September 21, 2006 Issue                                       

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©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

GFS booters shut out Springside, 2-0
by TOM UTESCHER

Springside School’s Maura Daddario battles Emma Crimm for possession of the ball. For more photos visit www.chlocalphotos.com. (Photo by Jimmy J. Pack Jr.)

When the Germantown Friends School and Springside soccer teams met on a soggy GFS field in 2005, the host Tigers posted a 3-0 victory, and narrowly missed adding a few more goals.

Rain arrived at the end of last week to once again provide a slick pitch for the Tigers and the visiting Lions last Friday afternoon, and although the play up and down the field was more even this time around, Germantown Friends emerged victorious once more, winning 2-0.

Sophomore Lydia Cring deposited the eventual gamewinner early in the second half, and with under six minutes left to play the lead was reinforced by senior Maddy Kaufman (a team co-captain, along with classmate Ceci Davis-Hayes).

GFS has been splitting time between its two goaltenders, and on Friday senior starter Heather Tannenbaum and freshman Molly Tau each earned four saves to produce the shutout. Springside’s Tori Baggio, a sophomore, made seven stops for the Lions.

For Springside (3-1), it was the first loss of the season; for Germantown (1-1), the first victory. Alex Ochman, now in his third season as Tigers head coach, thought his club had played too much of a kick-and-run game in its 0-3 opening loss to Penn Charter.

“Today, I wanted to see us play a lot more possession soccer,” he said after Friday’s match. “We have the ability to pass the ball to the feet of our players, and we did that in this game instead of just boot it up the field.”

Springside’s Grayce Selig got off a long outside shot that was corralled by Tannenbaum about five minutes into the bout, then GFS controlled the play entirely for the next 10 minutes. Kring had an early attempt spurned by Baggio, and another GFS shot went wide left. Later on, Maura McInerney-Rowley struck Springside’s cross bar, and the Tigers’ Hannah Conant had a shot blocked near the left post.

On a Springside corner that came out above the 18, the Lions’ Kira Theuer drove the ball at the Tigers’ net, but Tannenbaum saved it just under the crossbar. The visitors sent some dangerous serves into the box towards the end of the half, but a shot by Julie Platt lifted over the goal and one by Jess Griffin veered to the left.

In the second half, the first point went on the board with 32:22 left to play. GFS senior Julia Miller dribbled in towards the 18 yard line on the left, and booted the ball past Baggio as the Springside keeper advanced out of the goal. Kring closed in behind the goalie to tuck the ball into the net.

Despite attempts by Selig, Nan Weisel and Sarah MacEachern, the goose egg remained on the Lions’ side of the scoreboard, and with under nine minutes to go an apparent GFS goal off of a skillful cross by Miller was wiped out by and offsides call. When Miller launched a 30-yard shot from the right a few minutes later, it looked at first as though the ball would carry high, but it dipped down under the crossbar on the left side of the cage to give the Tigers the second, and final, goal of the day.

Germantown had also received a steady effort from its defensive unit, which is spearheaded by senior Julia Bergman.

“She’s been solid for the last three years at wingback,” Ochman said. “Our two captains play in the midfield, so Julia has stepped into the role of being the leader of our defense.”