Pennridge calms panic, tops Lansdale Catholic

LANSDALE >> Maybe it was the heat, maybe the playing surface or maybe just early season jitters.

Whatever the reason, the Pennridge girls soccer team was playing a little panicked Tuesday afternoon during its visit to Lansdale Catholic. While it’s not unusual for most teams to play a little hurriedly at such an early juncture in the season, most teams also don’t return the amount of contributors the Rams do.

In the end, continuity eclipsed panic and the Rams got six goals from six different players in a 6-1 over the Crusaders.

“We’ve been practicing a lot on connecting,” Pennridge senior co-captain Abby Groff said. “We have a lot of great individual players, so bringing the team together is the step we’re trying to work on.”

Groff scored a goal and assisted two more as the Rams had to adjust to LC’s grass pitch. A team used to playing mostly on turf surfaces, Pennridge found some of its speed negated by the natural surface but in a way, it almost forced the Rams to play their connections.

Both teams put a shot on goal in the opening three minutes, but Pennridge broke through first when Groff took a pass from Lindsey DeHaven, fought through two defenders and looped a shot to the far post six minutes in. Nicolette Harrison, who had just subbed in, extended the lead to 2-0 with a crack from outside the box about 9:45 into the first half.

After that point, LC made some adjustments defensively and the Rams started to play with a hint of panic.

“In the second half, we cleaned some things up and were able to play more of our game,” Pennridge coach Audrey Anderson said. “We talk about that it doesn’t have to be perfect. It’s the beginning of the season, they’ve all been together but game situations are different than practice situations. We just have to get ourselves through a couple games and get to know each other on the field again.”

Anderson used Groff as an example. The senior forward was concerned after she hadn’t scored in one of the team’s scrimmages but Anderson simply told her to stay calm and recognize she didn’t have to carry the weight all herself.

It’s the case across the board. Even with Courtney Supp graduated out of the back line, the onus isn’t all on senior Sarah Williams and senior keeper Mary Kate Levush to do everything defensively just like Ashley Groeber and Chance Hendricks don’t have to make every play in the midfield.

“We’ve been playing a little panicked, which is contributing to us playing a little too fast at the moment,” Groff said. “I think it’s going to work itself out. We’re a team of hard workers, so knowing that we’ll find a way to work through it.”

LC had some spells of solid play, but found itself hurt after stoppages. After holding the Rams to two first half goals, and having a good chance to score one of their own, the Crusaders gave up a pair in the first four minutes of the second half.

Maddie Anderson scored on a distance shot inside the first three minutes after the intermission while Lauren McIntyre slotted home a cross from Groff inside the six yard box.

“We dropped off a little too much as they approached the 18, so any shot the put on was dropping under the bar and we didn’t have an answer to that,” LC first-year coach Bree Benedict said. “I thought as we went on, we were able to step a little bit higher and get those center backs involved a little more.”

Benedict, who has taken over the program after Tom O’Donnell retired last winter, didn’t get many favors from her opening schedule. After losing to a loaded Penn Charter side in Ocean City over the weekend, the Crusaders had to deal with the reigning SOL Continental champions on Tuesday.

Yet even with the loss of talisman forward Kate Henesey, now at Bucknell, there’s plenty of ability still at LC. With the Catholic League self-contained for its postseason, it gives LC the freedom to test itself in nonleague games, even if the results haven’t been as hoped so far.

“It’s been a pattern for us that we’re trying to flip over, we just get stuck,” Benedict said. “We build and build and build, then that halftime comes and it’s almost like we’re starting over. We need to start carrying momentum from the first half into the second half a little better.”

With the high temperatures on Tuesday, the match referees stopped the game for a water break midway through each half. The second half stop also bit LC as Groeber found Meghan Kriney for a quick finish almost after the restart. Molly Groff finished the scoring for Pennridge when she was able to take a second chance ball off her own corner kick and bomb it far post for a quality finish.

Lansdale Catholic got a goal from senior Emily Schall about 15 minutes into the second half, cutting the lead to 4-1 off a corner kick. Schall, along with Sarah Fitzpatrick and Kellie Gillan, give LC a good front line but the Crusaders are still working out their own connections and possession from the midfield up through the attacking third.

“If you want to be the best, you have to try and play the best so playing these giants we’ve played is good for us because it lets us see what’s out there beyond the Catholic League,” Benedict said. “If we can compete with these bigger teams, it can only help us in our league.”

Pennridge, for any concerns about panicked play, has outscored its opposition 12-1 in two games. With the Continental looking like it will come down to the final few matches again, a stat like that only gives the Rams confidence as they bring their connectivity up to standard.

“We’ve been working on it, but we’re going to keep working on it,” Abby Groff said. “Once we start connecting with our midfield, we can start connecting with our forwards. Our confidence is good, we’re just going to keep building on it.”

PENNRIDGE 2 4 – 6
LANSDALE CATHOLIC 0 1 – 1
Goals-Assists: P – Abby Groff 1-2, Nicolette Harrison 1-0, Maddie Anderson 1-0, Lauren McIntyre 1-0, Meghan Kriney 1-0, Molly Groff 1-0, Lindsey DeHaven 0-1, Ashley Groeber 0-1; LC – Emily Schall 1-0. Saves: P – Mary Kate Levush 6; LC – Abby Shuster 5, Grace Cooney 5. Corners: P – 6, LC – 5. Shots on goal: P – 16, LC – 7