Philadelphia Catholic League Girls Semifinal Standouts

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Philadelphia Catholic League girls semifinals were contested in Springfield, Pa. on Tuesday at Cardinal O'Hara High School. Archbishop Wood and Lansdale Catholic both won by identical 3-0 score lines to set up a Saturday final between the top two teams. Lansdale Catholic won the earlier game 3-0 over Archbishop Ryan and Wood followed it up with a 3-0 win over Conwell-Egan.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Lansdale Catholic finished the regular season 7-1-0 in the league with their only loss coming to Wood, which finished a perfect 8-0-0 in league play. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here's a look at some of the standout players from the two semifinal matches. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"right","id":62100,"width":425,"height":283,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignright size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/10/6DEBE90D-99F2-45C7-8F08-6C4A980E73F06N4A6059-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-62100" width="425" height="283"/><figcaption><em>[player_tooltip player_id='45376' first='Ava' last='DeGeorge']</em></figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Megan Steinbach, Senior, Midfielder, Lansdale Catholic</strong><br>Steinbach (pictured above) opened the scoring with the eventual game-winner with a pretty finish in the first half and added a second to ice the game in the second half. She was dangerous all afternoon with the ball at her feet and a tough assignment to mark because of her relentless pursuit of the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='45376' first='Ava' last='DeGeorge'], Junior, Midfielder, Archbishop Wood</strong><br>DeGeorge was unlucky to not find the back of the net in the first half and in the second scored twice to lead Wood to the final. The junior's ability to move the ball and create for her teammates is always a pleasure to watch. Whether she's collecting the ball and weaving her way through the defense on either flank or up the middle, DeGeorge is a threat as much for creating chances for her teammates as she is creating goal-scoring chances for herself.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Delaney King, Senior, Forward, Lansdale Catholic</strong><br>King scored the second goal of the day with a lovely finish from the right flank after beating her mark on the right flank and chipping a shot inside the far post. The goal doubled the lead before halftime and put Lansdale Catholic in the driver's seat. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"align":"left","id":62101,"width":352,"height":235,"sizeSlug":"large","linkDestination":"none"} --> <figure class="wp-block-image alignleft size-large is-resized"><img src="https://prepsoccer.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/8/2022/10/C24BF15A-138F-402F-9A62-C665302D0D256N4A5509-1024x683.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-62101" width="352" height="235"/><figcaption><em>Alana Verello</em></figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Daryn Savage, Senior, Defender, Archbishop Wood</strong><br>For as successful as the attack has been this season for top-seeded Wood, the defense might be the team's greatest asset. In 10 games now against Catholic League opponents this season, they've conceded just twice (both to St. Hubert's back on September 12). Savage and center back partner <strong>Giulia Nevrotski</strong> have been a big reason for that. Savage got on the score sheet Tuesday in addition to locking down the defense and connecting passes into the midfield all game. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Alana Verello, Senior, Goalkeeper, Archbishop Ryan</strong><br>While Lansdale Catholic was able to find the back of the net three times in the 3-0 win, Verello made some big stops to keep them from adding even more to their tally, including a shot from Steinbach she was able to tip off the left post with an outstretched dive.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>[player_tooltip player_id='25754' first='Chelsea' last='Ritter'], Senior, Midfielder, Archbishop Ryan</strong><br>Though Ryan was chasing the game in the second half, Ritter was able to show her skill with some runs through the middle of the field and while they never did find a goal to cut into the lead, it never felt completely out of reach with Ritter on the ball. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Sage Bost, Sophomore, Midfielder, Archbishop Wood</strong><br>Bost did a ton of work in the middle of the park on the night starting waves of attacks with her two-way play winning the ball and started the attack the other way. Bost and freshman <strong>Sophia Topakas</strong> do a lot of defensive work and are able to connect well with DeGeorge to spring attacks. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Maya Aizan, Junior, Forward, Conwell-Egan</strong><br>While Congwell-Egan was kept off the board for the night, they weren't without some bright attacking moments of their own. Some of those moments came from Aizan, who was able to use her strength to win some 50-50 balls and create for her teammates going forward.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The girls final will be played Saturday at 1 p.m. at Ramp Playground in Northeast Philly. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->