WHITEMARSH >> Emily Dobrowolski’s done it before and will almost certainly do it again. The Plymouth Whitemarsh sophomore found the ball around midfield during Tuesday’s scoreless Suburban One League crossover matchup with Springfield Montco and carried it towards the cage. She avoided one defender, then another and another.
In the blink of an eye, Dobrowolski was through five Spartans defenders, ripping a shot and celebrating a goal early in the third quarter.
Her score came just 75 seconds after halftime and sparked a dominant second half from the Colonials, who picked up a 3-0 win over Springfield Montco at Plymouth Whitemarsh High School.
“Honestly, I was just looking for passes, dribbling around people,” Dobrowolski said. “I found an opening and I took my shot and it went in.
“Right when I got to the middle of the circle and I saw no one else around me, I knew that was my opportunity.”
“(Dobrowolski) had one in overtime very similar a week ago where she took it from the 50 to the circle,” PW coach Charise Halteman said. “She’s just reading what defenders are doing in front of her and I think pulling around. She just kept going and she had the space. That was great awareness and recognition on her part and decision-making, which resulted in a goal.”
The Colonials (4-5, 4-3 SOL Liberty Division) added an insurance goal later in the third quarter and an exclamation point in the fourth.
A pass found its way through Springfield sticks to set Gracie Kerns up with a breakaway later in the third. She got around the goalie and sent the ball towards the cage, but it clanked off the post. Ella McCarthy was there to clean up the rebound and put it away to double the lead to 2-0 with 5:13 left in the third quarter.
Kerns got on the scoreboard in the fourth with an impressive reverse hit. Her shot had plenty of speed behind it and went into the top left corner of the cage to give PW a 3-0 advantage with 7:08 remaining in the game.
The shutout was the third straight for the Colonials, who beat New Hope Solebury and Lower Moreland, 1-0 and 4-0, respectively, last week.
“Our defense,” Halteman said, “we were struggling to bring it out in the first half, but I think they made adjustments and the subs that were used – everybody kept working together. We focused on possession and working it out together. That’s really what we needed to do today… Both of the goalkeepers did a nice job of being ready when the ball was in the circle for them.”
“Our defense stayed very low and they took it out of the circle very nicely,” Dobrowolski, a midfielder, added.
PW goalkeepers Carly Spinner and Claire Carrington combined for three saves while Springfield’s Grace Bell stopped three shots.
Both teams are back in action with SOL crossover games Thursday. PW visits William Tennent while the Spartans (7-3-1, 5-3-1 SOL Freedom) travel to Abington.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 3, Springfield Montco 0
Springfield Montco 0 0 0 0 – 0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0 0 2 1 – 3
Goals: PW: Emily Dobrowolski, Ella McCarthy, Gracie Kerns.
Saves: SM: Grace Bell 3. PW: Carly Spinner 1, Claire Carrington 2.
Corners: SM: 5. PW: 2.
