By: James Williamson
DREXEL HILL, PA – Cardinal O’Hara made some major headway towards a Philadelphia Catholic League title with their 2-1 victory over Bonner-Prendergast on Friday. This win comes on the heels of O’Hara’s victory over Archbishop Carroll, giving them wins over two of the PCL’s best in just under a week.
“These were our two biggest games, now we have the rest of our PCL and other, outside the catholic league games,” said Cardinal O’Hara’s Katie Shallow. “I feel pretty confident (after this win). I think we could be PCL champions.”
The first half went exactly as one might expect in a matchup between these local rivals.
A tightly contested opening period ended with the two teams tied at one goal apiece.
Momentum was passed around often in the half, but according to O’Hara head coach, Jenna Spaeder, the Lion’s senior leadership was key for their team.
MBAP vs. O'Hara - 54 Photos by James Williamson
MBAP vs. O'Hara - Photos by James Williamson
“We have a lot of momentum. We have a lot of seniors, who carry this team … and it usually helps us keep going,” said Spaeder.
Prendie came out slow to start the second half and as a result fell victim to the Lion’s senior leadership. Shallow was able to sneak one past the Panda’s defense on a shot she says, she cannot recall.
“I honestly don’t remember (the goal),” said Shallow. “I remember I fell at the end. It kind of trickled in and I didn’t know what was going to happen, but it was pretty exciting.”
That goal sent Prendie reeling a bit as they tried to regain composure.
“I think we came out at halftime a little bit on our heels, but we quickly made the adjustment where we were being more aggressive with the ball,” said Bonner-Prendergast head coach, Joanne Dolan.
While their aggressive play did lead to plenty of scoring opportunities, the Pandas dominated possession in the second half and essentially lived in O’Hara territory. However, Prendie was unable to capitalize, ultimately leading to their 2-1 defeat.
“We were working really hard and bringing the ball down, so the offense needs to make adjustments,” said Dolan. “We had opportunity after opportunity after opportunity in the offensive circle and we didn’t capitalize on it, so that’s something we’ll truly work on.”
O'Hara senior Katie Shallow talks about the importance of the victory:
On the flip side, O’Hara’s defensive put on an impressive display holding their second half shutout. Head coach Spaeder was very impressed with her defense, as she has been all year.
“Our defense has been phenomenal all season. I can’t say enough about them,” said Spaeder. “They’ve worked really hard this season to be as good as they’ve been.”
With two major wins under their belt, O’Hara can now begin setting their sights on bigger goals. Meanwhile, Prendie must look to regroup after this loss, but luckily, there’s plenty of season left to play.
“This loss, obviously it always stinks to lose, but we’re taking it in a positive way. We’ll learn from our mistakes and we’ll get them next time,” said Bonner-Prendergast’s Reagan Dolan. “Since it’s still early in the season, which is nice for us, we just have to keep up at practices and work on what we miscommunicated with today and continue to improve.”
LOOKING AHEAD: Bonner-Prendie will continue league play on Wednesday, Sept. 25 at home vs. Archbishop Wood. O’Hara will also play at home next Wednesday against Little Flower.