Kurian, Spring-Ford girls into District quarterfinals after topping Council Rock North

ROYERSFORD >> Critical moments in soccer games don’t faze Meg Kurian.

She seems to find herself in a bigger one each week.

The Spring-Ford senior forward smashed a pinpoint shot from about 30 yards out to give the No. 4 Rams a 2-1, come-from-behind victory over No. 20 Council Rock North Thursday night at Coach McNelly Stadium.

“I put as much power as I could into that shot,” Kurian said. “The defender cut off my view, but next thing I knew, the whole team was running at me.”

It’s a familiar feeling for Kurian, who ended last week’s PAC Final Four game against Perkiomen Valley with a goal from almost identical distance.

“It definitely reminded me of that semifinal win,” she agreed.

A first-round bye gave Spring-Ford two extra days to stew over the outcome of that PAC Final Four – a loss in the finals on penalties to Owen J. Roberts – but also gave the team extra time to recover. But it couldn’t prepare them for the stunning start to Thursday night’s game.

It wasn’t so much a slow start for Spring-Ford as it was an impressive individual effort from CR North junior and Penn State commit Mia Cairone.

The Rams earned a corner kick a minute into the contest, but when CR North defended, the ball found Cairone just shy of midfield. Three long dribbles and an elite acceleration later, Cairone unleashed a shot for the top left corner and found net, giving the Indians an improbable 1-0 advantage just 1:54 into the game.

“When you’re down a goal at the beginning, sure, it’s a little discouraging,” said Spring-Ford defender Mackenzie Hanley. “But I’ll take this team, this offense, any day. We stayed strong, kept moving forward.”

Spring-Ford’s response was a few attempted long balls to find attackers Lena Ackerman and Kurian, who corralled a ball down the left wing at the 20-minute mark, sending it into the box where Brynn Vickery got loose inside the area.

Vickery’s initial foray was deflected off the goal line by a CR North defender, but junior Maddie Budka was on the spot for the rebound, equalizing for the Rams 19 minutes before halftime.

Meanwhile, Spring-Ford’s defensive answer to the surprising start was to surround Cairone at every opportunity.

“Obviously, (Cairone’s) a great player,” Hanley continued, “but we work together. We help each other, we communicate.”

Cairone’s goal was only the eighth allowed all season by Spring-Ford (16-2-1).

“Mia’s going to Penn State for a reason,” said CR North coach Gavin Flannigan. “I thought she had some great moments. I’d love to watch that goal back on video.”

The physicality of the game was especially apparent in the second half, as each team earned several free kick opportunities. SF’s Ava Hissong earned one such opportunity that resulted in a shot on goal, but the ensuing clear led to the scramble that culminated in Kurian’s game-winner.

There was one pivotal difference between the Spring-Ford senior’s game-winner in the PAC semifinal and Thursday night’s effort.

“We had to keep playing,” said Kurian. “We still had 20-25 minutes to finish the game. There was enough time that I kept trying to go forward, but also switched into more of a defensive role.”

Council Rock North generated a couple of golden chances, Cairone striking the far post off an effort from outside the box, and an apparent equalizing goal nullified by a push with about 18 minutes to play.

For Spring-Ford’s part, Hissong won a footrace down the left side into the box with about 12 minutes to play and sent a low shot just wide of the opposite post.

Council Rock North earned a couple of late corners, but Hanley and the Spring-Ford defense was equal to the task each time, sending the Rams on to Saturday’s quarterfinals.

That quarterfinal will be right back at Coach McNelly Stadium on Saturday against No. 21 Council Rock South, an overtime winner over No. 5 Garnet Valley on Thursday.

Council Rock North wraps up its 2023 campaign at a record of 12-6-2. The Indians scored a mild upset over No. 13 William Tennent on Tuesday to earn their way into Thursday’s matchup.

“My senior group includes a couple girls who are working their way back from ACL tears,” said Flannigan. “On the field tonight were mainly our goalkeeper, Maren Coughlin, plus Taylor and Lexi Fischer.

“I just had a minute with them after the game. What they’ve brought to our program in terms of selflessness really allowed the group to flourish this season.”

Flannigan saved similarly high praise for the Rams.

“Spring-Ford’s a really good team,” he said. “We scouted them, we watched film. Those two girls up top, Lena Ackerman and Kurian… that game winner was in the top corner. It shows the talent they have across the board, and they’ll be a tough out for anybody.”

For the Rams, it’s on to Saturday and Council Rock South, with the winner earning a berth in the PIAA 4A tournament. The losing team will enter playbacks, as District One sends six teams to the PIAA tournament.

None of those considerations are of particular concern to the Rams just yet.

“We’ll play anyone,” Hanley said. “We’ll be ready no matter what.”

“Our coaches always have a great scouting report,” said Kurian, “They tell us what we need to know, they don’t focus on the extra things.”

“Our outlook is this next game is the most important. That keeps us in the right mentality.”