Council Rock South girls soccer stays unbeaten with OT win at CR North (PHOTO GALLERY)
NEWTOWN – Council Rock South entered its recent matchup with sister school CR North unbeaten. The Lady Indians came in with four losses, overall.
At the end of 80 minutes of play, none of that mattered. Locked in a scoreless draw, the sides went to overtime. Finally with 2:58 remaining in the extra session, sophomore Sammie Jones launched a corner kick from the left side that somehow bounced off a North player and into the back of the net, helping the Golden Hawks remain unbeaten with a 1-0 triumph over the Indians Oct. 4 at Walt Snyder Stadium in Newtown.
“These North-South games – I’ve been around them as a player and a coach – are all about heart,” said first-year Golden Hawks head coach Nick Heim.
“I challenged them at halftime and going into overtime. I said, ‘who is going to dig down and find something special to end this?’
“And we did.
“You never want to see it end the way it did – on an own-goal – but we were putting them under pressure and the corner kick was the result of that.”
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Gaining the corner kick in OT for South was first-year senior Paige Mikula. The recent transfer from George School intercepted the ball 30 yards in front of the Indians’ net and pushed it to the right side of the goal off a CR North defender.
The ensuing corner kick from the right side by Jones failed to connect but Mikula made sure the team got a second chance from the left.
“She’s a great player and a fantastic asset,” said Heim. “She’s got a work rate that’s second to none. When the times get tough, she gets even tougher.
“She’s pacey. She’s not just fast but her first few steps are quick so she’s able to put defenders under pressure.”
A shot by South sophomore Skylar Nowmos netted a corner kick for the Hawks in the 23rd minute though the ensuing boot by Jones caromed harmlessly off the left side goal post.
South’s best chance to score in regulation came just four minutes into the second half. That’s when Mikula went in all alone on Indians netminder Abigail Schroeder. North’s senior goalkeeper simply stoned Mikula, keeping the sides even at 0-0.
It was right around that time that the Indians started applying offensive pressure of their own. A looping shot by North senior Becca Margolis seven minutes into the second half seemed tricky at first though Hawks keeper Emily Helmich was up to the task as she caught the ball on the fly.
With 18:30 remaining in regulation, a free kick from 30 yards out by North freshman Heather McLaughlin forced Helmich to make a leaping save and she again proved equal. Six minutes later, Margolis sent a ball through to sophomore Kaleigh O’Donnell, forcing Helmich to make a diving save.
With 4:30 left in the second half, Margolis sent a ball through to sophomore Claudia Falch, though that time, Helmich got there first.
“North was really, really good tonight,” said Heim. “They’re a tough group and they’re well-organized.
“This was definitely our hardest-fought victory of the season.”
With the win, the Hawks pushed their overall mark to 12-0, 9-0 in the SOL National Conference while the Indians fell to 7-5-1, overall, 4-4 in the SOL National.
“I think it’s less about the record and more about the heart and what’s on the field,” commented CR North first-year head coach Gavan Flanagan.
“North-versus-South is definitely a rivalry and we proved it tonight.
“South has been fantastic this year but I think tonight, we gave them as good a game as any.
Next up for the Hawks is Truman Friday, Oct. 6 on the Tigers’ home field. South also has league games left with Pennsbury, Bensalem and Neshaminy and the Hawks face non-league rivals Downingtown West Oct. 9 at Walt Snyder Stadium and Villa Joseph Marie Oct. 13 at CR South.
North has five games left starting with a road pairing Oct. 10 at Abington and Oct. 12 at North vs. Neshaminy. The Indians also face Haverford at home and New Hope-Solebury at North before finishing their regular season Oct. 20 at Pennsbury.
Council Rock South 1, Council Rock North 0
(Oct. 4 at CR North)
CR SOUTH (12-0) 0 0 1 – 1
CR NORTH (7-5-1) 0 0 0 – 0
GOAL: CR South — Sammie Jones, 88th minute; CR North — none.
