Town and Country Newspaper

Sports Article

Girls Soccer Wraps up Season With Trip to Final Four

2011-10-26

The Upper Perkiomen High School girls soccer team once again reached the PAC-10 Final Four, only to fall to Owen J Roberts in the semifinals.

Needing a pair of wins in the final two league games to keep their playoff hopes alive, the Tribe came out with a spirited effort in a 2-1 Senior Night victory over Pope John Paul on Oct. 11. In the opening seconds of the contest, Kayla Smith dribbled the length of the field and unleashed a shot from the left wing that beat the keeper for a 1-0 lead. PJP tied the match in the 18th minute, but Raychel Bair provided the game winner in the 63rd minute, stripping a defender of the ball before driving home her shot. Maggie Ortlip had 10 saves for the Tribe.

Upper Perk finished off league play with a decisive 9-1 win over Pottstown Oct. 13. Bair and Jess Spano had two goals each, with Brooke Knisely, Jordan Rowles, Smith, Kalyn Kates and Haley Stauffer each tallying single goals. Smith and Erica Greco had a pair of assists each, with Emily Leight, Megan Vogel and Ginal Cassel contributing assists as well. With the win, the Tribe finished 5-7-1 in league play, tied with Pottsgrove. While the two teams split during the regular season, Upper Perk edged the Falcons out for the final playoff spot based on record within the division (Upper Perk was 5-3-0, Pottsgrove was 4-3-1).

In their final regular season match, Oct. 14, Upper Perk fell 2-1 to Gwynedd Mercy. The Tribe again jumped out to an early lead, with Bair taking a pass from Lauren Bonar and netting three minutes into the contest. GMA knotted the game 15 minutes later and recorded the game winner with 13 minutes left on a penalty kick.

In the Final Four, played at Spring-Ford on Oct. 19, the Tribe played a superb first half, frustrating the Wildcats with some solid work in defense and midfield. With 30 seconds remaining in the half, the Tribe had a chance to tie the game at 1-1, only to see a penalty kick saved by the OJR keeper. The Wildcats carried that momentum into the second half, tallying twice in the first three minutes of the half to blow open a close game and eventually defeat Upper Perk 4-0.

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