Henesey scores 4 goals, Lansdale Catholic rolls past Archbishop Wood

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WARMINSTER >> Kate Henesey spends her time on the field trying to find just the right moment to spring behind the opposing side’s backline, race to the goal and clinically finish.

“Physically, I’m always prepared to go on the attack,” the Lansdale Catholic girls soccer junior said. “But mentally I just got to keep my cool and keep my composure, remain onsides and in the play.”

Sometimes Henesey’s work ends in an offsides call and frustration. But other times it ends in celebration. And in Tuesday afternoon’s Philadelphia Catholic League contest with Archbishop Wood, there was a lot for Henesey to feel happy about.

Three times – twice in the first half and early after halftime – the Crusaders found Henesey after her well-time runs and she deposited all three into the back of the net of the host Vikings.

“There were stepping up a lot and that was just creating room for me,” she said. “And some of them I just wanted it more.”

Henesey ended the match with all for goals for Lansdale Catholic as it earned a third straight victory by rolling past Wood 4-1.

“It was tough. The difference is your forward has the ability to put the ball in from anywhere on the field,” LC coach Tom O’Donnell said. “I mean she has the finesse play where she can roll it under the goalkeeper before the kid has a chance to go down. She can hit the 30 yarder and go over her hands and probably the best shot of the day didn’t go in late in the game.

“At 4-1 we’re just trying to pour it in and she hits a shot from had to be 45 yards and it’s on the top corner.”

Henesey collected a hat trick in opening 40 minutes, then made it 4-0 Crusaders (11-2-1, 7-1-0 league) in the second minute of the second half off the second of Colbie Cummings’ two assists – the rolling shot going into the lower left corner.

Henesey came close to adding more goals to her total, hitting the crossbar and the right post on long-distance efforts in the second half.

“In the backfield, after the first goal, they didn’t make the adjustment,” Archbishop Wood coach Bill Cappo said. “They kept pushing up and not marking her. You had to play deeper. You notice the second half we played deeper after the first goal they scored in the second half. They listened. They played, they made the adjustment. We were doing well in the second half.”

The Vikings (7-6-0, 6-2-0) ended the shutout when Sophia Filippo was fouled in the box after a strong run and converted the penalty kick herself with a shot into the lower left corner.

Wood had a chance to pull within two when it earned another penalty kick. Filippo again took the PK, but this time Crusader goalkeeper denied her shot towards the top left corner.

“I literally just locked in to the ball and I was like I am going to grab this no matter what,” Maxwell said. “And I just saw it and I just grabbed it.”

Erin O’Sullivan had a pair of assists for Lansdale Catholic, which stayed just behind Catholic League leader St. Hubert with the win – LC at 18 points to Hubert’s 21.

“We’re always in that top four, but I think the goal scorer (Henesey) is the one everyone wants to figure out how to stop here,” O’Donnell said. “The other kids are very good too and they find a way to get the ball through to her.

The Crusaders finish the week at home 3:45 p.m. Thursday hosting Cardinal O’Hara. Next week starts with a pair of challenging games – Souderton at home Monday and at St. Hubert Tuesday.

“We can’t get big heads about anything,” Maxwell said. “We need to make sure keep practicing like we do and we need to beat (Saint) Hubert’s and keep winning. And make it to the playoffs and make it to the championship.”

Archbishop Wood is also back in action 3:45 p.m. Thursday hosting Archbishop Carroll.

“Hopefully we can straighten everything out by the time our playoffs come and hope we peak then,” Cappo said. “They just got to pick it up, that’s it.”

Henesey gave Lansdale Catholic a 1-0 lead in the 12th minute off an Erin O’Sullivan assist, sliding a shot past Wood keeper Isabella Loffreda-Mancinelli.

Henesey doubled the advantage six minutes later on a solo breakaway, opting for a chip shot outside of the Vikings’ 18-yard box that caught Loffreda-Mancinelli off her line.

“Just her positioning – she was out (of the goal) and I wasn’t close enough to slide it by her yet,” Henesey said. “It was a little bit risky, but it worked.”

No run behind the backline was needed Henesey’s third goal. Instead, she created some space from a defender and unleashed a shot into the top of the net.

“I just shook her and was open for the shot, so I took it,” she said.

Henesey made it 4-0 shortly after halftime again on a solo break, her low shot going through the back of the net and continuing on its straight path behind the goal.

“That was little surprising, she said. “Initially I thought I was offsides, but just had to keep going,”

Before Henesey’s barrage, Archbishop Wood had a chance to take the lead early in the first half on a free kick. The Vikings played a ball on the ground into the LC box with Filippo flicking a shot towards goal, but Maxwell knocked it off the top of the crossbar and out for a corner.

“She was fabulous,” said O’Donnell of Maxwell, who had nine saves. “That was her career day. There were no mistakes, her judgment was spot-on. Every play, she made the right decision and made the play. It’s one thing to see it, but you still have to make the play. She did that.”

Mike Cabrey

Mike Cabrey
Mike Cabrey is the Assistant Sports Editor for The Reporter and Montgomery News. Email him at mcabrey@thereporteronline.com.

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