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Abington victory raises the bar
    Abington’s 17-5 rout of visiting Ridley – last year’s District 1 Class AAA runner-up and the third-ranked team in the Phillylacrsose.com poll – was a shock to some, but not Ghost coach Julie Martinez.
    Last year Abington (19-3) tied for the Suburban One National Conference crown with North Penn and Council Rock North, but relied heavily on the scoring of Marykate Lomady and fell to the lower-seeded Raiders in the second round of districts. This year the Ghosts (3-0) have shown balance and strength on defense, in goal and on attack.
    “That’s what excites me about this season - the potential of our team,” Martinez said. “Last year was Abington’s first ever Suburban One League championship. We’re looking to start a program that not only wins a league but can make a run at a district title.”
Whippets are off to strong start
    Downingtown West opened its season last week with impressive victories over Penncrest, 20-9, and Avon Grove, 24-10.
Jaymie Tabor, only a sophomore, had six goals and two assists in the win over Penncrest while senior Courtney Sicinski had five goals and three assists and senior Sarah Phillips chipped in with four goals and three assists. Tabor’s older sister, Kelsay Tabor, headed to Ohio State, had two goals and two assists while goalie Julie Hodge had 12 saves. Casey Kellogg, Devan Hibbs, Julie DiGiovanni, Elise Buckwalter and Jessica Stevens were strong on defense.
    In the triumph over Avon Grove, Sicinski had seven goals and three assists, Sarah Phillips (bound for George Washington) had five goals and four assists and Kellogg had three goals and four assists. Stevens and Hibbs paced the defense.
    The Whippets, who were 15-7 last year, host Garnet Valley today.
Mount opens with pair of wins
    Mount St. Joseph opened its campaign with wins over Gwynedd Mercy Academy, 17-8, and Springfield-Montco, 13-7. Charlotte Flynn notched eight goals in the two games while Brittany Gavin and Nicole Schuster had six each.
    Mount coach Lori Ehret, in her first season, also listed Kelly Cleary and Lori Beppel as keys to the season. “Without a doubt, our team is fast,” Ehret said. “These three girls (Flynn, Gavin and Schuster) are threats.”