Owen J. Roberts cools off Upper Perkiomen, wins battle of PAC division leaders

BUCKTOWN >> Thursday night was an exercise in perspective.

To Alexa Vogelman, Owen J. Roberts’ junior forward and Pioneer Athletic Conference leading scorer, it felt like a return to form.

To junior center back Rachel Sbei, Morgan Weaver and the Wildcats’ defense, it was more of the same.

And to Upper Perkiomen it was a chilly reality check in a season where it has been the dominant force in its first 11 matches.

The only dominant force Thursday was Owen J. Roberts as Vogelman opened and closed the scoring and the OJR defense recorded its ninth shutout in a 5-0 victory over previously unbeaten Upper Perk in a match of the PAC’s division leaders.

OJR, presently ranked No. 1 in District 1 Class 4A, maintained its unbeaten mark while improving to 9-0-1 (5-0 PAC Liberty, 8-0 PAC). Vogelman was joined on the scoresheet by Olivia Thompson (assisted by Weaver) and Avery White – OJR’s fourth goal was a UP own goal triggered by a Caleigh Bold cross – as the Wildcats took a four-goal lead into half.

“It felt good. We had a little bit of a rough patch our last two games so it felt good to be back to how we’ve been playing and playing together, playing with confidence and high energy,” said Vogelman, who upped her season total to 13 goals.

Meanwhile the OJR defense of back four Bold, Sbei, Weaver and freshman left back Ashly White, defensive midfielder Gabbi Koury and goalkeeper Rachel Epps (two saves) owned the occasion while stifling an Upper Perk team that entered averaging six goals per game.

“I felt we really played together in the game; there was a lot of connection through the midfield that we haven’t really seen in a while so it was amazing to see,” Sbei said.

“Our defense is insane,” Vogelman said. “Nobody gets past our defense. I think they had one shot on goal in the game (two) which has practically been the average every game. I think our defense is incredible, all four of them, and those who come off the bench. 

“Rachel (Epps), our goalie, has stepped up big time. She’s played a major role for when Colby (Wasson) got hurt and it’s really good to see because she’s a freshman. She’s done a really good job.”

Sbei played left back in 2020 and has shifted inside this fall to pair with Weaver, the Boston University commit and three-time All-Area first team selection. She’s coming into her own after suffering a torn ACL and meniscus in 2019. She was cleared in March 2020 and was afforded extra recovery time due to the COVID-19 pandemic and related shutdowns. 

“I had that extra time to get back and be 100 percent myself,” she said. “This season I’ve felt really good. It’s great because I’m able to play with Morgan in the back line and really show that chemistry. We’re all communicating well and have that rotation that I think we are performing really well.”

Upper Perkiomen entered on an 11-game winning streak but with the knowledge no previous opponent was in the echelon of OJR. The lack of that game intensity showed.

“I don’t mean it to demean our previous opponents, but nobody’s brought anything close to that kind of firepower to us all year,” said UP head coach Mike Freed. “Tonight was a test to see how we deal with it. So we failed tonight’s test. It’s one game out of 18 in the year. 

“I said to the team, what matters is not what you did tonight, it’s that you learn from it and next time you play on that field (in the PAC playoffs) you’re a better team because of it.”

Thursday’s result should not overshadow the excellent season Upper Perk has put forth. It sits No. 4 in the District 1 Class 3A rankings and are primed to run the table in the Frontier division (6-0 PAC Frontier, 8-1 PAC).

“It doesn’t diminish the fact that we’ve played really well through 11 games,” Freed said. “We have ourselves off to a great start and now we just have to move on and hope that we’re a better team because of it.  Offensively, we’ve really clicked. We’ve been able to put everybody we’ve faced under pressure the way they put us under pressure tonight.”

Sophomore Sarah Fisher, junior Sara Edwards, junior Mary Kate Sitko and sophomore Megan Cairns have been at the forefront of the Tribe’s high-scoring ways.

Upper Perkiomen goalie Gabby Neal had six saves.