Vets Mullaney, Polsky showing way for young Penncrest

HAVERFORD — It wasn’t long ago that Julia Mullaney was the freshman among veterans.

A hallmark of the Penncrest girls soccer team’s path to three straight states berths has been the integration of freshmen to the fray early, learning the ropes and becoming part of the system. Mullaney was one of those, thrust into the blender of midfield from her earliest days in high school.

“I was always scared because I didn’t want to mess up for the seniors because I knew it was their last year,” the senior said Tuesday. “And now I’m in that position, so it’s kind of crazy. I just want to stay positive for all of them and I try to encourage them and I want them to do their best without feeling scared at all.”

The conveyer belt keeps turning over for Penncrest, with veterans like Mullaney bringing along the next generations. Performances like Tuesday, when Mullaney set up the game-winning goal by Alexis Ranieri to get Penncrest a 2-1 Central League victory over Haverford, show how well it’s working.

As things change around it, the central midfield pairing of Mullaney and Shayna Polsky is ever more vital – particularly on a team starting two freshmen in central defense and one in goal. Polsky had deputized at center back as a freshman due to injuries and was there again last season. She was slated to reprise that role as a junior, but she was slid into midfield by first-year coach Joe Ross to provide attacking punch.

Days like Tuesday showed why: Polsky scored in the third minute, a forceful volley of a bouncing throw-in from Gina Facciolo, Polsky attacking the bounding ball in the box and making no mistake on the finish. She nearly had a second 12 minutes later, but her toe-poked effort after a 1-2 with Kara Mullaney rattled the post.

With the Lions up 2-1 after Ranieri’s goal – a tight control in the box off a Julia Mullaney lofted cross that was volleyed home – Polsky dropped into central defense, augmenting the freshman pairing of Maggie Allison and Taryn Tagtmeir.

Polsky has grown accustomed to being the focal point on both ends for Penncrest (4-2-1, 1-2-1 Central).

“It’s difficult because a lot of pressure is on me to score in the beginning of the game because that’s what our coaches are looking for,” Polsky said. “So when I got that goal, I knew that we needed to keep going and keep attacking as much as I could. And once we do get up in the game, that’s when I know I need to drop back and know that there’s a lot of pressure on me now to keep that lead. And I’m good under pressure and I feel like that suits me well.”

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Penncrest midfielder Julia Mullaney carries the ball in the second half as Haverford’s Nora Burns defends. Mullaney set up the game-winning goal in a 2-1 Penncrest victory Tuesday. (Pete Bannan/MediaNews Group)