Tough time for Tigers against GA, PC booters
by Tom Utescher

In a pair of home-field soccer contests last Tuesday afternoon, the boys and girls booters of Germantown Friends School took on a current neighbor, Penn Charter, and a former neighbor, Germantown Academy. Neither contest turned out the way fans of the host Tigers had hoped.

The Penn Charter boys, who took a short stroll over to the GFS playing fields, broke a 1-1 tie late in the second half to come away with a 2-1 decision. The girls soccer team from Germantown Academy (a school that was founded in Germantown in 1759 and moved to Fort Washington in 1961) held a modest 1-0 lead over GFS at halftime, but then the Patriots pulled away to a comfortable 4-0 victory.

The Tigers’ girls team, hit hard by graduation and attrition, was still looking for its first win following Tuesday’s tilt. Earlier, GFS (0-2-1) had tied Springside School and had lost to Harriton High School. The perennially powerful GA girls, breaking in a younger lineup this year, started out with a loss to Strath Haven, which was ranked fourth in the state in ESPN’s preseason poll. The Pats then rebounded with wins over Upper Darby High School and GFS to reach a mark of 2-1.

CHC women overcome Caldwell
by Tom Utescher

Through 90 minutes of regulation play in last Saturday’s Central Atlantic Athletic soccer, the visiting Caldwell Cougars outdid host Chestnut Hill College in shots (18-10) and corner kicks (7-4), but they couldn’t penetrate the Griffins’ goalcage.

In an overtime stint that only lasted three minutes and 10 seconds, CHC topped the visitors on the stat sheet and on the scoreboard, making good on the second of two shots to even up its conference record at 2-2 and climb to 4-3 overall. The Cougars, who finished third in the CACC in 2008, went back to Caldwell, NJ last weekend with a 1-1 mark in the conference and an overall record of 1-4.

Freshmen excelled at both ends of the field for the Griffins, as forward Alyssa Radetich notched the winning goal and fellow rookie Jessica Veazey logged five saves in the CHC net for the shutout. Junior veteran Lauren Riiff took to the field with multiple injuries, but she proved a true warrior as she played through pain and wound up earning an assist on the game-winning strike by Radetich.

Three victories follow first loss for Mount sticksters
by Tom Utescher

After visiting Springfield High School handed them their first loss of the field hockey season at the start of last week, the Mount St. Joseph Academy Magic did a much better job of defending their home pitch on Thursday. They turned away league rival Sacred Heart, 5-1, with Norwood Fontbonne Academy graduates furnishing three of the goals.

CHC volleyball falls in five sets
by Tom Utescher

Two Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference teams trying to get off the schneid met in a volleyball match at Chestnut Hill College last week, and for a few moments it looked like the host Griffins would pull out a “W.”