Pennridge scores twice in 2nd half, holds off North Penn to stay unbeaten
TOWAMENCIN — Seven games into the season, a young Pennridge girls soccer team has still not tasted defeat.
But coach Audrey Anderson is still looking for that complete effort she knows the Rams can put together.
Monday afternoon, a two-goal blitz in the second half was enough to hold off up-and-coming North Penn.
Sophomore Katie Fischer rocketed a shot off the left post and in, while junior Jess Milligan rolled another in moments later as Pennridge came away with a 2-1 Suburban One League Continental Conference win over the Maidens.
“That seems to be our blessing and curse, I guess, if you want to say it that way. We wind up scoring and then we tend to sit back,’ Anderson said.
“It’s been our struggle so far this season, where we’ll do some work, we’re successful, but I think the farther on we go, the more experience we’re going to get and the more successful we’ll be and we’ll wind up playing an entire game and controlling most of it.’
North Penn twice hit the goal support — including one on a dangerous cross by Hannah Alexander early after halftime — before Allison Williams pulled the Maidens (4-3-0, 2-3-0 conference) to within one in the final minutes. A late corner to equalize sailed over the box as North Penn could not avoid a second-straight Continental loss.”I think our best soccer was the last seven of the first half up until that first goal,’ North Penn coach Jim Dehner said. “We had them our their heels and that’s unfortunate that we didn’t convert on the opportunities that we had. And you can’t rely on that against good programs, against good teams you can’t just have 80 minutes of good play, or not even 80 minutes, 78 minute of good play and an 80 minute game. You got to have complete start to finish.’
Pennridge (5-0-2, 3-0-2), the defending Continental champion, is now unbeaten in its last 22 conference games — 17 of those wins.
“It was an overall good team effort. We tend to just really connect well and just find our forwards,’ Fischer said. “But we were really lucky to get the goals that we had in the second half.’
North Penn, which has already doubled its win total from last year, was looking to make a statement on its home field. The loss stings, but Dehner saw plenty of positives as the Maidens heads into a road matchup against Souderton 7 p.m. Wednesday.
“This was tough to take. I don’t think we have our heads down because this is Pennridge and they’re at the top of the standings. We hung with them, it wasn’t like a clear decisively victory by them. Those two minutes of back-to-back goals, that little hiccup that we had. I think it gives them confidence that we can play with other teams in our conference.
“This is turning out to be a good season for us if we can just fix the little things and convert on opportunities that are provided to us and that we created on our own, we’d have much better record in that sense and better results.’
Pennridge is back on the field 3:45 p.m. Wednesday at Hatboro-Horsham.
“North Penn, they were just unlucky. They had a lot of good opportunities. Luck today was on our side,’ Anderson said. “First 30 seconds of the second half they almost scored.’
Fischer broke the scoreless tie Monday with her great strike in the 55th minute after Pennridge earned a corner.
A shot on goal was touched away by NP keeper Laura Leonard and kicked out for a Rams throw-in. Fischer corralled the throw, dribble to her left than unleashed a shot that banged off the left post and into to the opposite corner.
“It all happened so fast,’ Fischer said. “I just took it to the middle and took my shot. I don’t know, it just went the way it did, hit off the post and went in.
