by J. COOPER ROBB

The Chestnut Hill Youth Sports Club’s U-10 boys 4th Division soccer team took on the Roxborough Indians recently and played to a hard-fought 1-1 tie. Henry Bushnell scored from in close to put Chestnut Hill on the board. Augie Frank chased down a breakaway near the end of the half to fend off the Indian attacker and preserve the lead. Roxborough applied intense pressure throughout the second half and eventually scored to tie the game.

Nathaniel Vahedi was solid in goal and made several great saves. Hank Goldenberg, Gilman Myran and Will Tywman anchored the defense, which was under constant attack. Johnny Hass, Kyle Espenshade and Bryce Low fought valiantly in the midfield. Gabriel Osorio-Soto, Jacob Spivack and Daniel Spivack generated several offensive threats, but the team was not able to convert, and had to make themselves content with a hard-fought tie.

Volunteering to sit several players to match the short-handed Hunter team's nine players, the U-14 girls nevertheless sailed to a 12-1 victory. Kelsey Mullin went the distance in goal, giving up only the lone score. Nearly every player on the Chestnut Hill squad notched a goal, with Nica Mecchariello getting two and Gianna Pellicane, Rebecca Williams, Julia Weishaupt, Jo McMahon, Martha Wasser, Katie Low, Anna Idler, Laura Koehler, Hilary Doe and Allison Beer each scoring once.

The U-15 girls lost to Audubon 3-0, to drop to 5-4-0 on the season. Beginning the game two players short, Chestnut Hill almost scored off the opening tap. Chestnut Hill came close on two other occasions, but it was Audubon who scored first. Keeper Heather Tannenbaum played a penalty shot perfectly to make a brilliant stop, but Audubon scored two more goals on strong shots from the edge of the penalty area for its final margin of 3-0. It was a valiant effort by Chestnut Hill, who played the game with only 10 players.

On Saturday, the U-14 boys defeated Pennsbury 4-2. In the first half, Jack Kavetsky scored with an assist from Matt Berson before Berson scored unassisted to give CH a 2-1 halftime lead. In the second half, Kavetsky scored again with an assist from Berson. After Pennsbury tallied, Ben Gemberling-Johnson converted on a penalty kick to put the hotly contested game away. Ryan Duffy turned in a fine performance on offense, and Sam Levin and David Maas were equally forceful on the defensive end.

In a tight contest, the U-15 boys pulled out a 2-1 victory over Council Rock. Pat Rust gave Chestnut Hill the early lead off a fine cross by Marek Loder with Josh West picking up an assist. Council Rock pulled even on a breakaway, but solid defense from David Marvin, Sam Yeoman and Matt Stanczak shut down the visitors the rest of the way. The Blue Lightning finally gained the lead for good when Andrew Butler converted a thru pass from Henry Robb late in the second stanza. The victory evened the boys’ 1st Division record at 3-3-2.

The U-13 girls had two tense and exciting games this weekend that resulted in a pair of ties. On Saturday, the girls faced league leaders V/E at Carson Valley. The girls started slowly, but gradually picked up the pace as the game wore on. The defense was especially strong. The four-fullback formation of Liz Carpino, Celia Dedrick, Caroline Pratt and Jasmine West kept V/E off the board, and stoppers Meghan McDermott and Alex Feagans were particularly effective at upsetting V/E's offensive rhythm. Goalie Kate Krieger came out to the 18-yard line and made a spectacular save on a breakaway to keep the game scoreless. Chestnut Hill had a slight advantage in the second half and was pressing for the game-winner near the end, but the team settled for a 0-0 tie.

On Sunday, the U-13’s traveled to Whitpain for a rematch of their scoreless deadlock in the season’s first game. Early on, Maura McInerney-Rowley trapped a long direct kick from Sarah Bagley, wheeled and blasted the ball past the keeper for a 1-0 lead. Whitpain fought back with two goals in the first half. In the second half, Jasmine West made a big stop on a penalty kick to keep the Blue Lightning close. Avery Williamson and Nora Martin played with great determination and intensity. With time running out, Emma Shields knocked a long shot off the top crossbar and a well-positioned Maura McInerney-Rowley quickly knocked the ball in for the 2-2 tie. The girls’ mid-season record stands at 3-1-4, an impressive accomplishment, as this is just their first year in the well-balanced second division.

The U-9 boys travel team stayed hot this weekend, with a decisive 6-1 win over the visiting Buckingham Athletic Association Blazers. Peter Ferraro and Jack Martin struck early in the first half, while Sam Rogers, Will Randall and Sam Conant scored in the second half. Harrison Tracy and Philip Kelly were again outstanding in every aspect of the game.

Contributors Tom Randall, Graham Robb, Bob Kaufman, Tom Weishaupt, David Bushnell, Jeff Krieger and Lesley Carson.