Cougars Battle Unbeaten Pingry as Boys and Girls Soccer Fall in Pair of Matchups
Nicholas Mistretta
MHS ’79 Cougar Sports Correspondent
MONTGOMERY, NJ — Montgomery High School’s boys and girls soccer teams both faced undefeated Pingry squads Thursday, with the Cougars coming up short in a pair of difficult matchups.
The Montgomery girls fell 6-2 to an 8-0 Pingry team, while the boys were defeated 9-2 by a Pingry squad that improved to 12-0.
Seamon, Donahue Score in Girls’ Loss
The Montgomery girls entered the matchup coming off a strong offensive performance against Hillsborough, but Pingry established control early Thursday. Pingry scored four times in the opening half and carried a 4-1 advantage into halftime before adding two more goals after the break. Montgomery scored once in each half.
Emma Seamon and Quinn Donahue accounted for both Cougar goals, with each finishing with one goal and one assist.
Seamon and Donahue have been at the center of Montgomery’s attack throughout the season, and the pair again combined for all six of the Cougars’ offensive points. Pingry was led by Andrea Lopes, who recorded a hat trick and added two assists for an eight-point performance. Alyssa Hammoud contributed a goal and two assists, while Madison Pagnotta and Sophie Davidkhanian each scored once. Montgomery goalkeeper Ellie Andes faced sustained pressure and finished with 15 saves. The loss moved Montgomery to 5-5, while Pingry remained unbeaten at 8-0.
Unbeaten Pingry Pulls Away From Boys
The Montgomery boys also faced an undefeated Pingry team and found themselves trying to overcome an early deficit. Pingry scored six first-half goals and led 6-1 at halftime before adding three more in the second half to secure the 9-2 victory. Montgomery managed one goal in each half. Macintyre Jerdonek scored one of the Cougar goals, continuing a productive stretch that included a hat trick in Montgomery’s previous win over College Achieve Central. Farzan Reza scored Montgomery’s other goal, while Dylan Heines recorded an assist. Pingry generated 26 shots on goal compared with Montgomery’s four. Julian Lopez led Pingry with four goals and an assist, while Arjun Hoshing contributed two goals and four assists. Chase Verling scored twice, and Benji Nieves added a goal and an assist. Montgomery goalkeepers Nischal Ande and Archie Cooper combined for 19 saves against the persistent Pingry attack. Ande recorded 15, while Cooper added four. The loss dropped Montgomery to 6-5, while Pingry remained unbeaten at 12-0.
Cougars Run Into Two Unbeaten Opponents
Thursday presented a difficult test for both Montgomery programs, with each drawing a Pingry team that had yet to lose this season. The Cougar girls received goals from Seamon and Donahue and another busy performance from Andes in goal, while Jerdonek and Reza found the net for the boys despite Pingry’s heavy offensive pressure. Montgomery now turns its attention to the next portion of the schedule as both teams look to rebound from losses against two of the stronger unbeaten teams they have faced this fall.
Photo Credit: Nick Mistretta/headlinenewsmontgomry.com