Souderton shuts out Kennett, advances to District 1-3A quarterfinals
FRANCONIA >> So much for that ho-hum finish to the regular season.
Souderton Area jumped out quickly in its playoff opener, racing to a 4-0 shutout of visiting Kennett in a District 1-3A matchup.
“We kind of limped to the end of the (regular) season. We didn’t play our best,” Big Red coach Sue Casciato said. “But we had some good practices this week. Our seniors are really motivated to continue the season, so if we could win (Wednesday night), we were guaranteed two more games.”
The victory advances No. 6 Souderton to a Friday quarterfinal game at No. 3 Owen J. Roberts. Young Kennett, the No. 11 seed, saw an impressive run come to a close.
The Indians came out firing, scoring two quick goals — one from Reily Knize and the other from Courtney Kenah — to go ahead 2-0.
“We wanted to score the first goal because usually we don’t,” Knize said. “And that’s a downfall for our mindset. So we wanted to go out there and score first. And that was definitely good for us mentally.”
Souderton’s lead grew to 3-0 by the half, as Kenah again reached the back of the cage.
“That gave us a lot of power to come out in the second half and do well,” Knize said.
“We have a ton of team speed,” Casciato said. “That’s always an advantage. We have a lot of athleticism.”
Firmly in control, Souderton added the finishing touches midway through the second half, with Knize scoring her second.
“I love the lineup. Everything’s clicking so well,” she said. “I think it’s gonna be a good rest of the season for us.
“I don’t want the season to be over.”
Kennett saw its season come to a close, but there is plenty to look forward to.
“We have five freshmen out there, and they played hard but they were lacking the playoff experience,” Blue Demons coach Meghan Shumway said. “But the girls did well. They adjusted, and I thought we played better late in the first half and into the second half.
“Credit to (Souderton) — they played solid defense. But I’m really proud of our team. We came a long way this season and improved a tremendous amount.”
