Souderton to make it 10-8 with three minutes to play, but another score by Leszczynski tightened things to 10-9.
Souderton held on tight and squeezed out the victory.
“I’m so happy. I feel like this past week, we had a bit of a rough streak with our games,” said Krebs. “And we’ve been working really hard in practice.
And I think today, all of our hard work and our composure really came together. I’m just so happy for everybody.”
Added Krebs, a senior: “It’s really exciting. I hope we continue on this path.”
Fiona Gooneratne and Meghan Wendler scored twice for the Colonials and Haley McCourt added a tally to help key PW’s second-half surge.
“Souderton came out tough the first half,” Colonials coach Ellen K. Reilly said. “They were much more aggressive, wanted the ball more. And I don’t think we played a very good first half. We made a lot of turnovers. We didn’t make shots that we could make.
“And I think in the second half, we fought and we fought tough. But you have to play a whole game.”
Souderton Area 10, PlymouthWhitemarsh 9 Souderton 7 3 - 10 Plymouth-Whitemarsh 3 6- 9
Souderton goals: Avery Farina, Isabel John, Lexi Krebs 2, Reiley Knize 2, Ang Borisow, Lauren Hallman 3.
PW goals: Fiona Gooneratne 2, Meghan Wendler 2, Mackenzie Leszczynski 4, Haley McCourt.