Pennridge passes, connects and takes out Great Valley in District 1-4A 2nd round

EAST ROCKHILL >> Chance Hendricks knew it was going to be a good night before she even touched a soccer ball in warm-ups.

The Pennridge senior midfielder had a feeling and it turned into reality once the first whistle blew in the No. 1 Rams’ second round District 1-4A playoff game against No. 16 Great Valley. From the start, the Rams dictated the terms of play, generated a swath of chances and used everyone on the field to full effect.

When it was done, the Rams had picked up a 3-0 win over the Patriots as they moved on to the quarterfinals.

“It was all passing and connecting,” Rams senior midfielder Maddie Anderson said. “We worked well as a unit and that’s all we talk about, especially going into the postseason, just connecting and playing together.”

“We were killing it during possession in our warm-ups and we all said we wanted it to translate into the game,” Hendricks said. “Honestly, I don’t think we got frustrated at all. We knew it was coming and as soon as we got one, the rest kept coming.”

Great Valley, which started a freshman and three sophomores on its back line, was committed defensively, working hard to eliminate Pennridge’s through balls and clearing out the ball at every opportunity. It didn’t stop the wave of pressure though and as soon as Lindsey DeHaven put the first shot of the game on target, the Rams were hunting a goal.

It just took a little while to get there. Riley Hepler hit the cross bar on a shot with 15 minutes left in the first half but instead of looking at it as a bad omen, the Rams were only more encouraged to play fast, connect passes and take shots.

“That’s our game and we played how we always say we want to play,” DeHaven said. “We just executed great.”

Leah Malone was a major presence all game but especially in the early stages. Anderson and DeHaven noted the team-wide hustle the Rams bring to the field and Malone showed it off on the opening goal.

Freshman left back Zoe Sabol lofted a ball into the 18-yard box and with nobody in the immediate area, Great Valley keeper Lauren Birchler seemed destined to just catch it. Instead, Malone came zooming in from the opposite side, taking a composed touch on the run to knock in the goal with 10:51 left in the half.

“From the beginning of the season, when we would score one or two goals, we kind of sat back,” Anderson said. “Going into the postseason, we got into our head we can’t stop. Teams come back, we’re not unbeatable but if we play 100 percent and don’t give up, we’ll be fine.”

Anderson had a shot blocked in the box, but the rebound came right out to Hendricks who didn’t hesitate to hit it back in for a 2-0 lead with eight minutes left in the first half.

Great Valley didn’t generate a ton of chances, but Kelly Sullivan forced Meghan Kriney into a sprawling save before half and the Patriots put a little pressure on offensively. Birchler was strong in net, making 13 saves and her defenders played with plenty of effort.

“We played well today, one of goals was to stop the through balls and we generally did that,” Great Valley coach Tom Doyle said. “Lauren has been key of us in goal all year, she kept us in it against Owen J Roberts and did it again but in the end, they had too much firepower.”

Great Valley has now made the postseason three straight years and Doyle said the next step is working to earn a higher seed. With a large group of underclassmen in the back line and midfield, his hope is to bump up the quality of nonleague opponents, citing Pennridge’s play in the SOL Continental as something that helps the Rams get ready for the postseason.

Pennridge was just eager to get back on the field after nearly a week off thanks to a first-round bye. In the second half, it was all DeHaven could do to put a ball away but the junior forward just seemed cursed to finish an otherwise robust outing without a goal.

Then, midway through the second half, an early ball from Anderson found DeHaven in front and the target forward could finally celebrate.

“I play for my team and we all play for each other,” DeHaven said. “If I see someone working hard, I need to work just as hard as them. I don’t know the best way to explain it, but we all work hard for each other and we have to continue working that way the whole game.”

Pennridge will host No. 9 Council Rock South, a 3-0 winner over No. 8 Hatboro-Horsham, on Saturday. The teams met in the season opener, with Pennridge claiming a 3-1 victory but neither side is quite the same as it was that hot August afternoon.

With the first playoff game out of the way and with a resoundingly strong team effort coming from it, the Rams are eager to face the challenge the Golden Hawks bring with them. It’s a focused and driven group with a very clear goal of getting back to the state final.

“We’ve all been waiting for the postseason the entire second half of our season, we knew it was getting closer and closer,” Hendricks said. “The postseason is a whole different beast and we’re really excited to take it on and see what it has for us.”

PENNRIDGE 3, GREAT VALLEY 0
GREAT VALLEY 0 0 – 0
PENNRIDGE 2 1 – 3
Goals: P – Leah Malone (Zoe Sabol), Chance Hendricks, Lindsey DeHaven (Maddie Anderson).