Plymouth Whitemarsh wins SOL American showdown over Wissahickon

WHITEMARSH >> With less than two weeks left in the season, there was a playoff feel to Thursday’s game between the top two teams in the Suburban One League American Conference: Plymouth Whitemarsh and Wissahickon.

A lively crowd, screaming benches and suffocating defense — everything you would expect from a late-season game with major league championship implications.

The game came down to the final seconds and when the whistle blew it was Plymouth Whitemarsh rushing the field and celebrating a 1-0 victory and a one-game lead in the standings.

“Both teams really played their hearts out,” Wissahickon coach Lucy Gil said. “That was a pretty intense game. The league championship was on the line and (PW) won.”

Wissahickon had its final chance with less than 30 second remaining when it earned a corner. The pass came in front of the net and — as it did all game — the Colonials defense made a play. Aurora Mills knocked the ball out of harm’s way and the final horn sounded.

PW’s defense stymied the Trojan’s attack for 60 minutes, stopping corners and allowing just three shots to get through to the goalie.

“My side-backs Kolby (Bechtel) and Sami Mangine,” Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Marianne Paparone said, “Kolby is a second-year player and Sami is a first-year varisty player. They have improved so much and that’s not an easy position to play, especially today. Wissahickon has some really strong attackers and they were playing a little bit different strategy where they pushed them up field and it was tough, but they really came through big time. I really think every kid that played today did their part. And if you have a situation like that where every kid does their part, you’re going to play well.”

The winning goal came in the first four minutes of the game. PW earned a corner and Paige Totten passed it to Frankie O’Brien at the top of the circle. O’Brien ripped a shot into the back of the cage.

“Frankie has a great shot and we’ve been working with her to try to get rid of it sooner because it’s such a hard shot,” Paprone said. “Sophie (Kolkka) did a great job of screening the goalie … It was just a well-executed corner.”

The Trojan’s best scoring chance came late in the first half. A scrum for the ball in front of the cage led the a slow-roller going a couple feet wide of tying the game at one.

“It was just that one corner,” Gil said of the loss. “I think we outplayed them most of the game, we just couldn’t get the ball in the goal cage. (PW is) a strong team, but I think we played as a unit better and we had better passing. I felt really good about how we played, it was just that one lapse where they got a really good shot off.”

Wissahickon won the first meeting between the two teams last month, 4-0, and has four games to play. PW has five games left.

“(Wissahickon) kicked us around last time,” Paparone said. “It was our worst game of the season and we really didn’t play well. We got smoked, 4-0. We were two-time defending league champs. We didn’t just want to give it away, we wanted to fight for it.”

The Trojans are back in action Oct. 12 against Upper Merion and PW plays Lower Merion on Oct. 10.