Pennridge girls, Souderton boys earn wins at Rams’ “Pink Out”
EAST ROCKHILL >> The opposing coaches are neighbors. They talk water polo all the time.
The opposing players are also friendly, and also fierce rivals.
“In the water, these girls are going at it,” Rams coach Jacob Grant said. “And outside, after the game, there are no hard feelings. They’re all hugs. They’re all smiles. They understand it’s a game and they leave it in the pool.”
Pennridge worked overtime Thursday night to upend visiting Souderton, in the first half a “Pink Out” doubleheader at Pennridge that raised money to benefit the fight against breast cancer.
The Pennridge girls prevailed 13-11 in one of the most entertaining and closely-fought battles of the season, with the Souderton Area boys following with a 16-12 win over the Rams.
“It was crazy. We really wanted to beat ’em and it was a really good team win,” said Megan Weiss, who poured in five goals to help power the Pennridge girls. “(What made the difference in overtime for us) was the drive to win. We lost to them (at Souderton) in overtime so we really wanted to win.”
Pennridge broke a 10-10 tie in OT and led the rest of the way. Souderton, coached by Ann Fadden, closed to within 12-11 before Pennridge put it away.
The Rams were helped further by Olivia Embert, who had three goals, and Sam Ackley and Lea Preston, who each scored twice. Maddie Maloney was outstanding in goal, blocking nine shots.
“We lost to them at their pool so it was really nice to get a win against them tonight,” Grant said.
“This team is amazing,” Weiss added. “This is the most teamwork we’ve had the four years I’ve been here.”
The Souderton boys completed a regular-season sweep of their rival.
“Great game,” Big Red coach Joe Hay said. “I told the guys just now that I was really nervous coming in here because we played (Pennridge) at our place and won, 23-17, (earlier in the season). Pennridge has some guys that can shoot the ball.
“It’s just a scary team to play and they’re very tough at their home pool.”
It helped that Souderton had Kristian Stanczewski, who scored eight goals, and Will Leyland, who added four.
“Kristian, on those drives, is just a dangerous weapon for us,” Hay said. “Our center, Will, did a great job on kickouts. Just textbook, on how to draw a kickout tonight.”
