Hauck’s score sends CB West past Abington in OT

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ABINGTON >> Trish Hauck had been knocking at the door so often Saturday afternoon that by the time she finally put a chance away, there was little more than hinges and a few splinters left.

Frustrated and stifled by Abington’s defense, the CB West striker saw far too many opportunities canceled out throughout regulation. But in overtime, a great ball by Mary Kate Vinkler finally sprung Hauck with no one around and the sophomore finally cashed in.

Hauck’s tally with 2:28 left in the first overtime lifted the Bucks to a 2-1 victory over the Galloping Ghosts on a hot and humid afternoon in a contest without much flow.

“Our last game, it took us a while to get into it and get into our game and this game, it was a lot better off at the start and we were more in it,” Hauck said. “It didn’t take us a while to get into the game and focus.”

The Bucks had lost to North Penn in overtime on Friday, giving up a goal just 14 seconds into the match, but played well enough to feel like they could have won. Saturday, there was no early concession, but they also couldn’t break down Abington’s defense.

For the Ghosts, it was a much better effort than their season opener, a 4-0 loss to Council Rock South. But this is still a team replacing a lot of key players from last season’s district playoff team and as expected, things aren’t all the way there just yet.

“It was a mental mistake that beat us,” Abington coach Rick Tompkins said. “We always try to have one more defender than they do offensive player and not only did we not have an even number, we were down and she was wide open.”

CB West struck first with 15:18 left in the first half on a brilliantly taken free kick by Vinkler, a senior captain. Positioned about 25 yards outside the net on the right side, she lofted the ball over the Abington keeper and just under the crossbar, nicking the woodwork as she deposited the ball in the twine.

Abington came back with more energy after the half pushing for the equalizer. Sophomore Cam Lexow had a shot blocked by Hauck in the box off a corner, but the rebound made its way out to Isabella Mugnier on the right shot and she was able to punch it in with 20:37 to go and knot things up.

“I think a lot of us put our heads down right away but once we got to the bench we knew we had to keep our heads and realize it was just tied and we could still win it,” Hauck said. “We couldn’t lose our focus, we could still be in the game.”

The Ghosts are waiting on some of their veteran players to step up, Tompkins said. Likewise, the early goings of the season have been an adjustment for Lexow, a talented midfielder who’s seeing much more attention and more physical defending coming her way.

“They sure know who she is, but she’s one who has to find a way,” Tompkins said. “She’s a very, very special player and she needs to impose her mark on every game she plays.”

While the officiating was consistently inconsistent, it didn’t stop both teams from generating more chances through the second half. Most of West’s opportunities came from the work rate of Hauck, who kept finding her way to the ball and battling forward.

What she couldn’t do was find a way to shake whichever defender was covering her or turn contact into a foul and her forays either ended with a less-than-optimal shot or a turnover.

“The balls played to me were good and I was able to get in behind them and get the ball to my feet and try to run at them,” Hauck said. “But they were really good defensively by not letting me take my shot or defending my shot, even the goalie. I need to work on my shots more.”

Abington had some momentum late in regulation but saw shots from Lexow, Kailey Horton and Micaela Coyle saved by West keeper Jenny Sutorious, who made eight total saves. West nearly turned one of those chances into something when defender Ali Walsh blocked a Lexow shot, pinging it out to Vinkler for a run that was eventually closed off.

Late in overtime, the Ghosts won a free kick in West territory. After an initial and second clearance, Camryn Albrecht controlled the ball and found Vinkler. Vinkler then sent Hauck running on a perfectly weighted ball and the sophomore did the rest, shielding a chasing defender while pulling the keeper out and slotting home the winner.

“I still get a nervous, ‘I can’t miss this, I can’t miss this,’” Hauck said. “You have to be confident or else you’re definitely going to miss.”

Andrew Robinson

Andrew Robinson
Montgomery Media/Lansdale Reporter sports writer.

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