Shipley, Friends’ Central savor their soccer doubleheader at Talen Energy Stadium

Chester >> For the Friends’ Central and Shipley soccer players, the atmosphere during their doubleheader at Talen Energy Stadium Tuesday was almost surreal.
Shipley senior forward/midfielder Eliza Green, who scored a goal in the Gator girls’ 2-2 tie with Friends’ Central, said, “I can’t even describe what it felt like to score that goal [at Talen Energy Stadium] – it felt unreal. The whole game was awesome – we came in with a lot of energy and excitement.”
Friends’ Central senior midfielder and captain Emily Lorry, who scored two goals Tuesday, said, “It feels pretty unreal to score two goals here, particularly on a field where my favorite player, Christen Press, played.”
Shipley senior defender Zach Bradlow said, “When I stepped on the field, I just felt submerged in the atmosphere. I looked up at the Union logo in the stands, looked up at the big scoreboard and saw the Shipley and Friends’ Central logos in lights, and thought, ‘This is crazy, unreal.’”

Friends Central, Shipley boys soccer teams battle it out at Talen Energy Stadium @FCSphoenix @ShipleySoccer @ShipleySports pic.twitter.com/Lqw1gQseNx

— Main Line Sports (@MLineSports) October 3, 2017

Gator sophomore midfielder/forward Alivia Hamilton, who scored Shipley’s first goal Tuesday at Talen Energy Stadium, said, “It was really exciting to score our first goal here. I loved playing here.”

Friends’ Central junior forward Phebe Guenther said, “An hour or two before the game, I was shaking with anticipation. Our team had a dance party in the locker room before the game, which calmed me down some, and then when we were being introduced before the game, it was pretty cool and exciting. The first few minutes of the game, I had a lot of energy, then I calmed down and played my game.”

The players’ early burst of energy no doubt helped them when running on the Talen Energy Stadium field, which was a bit wider than the fields the Shipley and Friends’ Central teams were accustomed to.
“That extra 10 yards of width makes a big difference,” said Bradlow. “The game was physically draining, particularly because we were playing a big rival and we were so evenly matched.”
Friends’ Central senior goalie Nick Tuverson, whose fine goaltending helped the Phoenix boys’ team preserve a 0-0 double-overtime tie with Shipley, said, “There was more running out there [than normal] and it seemed to me that the players were getting tired late in the game, but we hung in there. The adrenaline was flowing – the fact that we were playing our rival school on such a big stage made it more fun.”

Phoenix boys’ soccer head coach Galen Guindon said, “Nick made several huge saves that seemed to inspire the rest of the team to keep playing as a unit. Senior Dale Decatur and junior Ingram Dillingham really helped anchor an organized back line that help Shipley scoreless through 100 minutes.”
Nearly 700 fans enjoyed the view of the games and the surroundings in the Talen Energy 18,500 seat soccer stadium.
“I cannot [describe] how much fun it was to be at Talen Energy Stadium to watch the games,” said Shipley Head of School Steve Piltch. “Although both Shipley and Friends’ Central would have liked to have won, I think the two tie scores were appropriate outcomes. I want to thank the Union and the ADs from both schools, Mark Duncan (Shipley) and Michelle Crowley (Friends’ Central) for putting the evening together, all of the coaches and players for making it happen, and the fans from both schools for being there to support the teams. I hope it is the beginning of a new tradition.”

Friends’ Central AD Michelle Crowley said, “Our Head of School, Craig Sellers, said that this was our community at its best. Having these games with this level of competitiveness speaks to both athleticism and sportsmanship of both Schools and the Friends Schools League.”
Each school held a respective soccer outing at the Philadelphia Union’s game Oct. 1 against the Seattle Sounders at Talen Energy Stadium, which in turn provided the Friends’ Central and Shipley boys and girls soccer teams the opportunity to play at the stadium Tuesday.
Shipley girls’ soccer head coach Dakota Carroll said, “I was very proud of how we played for majority of the game. Our sophomore goalie, Grace Gordon, had a big save in the second half, and senior captains Bela Trachtenberg and Cami Johnson have been doing a great job holding together our back line. The experience was absolutely amazing for everyone involved. I hope we can continue this tradition each year.”
Friends’ Central girls’ soccer head coach Luke Nowell said, “Emily and Phebe both had great performances today, and are great representatives of our program and school on such a momentous occasion. Hopefully we can do it again next year.”