Springside soccer a seasoned squad

New Springside head coach Gary Stevenson with his team captains (left to right), Maeve Koch, Kira Theuer, and Rachel deBerardinis (Photo by Tom Utescher)

by TOM UTESCHER

With only three players taken by graduation from last year’s roster, Springside’s soccer Lions are sending an experienced crew onto the pitch for the 2005 campaign. The locals have a new head coach in Gary Stevenson, a native of Newcastle, England who now resides in West Mt. Airy. Stevenson has extensive experience coaching both boys and girls club teams, and last fall he mentored the boys JV squad at Upper Dublin High School.

On the field, the Lions will be led by their tri-captains, forward Rachel DeBerardinis and defender Maeve Koch, both seniors, and junior defender Kira Theuer. Senior Marilyn McCullough is an established scorer, and classmates Whitney Manly-Power and Sarah Stapleton look to provide other offensive options for the Lions while fellow upperclassmen E.B. O’Hara and Gia Palermo lend depth to the midfield.

Junior midfielder Jess Griffin was already one of the team’s most skilled players last year, and she’ll be charged with putting the ball in play for Springside on most corner kicks and other restarts. Junior wing Grayce Selig should be a key link in the Lions’ transition offense, and another 11th grader, Nan Weisel, is a returning starter in goal.

Middie Sophia Petrillo was an impact player last year as a freshman, and fellow sophomore Julie Platt is stepping up as a varsity contributor. Junior forward Sarah Souli and sophomore defender Tija Bross have suffered early-season injuries, but are both expected to return to action. Freshmen Sarah MacEachern and Mary Trocky will also see plenty of playing time. MacEachern is a forward who has moved up from the Lions’ middle school program, and Trocky is a defender who has just entered Springside from Sandy Run Middle School in Upper Dublin.

Last Wednesday, the Lions won a hard-fought 3-2 victory over visiting Phil-Mont Christian Academy in a match that was the season opener for both teams. Phil-Mont keeper Rebecca Faith made some difficult saves on Springside shooters at the outset, and the Falcons got on the board first when the Lions’ Weisel was unable to clear a loose ball and Emily Hesse fired into the open net for the visitors.

Springside tied it up when Petrillo drove through the right side of the box for a goal, and the Lions took a 2-1 lead with nine minutes left in the opening period. Selig crossed the ball from the right wing, Stapleton sent it back towards the net from the left side, and the ball bounced in off of a Phil-Mont back. Griffin converted a penalty shot high on the right side to make it 3-1 about 11 minutes into the second half, and Rebekah Frangipane of the Falcons set the final margin at one with a well-placed shot between Weisel and the right goalpost.