September 14, 2006 Issue                                       

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©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Springside soccer conquers Cougars
by TOM UTESCHER

Taking a 2-0 lead in the opening period and adding an extra insurance goal in the second half, Springside School won its home opener in soccer last Friday afternoon, blanking visiting George School, 3-0.

Senior Jess Griffin, sophomore Sarah MacEachern, and freshman Courtney Caputo furnished the three markers for the Lions, while sophomore keeper Tori Baggio made six saves to collect the shutout.

George School, a member of the Friends School League, had come into the contest with a long win streak over Springside in this annual non-league encounter; even former Lions coach Brooke Fritz, who was on hand for the game, could not remember the last time the local booters had beaten the Cougars.

Current coach Gary Stephenson, now in his second season, commented “I was happy with the way we moved the ball around. It’s indicative of what the girls have been working on till now, getting the ball wide and not clumping up in the middle. There’s plenty of talk out there, and they’re gaining a better understanding of where they need to put the ball.”

Senior Nan Weisel, formerly a goalie for the Lions, now plays a forward or midfield spot and puts the ball in play on corner kicks. Springside attacked George School from the outset and Weisel got to take her first corner just two minutes into the game, but the hosts didn’t get off a shot on the play.

The locals were on the board less than six minutes into the action though, as Griffin pounded in a shot from 25 yards in front of the left post. Sophia Petrillo almost added a second goal two minutes later, but Cougar keeper Kaitlyn McElwee was able to block the ball a foot under the crossbar. Springside continued to control the play much of the time, and throughout the contest George School’s offense consisted mainly of hitting the long ball into the Lions’ half and trying to run it down for a breakaway. Springside padded its lead with 9:50 left in the opening period, when a close-range shot by Caputo was deflected back out into the right side of the box and MacEachern booted the ball back into the net. After Petrillo missed a strong shot wide to the left and Grayce Selig hit the upper right corner of the goal frame, the half ended with the score still 2-0.

The Cougars generated a little more offensive activity in the second half, after almost going down 3-0 in the opening minute when an apparent Springside goal was negated by an offsides call. The best shot the visitors got off was fired by Kim Chavez from the left wing about six minutes in, but the Lions’ Baggio made the save at the near post.

Later, with nine minutes left in the game, the Cougars got the ball to a wide-open Liz Stevens directly in front of the Lions’ cage, but her shot rose above the crossbar. This close call roused Springside, which posted its third goal with 2:25 remaining. Receiving a pass from Petrillo, Caputo let loose from the right side of the box, and the ball went through the hands of Joelle Sanphy, the third goalie used by George School during the game.

The Lions’ Stephenson observed afterwards, “The ninth-graders [Caputo, Maura Daddario, and Nicky Lombardo] have stepped onto the field and given us what we’ve needed, and the girls who’ve come up from the JV are adjusting well, too. In these early games I’d like to see us build up some confidence and momentum that will carry over into the [Girls Inter-Ac] league.”