Saucon Coed Soccer Crushes Catty

Est. Read Time: 4 mins

Seventh grader Elliot Policare (10) flashing the footwork before securing a goal for the Panthers.

For the past few years Saucon Valley Athletics has provided an opportunity for middle school students in seventh and eighth grade to participate in organized soccer. The team is co-ed with boys and girls typically competing together against most of the other Colonial League schools. This year however, with COVID concerns, only Saucon, Bangor, Catasauqua, Salisbury and Northern Lehigh are fielding middle school teams. After missing last year because of the pandemic, the Panthers have a talented bunch of participants and are off to a pretty good start. After coming back late to tie with Bangor last Friday, Saucon Valley was able to blank Catasauqua by a 6-0 score on Monday.

Ava Riehl (11) putting the pressure on Catty’s defense.

It was a tight game early with the Catasauqua Rough Riders. Play unfolded evenly with both teams making pretty deep runs up and down the field from goal to goal. The Panthers were finally able to break the scoreless tie at the very end of the first half after a tripping penalty was called against the Roughies in the box. Saucon Valley eighth grader Ava Riehl made good on the penalty-kick with a low liner to the corner which earned the Panthers a 1-0 lead at the intermission.

Saucon Valley’s Carter Bidwell (15) stopping the Catasauqua attack.

The second half was a different story. It was all Panthers. Seventh grader Elliot Policare scored a couple of goals in the first seven minutes of the second half to break the game open. Policare combined a little finesse and a little power to give Saucon a 3-0 lead. Policare’s first goal showcased her footskills as she weaved her way through the Catty defense before tapping the ball past the keeper and into the goal. Policare’s second goal was a line-drive power blast that was placed upper-corner from just inside the 18-yardline.

About nine minutes later, Saucon’s Ava Riehl hit a bank shot that ricocheted into the goal off the far post. Riehl’s second goal of the game gave the Panthers a 4-0 advantage.

Panther seventh grader Kamryn Crookham creating space.

With a little over five minutes remaining, seventh grader Camryn Crookham hit from deep. Crookham hit a long ball from outside the elbow of the 18-yardline. Her shot curved in from right to left to beat the Catty keeper up high. Crookham’s cannonball made the score 5-0 in favor of Saucon Valley.

Seventh grader Talia Hill closed out all scoring with 1:15 remaining in the game when she cleaned-up another Policare shot on goal. Hill was in the right place at the right time as she tapped the rebound into the back of the net from the front stoop of the Catty goal.

Saucon Valley’s defense was stingy all day with keeper John Murphy leading the Panthers to a shutout victory. Murphy and his defense had all the answers agains the Catty attack.