Germantown Academy takes care of business against Westtown
WHITEMARSH — In the midst of its Inter-Academic League slate and ahead of a date with rival Penn Charter this Saturday, the Germantown Academy girls soccer team took on Westtown School in the first round of the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association tournament.
And even though conditions were less than ideal with rain steadily falling on a slick turf pitch, the Patriots got the goal they needed and survived the Moose by a score of 1-0.
“It’s always hard to focus when Saturday it’s our GA-PC day and I think in the first half we might have been looking past this to the next game,’ GA head coach Christopher Nelson said.
“So I think it will be nice to focus on that and then we can come back next week and focus on whoever we’re going to play on Tuesday (in the PAISAA tournament).’
GA kept Westtown’s Eunice Jimenez busy in the first half as the Patriots attempted 10 shots on goal, but the keeper denied every attempt.
The Patriots’ best chance came in the 13th minute when Victoria Mauro served a ball up to Emilia Dolaway. But before Dolaway could get a touch on the ball, Jimenez got a hand on it first and hit it away towards Bailey Gilmore, who hooked her effort on frame just high and wide.
In the second half the rain started to pick up and the message from both benches at halftime was to crash to the net, which is exactly what GA did to finally break the tie.
Gilmore dribbled between a few Moose defenders and ripped a shot on Jimenez, who couldn’t control the blast and spilled her save onto the turf.
Brynn Skelly crashed the net and deposited the loose ball into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead in the 60th minute.
“That’s what we talked about at halftime,’ Nelson said. “You have to follow every shot because you never know when it’s going to pop out and it did and Brynn Skelly followed the ball right to the net and it was a great goal.’
The Moose came close to knotting up the score in the 75th minute when Isabella Almonte flicked a header on net, but her chance went right into the chest of Katherine Stambaugh.
Shortly thereafter Westtown’s Marisa Antinori sprinted down the sideline and whipped in a cross just behind an open Marite Horton in the center of the box but found Almonte for a shot that went wide.
When all was said and done, the Patriots hung on for the final whistle and lived to play another day in the PAISAA tournament.
“I thought the second half we were able to increase our work rate and our intensity and we were much more in control and kind of moved the ball around much better,’ Nelson said.
“Eventually we found that goal that we were working pretty hard for.’
