North Penn's Kornock scores in last minute to tip Pennsbury

With North Penn teammate Meridith Crowell sprawled out in the offensive box late in the game, Melissa Kornock waited in vain for an official to whistle a Pennsbury defender for a foul.

Kornock seethed, but kept her cool and channeled her energy into scoring a goal instead of exacting revenge against a white-jerseyed opponent.

She did just that, in the final minute of yesterday's Suburban One League National Conference soccer matchup, heading home a crossing pass to give the visiting Maidens a dramatic 3-2 victory over the Falcons.

"I did it for Meridith, really," Kornock said of the game-winner. "If the referees don't call a foul, you take it out on the ball. You don't retaliate in any other way."

North Penn, which scored two goals in the last seven minutes, took a big step toward nailing down the conference title. The Maidens are 13-2-0 overall and 11-1-0 in the conference.

Crowell had the equalizer in the 74th minute, beating Pennsbury goalkeeper Lindsay Raspanti with a twisting right-side shot.

"It's been the story of the season," North Penn coach Neil Johnson said. "We never, ever give up. We play to the final whistle. This game exemplifies what this team is all about."

Kornock, who also registered a first-half goal, and Crowell are four-year varsity members.

"I love playing with Melissa," said Crowell, a 5-foot-6 defensive midfielder. "When we were younger, we played together for the Montgomery Soccer Association."

Kornock, a 5-foot-2 striker, has produced 12 goals and five assists this season. She said Crowell has played a major part in the squad's success.

"She feeds the ball well, and you can always count on her to win 50-50 balls out of the air," Kornock said.

Courtney Collins assisted on both second-half goals. On the game-winner, she beat a defender on the right wing and sent a perfect crossing feed toward the middle.

"Courtney is a really good passer, a really good playmaker," said Crowell, who is bound for Temple. Kornock is headed to Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Down by 2-1 at intermission, the Maidens were unlucky on two early second-half scoring opportunities. Midfielder Lisa Philbin's shot bounced off the crossbar, and Samantha Johnson's up-close kick struck the right post.

The Falcons (10-5-1, 7-4-1) jumped out to a 1-0 lead when a re-start kick by Ariel Vegotsky sailed high into the net. In the 30th minute, reserve forward Brittany Kobal scored on the rebound of her own shot.

"Hats off to [North Penn]," Pennsbury coach Lou Sudholz said. "Good teams find a way to pull out games like that one."

North Penn1 2 - 3

Pennsbury2 0 - 2

Goals: NP–Melissa Kornock 2, Meridith Crowell; P–Ariel Vegotsky, Brittany Kobal.

Saves: NP–Gabrielle Pakhtigian 8; P–Megan Goelz 8, Lindsay Raspanti 2.