NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA - On a beautiful afternoon on the 21st of September (cue the music), four unbeaten PCL teams competed in two games that could have determined the top two teams to reign supreme of the Catholic League.
St. Hubert hosted Cardinal O’Hara at 3:45PM and approximately 5 miles away, Archbishop Ryan hosted Lansdale Catholic at 5:30PM. The proximity posed an even closer result.
All four squads entered their respective games undefeated with an 4-0 PCL record.
Upon leaving, all four teams still sit atop of the leaderboard, now garnering a 4-0-1 record.
You read that correctly.
Both games entered double overtimes and ended in a draw.
The first game between the Bambies and Lions concluded with a final score: 0-0
O’Hara’s goalie Kerry Patterson and St. Hubert’s goalie Celine Tobin shed light on what thoughts plague their minds while in goal during a crucial defense dominated game.
“While I’m in goal, I just try to keep the team on task and try and walk them through who’s on them. I just know we could have won that,” the Lion’s junior goalie said.
“I really didn’t want them (O’Hara) to score, because that’s the worst feeling in the world, and I just wanted to get my hands on the ball,” added Hubert’s junior goalie.
The second game featuring Ryan and Lansdale culminated with a final score: 1-1.
Kate Henesey scored the sole goal of the game for the Crusaders off an assist from Colleen Viereck in the 54th minute. Gianna Costanzo found the back of the net to tie the game for the Ragdolls ten minutes later.
“It was tense and very physical, and had a playoff type air to the evening,” said Lansdale Catholic head coach Thomas O’Donnell. “Very vocal fans, and a very exciting game.”
Post Game Interview: O'Hara's Maura Hendrixson
Post Game Interview: O'Hara's Kerry Patterson
Post Interview: St. Hubert's Kaitlynne Brown
Ava Pizzaro addresses St. Hubert's team goals
Sideline Feature: If you are an avid follower of PCL boys’ and girls’ soccer, the last name “Tobin” should ring a bell.
St. Hubert's junior goalie, Celine Tobin, is first cousins with a strong line of Roman Catholic standout goalies.
For starters, the Cahillite’s (5-0 PCL) current starting goalie is sophomore, Kevin Tobin. Kevin took over the starting role as a freshman after his brother, Mark Tobin, an All-Catholic standout, graduated in 2016. Currently, Mark is the starting goalie for La Salle University. He was recently named Soccer Six Co-Defensive Player of the Week after recording 7 saves in the Explorer’s shutout victory over Saint Peter’s and totaled an additional three saves in a 2-1 victory over Lafayette.
Celine mentioned that her cousins have been giving her helpful tips that have aided to her success as a first-year goaltender.
“They tell me about how to know when to slide, that you shouldn’t just dive, but that you should take a few steps beforehand so you can get a good reach on the ball,” the Bambie’s goalie said.
Post Game Interview: St. Hubert's Celine Tobin
PCL Girls' Soccer Games Week of 9/25
| DATE | HOME | AWAY |
|---|---|---|
| 2017-09-25 | St. Hubert's | Neumann-Goretti |
| 2017-09-25 | Bonner & Prendie | Conwell-Egan |
| 2017-09-25 | Bishop McDevitt | John W. Hallahan |
| 2017-09-25 | Little Flower | Lansdale Catholic |
| 2017-09-25 | Archbishop Carroll | Cardinal O'Hara |
| 2017-09-25 | Archbishop Ryan | Archbishop Wood |
| 2017-09-28 | Cardinal O'Hara | Conwell-Egan |
| 2017-09-28 | Lansdale Catholic | Archbishop Wood |
| 2017-09-28 | Archbishop Carroll | Archbishop Ryan |
| 2017-09-28 | Bishop McDevitt | Little Flower |
| 2017-09-28 | Neumann-Goretti | John W. Hallahan |
| 2017-09-28 | St. Hubert's | Bonner & Prendie |