CB West, CB East, PW and CR South advanced to Friday’s quarterfinals. Check back for a gallery of photos of the CR South/North Penn contest.
#5 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 3, #12 HAVERFORD 0
Lydia Bothwell clutched the small yellow duck – affectionately called the ‘defensive ducky’ by coach Courtney Lepping, who awards it at the end of each game for standout defensive play. The Bucks’ defense wasn’t tested often in Wednesday’s second round game, but when they were, the defenders rose to the occasion.
“This (win) means a lot to us because even coming in as the higher seed – we knew nothing was guaranteed,” Bothwell said. “Coming into it, we had to be very hyped up, and we spent a lot of time yesterday getting the team morale up because this could be our last game.
“For the seniors, we didn’t want it to end. We’re just starting to jell as a team. Everyone is so close, so coming into today, we knew it was a big game. In districts, they’re all amazing teams.”
The Bucks dominated the Fords from start to finish but couldn’t get on the scoreboard until 4:12 remained in the opening half when Eva Altadonna turned a Cadera Smith shot/rebound into a goal. Altadonna received the “Finish It” Gatorade that’s awarded to someone who has left their heart on the field.
“We’ve been really working with her all season on the right side – the first touches and how she was receiving the ball,” Lepping said. “It looked like it all came together for her today.
“She was strong over there, she was using her long reach to get that good first touch. This was, by far, her best game to date.”
The Bucks were still clinging to that 1-0 lead until 13:32 remained in regulation when – during corner play – junior Taylor Mason got a powerful shot off from the top of the circle after dodging the Fords’ flier.
“That was a huge weight off our shoulders,” Bothwell said. “Even then, anything could happen, but it’s nice to have that cushion.
“Even when it was 1-0, we had to keep our cool and stay calm and collected, so it was really important that we all played together and played our best.”
Senior Bryn Boylan put the finishing touches on the impressive win when her chip shot from the left side of the goal deflected off a defender and fell into the cage for the 3-0 final.
“Even with a one-goal lead, I thought we played strong the whole time,” Lepping said. “We played a full 60 minutes. We came out hard from the beginning and nearly scored in the first two minutes.
“I have to give it up to them defensively – they played very strong and were really good at stopping our attacks. I was just proud of us for keeping our composure and playing the same way they started the game the whole 60 minutes.”
It could have been worse had it not been for the 12-save effort of Fords’ goalie Kaileigh Murphy.
“Their goalie had a phenomenal game,” Lepping said.
The Bucks (15-3-1, 9-2-1 SOL) will be on the road at fourth-seeded Methacton for a quarterfinal contest on Friday at 6 p.m.
Haverford 0-0 0
Central Bucks West 1-2 3
#6 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 2, #11 OWEN J ROBERTS 1
Mackenzie Boyle has languished in relative obscurity as a defensive midfielder on a Patriot squad with more than a few offensive weapons.
That changed in a hurry on Wednesday when Boyle – on the left post – redirected a drive from the top of the circle on a corner by Reilly Finegan into the cage with 7:26 remaining in regulation for a goal that proved to be the game winner.
“As the ball was coming to me, I was like ‘You cannot miss it,’” Boyle said. “You can’t swing for the ball because if you swing you miss.
“Reilly set me up really nice, and I was able to finish.”
“Their corner team was very strong,” Finegan said. “I think on that play I got a little bit lucky that the girl was still mid-stride, so it was a combination of (the ball went) either under her stick or through her legs to Kenz.
“She was wide open, and the goalie had no time (to react).”
The Wildcats kept things interesting until the final whistle. After drawing just one corner in 59 minutes, they were awarded three in the final minute – two with the scoreboard clock showing all zeroes, but the Patriots’ corner defense held strong.
“It was especially awful because we knew going into this that their corners were very complex and very good,” Finegan said. “They have really good hits.
“We had to study their corners last night.”
At the 4:17 mark of the first half, the Patriots took a 1-0 lead when Cailey Lever scored on the rebound of save by goalie Cassie Mickelsavage, who turned away back-to-back shots in the wild sequence before Lever’s follow.
“You have good goalies, you have good defenders, you have well-coached teams,” coach Michelle Finegan said. “Our kids knew they had to fight for everything they got, and they did a very nice job. Cailey’s goal was nice.”
The Wildcats knotted the score 26 seconds into the second half. Bridget Guinan carried the ball down the field and passed to Julia Lamb on the right baseline. Lamb sent a hard pass across goal that was deflected into the cage by Eloise Gebert.
That 1-1 tie stood until Boyle – in her first game delivering the insert pass on corners – scored her late goal.
The win ensured the Patriots two more games and erased memories of last year’s second round exit in a 4-0 loss to archrival Central Bucks West.
“It’s better than I ever experienced before,” Reilly Finegan said. “It’s pretty exciting.”
“We lost in this game last year, and it was devastating,” coach Finegan said. “I feel for the teams that are in a situation where it’s their last game.”
The Patriots’ coach called the win a team effort.
“The entire team worked together very well today, especially our offensive and defensive corner teams,” Finegan said. “Abbey Butler, Emma Donnelly and Cailey Lever were dynamic on the front line and fed some nice passes into the circle.
“Credit the Owen J Roberts defense who continued to clear some of our good opportunities out of the back. Mackenzie Boyle stepped up today on defense and had the game-winning goal.”
She also lauded the strong play of defenders Sarah Sheehy, Isobel Mannino and Elizabeth Philipp.
Central Bucks East (14-4-1, 11-1 SOL) will be on the road at third-seeded Downingtown West for a quarterfinal game on Friday. The Patriots edged the Whippets 3-2 in overtime on Sept. 6 in the second game of the season.
Owen J Roberts 0-1 1
Central Bucks East 1-1 2
#7 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 3, #23 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 2
The Colonials raced out of the gate to a 2-0 halftime lead only to watch the Titans score a pair of goals in a span of two minutes and 14 seconds to knot the score. Senior Frankie O’Brien scored her second goal of the game with just over two minutes remaining, and PW’s corner defense held strong as the Titans had a corner opportunity with time expired.
“I had watched them on Monday, and I knew they would be an aggressive, scrappy team that would fight to the end, and that’s definitely what we got,” PW coach Charise Halteman said. “I was pleased with our first half. It was our first district game, so there were a little nerves in the beginning, but I thought we played a pretty decent first half.”
O’Brien put the Colonials on the board with a penalty stroke. The stroke was awarded when South’s flyer made contact at the top of the circle.
“It was a little bit of a controversial call, but we’ll take it,” Halteman said.
Sam Spera used some quick stick work to score a goal that sent the Colonials into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
“I think that was crucial for us because I didn’t think we played our style of hockey in the second half,” Halteman said. “CB South definitely had the momentum, and we had to hang tight defensively for a long time. It was a lot of hard work to play until the end, but the girls stayed strong.”
The Colonials could have collapsed after the Titans scored back-to-back goals with Kasey Dietzel finding the cage at the 18:28 mark (Lauren Dougherty assist) and then Casey Reilly scoring with 16:14 remaining, also with a Dougherty assist.
That didn’t happen as O’Brien scored in a scramble in front of the cage to give the Colonials a lead they would not lose.
“At the very end of the game, we had a couple of defensive corners in a row, so we had to play strong all the way to the end,” Halteman said. “It was intense until the last moment.”
The Colonials’ coach credited the play of several players in the win.
“Sam Spera played great on attack all night,” Halteman said. “Frankie was solid the whole night.
“The second half was not our game, that’s for sure, but I think everybody buckled down and made the best of decisions that they could. They did what they needed to do to hang on and got the win.”
The atmosphere at the night playoff game may have had something to do with the nerves.
“I felt like we were making mistakes we hadn’t for a long time, but tonight was a totally different environment – a lot more fans, much louder on the sidelines,” Halteman said. “CB South has a fight-to-the-end attitude because they play in those tough games, and they know if they’re going to win they have to play 60 minutes against those teams.
“Our team – I get to play a lot of people and we score a lot of goals, which is fun, but it’s definitely a sharp learning curve when we get to playoffs and have to perform at a very high level for a full 60 minutes, and it almost went longer tonight.”
The Titans held an advantage in shots (7-4) and corners in the second half.
“We dominated the second half, I felt,” said South coach Pat Toner. “I was impressed with Plymouth Whitemarsh.
“I don’t think their league is near as hard as ours, but I thought they played well. The call for the penalty stroke changed everything. We didn’t understand it, and it took a half hour of the game to get them back in the correct mindset.”
Although the clock struck midnight on the Titans’ Cinderella story, they closed their season with no regrets.
“I’m really proud of the way this team played the entire season,” Toner said. “There was never a time that I had to question their effort or question whether or not they wanted to be out there.
“They worked hard from the minute I met them until the last minute of today’s game. There was no question in my mind or in any game they played that they didn’t want to be out there.
“They overcame one thing after another. Even today, they were down two goals and managed to come back and tie it, and I’m incredibly proud of them for the fact that they actually are a team. We talked for a long time on the bus before leaving, and I told them a quote that I love – ‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.’”
Central Bucks South closed its season with a 9-9-1 record overall (5-7 SOL). Plymouth Whitemarsh (18-1-1, 14-0) will travel to second-seeded Conestoga for a quarterfinal contest Friday.
Central Bucks South 0-2 2
Plymouth Whitemarsh 2-1 3
#8 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 1, #9 NORTH PENN 0
Paige Schmid – using a Katelyn Cocco assist – scored just over four minutes into Thursday’s second round game against the high-flying Knights. It figured to be the first of many goals on the night.
It wasn’t.
Schmid’s goal stood the rest of the way as the Hawks defense did what just one other team had done all season – they kept the Knights off the scoreboard. North Penn fell by an identical 1-0 score to third-seeded Downingtown West on Sept. 10. Since then, the Knights have scored less than three goals just once, and that came in a 2-1 win over Souderton.
“It was a really great game to watch,” South coach Lisa Belz said. “It was exciting, it was intense.
“It was two really good teams out there. We’re very pleased.”
The Hawks’ coach lauded the performance of defensive backs Emily Keller, Mikayla VanAken, Bianca Bonanni and Tori Wright.
“My backs did an outstanding job,” the Hawks’ coach said. “Emily Keller did outstanding – she’s so patient and so composed. I can’t even describe some of the big plays she came up with tonight.”
While veterans VanAken and Keller kept high-scoring Bri O’Donnell under wraps, Bonanni silenced Mikayla Barrow. The duo combined for 58 goals this season.
“Bianca is outstanding,” Belz said. “She steps up to the ball, and she anticipates the play. She did a really good job.”
The Golden Hawks, who had an 8-4 advantage in shots, had four corners to the Knights’ two in the first half. Both teams had just one corner in the second half. The two teams, according to Belz, mirrored each other in many way.
“We actually thought we were playing ourselves,” the Hawks’ coach said. “They tried to play on the right, and we try to play on our right.
“They swung the ball from one side to the other, and they used the width of the field.”
Although the Knights’ season came to an end, coach Shannon McCracken was pleased with her team’s performance.
“(We) played a hard-fought game tonight against a tough Council Rock South,” the Knights’ coach said. “The game was a back and forth battle with much of the play within the midfield.
“The Knights played hard to the final whistle and played with heart, hustle and determination.”
North Penn goalie Brynne Schoppe recorded four saves while South’s Sabrina Masone was credited with two saves.
North Penn closed its season with a 13-7 record (9-3 SOL). Council Rock South (16-3, 12-0) will travel to top-seeded Unionville for a district quarterfinal game Friday.
North Penn 0-0 0
Council Rock South 1-0 1
#4 METHACTON 3, #13 NESHAMINY 2
Senior Mia Sexton scored a pair of goals – both with assists from Jamie Pennington – in a three-minute period, turning a 1-0 halftime deficit into a 2-1 lead. The Warriors, however, rallied, scoring two unanswered goals to eke out the win.
The loss brought a successful season to an end for a Redskin squad that graduated a strong senior class from last year’s conference championship squad, including four who are playing at the Division One level.
“We told the girls at the end – we believed in them,” coach Jamie Pinto said. “I don’t know if outside of Neshaminy field hockey people really believed they would have done what they did this year.
“They did it because of the senior leadership, our captains leading the girls on and off the field. They really pulled it together. They’re leaving with good memories on and off the field and good friendships. They had a great season.
“I don’t now if anyone thought they would get as far as they did, but they worked hard. That’s what you do in Neshaminy field hockey. You come in, you work hard, you play hard and good things happened.”
Pinto bids farewell to a senior class that includes captains Sexton, Elayna Curtin, Elena Donato and Emily Alexis as well as Jill Mitchell, Taylor Benton, Kailyn Deon and Julia Geisheimer.
The Redskins held a decided advantage in both shots (21-13) and corners (18-10).
“The seniors led the way today, but everybody stepped up,” Pinto said. “This is what we worked for all year.
“They played hard, they played together. It was a good game. Methacton is a very good team. We know other teams play on turf all the time, but to me, they are a true turf team – their stick skills, the goals they were scoring off the corners and deflections. We can go back and forth from grass to turf, but that was a little disadvantage just getting used to it. They were a good team.”
Neshaminy closed out it season with a 14-6 mark overall (10-2 SOL).
Neshaminy 0-2 2
Methacton 1-2 3
#1 UNIONVILLE 7, #17 UPPER DUBLIN 1
The Flying Cardinals ran into an offensive juggernaut in Wednesday’s second round. The two-time defending district champions got on the scoreboard 37 seconds into the contest when Annie McDonough turned a Katie Anderson pass into a goal, and Claire Donovan’s goal (Madison Miles assist) gave the Indians a 2-0 lead just over six minutes into the game. The Indians reeled off five unanswered goals before UD’s Shannon Reape turned an Emma Mead pass into a goal with 30 seconds remaining in the half to make it a 5-1 game.
Unionville (18-1) added a pair of second-half goals in a contest that saw six different players find the cage. The Indians held a lopsided advantage in shots (25-3) and corners (16-1).
Coach Heather Boyer lauded the strong play of Allie DeMichele.
“She had a stick save on goal and played a very strong defensive game,” the Cardinals’ coach said.
Upper Dublin closed out its season with a 12-7-1 record overall (11-3 SOL).
Upper Dublin 1-0 1
Unionville 5-2 7
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