Vets Mullaney, Polsky showing way for young Penncrest

HAVERFORD — It wasn’t long ago that Julia Mullaney was the freshman among veterans.

A hallmark of the Penncrest girls soccer team’s path to three straight states berths has been the integration of freshmen to the fray early, learning the ropes and becoming part of the system. Mullaney was one of those, thrust into the blender of midfield from her earliest days in high school.

“I was always scared because I didn’t want to mess up for the seniors because I knew it was their last year,” the senior said Tuesday. “And now I’m in that position, so it’s kind of crazy. I just want to stay positive for all of them and I try to encourage them and I want them to do their best without feeling scared at all.”

The conveyer belt keeps turning over for Penncrest, with veterans like Mullaney bringing along the next generations. Performances like Tuesday, when Mullaney set up the game-winning goal by Alexis Ranieri to get Penncrest a 2-1 Central League victory over Haverford, show how well it’s working.

As things change around it, the central midfield pairing of Mullaney and Shayna Polsky is ever more vital – particularly on a team starting two freshmen in central defense and one in goal. Polsky had deputized at center back as a freshman due to injuries and was there again last season. She was slated to reprise that role as a junior, but she was slid into midfield by first-year coach Joe Ross to provide attacking punch.

Days like Tuesday showed why: Polsky scored in the third minute, a forceful volley of a bouncing throw-in from Gina Facciolo, Polsky attacking the bounding ball in the box and making no mistake on the finish. She nearly had a second 12 minutes later, but her toe-poked effort after a 1-2 with Kara Mullaney rattled the post.

With the Lions up 2-1 after Ranieri’s goal – a tight control in the box off a Julia Mullaney lofted cross that was volleyed home – Polsky dropped into central defense, augmenting the freshman pairing of Maggie Allison and Taryn Tagtmeir.

Polsky has grown accustomed to being the focal point on both ends for Penncrest (4-2-1, 1-2-1 Central).

“It’s difficult because a lot of pressure is on me to score in the beginning of the game because that’s what our coaches are looking for,” Polsky said. “So when I got that goal, I knew that we needed to keep going and keep attacking as much as I could. And once we do get up in the game, that’s when I know I need to drop back and know that there’s a lot of pressure on me now to keep that lead. And I’m good under pressure and I feel like that suits me well.”

In a game featuring teams rebuilding after postseason runs last year – Penncrest to 4A states, Haverford to district playbacks – the poise of Julia Mullaney and Polsky in central midfield stood apart. Everything ran through them for Penncrest, from little 1-2s that sent Fords’ midfielders scurrying to minute pauses on the ball to pick up their heads and survey the field, injecting much needed calm.

“I have really good composure and control on the ball,” Polsky said. “So when I’m on the field, I know what I want to do with the ball and I know my surroundings so I can play. And the first thing I’m looking for is to go forward and find Julia, because combining through the field, we can go up the field and get shooting opportunities.”

While Haverford (3-4, 2-2) lacked any direct analogue in midfield, it made up for it by being sturdy at the back and energetic in attack. The Fords’ goal came off a free kick from 40 yards out that Devin Snell ambitiously aimed for the top corner. It paid off, as the left back delivered a ball that floated over a flapping Ava Simpson and glided into the net.

“I just kind of went for it,” said Snell, one of three Haverford senior starters. “I thought at first that it was going to have to get tapped in, but when I saw it go in, it was really exciting. … I guess I was kind of in between. I was going for the goal and hopefully if it didn’t go in, it would get tapped in by one of our forwards.”

The Fords dominated large stretches, but the final touch was lacking. Simpson made six saves, the most difficult a body block on Alyssa Hayes while charging off her line. Julia Mullaney was called on in the second half to clear off the line on a corner.

Haverford didn’t concede many chances; when it did, sophomore goalie Madison Kantawala was there with five saves. She got a glove to a great effort by Kara Mullaney in the 25th minute, off a 1-2 with Amelie Lebourgeois.

But Polsky and Julia Mullaney held forth in the middle of the field, and it made all the difference for Penncrest.

“Julia and I, we’re like best friends on and off the field,” Polsky said. “She’s someone that I can always go to, and on the field we have such great chemistry together. And both of us are the veterans on the team, so we’re in that leadership role and we try to control the center of the field and that can help us play forward.”

In the Inter-Ac League:

Episcopal Academy 3, Germantown Academy 1 >> Bella Piselli scored what proved to be the game-winner midway through the second half, and Maya Naimoli sealed the win by completing her brace.

Lauren Cunningham and Ali McHugh added assists, and Allie Bush stopped two shots for EA (2-2, 1-0).

In the Del Val League:

Interboro 7, Academy Park 0 >> Morgan Reed scored four times as the Bucs tallied six first-half markers in the win. Alex Mullen, Abbie Bulovas and Becca Roberts also scored for Interboro.