Neshaminy played strong throughout a 60-minute battle on grass but couldn't capitalize on any of its numerous opportunities. The Redskins had three consecutive corners with time expired in the first half but just couldn't put the ball in the cage.
"The girls played great. It's just a heartbreak," Neshaminy coach Caitlin Koczynski said. "At the end of the day, they scored and we didn't."
Wednesday's game was almost as frustrating for the Bucks, though with a more positive outcome.
Neshaminy took the game from the get-go and C.B. West, a team used to playing on turf, took some time to get used to the grass field.
"I told the girls not to think about the surface. . . . It's a different game when my team gets on grass," Central Bucks West coach Casey Hughes said.
The second half didn't end the frustrations for the Bucks (15-5), as the first-year coach called a timeout 31/2 minutes after intermission when Neshaminy threatened with a dangerous scrum in front of the cage.
In the timeout, Hughes implored her squad to "take some pride in the defense."
That meant, Hughes added, "not using reverse sticks, staying low the whole time, channeling and putting good pressure on, not just sticking their sticks in.
"That's why we were getting a lot of calls called on us because we weren't playing good defense. So that 'take pride in the defense' was just to remind them, 'You've got to play strong, do what you've got to do, and we won't get those calls against us.' "
Despite C.B. West's defensive struggles, the Bucks held strong and allowed only one second-half shot on eight corners.
"I'm very very proud of them," Hughes said of her players. "It was a total team effort."
Central Bucks West 1 0 – 1
Neshaminy 0 0 – 0
Goal: Erick Fiorelli.
Saves: CBW-Brianna DeAngelis 6; N-Sarah Mitchell 0.
Contact Megan Soisson at msoisson@philly.com.
