Check out the results of SOL field hockey teams in action Tuesday.
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National Conference
NESHAMINY 2, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0
‘Team’ is a recurring theme when talking to both players and coaches about a season that saw the Redskins capture sole possession of the National Conference crown.
“The secret is being a team,” senior Maria Koellner said. “We know there’s no individual player out there that will get us where we want to be. We know we all have to work together to achieve all of our goals.
“We all work really well together. It’s been almost three months of just field hockey. We’re together all the time six out of seven days a week. You have to like your team in order for it to work well, and we definitely have that special bond.”
That bond extends beyond the playing field.
“We all work together on the field and off the field,” senior Maria Palmieri said. “In school, we always are together.
“On the field, we communicate, and we all get along really, really well, and I really think that family that we have set forth on our team has really led us to big wins. Even when we do lose, we’re all there for each other.”
Nine seniors – Koellner, Palmieri, Gianna Arena, Abby Bedesem, Amanda Blum, Emily Curren, Lauren Duckenfield, Christen Pennington and Haille Sheppard – have been the heart and soul of this year’s squad.
“I have been playing with the same group of girls for a really long time, and honestly, we’ve grown together,” Palmieri said. “As the years have gone by, we really have connected. We know each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and we know when someone is down and needs a pick-me-up. It’s awesome.”
Coach Caitlin Koczynski credits her seniors for setting the tone.
“They definitely stepped up, and from the start, they wanted this year to be their year,” the Redskins’ coach said. “Day in and day out, the girls worked to achieve that goal. We took every game one game at a time, and we got this far.
“We were a team from the first whistle to the last whistle. We played defense together, we played offense together.”
The Redskins entered the season with decidedly high expectations, and on Tuesday, they checked yet another goal off their list when they completed a perfect conference season with a 2-0 win over the Golden Hawks.
“We definitely thought we were capable of doing as well as we did,” Koellner said. “We like to set goals because it keeps us motivated, and as a senior class, we knew we wanted to end the season as well as we could. We really wanted to capitalize on our skills this year.”
With 19:05 remaining in the first half of Tuesday’s regular season finale, Lauren Duckenfield deflected a Christen Pennington assist into the cage for a goal that turned out to the game winner.
For good measure Palmieri (Emily Alexis assist) tacked on an insurance goal with 24:18 remaining in regulation for a 2-0 lead that held until the final whistle.
“Honestly, this was the perfect end to a perfect season,” Palmieri said. “We have worked so hard this season, especially the seniors, and we really wanted to pull it out for the girls, and tonight it really showed. We worked together as a team, and we really delivered.”
Council Rock South finished the conference season in second place behind Neshaminy with an 11-3 record (12-6 overall). Neshaminy is 14-0 in conference play (17-1 overall).
“This was a great way to end the regular season,” Koczynski said. “The girls worked so, so hard for this.
“It couldn’t have happened to a better group of girls, and it couldn’t have happened without their hard work and dedication.”
The only blemish on the Redskins’ record this season was a 2-1 non-league loss to Continental Conference champion Central Bucks West.
“Since that was our first loss, it made us realize what it was like to lose, and no one on the team liked that feeling,” Koellner said. “It just makes us want to win even more.
“We can’t wait to see what’s up next for us. We know that as well as we have done that there’s even harder games ahead of us that we have to go into.”
“We’re definitely not done,” Palmieri added. “We want our senior year to be as long as possible. Our goal has obviously been states, and everyone has been working so hard – not only this year but over the past three years to get there. It would be a really awesome ending to our senior year.”
Neshaminy 1-1 2
Council Rock South 0-0 0
ABINGTON 5, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
It was the Kaila Brown/Sam McGee show for the Ghosts’ attack in Tuesday’s season finale.
Brown found the cage twice in the opening half, using assists from Rebecca Markham and McGee. In the second half, McGee scored an unassisted goal and then converted a pass from Brown into her second goal of the day. Brown closed out the scoring with her third goal to complete a hat trick, once again using a McGee assist.
Senior goalie Alyssa Herman earned her sixth shutout of the season.
Abington closed out league play with a 5-9 record (6-11 overall) while Truman was 0-13-1 in conference action (0-16-1 overall).
Abington 2-3 5
Harry S Truman 0-0 0
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 7, BENSALEM 0
There were several firsts in Rock North’s win at Bensalem as Jessica Kusters scored her first varsity goal, and Sabrina Green notched her first varsity assist.
Anna Lehman led a balanced Indian attack with two goals and one assist. Devon Mela, Jennica Jonovich and Julianne Mangano each contributed one goal and one assist. Danielle Nelson rounded out the scoring with a single goal.
Council Rock North finished in third place in the conference standings with a 10-4 league mark (12-5 overall). Bensalem was 2-12 in conference play (5-13 overall).
WILLIAM TENNENT 3, BENSALEM 0 (Monday, Oct. 19)
Senior Morgan Spornak scored a pair of goals, and Niyah Rhoades added a single goal to lead the Panthers’ attack in Monday’s win.
Rhoades put the Panthers on the scoreboard with 25 seconds remaining in the first half, using a Kylie Weiss assist. Spornak made it a 2-0 game with a goal six minutes in the second half, and she put the finishing touches on the win with another goal with 2:32 remaining.
Bensalem goalie Selena Lee was credited with eight saves while Tennent’s Trish McCoy had three saves in the shutout win. The Panthers held an 11-6 advantage in shots.
William Tennent 1-2 3
Bensalem 0-0 0
LOWER MERION 3, ABINGTON 0 (Monday, Oct. 19)
The Ghosts absorbed a non-league loss at the hands of the Aces on Monday.
The Aces took a 1-0 lead into halftime, thanks to an Annie O’Connor goal (Emma Unger assist). In the second half, Ashley Roberts connected for a pair of goals for the 3-0 final.
Abington 0-0 0
Lower Merion1-2 3
American Conference
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 6, NORRISTOWN 0
The Colonials celebrated Senior Night by clinching sole possession of their program’s third consecutive SOL American Conference crown.
It took absolutely no time for the Colonials to get on the scoreboard. Paige Totten connected for an unassisted goal just two minutes into the game, and then Jess Dixon scored back-to-back goals – the second with a Sophie Kolkka pass – to put the Colonials on top 3-0 midway through the opening half.
Kerin Bechtel created a corner with time winding down in the half, and Frankie O’Brien capitalized, turning a Kolkka pass into a goal after time had expired to send the Colonials into halftime with a 4-0 lead.
Just over a minute into the second half, Bechtel scored, using an O’Brien assist, and Kolkka scored the final goal midway through the second half, also using an O’Brien assist.
Coach Marianne Paparone credited sweeper Grace McGuire for leading the defensive effort and stopping the speedy Norristown forwards on several breakaways.
Goalkeepers Claire McAllister and Victoria Byrne combined for the shutout.
Plymouth Whitemarsh closed out its conference season with a 13-1 record (14-2 overall). Norristown was 1-13 in conference play (2-15 overall).
Norristown 0-0 0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 4-2 6
WISSAHICKON 6, CHELTENHAM 2
The Trojans raced to a 4-0 halftime lead on their way to the big win. Sophie Hessler led the Trojans with a hat trick.
It was Hessler putting the Trojans on the board with 20:30 remaining in the opening half, using a Jess Waite assist. That opened the floodgates. Goals by Marie Dickson (Kara Miles assist), Sophie Hessler (Gillian Southworth) and Southworth (Waite assist) in a span of just over three minutes put the Trojans on top 4-0.
The visiting Lady Panthers got on the scoreboard when Nimi Badejoko – on the far post – deflected a drive by Madison Gianelle into the cage at the 25:49 mark of the second half. Waite (Sarah Cammarota assist) answered for the Trojans, but Badejoko (Gianelle assist) connected for her second goal before Hessler closed it out with her third goal, using Waite’s third assist of the game.
Cheltenham goalie Tegan Dorley was credited with 14 saves while Wissahickon’s Claire Tarzia had eight.
Wissahickon finished second to PW in the conference standings with a 12-2 conference record (13-4 overall). The Lady Panthers were 5-9 in the conference (6-11 overall).
Cheltenham 0-2 2
Wissahickon 4-2 6
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 2, UPPER DUBLIN 0
The Spartans turned in an impressive defensive outing and received single goals from Ellie Hamilton and Victoria Ebner to earn the shutout win over the visiting Cardinals. Allison Yoder contributed an assist.
The Spartans, who led 1-0, at the halftime, held a 13-0 advantage in shots on goal and an 11-5 edge in penalty corners.
Isabelle Boles was not forced to make a save in the shutout win in goal.
Springfield closed out league play with an 8-6 record (10-8 overall). Upper Dublin was 5-9 in the league (5-13 overall).
Upper Dublin 0-0 0
Springfield 1-1 2
UPPER MORELAND 9, UPPER MERION 0
The Golden Bears sprinted to a 4-0 halftime lead on their way to the shutout win in Tuesday’s conference finale. Jenna Getz had five goals to lead the Bears.
Delaney Smith put the Bears on the scoreboard with an unassisted goal at the 23:41 mark of the first half. Getz scored back-to-back goals – the first with an Annie Dinh assist, and a goal by Jess Flanagan sent the Bears into halftime with a 4-0 lead.
Getz opened the second half scoring with a goal that was assisted by Maura O’Leary and Maddie Mull, and then it was O’Leary turning an Emily Jeinnings pass into a goal. Getz sandwiched a pair of goals around an Emily Zanine goal (Dinh assist) for the 9-0 final.
Upper Merion goalie Kate Foy turned away 23 shots in a busy day in the cage. Upper Moreland goalies Melissa Barber and Allison Felicetti were not forced to make a save.
Upper Moreland closed out conference play with an 11-3 record (13-4 overall) while Upper Merion was 1-13 in its final year of league play before moving to the PAC-10 (2-15 overall).
Upper Merion 0-0 0
Upper Moreland 4-5 9
Continental Conference
QUAKERTOWN 4, PENNRIDGE 2
They will savor this one for a lifetime.
A season that saw the Panthers struggle with injuries and endure their share of heartbreaking losses ended Tuesday night with the most remarkable of wins, so when Becky Gerhart, Emma McLaughlin and Hillary Scott were the last to leave Alumni Field, it’s a safe bet the senior tri-captains didn’t mind a bit.
The Panthers had just pulled of an improbable comeback, rallying from a 2-0 halftime deficit to defeat their neighboring rivals.
“We’ve been playing together since we were freshmen, and this is just a great way to end it,” McLaughlin said. “Each game that we were losing, we were really close, and we knew we didn’t want this one to have the same ending, and we knew we could win.”
“It was good,” Gerhart said. “Because it wasn’t just us. Everyone stepped up, and we could depend on everyone.
“It’s awesome,” Scott said. “Having the tough games at the beginning of the season brought us to where we are now.
“Even though a loss is hard, it’s something you want to take in and learn from. That way you can advance to where we are now.”
There was absolutely nothing to suggest the night would have a happy ending for the Panthers, who trailed 2-0 at halftime as the Rams capitalized on a pair of corners. Abby Bruzas redirected a corner shot by Meghan Griffin into the cage for a 1-0 Pennridge lead with 8:54 remaining in the first half, and that lead grew to 2-0 when Griffin (Larissa Motts assist) scored on a strong shot from the top of the circle.
Despite the Rams’ two-goal lead, the first half was a back and forth affair with the Rams drawing five corners and the Panthers four.
The second half was another story entirely. For starters, Panther coach Diane Molinaro made a change in strategy.
“We had to re-adjust, but I didn’t want to waste my timeouts in the first half,” she said. “It was our seniors last time playing on their home field, and I knew we had to think of ways around their game plan.
“They were shutting down the middle and crowding the center, so our strategy the second half was – let’s keep it wide, let’s use our outside players and let’s work the ball with smaller and faster passes, and that was really effective for us.”
As important as the strategy was another message Molinaro had for her squad.
“I said, ‘This is it. How do you want your last time on your home field to feel?’” the Panthers’ coach said. “You could just see they were fired up.”
The Panthers drew eight corners in the second half to just one for the Lady Rams. They scored on three.
“We’ve been working really hard on corners,” Molinaro said. “We’re working on keeping it simple, executing a very fast insert and getting a direct shot off. If you can get that piece of your corner, it’s hard to beat.”
That was certainly the case on Tuesday night. On the team’s fourth corner, McLaughlin set the tone when she fired a rocket that was turned away by a diving Carley Wingate, but Taylor Rinehimer was there for the rebound, putting it in the cage to make it a 2-1 game.
“I think in the second half we had to step up our game because we were down two goals,” Gerhart said. “After Taylor scored the first goal, I think we were able to get back in it because we were only one goal away.”
The Panthers knotted the score when Gerhart redirected a McLaughlin shot into the cage, and twenty-one seconds later, Gerhart scored an unassisted goal. McLaughlin put an exclamation point on the win when she turned Gerhart’s insert page into another powerful shot that made it a 4-2 game.
“We grew so much as a team,” Molinaro said. “Our practices were always very productive, so no matter how many times we came back after a loss, our practices were always extremely productive, and we kept working and we kept working on the little things.
“It finally clicked. I think the last two weeks of our season have been the strongest because everyone else stepped their game up to the plate. There’s not such a big gap between our seniors and underclassmen. For the girls that only play two-and-a-half months out of the season, it takes almost two months for them to start connecting and to start getting the basics down solid.”
The loss brought to an end an impressive six-game winning streak for the Lady Rams.
“I think they thought we were going to win this 2-0, and we could sit back and relax,” Pennridge coach Becky Spahr said. “We haven’t had a game where we’ve gone from ahead and fallen off completely.
“They played really well in the second half, and I think what we’ve learned from this is we can never be content in a one half game. We’ve struggled with that a lot. I think we can also learn that things don’t always go our way.”
Quakertown closed out conference play with a 4-10 record (6-12 overall) while Pennridge – which will face Christopher Dock in a non-league game on Thursday – is 7-7 in the league 10-7 overall.
Pennridge 2-0 2
Quakertown 0-4 4
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 2, SOUDERTON 1
The Patriots avenged an early season loss to the Indians, opening up a 2-0 halftime lead and holding on for the win in the evenly played game.
Abbey Butler (Rachel Fife assist) put the Patriots on the scoreboard with a goal at the 17:34 mark of the opening half, and six minutes later, Cailey Lever deflected a strong shot by Katelyn Stout into the cage. That 2-0 lead held up until 6:43 remained in regulation when sophomore Liz O’Hara scored, using a Nina Disco assist.
“Souderton was a very well-coached, tough team to keep out of the defensive end of the field,” East coach Michelle Finegan said. “The offensive attack from Jess Gabriel, Erin Saybolt, Nina Disco and Ali Casciato was impressive for Souderton.
“This was a great overall team effort for East leading us into districts.”
Both teams had six shots on goal.
“We fought a good fight tonight but came up a little short on our Senior Night,” Souderton coach Lauren Whiteside said. “It took us until the second half to show our stuff, but we had some great passing sequences on the field which propelled our offense.
“We never gave up, and when we were able to score with about seven minutes left, that lifted our spirits and made us more intense. We rallied up until the last whistle, and I’m proud of the girls and the seniors for giving their all.”
Central Bucks East closed out league play in second place behind Central Bucks West with a 10-4 record (14-4 overall). Souderton was 4-9-1 in the league (8-9-1 overall).
Central Bucks East 2-0 2
Souderton 0-1 1
NORTH PENN 4, HATBORO-HORSHAM 2
Sparked by Brianna O’Donnell’s hat trick, the Maidens picked up the important win, opening up a 4-0 lead and never looking back.
Abbie Roberts put the Maidens on the scoreboard with 3:42 remaining in the opening half. At the 27:34 mark of the second half, O’Donnell scored, using an assist from Emma Herb. It marked the beginning of a 3-0 tear by the sophomore forward, who reeled off back-to-back-to-back goals in a five-minute span. Jenn DeLongis assisted on her second goal and Mikayla Barrow on the third.
The Hatters refused to go down without a fight, and Syd Rausa (Gabby Acker assist) and Lizzy Theurer both scored a goal for the 4-2 final.
The Hatters held a 14-8 advantage in shots, but the Maidens had a 12-9 edge in corners. Maiden goalie Brynne Schoppe was credited with eight saves in the win.
North Penn closed out conference play in third place with an 8-6 record (9-9 overall) while Hatboro-Horsham was 5-9 in the league (7-11 overall).
Hatboro-Horsham 0-2 2
North Penn 1-3 4
VILLA MARIA ACADEMY 5, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0
The Hurricanes – the defending Class AA District One champions – opened up a 4-0 halftime lead on their way to the non-league win.
South goalie Karlie Buonomo was credited with 15 saves, and Sarah Zeszotarski had five in a contest that saw the Hurricanes hold a 29-0 advantage in shots.
Central Bucks South (3-13-1, 3-9-1 SOL) will close out its season with a contest against Central Bucks West on Wednesday (7 p.m.)
Central Bucks South 0-0 0
Villa Maria 4-1 5
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