ROYERSFORD >> It was déjà vu for Spring-Ford’s girls’ soccer team entering the first round of the District 1-4A playoffs on Tuesday night.
For the second straight year, the Rams came into the postseason off a loss in the PAC Championship game on penalties to Owen J. Roberts.
And also for the second straight year, the No. 5 seeded Rams picked themselves up off the mat, taking control in the second half after a goal before halftime to topple No. 28 Wissahickon, 2-0.
Freshman forward Brynnlee Williams cashed in on a failed Wissahickon clear to give the Rams a 1-0 advantage about five minutes before halftime.
“I think that goal really helped our confidence,” said Williams. “It brought up the excitement level on the bench and set us up to succeed in the second half.
Spring-Ford did just that, capitalizing on the momentum from Williams’ tally to double the lead when senior Maddie Budka buried a crossing pass with 34:55 to play.
From there, the Rams’ defense locked down. With the team in complete control of possession, the back line shut down Wissahickon’s few ventures into the attacking zone, ably backed by goalie Olivia Neild (four saves).
“The first half, it was a bit rough,” admitted Neild, one of the team’s two captains along with midfielder Ava Hissong. “But we had a good talk at halftime, got our heads back into it and came out and played much stronger in the second half.”
“Communication improved, we spread the field better, switching the field and being aware of the situation and our surroundings,” specified Hissong.
The Spring-Ford girls will return to action Thursday, preparing for a matchup with No. 21 Marple Newtown of the Central League, a winner in penalty kicks over Marple Newtown.
“The next game is the most important game,” said Hissong. “That’s the mentality we keep no matter the opponent.”
Trojans goalie Olivia Lore (11 saves) kept the score close with several stops, including robbing Budka on an opportunity for her second tally.
Wissahickon ends the 2024 season at a record of 5-11-3. Four seniors – Lore, Ellie Stein, Sophie Yeh, and Emma Greenberg – played their final game for the Trojans on Tuesday night.
“[Lore] is one of the best keepers around,” said Wissahickon coach Chris McDaniels. “Ellie Stein, she’s played out of position at center back all these years. Sophie, she played a huge role at center mid and showed all kinds of improvement.”
Greenberg, the final senior, headed a corner kick just wide in the opening minutes for Wissahickon’s best chance of the night.
“If we go up 1-0 early, the whole game was going to be tight,” added McDaniels. “I’m proud of my seniors, they did a fantastic job.”
After a dominant regular season, the Rams (17-3) look to go at least a step further than last year, when they missed out on the PIAA tournament by a single game. The biggest question facing the team Tuesday was how they would respond to the heartbreaking loss to OJR in the PAC final.
Having answered that question, it’s on to bigger and better things. With six District One teams qualifying for states, a second-round victory guarantees the team at least two more games.
“We’d love to make it to states,” said Hissong, speaking on behalf of the senior class. “We haven’t done it yet in our four years.”
“Games like tonight make us better prepared for the rest of the playoffs,” added Neild.
