HIGH-OCTANE KNIGHTS
North Penn offense in high gear in win over CB West
DOYLESTOWN >> On a day when offense seemed to come from everywhere for North Penn, senior Maddie Waldspurger still stood out.
“Maddie is a great player for us. She is solid, consistent, and we can count on her,” said Knights coach Shannon McCracken. “She’s a really great leader in the midfield for us.
“She has the capability to shoot that ball hard and she plays hard. And works hard as well. She’s one of our hardest-working players so it was great to see her have a great game today.”
Waldspurger’s overall play and game-high four goals led the way to a 10-2 victory over rival Central Bucks West, as the Knights opened their Suburban One League Colonial Division schedule in style.
“We were really looking up and finding each other,” said Waldspurger, a senior for the Knights. “It was a really well-played game.”
North Penn raised its overall record to 2-0. It was the season opener for the Bucks (0-1).
“We made some mistakes re
peatedly that are easy fixes. And I think moving forward through the season, now that we’ve seen our first live game, hopefully we won’t make those mistakes moving forward and we’ll see a different end result,” said Bucks assistant coach Lori Ierubino.
Goals by Waldspurger and Bay Detweiler had North Penn up 2-0 at the end of the first quarter, on a cool, breezy day on the turf at West.
The Bucks soon cut the margin in half with a tally by Lily Cosner.
But then it was all North Penn the rest of the half: Waldspurger, Catherine McGeehan and Ella Sanfelice all connected to provide a 5-1 cushion at the break.
Said McCracken: “We’re capable of that type of offense. I thought we had a little bit of a slow start in that first quarter. And CB West came out, had some speed, so we made a few adjustments and then just reminded our girls of the game we like to play.
“We wanted to make sure we were passing and seeing our options and moving the ball at a quick speed and a quick pace.”
Waldspurger completed her hat trick in the third quarter and a goal by Grace McGeehan stretched the lead to 7-1. Aditi Shah and Caleigh scored to make it 9-1 heading into the fourth, and then Waldspurger capped the scoring for NP in the fourth.
Added to the offensive display by the Knights was a defense that tightened things up as the game went on.
“Our defense was really solid too,” McCracken said. “CB West had some speed on their attack line and they were exposing us a little bit in that first quarter.
“Once we settled down, we made some solid plays and that really picked the game up when our defense started making good stops and our attack was able to pick it up as well.”
The Bucks added another score when Carley Briece connected for the Bucks.
“Great attitude,” Ierubino said of the squad. “They fought to the end. It’s a testament to their heart and their commitment to the team and to each other.”