PHILADELPHIA –If you want to be the best, then you’ve got to beat the best and Archbishop Ryan did that very thing in their 1-0 victory over the PCL’s top ranked Little Flower.

The lights were bright, and the rain was constant in this past Monday night tilt. Although it was only a light misting, the rain fall did not cease throughout the entirety of the bout, turning the field into a muddy mess. While both teams have been subject to less than ideal conditions this entire season, Little Flower was at the slight disadvantage considering they are more accustomed to playing on a turf field.

It was a heated and physical contest between the rival schools. There was not a clean uniform on either team by the end of regulation. Upon entering this game Little Flower garnered an 8-1 record, with Ryan close behind at 7-1. 

This match probably would have been decided by penalty kicks had it not been for a lone goal by Archbishop Ryan’s Gianna Monaco in the early going of the second half.

“We caught the defense pushed up and stretched and my center midfielder turned their center mid and played a through ball to me and I just took a touch inside, shot it with my left foot far post, and it just slipped in,” said Monaco.

Little Flower is currently third in the PCL, tied with Archbishop Wood with an 8-2 record. Lansdale Catholic sits in second with a 9-1-1 record and Archbishop Ryan ended the regular season as the top seed with a 10-1 PCL record. 

“It’s a great feeling especially after last year, feeling how good it was to win the PCL,” Monaco said. “It’s definitely a good feeling knowing we’re one step closer to doing it again.”

Despite the loss, Little Flower is very confident about their road ahead.

“We have (Archbishop) Wood next and that’s going to be a good game, and I believe we’re going to win,” said Iarosis. “Then I hope to play Ryan again in the playoffs.” 

Little Flower head coach, Markos Pittaoulis, put their future in much simpler terms.

“We’re gonna win,” said Little Flower head coach, Markos Pittaoulis. “I guarantee it.”

Final Thoughts Around the League: 

With regular season play coming to a close, players were asked to reflect on what attributed to their success this season and what it’s going to take to make a strong post-season run in this competitive league…

Theresa Richardson (Senior, Conwell-Egan):“I believe the most important thing we’ve learned as a team this year, is to never give up. We didn’t start out the season well, unfortunately we had three consecutive losses from the start. However, we didn’t give up. We used those loses as “fuel” to work and train harder. Because of this hard work and dedication, we have won every game since that rough start. Our record is currently 7-3. Now, we are better and stronger than we’ve ever been. This is the best team Conwell Egan girls’ soccer has had in a long time. We have girls on the team who have broken school records simply because we, as a team, did not give up…In order for us to have a successful post-season run, we must keep our momentum going. We are really working well as a team and we all learned the true value of teamwork this year. Our connection as a team is like no other. So, if we go out there and play like we know how to play, I believe we will be very successful.” 

Grace Cooney (Senior, Lansdale Catholic):“This season we learned how to take each game one at a time and how to play with each other for each other. This will help us on the post season run by keeping our focus on the game at hand and really the momentum behind our team is each other.” 

Madison Henry (Senior, Archbishop Carroll):“As a team we really focused on the theme "offense starts with defense." With this mentality, I found that our defenders worked incredibly hard this year and made a huge impact for the team. Another aspect we tried to capitalize on, was winning balls out of the air. In the beginning, this was a struggle for our team. Towards the end however we started to win the ball which caused a drastic change in our game. We created more opportunities to score by maintaining possession…To have a successful post season run, we need to incorporate everything we have learned in practice and execute. Our coaches are constantly strengthening our weakness through mentoring, drills, and encouragement. More importantly, it’s going to take heart.”

Sarah Fitzpatrick (Senior, Lansdale Catholic):“We learned the more we play together the better we became as a team. Our team chemistry became stronger each game as the season went on and it will continue to become stronger as playoffs approach. Our team continuing to grow together as one will make us successful on the post season run.”

Kerry Patterson (Senior, Cardinal O’Hara):“One thing we’ve learned as a team is the closer we are and the more we play “as a team” we can accomplish a lot, and we aren’t afraid to play anyone. We have nothing to lose so we always go out and play 110 percent. We learned that no win is going to be handed to us and that we are a very talented team but our record does not reflect that…To have an successful post season run, we just have to continue what we’re doing defensively and keep taking shots on goal.”

Anna Esposito (Senior, Conwell-Egan):“This season started out tough, we took three loses to start the season. This team never quits we hit the practices hard keeping one goal in mind and that was to get in the win column. After a tough loss to Wood in OT we started to climb and took wins on our next eight PCL games. Highlight for us was our win against undefeated Little Flower. We have a strong team, we build off each other and I think we learned any bad start can turn around with hard work and dedication. We are family on and off the field…Our goal is a PCL title. Playoffs can be anyone’s game it’s who wants it more. The PCL is filled with talent, every touch matters. Success will be putting goals up early and managing the pace and clock. It’s anyone’s game going in and we are ready.”

Keira O’Sullivan (Senior, Lansdale Catholic):“Everyone on our team is a good individual player, but putting a bunch of good players together does not automatically make a good team, that takes time. I can honestly say we all came together and became a strong, cohesive group and we all build well off of each other. We learned hard work, determination and to keep our heads up when things aren't in our favor. In order to be successful post season, we need to continue our hard work and keep growing as a team.” 

Archbishop Ryan 10-1*

Lansdale Catholic 9-1-1*

Archbishop Wood 8-2*

Little Flower 8-2*

Conwell-Egan 7-3*

Archbishop Carroll 5-5-1*

Cardinal O’Hara 4-5-2*

John W. Hallahan 4-6-1*

St. Hubert 2-7-1*

Bonner-Prendie 2-9*

Bishop McDevitt 1-9

Neumann-Goretti 0-10

*Clinched a spot in the 2018 PCL Girls’ Soccer Playoffs

Oct. 15 - First Round
No. 10 at No. 7; No. 9 at No. 8

Oct. 18 - Quarterfinals
Campus Sites
                                   
Oct. 23 - Semifinals
at Archbishop Ryan HS
5:00 p.m. / 7:00 p.m.

Oct. 28 - Finals
at Northeast Supersite
1:00 p.m