Late first-half goal sparks Upper Dublin in win over Springfield-Montco

UPPER DUBLIN >> Upper Dublin struggled to find the back of the net early in its Suburban One League crossover matchup with Springfield-Montco Wednesday afternoon, but once the Cardinals scored the goals kept coming.

After hitting a crossbar and a post in the first half, Upper Dublin got on the board in the 37th minute. The Cardinals added two quick goals early in the second half and were on their way to a 4-0 win over the Spartans at Spark Field.

“It was a bit frustrating just because we wanted to get goals early in this game,” Upper Dublin senior Lilli Kleiman said. “It helps us feel better and less stressed during the rest of the game… (The goal) definitely got us motivated for the second half. I think we really needed that because going into the next half 0-0, we would’ve had to fight a lot harder.”

Freshman Ava Shohen scored her first high school goal to get the scoring started. Senior Alex Devers won a Springfield free kick around midfield and crossed the ball to open space in front of Shohen. Shohen raced towards the net on the right side and beat the keeper for a 1-0 UD lead.

“We really like how (Shohen’s) fast and she doesn’t stop working,” Kleiman said. “We were really happy for her to get her first goal because she’s been working hard.”

Kleiman scored back-to-back goals early in the second half on corner kicks. Both were in the left corner and sent into the box by junior Meg McMeel. 

The first, in the 45th minute, landed in front of the net and stayed there as Upper Dublin (3-3-1) and Springfield (3-3) tried to gain possession. Kleiman found the ball and put it away to double the Cardinals advantage to 2-0.

Kleiman’s second goal and the team’s third came three minutes later. McMeel’s service into the box deflected off of some bodies before Kleiman headed into the net.

“We’ve been pretty successful this year (with corners),” Kleiman, who has seven goals this season, said. “(McMeel) has a nice left foot, which really helps us, especially from this corner because she can curl it in, which sets us up perfectly to finish it.”

Sophomore Erin Seabrook made it 4-0 in the 76th minute. She carried the ball up the right side and sent a rocket towards the net. Her shot skimmed the bottom of the crossbar and went in to add to the lead.

The Cardinals defense recorded its third straight shutout after a 1-0 win over Plymouth Whitemarsh and a 0-0 tie with Hatboro-Horsham.

“In the beginning (of the season) we didn’t have our shape down,” Kleiman said. “We weren’t used to playing with each other because we had a lot of seniors last year. We learned how to play with each other and not get split in the back. That’s really helped us.”

Upper Dublin 4, Springfield-Montco 0

Springfield-Montco 0 0 – 0

Upper Dublin 1 3 – 4

Goals: UD: Ava Shohen, Lilly Kleiman 2, Erin Seabrook.

Assists: UD: Alex Devers, Meg McMeel 2.

Saves: SM: Emily West 4. UD: Jordyn Levine 3, Srija Chaudhuri 0.

Corners: SM: 2. UD: 5.