BY JOHN KNEBELS

(PHOTOS & VIDEOS BY DONNA ECKERT, KATHY LEISTER & LENNIE MALMGREN FOR PSD)

Does any season seem to move along more quickly than Philadelphia Catholic League girls’ soccer? With 10 teams – therefore, only nine games – there is still one week remaining in September and the regular season is already halfway over.

No major surprises so far. Three-time defending champion Archbishop Wood appears stronger than ever. Since 2021, the Vikings have accrued a monarchical record of 28-1-1 (both non-victories courtesy of traditional championship contender Archbishop Ryan) along with a 6-0 mark in the playoffs.  

Along with Wood, formidable competitors Archbishop Ryan, Nazareth Academy, and St. Hubert’s – all 4-1 – have already clinched a playoff spot. Fighting for the final two postseason entries, Archbishop Carroll (2-1-1) is looking at a probable fifth-place finish, which leaves Conwell-Egan (2-3), Lansdale Catholic (1-3-1), and Cardinal O’Hara (1-4) battling for the final invitation. Bonner-Prendergast (0-4) and Little Flower (0-5) won’t be playing past the regular-season finale on October 7, though the duo faces each other on October 3.

Below offers a brief synopsis of each team heading into – ALREADY – the final two weeks of the season. 

Archbishop Wood: 5-0 record . . . Strength of Schedule (SOS) 8-13-2 . . . In rematch of last year’s two PCL finalists, Vikings edged Nazareth Academy, 1-0 . . . Faces Archbishop Ryan 7:00 Friday (September 27) at the Ukrainian Nationals Club . . . A horde of standouts include Paige Eckert, Regan Kelso, Sage Bost, Brigid Johnston, Macie Kennedy, Molly McConnell, and Leah O’Neill.

“Happy with the first half of the season,” said Wood’s first-year coach Maria Kosmin. “We have some tough games left, but I’m really happy with how the team is coming together so far. The girls have been doing a good job finishing their chances and, defensively, four out of the five PCL wins have been shutouts. Team still needs to focus on doing the little things right and playing our style more consistently no matter who we are facing and not get into bad habits.”

“Strong team chemistry, both on and off the field, has been key to our early success. With the usual challenges ahead in a competitive league, the team is prepared and focused on bringing the championship plaque back to Archbishop Ryan.”

Conwell-Egan: 2-3 . . . SOS 11-12-1 . . . Lost 2-1 in overtime against Archbishop Carroll, thus needs to upend Lansdale Catholic on September 26 to secure an almost definite playoff. Top Players include Kimberly Padilla, Lexi Pavel, Hailey Sarzynski, Sarah Beck, Gia Sparo, Abbey Genievich, Lacey Long, and leading scorer Gianna Vorgity.

“Our team, unfortunately, has been struggling offensively, but has been dominating field of play,” said Eagles coach Andy Adamiec. “Looking forward, I'm optimistic about our team making playoffs and going deep. The girls I would like to mention as most productive on our team are:

Lansdale Catholic: 1-3-1 . . . SOS 15-8-1 . . . Notched an important 1-1 tie with Archbishop Carroll and now needs to beat Conwell-Egan on September 26 . . . Back line of Natalie Oliveri, Ava Coughlin, Miki Tarsi and Makenzie Marco have gained notoriety front of senior goalie Shannon Duffy . . . Mattie Williams leads in goals.

“First half of the season has had a lot of ups and downs,” said coach Nykie Beuke. “We’ve been fighting through a lot of injuries. Every game we have had has been very close.

“Losing eight starters (seven seniors and a junior) from last year has really been a hurdle to overcome. We have a large group of freshmen that came out this year and they have really helped the team. It can be hard as a freshman coming in and being asked to start, but they are giving us a lot of effort and are learning as the year goes on. We’re looking forward to the rest of the season, hoping to be able to swing the pendulum in a winning direction," said Beuke.

We have had some injuries and have players play out of position to help cover.  We battled hard and were organized and did well to frustrate Ryan (3-0 loss on September 23), until they got the second with 10 minutes left.”

Bonner Prendergast: 0-4 record made more difficult when facing a 14-6 SOS. 

“In general, even though our record would not indicate it, the girls have a lot of heart because most of them never touched a soccer ball before they tried out,” said Pandas coach Dan Lauria. “They are playing against girls with a lot of soccer quality who have been playing year round for their club teams since they were six.

“The teams that we have played against so far have been very patient with us and have even helped our girls with little tips here and there. We try to stay positive by trying to get a little bit better each game and each practice.”

Little Flower: 0-5 . . . SOS 13-9-2 . . . Scored two goals at Lansdale Catholic and one against Conwell-Egan . . . In loss to Nazareth Academy, junior Nevayleigh Sloan made some acrobatic saves . . . Seniors Addyson Sparks, Alexa Harr, Olivia Bradley, and Rylee Sundermeier have played well.

“It’s been a disappointing season thus far,” said Little Flower coach Francesco Sifoni. “Although the games haven’t turned out how we would’ve wanted them to, our team is still working hard to try to get where we believe they should be.

“As a team we haven’t been able to put it together. Individually, there has been growth, which will hopefully translate into wins.  We have a strong group of freshmen that we can build off of for next season.”

  (Contact John Knebels at jknebels@gmail.com or on ‘X’ @johnknebels.)