Check out the results for SOL field hockey teams in action Friday.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 4, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 3 (OT)
Talk about gutsy comebacks – this was it.
The Golden Hawks trailed 3-1 just over seven minutes into the second half after Riley Donnelly – who led the Patriots with two goals and an assist – turned an Abbey Butler pass into a goal. The Hawks responded in a big way, rallying to knot the score on a pair of Tori Wright goals in the final 14:42. Both came during corner play with assists from Mikayla VanAken, the equalizer with six minutes remaining in regulation.
Then it was VanAken deflecting a shot by Caroline McGovern into the cage at the 11:26 mark of OT to propel Rock South to the dramatic win.
“It was a really good win for us,” coach Lisa Belz said. “The girls were really excited to play our first home game.
“We’ve always struggled with our non-league games, and we know how important it is to win the non-league games. I’m just happy we pulled it out.”
The win avenged a 3-1 loss at the hands of East in last year’s season opener. While Riley Donnelly – who scored all three goals in last year’s East win – was once again the catalyst, she had plenty of help. Younger sister Emma Donnelly (Riley Donnelly assist) put the Patriots on the board at the 23:21 mark of the first half, and then assisted on Riley’s first goal of the game midway through the half.
A goal by VanAken made it a 2-1 game at halftime. The Hawks survived a key stretch late in the half when they were down two players but did not allow a goal. The Patriots went on to open up a 3-1 lead, but the Golden Hawks refused to lose.
“We were down two players late in the first half and into the second,” said Belz. “I was happy that my team was able to hold it together and stay composed and came back with intensity in the second half.”
The Patriots held a 17-12 advantage in shots.
“We weren’t able to finish it out in regulation,” East coach Michelle Finegan said. “The goalkeeper for CR South had a strong game in the goal.
“Mackenzie Boyle was strong for us in the backfield. We will learn from this game and be ready for our second non-league game on Tuesday.”
Rock South senior goalie Sabrina Masone turned away nine shots in the win.
“I was really pleased with my goalie,” Belz said. “She’s been our back-up goalie and didn’t get much varsity time last year, and she had some excellent saves today.
“All of my seniors – Caroline McGovern, Sarah Womer, Emily Keller and Paige Schmid - played very well today.”
VanAken led the Hawks with two goals and two assists.
“Mikayla VanAken is playing center back and Tori Wright is playing sweeper, and they’ve been outstanding,” Belz said. “They’re communicating with the whole team, they’re holding our defense and they’re making some runs up the field. I’m very pleased with them.”
Council Rock South (1-0) will host Hatboro-Horsham in a non-league game Tuesday, and Central Bucks East (0-1) will host Downingtown West on Tuesday.
Central Bucks East 2-1-0 3
Council Rock South 1-2-1 4
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 3, WISSAHICKON 2
Bridget Thompson’s goal with 11:23 remaining – set up with assists from Claire Jarema and Anna Lehman – broke a 2-2 tie and gave the visiting Indians a lead they would not lose.
“This was very big,” Jarema said. “We lost a lot of players, especially players going off to play in college, so we definitely needed this boost to remind us that even though we lost a lot of great players, we have a lot of new great players coming in.”
The final minutes were not without anxious moments for the Indians. A shot by Wissahickon’s Emily Purnell deflected off the left post with 1:46 remaining in regulation, and earlier, it was Rock North defender Gabby Shepherd preventing a sure goal with a stop of a strong shot by Jessica Waite on the goal line.
“She had that amazing defensive save – I turned around and said, ‘Gabby, that was the play of the game,’” Jarema said. “That was absolutely amazing.”
The Indians held a 10-8 edge in corners in the evenly played contest.
“They have good players on their team,” said coach Heather Whalin. “It’s exactly what I knew – our defense is going to struggle because they’re all brand new besides Gabby (Shepherd), and she’s in a new position.
“I knew our offense would be fine, and we’d score. We just have to minimize goals. That’s our problem right now. We’re going to have growing pains. We have a lot of seniors, a lot of them never really played until this year, but they’ve really stepped it up and I’m proud of them.”
Adjusting to new positions, according to Jarema, will be the key.
“Throughout the entire preseason, we’ve had people switching around,” she said. “Hannah Sullivan was playing amazing defensive mid, and we switched her to offensive mid, and we put Hannah Barsky at defensive mid.
“We switched Bridget Thompson so center forward. We were just trying to see what works for our team, and I think our team has great team chemistry, and that’s what makes us successful. There’s not one single person that carries this team. We all have each other’s backs.”
Just over five minutes into Friday’s opener, the Trojans took a 1-0 lead when Purnell turned a pass from Sarah Cammarota into a goal. The Indians answered with back-to-back goals by Anna Lehman (Thompson assist) and Danielle Nelson to go on top 2-1 at the 20:31 mark of the opening half. That lead held until halftime. A goal by Ellen Kane (Julianna Sutow assist) at the 24:53 mark of the second half knotted the score, and that tie held until Thompson connected for the game winner.
“I talked to them at the end of the game, and I’m very pleased with their intensity and their work ethic,” coach Leah Angstadt said. “We never gave up.
“It just didn’t go our way today. It was an evenly matched game. We talked about things we could work on – communicating and our ball speed could be better, but there were so many things we’ve worked on in practice that they did so well today. I told them I’m very pleased with how they played today.”
Angstadt went on to credit the performances of several players.
“Sam Pak is communicating out there, and her ball speed was excellent,” the Trojans’ first-year coach said. “She’s got a never-give-up attitude, she’s going for the win.
“Jess Waite had a very good game both offensively and defensively, and Wumi Popoopola also had an outstanding game and kept us alive.
Both goalies came up big. While Popoopola turned away nine shots, CR North’s Margaret D’Auria had eight saves.
“I have a fantastic goalie – she made a lot of really great saves,” Whalin said. “But their goalie had phenomenal saves. Without that goalie, we probably would have had five or six goals, and she saved some blasts. She really did a nice job.”
Whalin credited Jarema for pulling the team together.
“She’s always consistent,” the Indians’ coach said. “She steps out on the field, and she gets the job done.
“She’s the voice of the team. This isn’t even her first sport – she’s going to Bryant for lacrosse, but she’s always a gamer. No matter if it’s practice or a game, she is always giving you 100 percent.”
Council Rock North (1-0) will host West Chester Henderson in a non-league game on Tuesday, and Wissahickon (0-1) will host Quakertown in its SOL opener Wednesday.
Council Rock North 2-1 3
Wissahickon 1-1 2
WILLIAM TENNENT 1, UPPER DUBLIN 1
The Flying Cardinals dominated Friday’s non-league opener statistically, holding a decided advantage in shots (25-5) and corners (20-5), but the Panthers – sparked by goalie Trish McCoy – forced the Cardinals to settle for a 1-1 tie.
“Their goalkeeper played one heck of a game, and I told her that at the end of the game,” UD coach Heather Boyer said. “She was fantastic.”
McCoy was credited with 11 saves, and it looked as though McCoy and her Panther teammates would eke out a 1-0 win until – with 56 seconds remaining in regulation - Emma Mead turned a Molly Lunney pass into a goal that knotted the score.
Earlier, the Panthers took a 1-0 lead when Gina Markus (Victoria Poust assist) scored just over five minutes into the game during corner play. That lead stood until less than a minute remained.
“(We) started off with high intensity,” coach Kaitlyn Rauchet said. “A strong defensive presence was executed by senior Sarah Reed, senior Trish McCoy and sophomore Samantha McDonald, who withheld this existence for the full 75-minute game.”
The Flying Cardinals found themselves staring at 1 -0 after Gina Markus (Victoria Poust assist) scored just over five minutes into the game, a lead that held until the Cardinals’ late-game heroics.
“The girls played really well – their goalie turned away shot after shot,” Boyer said. “Allie DeMichele did a great job at the sweeper position. She is maintaining outstanding composure, especially since we are more aggressive with our defensive backs pushing up, so there are times when she is by herself.
“Ryan Kullmann – a sophomore learning a new position - did very well in the defensive end too. Maddie Templeton has made a great transition to the forward line and played well all 75 minutes, really keeping the ball in the circle. Marlee Siegel and Shannon Reape did a great job anchoring the midfield.”
William Tennent (0-0-1) will host Central Bucks West in its SOL opener on Wednesday, and Upper Dublin (0-0-1) will host Cheltenham on Wednesday.
Upper Dublin 1-0-0 1
William Tennent 1-0-0 1
METHACTON 6, NORTH PENN 3
Bri O’Donnell’s second goal of Friday’s non-league opener just over 16 minutes into the opening half gave North Penn a 3-1 lead over Methacton. The Knights appeared to be in command.
But not for long.
The visiting Warriors reeled off three unanswered goals in the final 12:49 and then added two more in the second half to earn a 6-3 win in a spirited non-league contest.
“Methacton picked up their play and caught us on our heels, unfortunately,” said coach Shannon McCracken. “We had a few opportunities in the second half that could have put us right back in the game that we didn’t capitalize on.
“We hit the post once, and two of their defenders made defensive saves. Methacton is a very strong team, physically and offensively. It was a great measuring stick for us and showed us parts of the game we still need to improve and parts of the game we need to build upon.”
The Knights truck first when Emily Crawford scored an unassisted goal just over 10 minutes into the game. Less than two minutes later, Olivia Hoover answered with the equalizer.
Back-to-back goals by O’Donnell – both unassisted – gave the Knights a two-goal lead with 13:46 remaining. Back-to-back goals by Emily Owens in a span of less than two minutes knotted the score. The Warriors took a lead they would not lose on a goal by Hoover (Jackie Cerchio assist) with two minutes remaining in the half.
Katy Benton (13:01) and Julia Dickinson (2:48) scored goals in the second half to give the Warriors their final margin of victory.
“It was a great first game – high intensity, well played, lots of offense – almost felt like a playoff game,” McCracken said.
The Knights held a 14-9 edge in corners, but the Warriors had a 17-10 advantage in shots.
North Penn goalie Brynne Schoppe and Methacton’s Addie Frey both turned away seven shots.
North Penn (0-1) will host Central Bucks East on Wednesday in its SOL opener.
Methacton 4-2 6
North Penn 3-0 3
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 9, UPPER DARBY 0
The visiting Bucks exploded out of the gate to a 7-0 halftime lead on their way to the rout. Bryn Boylan and Cadera Smith both had hat tricks while Ryan Murray, Taylor Mason and Eva Altadonna each added a goal.
“Olivia Fitzgerald was an aggressive force through the midfield, keeping the intensity up through the whole game,” coach Courtney Lepping said.
Central Bucks West (1-0) will be on the road at William Tennent on Wednesday for the SOL opener for both teams.
Central Bucks West 7-2 9
Upper Darby 0-0 0
ABINGTON 6, CHELTENHAM 0
The Ghosts sprinted to a 3-0 halftime lead over the visiting Lady Panthers and never looked back on their way to the convincing win in Friday morning’s annual battle of the neighboring rivals.
Senior Sam McGee – bound for St. Joe’s on a lacrosse scholarship – opened the scoring with an unassisted goal just over 11 minutes into the game. Seven minutes later, freshman Paige Doyle connected on an unassisted goal of her own, and junior Grace Hopkins found teammate Grace Terrizzi for the score with 4:36 remaining in the opening half to spot the Ghosts a three-goal lead.
Twenty-four seconds into the second half, a passing series initiated by senior Kaila Brown to McGee resulted in sophomore Sam Simon finding the cage. Brown scored a goal of her own seven minutes later, using an assist from Doyle on a penalty corner. Paige Doyle closed out the scoring with an unassisted goal with 1:08 remaining.
Abington held a 12-8 advantage in penalty corners. Goalies Megan Dockstader and Mackenzie Greiner combined for the shutout in goal.
Abington (1-0) will be on the road at Council Rock South for its league opener on Wednesday while Cheltenham (0-1) will be at Upper Dublin on Wednesday.
Cheltenham 0-0 0
Abington 3-3 6
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 2, EPISCOPAL ACADEMY 2
The Titans rallied from a 2-0 halftime deficit to stun the defending Inter-Ac champions, forcing the Churchwomen to settle for a 2-2 tie.
While EA lost some elite players from last year’s squad, the Churchwomen still boast plenty of talent, and it not only took a heroic comeback but also a stellar defensive effort to earn the tie.
No performance loomed larger than the dazzling 17-save effort of sophomore goalie Francine Richick.
“We are very pleased with the way our defense held their own today,” coach Pat Toner said. “Our sophomore goalie, Francine Richick, had an amazing game.
“After being down 0-2 to an excellent team, we dominated the second half and scored to tie it up with seven seconds remaining on the clock. We are working hard to become competitive in our strong league.”
The two teams did not play overtime, and the 2-2 tie stood. Senior co-captain Erin Chioffe led the Titans with a goal and an assist. Megan Weeks added a goal, and Ally Fitts contributed an assist.
Central Bucks South (0-0-1) will travel to Souderton on Wednesday for its SOL opener.
Central Bucks South 0-2 2
Episcopal Academy 2-0 2
MOUNT ST. JOSEPH 3, PENNSBURY 1
The Falcons and Magic exchanged first-half goals with Maya Geller connecting on an unassisted goal during corner play for the Falcons. The Mount scored a pair of unanswered goals in the second half.
Pennsbury (0-1) will host Bensalem on Wednesday in its SOL opener.
Mount St. Joseph 1-2 3
Pennsbury 1-0 1
UPPER PERKIOMEN 2, SOUDERTON 1 (OT)
The two teams battled to a 1-1 halftime tie with Isabelle Palde scoring for the visiting Indians, using a Liz O’Hara assist. That 1-1 score stood until the Tribe won it in overtime.
Souderton (0-1) will host Central Bucks South in its SOL opener on Wednesday.
Souderton 1-0-0 1
Upper Perk 1-0-1 2
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 2, UPPER MORELAND 1 (OT)
An unassisted goal by UM’s Claudia Zanine knotted the score 1-1 with 8:15 remaining in regulation, extending the game to overtime. A goal by Sarah Wilson with 8:01 remaining in overtime propelled the host Lions to the non-league win.
Goalie Allison Felicetti kept the Lions in the game, turning away 12 shots.
Upper Moreland (0-1) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Wednesday in the SOL opener for both squads.
Upper Moreland 0-1-0 1
New Hope-Solebury 1-0-1 2
OWEN J ROBERTS 3, NESHAMINY 1
The Wildcats used goals from Sarah Garritano, Natalie Fuertsch (Jenna Kirby assist) and Leanne Faust to go on top 3-0 after one half.
Neshaminy’s Peyton Ritchey turned an Emily Alexis pass into a goal for the only score of the second half.
Neshaminy (0-1) is off until next Friday when the Redskins will travel to Bensalem for their SOL opener.
Neshaminy 0-1 1
Owen J Roberts 3-0 3
PERKIOMEN VALLEY 2, PENNRIDGE 0
The Vikings made it a clean sweep for the PAC-10 over the SOL on Friday with their shutout of the visiting Rams.
“I am happy with our team play and effort,” coach Becky Spahr said. “We played great team defense and moved the ball well offensively. We just struggled to finish our scoring opportunities.”
Mackenzie Bross had some big shoes to fill, stepping into goal for all-league goalie Carley Wingate, who is now playing for Bloomsburg University. Bross was impressive in her debut, turning away 12 shots.
Pennridge (0-1) will travel to Quakertown Tuesday for a non-league battle with their neighboring rival.
VILLA JOSEPH MARIE 3, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
Maddie Major scored a pair of goals and assisted on the third by Jess Butler to spot the Jems a 3-0 halftime lead. They went on to win by that score in Friday’s non-league opener.
Truman (0-1) will host Council Rock North in Wednesday’s SOL opener.
Villa Joseph Marie 3-0 3
Harry S Truman 0-0 0
UPPER MERION 1, BENSALEM 0
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