W.C. Rustin bounced by C.R. South in playoff opener

WEST GOSHEN — Peter Rohall knows West Chester Rustin played hard for a full 80 minutes against Council Rock South.

Rohall also has been coaching soccer for a long time. He’s aware of the unpredictability the district playoffs bring.

“You get to the playoffs and it’s the little things that make a difference,’ Rohall said. “A goal in the playoffs means a lot. We been on the positive side of these type of games all year. Tonight, it just didn’t work out.’

That bad break came for Rustin in the 58th minute as Kasey Schlupp directed a free kick from the back of her head past the arms of Julie Griesemer to give No. 14 C.R. South the deciding advantage in a 2-0 win over No. 3 West Chester Rustin in a District 1 Class AAA second-round game at Ciccarone Field on Saturday night.

“Our kids fought right to the end,’ Rohall said. “We played hard with a lot of effort and desire. They just outplayed us. They played a really good game.’

The Golden Hawks will host No. 22 Great Valley in the quarterfinals Tuesday.

The Golden Knights had plenty of chances in the first half to take a lead, but couldn’t find the back of the net on all five of their corner attempts.

The game changed for Rustin in the fourth minute, once sophomore Anushree Godbole went down with an apparent ankle injury. She got up under her own power, but was unable to return until the second half.

“She’s a spark plug for us,’ Rohall said. “I don’t think in this game that made the difference. Certainly, I’d love to have her more, but I didn’t want to take any chances with her ankle. She was at about 50 percent when I put her in toward the end.’

Freshman Dom Simone filled the void in Godbole’s absence. Simone controlled midfield throughout the first half, using her speed to gain possession and set up shot attempts for striker Mackenzie Moore.

Rustin’s best attempt at a goal came in the 31st minute when Ashlyn Kearney sent a cross to Moore, who blasted it toward the direction of C.R. South goalie Maria Buonomo. From point blank range, Buonomo stopped the shot and kept the game scoreless heading into halftime.

“We came out with really good momentum,’ Rohall said. “We had some really close opportunities. You put those in it’s a different game, but we didn’t. To their credit, they came back.’

Schupp’s header gave C.R. South the lead for good and Julie Rehb’s goal in the 60th minute sealed the Golden Knights’ fate.

Despite the early playoff exit, Rustin finished unbeaten in the Ches-Mont League en route to winning the American Division title.

The Golden Knights also possessed two of the league’s top goal scorers in Moore (12) and Alexa Bushey (11).

The loss was tough, but Rohall looked at the positives of that special season in Westtown.

“I told those seniors how privileged I was to be their coach,’ Rohall said. “They have been one of the greatest groups of kids to work with. They worked hard all the time. All year long, they give everything they got and they should be proud of that. I’m certainly proud of them.’