Wissahickon, Plymouth Whitemarsh play to 1-1 draw

WHITEMARSH >> Wissahickon and Plymouth Whitemarsh had different goals heading into a Suburban One League Liberty Division matchup Wednesday night.

The Trojans wanted to end a four-game losing streak in their regular season finale and enter the District 1-4A playoffs on a positive note.

The Colonials needed points to earn their way into the playoffs.

After 100 minutes, both sides walked off the field happy with the result. The SOL Liberty rivals played to a 1-1 draw at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School.

“We’ve been having a really rough second half,” Wiss senior captain Margo Kasenchar said. “Just to come out without a loss, keeping the scoreboard pretty even, I would consider it a win for us tonight and I’m proud of the team.”

“I think we played really well,” PW goalkeeper Caitlyn Dinh said. “We usually have a bad history with Wiss. I’m really excited for the result because I see how we can play. It sparks inspiration for the future games.”

The Colonials (8-7-2, 6-7-2 SOL Liberty) took the lead in the 10th minute Angelina Balcer’s shot was saved, but the rebound bounced high into the air towards the net. She followed up and tapped it in to make it 1-0 in favor of the hosts celebrating senior night.

Twenty-three minutes later, the Trojans (10-6-1, 9-6-1 SOL Liberty) evened the score. Kylie Friedman received a long pass around 40 yards from the goal in the middle of the field. She gathered the ball, carried it up the left sideline and her shot found the back of the net to make it 1-1 in the 33rd minute.

That was the only ball Wissahickon was able to get past Dinh. The PW junior made 16 saves in the game, including two diving stops in the second half and a full-extension deflection in the final seconds of the first overtime.

“I have adrenaline rushing through me,” she said. “It’s one after the other. If I make a bad save – I had one go through my legs – it didn’t stop me going forward. I had a pretty rough goal in the first half, but I decided I’m not going to let that stop me and I’m going to work with my seniors because it’s their senior night and I wanted to make them proud.”

Wissahickon’s offense generated plenty of opportunities throughout the game. In addition to the 16 shots stopped by Dinh, the Trojans hit the crossbar three times and earned seven corner kicks.

“I was proud of us because we have trouble keeping the ball up top,” Kasenchar said. “To be able to connect four or five passes and possess a little bit in the attacking third, that was pretty important for us to do. It’s unfortunate obviously we would’ve liked to score that goal, but it’s pretty good.”

Kasenchar led a Wissahickon defense that had to deal with Balcer for most of the night. PW’s speedy forward put pressure on the Trojans defense every time she touched the ball.

“We set up our backline tight,” Kasenchar said. “Mainly my job was to sit back and keep everyone organized. My sister, Ingrid Kasenchar, plays next to me at center back, so we’re on the same page the whole time and that was really important tonight.”

Kasenchar also made a save when a PW corner kick got past the keeper late in the first half to keep the score tied, 1-1.

Wissahickon entered the game ranked No. 12 in the District 1-4A power rankings. The teams seeded fifth through 16th earn a home playoff game in the first round next Tuesday.

PW was No. 26 before the 1-1 draw. The top 28 teams qualify for playoffs. The Colonials can solidify their playoff spot in their regular season finale against Quakertown Thursday night.

Wissahickon 1, Plymouth Whitemarsh 1

Wissahickon 1 0 0 0 – 1

Plymouth Whitemarsh 1 0 0 0 – 1

Goals: W: Kylie Friedman. PW: Angelina Balcer.

Saves: W: Meredith Blight 4. PW: Caitlyn Dinh 16.