Any notoriety the Upper Perkiomen girls soccer team might have earned for opening its season with 10 consecutive victories won't distract the players from their

Sara Edwards, left, sends the ball past two Methacton  players during Upper Perkiomen's 3-2 victory on Mon- day.

goal of competing for post season championships. Most of its roster has been here before.  "These girls are not going to get ahead of themselves," head coach Mike Freed said. "We need to keep this rolling."

            Following a 3-2 victory over Methacton on Monday, the Indians lead the Pioneer Athletic Conference's Frontier Division with a 5-0 record. At 10-0 overall, they have maintained their lead atop the District One Class 3A power rankings.

            Facilitated in part by an overtime victory over Owen J. Roberts earlier this month, the Tribe also appeared on the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association Poll. The team was ranked No. 4 for the week ending Sept. 18. It moved up three spaces after its debut the week before.

            Freed downplayed the significance of his team's appearance on the coaches poll, adding that it was nice that someone recognized its performance. The coach says he places more credibility in the district power rankings.

      Last season, the Indians started with 11 straight victories before suffering consecutive losses to Owen J. Roberts (5-0 on Sept. 30) and Archbishop Carroll (1-0 on Oct. 1). They rallied to reach the PAC title game, and posted a win in the District One Class 3A tournament. They got within an overtime penalty kick of qualifying for the PIAA Tournament.

            According to Freed, last year's team fed off the excitement of scoring at least six goals in a game, which it accomplished nine times. He said this year's squad has taken a more businesslike approach.

            "We've got a senior group that is very grounded," the coach said. "You don't need to tell them they played a bad first half. They will tell you. They figured out that the large offensive numbers tend to dry up in the playoffs, and they decided to better handle the game's other aspects."

            The Indians relied on balanced scoring to post their most recent win over the visiting Warriors. Sarah Fisher, Mary Kate Sitko and Sara Edwards each posted a goal.

            Sitko's goal came early in the second half off an assist from Sarah Straup, following what Freed called a bizarre drop ball situation, snapping a 1-1 tie that put them ahead for good.  

Edwards added an insurance tally with 15 minutes remaining on a breakaway. A through ball from Megan Cairns set up the score.

            Molly Rowland's goal, with two minutes remaining, got the visiting Warriors within 3-2. However, the Tribe hung on. Goalkeeper Ava Long finished with seven saves.

            Goals by Fisher and Edwards early in the game provided the Tribe all the offense it needed in a 2-0 win over Pope John Paul II on Friday, Sept. 16. Each also recorded an assist.

Long faced just three shots and stopped all of them. The Indians managed 11 shots on goal.

            One day earlier, the Indians rolled to a 5-0 victory over Pottsgrove. Fisher had a natural hat trick, scoring three consecutive goals, and added an assist.  Edwards notched a goal and two assists. Straup opened the scoring six minutes into the Frontier Division contest.

Cairns delivered an assist for the Tribe, which totaled 15 shots on goal. Long recorded one save. "I don't know if we've faced any adversity yet," Freed said.

            According to the coach, the schedule could provide some significant challenges. After hosting Pottstown on Wednesday, the Indians will play two consecutive road games against the Central Jersey College Prep School (Sept. 23), and Spring-Ford (Sept. 28). After hosting Upper Merion on Sept. 30, the team will travel to Northwestern Lehigh, a perennial PIAA qualifier out of District 11.