Donnelly, CB East battle for tie against CB West on Kick for Pink night

DOYLESTOWN >> It was a prime scoring chance for Central Bucks West and Kiera Donnelly knew it.

Donnelly, the Central Bucks East junior goalkeeper, made sure the overtime free kick didn’t find the net by charging off her line, rising into the air and knocking down the ball before it reached the head of a Bucks player. It was a good cap to the strong week turned in by Donnelly and her teammates.

The sixth annual Kick for Pink game didn’t have a winner, but it was enthralling as the Bucks and Patriots dueled to a 0-0 tie Thursday night.

“It wasn’t really just me, I think we all worked together really well to keep them from getting shots,” Donnelly said. “I wouldn’t say it was up to me as much this week. We keep communicating and everyone was on the same page, so that again led to preventing shots.”

Donnelly took the humble approach, but her play this week, which included a 3-1 win over Abington on Monday and a 3-0 shutout of Bensalem on Tuesday before Thursday’s efforts, certainly played a key part in a needed string of results for CB East. Standing at 4-6-2 (1-4-2 SOL Continental) after Thursday’s result, the Patriots know they need a strong second half of conference play to push for a playoff spot but they’re definitely a team that’s seemed to turn a corner.

The results may have been hard to come by, but the team’s work ethic and desire couldn’t be questioned. First year coach Jake Nesteruk was extremely proud of his team’s effort all week and especially on Thursday against their archrival under the lights.

With almost every player on both sides brandishing pink dye in their hair and pink accents, the match went end to end for almost the entire 100 minutes it was contested.

“This game lived up to the hype,” West coach Mike Moyer said. “The crowd was huge and the student section for both teams was electric. It was a great experience for these girls to be a part of.”

CB West (7-3-1, 4-2-1), specifically the front grouping of Taylor Moyer, Ryan Fitzsimmons, Shea Lubin and Erin Fitzsimmons, is a tough team to defend, something Nesteruk noted after the contest. Moyer, a striker who is also a set piece specialist, was around the ball all night while Ryan Fitzsimmons was dangerous getting by defenders and going toward the goal.

Donnelly, who played the field until she was nine and moved to keeper full-time, helped herself by patrolling the box well and collecting a few balls that West forwards had eyes for.

“We have to watch when people are coming down the sides, just to make sure we have them marked but also have cover for them as well,” Donnelly said. “We don’t want it to be just one person.

“I’ve kind of done that since I was little, I don’t think I ever realized I was supposed to stay back. I try to be the last line of defense and not just the goalie so I keep them from getting a shot and I have a better chance at controlling it too.”

The ball also spent a lot of time in the air on Thursday, which was perfectly fine with CB East, who used that aspect to disrupt the Bucks from connecting passes. Midfielder Olivia Black might as well have strapped wings to her cleats with how often she hopped in the air to win an aerial challenge as the Patriots midfield did a nice job of controlling that part of the game.

“Elise Duffy did a really good job stepping in and winning 50/50s and Liv Black plays twice her height,” Nesteruk said. “She does so much for us and you’d never think a girl her size would win so much in the air but when we need it, she’s mission critical for us. I mean, this was just a classic East vs West game.”

On the same page, the Bucks back line was really solid in standing up against the Patriots forwards. Freshman center back Courtney Moylan had a standout performance, locking horns with bigger East attackers like Grace Taylor and Emma Martin and winning plenty of tackles.

Keely McGlone and Erin Stranix, who subbed in the couple of times Moylan needed a breather, were also strong in the back while Erin Fitzsimmons also dropped back plenty to help out and win the ball.

“I was really happy with Erin Fitz and Courtney Moylan tonight. They were both solid and really kept us in the game,” Mike Moyer said. “I also loved that we had another clean sheet. Jenna (Abaza) really didn’t need to make a tough save all game and that’s a credit to my back four.”

About midway through the first overtime, the Bucks won a free kick about 35 yards from net. With Taylor Moyer standing over it and a line of West defenders in front of her, Donnelly knew she couldn’t hesitate on the service.

“I sometimes struggle with getting the ball at the net when it’s coming at me higher because I’m not that tall,” Donnelly said. “My feeling was if I get there first, then I can get it first and I don’t have to wait for it to come to me or be at the goal to hit it out. I kind of have to tell people to watch out because I’m coming.”

Donnelly did her job, keeping the ball from reaching any West players, then falling on the loose rebound to preserve the save and the tie.

“It’s a really great week for us, we got two wins and I think we needed those two wins to come into today with a chance,” Donnelly said. “Those gave us energy for today and it really bodes well for the rest of the season. It’s a fresh start, we have a chance at districts, I think it’s going to give us a good energy and we realized we can do it.”