HORSHAM >> The chances are coming in quantity and quality, it just hasn’t reflected in the finishing.
That’s been the tale of the season in many ways for PCL girls soccer rivals Archbishop Wood and Lansdale Catholic this fall and it was certainly the theme of their annual meeting Monday afternoon at the Ukrainian Nationals Soccer Club.
Ultimately, Wood’s chance creation paid off when a left wing cross by Regan Kelso led to a Crusaders’ own goal and a 1-0 Wood win in overtime.
“As the second half went on, we got more relaxed on the ball, then we started to connect up front,” Kelso said. “Instead of just kicking long, we were able to create chances in and around the box.”
Wood, the back-to-back defending PCL champion, improved to 5-0-0 in the league ahead of Thursday’s big clash with the league’s other unbeaten side in Archbishop Ryan. Getting there unscathed meant getting past the Crusaders, who Wood beat in overtime to win last year’s PCL hubcap.
While LC dropped to rare territory at 1-4 in the PCL table, it wasn’t for lack of effort. Monday marked the team’s fourth one-goal loss in league play and the most frustrating part of it for first-year coach Nyki Stroman Beuke is that her team has played far above that mark.
“These girls are playing beautiful soccer, I love watching them play, I love being around them, I can’t ask for more than what they’re giving me,” Stroman Beuke said. “We’re controlling a lot of the games, we’re playing the way we want to play.”
Stroman Beuke, a 2001 LC alum, didn’t need long to see she had a talented group of players even with the departure of last year’s seniors including an all-state forward in Megan Steinbach. Making a few tactical changes, including moving senior captain Olivia Boccella to the midfield, the Crusaders are playing a more possession and passing-oriented style even if the finishes are eluding them thus far.
On Monday, LC was able to pin Wood back in the first half, forcing the Vikings to have build and build and build over and over again trying to get forward. The defensive unit of Natalie Oliveri, Kate Norbury, Maddy Calafait and Holly Wunder also won their share of battles while dealing with the always-dangerous Ava DeGeorge all match.
“I have a back line playing shutdown defense,” Stroman Beuke said. “I can’t ask for more. It’ll come, I keep telling them not to put too much pressure on themselves. They’re smart kids, they play good soccer, it will come for them.”
The Vikings were without All-PCL forward Paige Eckert, the sophomore fighting illness, but made up for her absence by mixing in Kelso all over the pitch. Kelso, a junior, is in her first year with Wood after transferring from Pennsbury and has quickly ingrained herself with some clutch goals and versatility.
She wasn’t aiming to necessarily score off her cross in the waning minutes of the first overtime that led to the own goal, but the play wasn’t far off from what else she did on the field. Kelso also caused havoc by going at defenders, finding spaces to work into and connecting the ball to keep defenders moving.
“I said to one of the coaches that she might play every position by the time we’re done with her,” Wood coach Tom DeGeorge said. “Against Nazareth Academy she was phenomenal, she creates a lot of problems. It’s been a lot about kids stepping up this year.”
Wood’s defense held its own Monday too, not a small feat given the overhaul in the middle of the back line from last year. Center backs Macie Kennedy and Molly McConnell are both first-year starters and flanked by Brigid Johnston and Grace Hoeger, they defended a handful of set pieces and kept LC to mostly long-range shot attempts.
“We’ve gotten a lot better at playing out of the back,” Wood senior Ava DeGeorge said. “Our two center backs are beasts this year, they’ve been a big surprise just because we lost two senior captains who were really good.”
Ava DeGeorge, the reigning PCL MVP and a Rider commit, believes the goals will come in short order. The senior midfielder pointed out how the Vikings hit the woodwork twice on Monday, Kelso adding that’s been a bit of an annoying trend, and added that the team has done a really good job keeping the ball.
Wood’s nonleague slate hasn’t been easy, but DeGeorge noted she’s seen it reflect in the side’s fitness. Those games, including contests against some top Inter-Ac foes, also had another effect on the Vikings.
“When you’re not the strongest team on the ball, that shows you how much you’d rather be the one attacking,” Kelso said. “That makes us work harder to keep possession and not just give the ball away.”
Kelso didn’t need long to feel like she belonged with the Vikings and even though it’s her first time through the PCL, the versatile junior already knows the importance of the matchup. She also had a message for the Wood faithful regarding the match in Northeast Philadelphia coming up.
“Be there and be wacky,” Kelso said.
“Facts,” DeGeorge added.
While Wood readies for a pivotal PCL clash on Thursday, Lansdale Catholic will look to reverse its fortunes in front of goal on Tuesday when it visits Mount Saint Joseph Academy.
“We’ve kind of faced everything at this point, so what else is there,” Stroman Beuke said. “They just keep throwing stuff at us, so we’ll see what we can do with it and eventually, it’ll get us some ticks in the win column.”
