Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Wednesday.
National Conference
BENSALEM 1, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
Kaylie Buechner couldn’t have picked a better moment to score the first varsity goal of her career, deflecting a cross from teammate Angie Lee into the cage during corner play with no time remaining in regulation to propel the Owls to the heartstopping win.
“It was her first career goal, and it was extra exciting because she plays defense,” coach Dottie O’Neil said. “That made it even more exciting than it already was. It was a nail biter.”
With no time showing on the clock and the entire Owls’ squad team drawn up for the final corner, the ball was inserted to Lee.
“She sent a beautiful cross right through the circle, and Buechner just deflected it right on the goal. It was beautiful, it was picture perfect,” O’Neil said. “We did play really well as a team.
The first-year coach acknowledged the strong play of several players.
“Gabby Greco, our center mid and captain, played really well, so did Victoria Reed, who is also a captain,” O’Neil said. “They had a lot of corners against us, and our defense played strong, holding them to no goals.”
The win was the first of the young conference season for Bensalem, and O’Neil is looking for the Owls to build on their improved play.
“They have been working so hard ever since preseason,” she said. “Looking at the scorebook, we’re losing 7-0, 10-0 to Neshaminy and Pennsbury and teams like that, and you don’t see how hard they’re trying.
“We’re not getting the wins, but we’re getting compliments from refs every game about how they never give up. You’d never know the score is 7-0 because they’re playing just as hard as the second they stepped on the field, so that’s what’s awesome about this group of girls. They have great attitudes, they play so well together, and they really don’t give up. They try all game long, no matter what the score is. They’ve been practicing extra hard.”
There have been little victories along the way.
“We just played Council Rock on Monday, and they were only beating us 2-0 at halftime,” O’Neil said. “Bensalem doesn’t usually make that happen in games. I was trying to explain to the girls how significant it was that we were keeping them to a 2-0 lead and we had our own scoring opportunities. Those are big steps for Bensalem this year. I don’t think they all realize that. The progress they’re making this season so far – hopefully, it will continue and pan out the rest of the season and we’ll get some more goals in the book.”
Bensalem (2-4, 1-3 SOL) will host Avon Grove in a non-league game Friday, and Harry S Truman (0-4, 0-3) will host Abington on Friday.
Bensalem 0-1 1
Harry S Truman 0-0 0
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 1, ABINGTON 0 (OT)
The young Indians needed some late-game heroics to eke out a win over the pesky Ghosts. With four minutes remaining in overtime, Hannah Barsky turned a pass from teammate Bridget Thompson into a goal, propelling the Indians to the hard fought win.
“We should have scored earlier than we did, but we’re young, and winning in overtime was huge,” North coach Heather Whalin said.
Making life difficult for the Indians was Abington goalie Mackenzie Grenier.
“She was phenomenal – she made some saves that you shouldn’t be able to make,” Whalin said. “Bridget Thompson had three straight shots, and she saved all three. Against any other goalie, they’re all goals. One was a reverse stick – it was gorgeous, and she saved it. She was awesome.”
Rock North sophomore goalie Kyra Deehr-Lewis was equally tough in goal.
“My goalie was fantastic,” Whalin said. “The save she made was the game-winning save.
“(Natalie) McNamara took a drive from the right top of the circle, and it got through to a girl standing on the post all by herself. She got the tip, and Kyra dove to the post and saved it with her blocker. It was unbelievable.
“I think it was in overtime, but it was all a blur. It was the best save, and for being a sophomore and first time on varsity, it was a big-time save.”
The winning goal, according to Whalin, came on a “totally botched corner.”
“Bridget Thompson ran all the way from her position to get the ball and shot it back in,” Whalin said. “It may have deflected off a defender’s stick, and Barsky took it right around the goalie and scored.
“I think the goalie got a piece of it, and then Barsky dove and slammed it in the cage.”
Both goalies recorded nine saves. The Indians were down a player for five minutes late in the second half as the result of a yellow card.
“My defense – they are babies,” Whalin said. “Two of them were forwards last year. My center back, Nikki Jackson, was on McNamara the whole time, and she played her brilliantly.
“I have a sister duo – Kate McQuarrie and Anna McQuarrie. Anna, who was the captain of our jayvee last year, plays forward, and she just had a really positive game. She doesn’t do anything fancy, but she earned us a lot of corners. Her sister Kate is a sophomore, and she’s my right back. Last year she was on jayvee and played forward.
“We only have one returner in her position, Sarah Everett, and the only people who started last year were Hannah Barsky and Bridget Thompson, and they’re playing different positions. It’s a work in progress. We’re trying to see what fits.
“Abington is well-coached. The addition of McNamara – they have some very good players.”
Council Rock North (3-2, 3-1 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy on Friday, and Abington (3-3, 1-3) will be on the road at Harry S Truman.
Abington 0-0-0 0
Council Rock North 0-0-1 1
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0
One shot, one perfectly-placed shot by Riley Donnelly that was impossible to defend was the difference in Wednesday’s classic battle between the conference powers. Donnelly hit paydirt during corner play, turning a Cailey Lever insert pass into a rocket that found the cage before anyone could react. The goal gave the visiting Patriots a 1-0 lead with 13:06 remaining in the first half. That one-goal lead stood the rest of the way.
“The corner Riley scored on was just the most perfectly-executed corner,” West coach Courtney Lepping said. “It wasn’t anything fancy. It was a perfect ball hit out hard to her at the top, and she just slammed it home.
“There was no defending it. It was just a great shot. When a ball comes out and is stopped that perfectly and is hit that hard, you just have to hope that it’s off wide.”
The shot wasn’t wide, and the Bucks absorbed their first home loss since falling to Hatboro-Horsham 2-1 on Oct. 9, 2014.
“It was a good game,” East coach Michelle Finegan said. “I felt like it was one of the first times we were in control of the game a lot.
“This is the rivalry for us, and I think West played well. I was really pleased with our team. It was the first game I felt like we jelled.”
The Patriots held a 15-8 advantage in corners with seven in the first half and eight in the second. The Bucks had three first-half corners and five in the second half.
“It was such a great game,” Lepping said. “They owned the first half, and we had our chances in the second half.
“They had a ton of corners in the first half, corner after corner after corner. We were defending well. In the second half, we had some opportunities. We had balls behind the goalie that we just couldn’t finish. They had defenders on it. There were so many ‘almosts.’ I was proud of our kids. For 60 minutes, they played their butts off. East scored that goal, and never once did they hang their heads. They fought to the bitter end, and there were chances.”
The Bucks’ best chance came with eight minutes remaining, according to Lepping, when a passing sequence from Caitlin Mulligan to Julia Bunch to Anya DeAngelis got behind the goalie before being stopped by the East defense.
West goalie Peyton Fischer certainly did her part to keep it a one-goal game, recording 12 saves in a standout effort.
“She played out of her mind,” Lepping said of her senior goalie. “There could have been a way different score if she hadn’t saved some of the balls she saved.
“She had several 1v1 stops that kept East from getting any momentum, and when they had chances to score, she kept them from getting any easy shots.”
“Peyton Fischer was ridiculous,” Finegan said. “She kept them in the game. She was incredible, and we had 15 penalty corners. We could have capitalized on a few more without her outstanding effort. Peyton was tough and their defense did a nice job.”
Casey Reichwein was also a force on defense for the Bucks, delivering five defensive saves.
“On one corner alone, she had two defensive aerial saves,” Lepping said. “It was ridiculous.
“During the last few minutes, she had three of them. They were sure goals that she was able to get. She played beautifully in the middle.”
The Bucks’ coach lauded the effort of her entire defense – Reichwein, Kaci Murray, Liv Fitzgerald and Chloe Miller.
For the Patriots, goalie Emily Bullard stopped six shots in the shutout.
“She also had some great plays to keep (us) in the lead,” Finegan said. “In the second half, they had some close ones, and I was really proud of my defense and my goalie Emily Bullard.”
One of the games subplots was the battle between a pair of University of Maryland recruits – Riley Donnelly and CB West senior Taylor Mason.
“Taylor and Riley Donnelly were in a battle in the midfield,” Finegan said. “That was a lot of back and forth.
“Taylor also played well. Today Riley was really on, and it was fun to watch. It was one of those games where she was composed. Time was running out and she kept the ball on her stick, eliminated a couple of people and got the ball down into our end.”
Central Bucks East (6-1, 4-0 SOL) will be on the road at William Tennent on Friday, and Central Bucks West (4-2, 2-2) will travel to Pennridge on Friday.
Central Bucks East 1-0 1
Central Bucks West 0-0 0
SOUDERTON 2, PENNRIDGE 1
Courtney Kenah connected on a pair of goals to lead the Indians. Jess Gabriel assisted on one of the goals in a contest that saw the Indians send 23 shots on goal, an advantage that was negated by the 21-save effort of Mac Bross in goal. Hannah Cook recorded a defensive save for the Rams.
“Souderton has a skilled, fast forward line, and our defense – Hannah Cook, Alex Lippmann, Emily Amsden and Monica Kerins – did a great job controlling their attack,” Pennridge coach Becky Spahr said. “Mac Bross was excellent in goal once again.”
Abby Ludlow scored for the Rams, using a Caitlyn Amsden assist.
“The team is looking stronger each game, and today we improved our team play both offensively and defensively,” Spahr said. “Both Caitlyn Amsden and Emily Amsden were strong in the center of the field for us, and Macy Price did a great job putting pressure on Souderton’s defense.”
Souderton (2-3, 1-2 SOL) will host North Penn on Friday, and Pennridge (0-4, 0-3) will host Central Bucks West on Friday.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 3, WILLIAM TENNENT 0
Annie Brady put the Titans on the scoreboard with a goal that turned out to be the game winner with 18:26 remaining in the first half. Casey Reilly made it a 2-0 game when she scored in the closing minutes of the first half.
Reilly connected for her second goal of the game, this one with a Meg Gillard assist, at the 19:37 mark of the second half for the 3-0 final.
“(We) spent most of the game in the offensive third of the field but had difficulty capitalizing on our opportunities,” coach Pat Toner said. “Tennent is well-coached and was tough in the defensive circle.”
The Titans generated 15 corners and took 29 shots while limiting the Panthers to just one corner and no shots. Only the 26-save effort of sophomore goalie Sophia Trozzi kept the Panthers in the game.
Central Bucks South (3-2, 3-1 SOL) will host Gwynedd Mercy in a non-league contest on Thursday at 3:30 p.m., and William Tennent (1-4, 0-3) will host Central Bucks East on Friday.
William Tennent 0-0 0
Central Bucks South 2-1 3
American Conference
QUAKERTOWN 2, CHELTENHAM 0
In a battle of the Panthers, it was the home team winning their second game of the week, thanks to a pair of second-half goals by Belgian senior exchange student Juliette Dessart. Dessart broke a scoreless tie with 20:30 remaining in regulation, digging the ball out of the defense and scoring on a reverse sweep.
Dessart’s second goal came with 6:39 remaining.
“We had a fumbled corner play that Diana Kahindo saved and crossed in the circle,” coach Kelly Driscoll said. “Juliette was able to lift it up and over, hitting the upper right corner of the goal. It was a great finish.”
That 2-0 score stood until the final horn.
“There was a lot less momentum in this game and a lot more fouling,” Driscoll said. “We had 14 corners that we were unable to finish on and 18 shots.
“The opportunity was there all night, but we failed to execute.”
The Panthers’ first-year coach lauded the effort of Olivia Williams on defense.
“She has been outstanding in her play,” Driscoll said. “She works hard every day and plays hard.
“She wins about 95 percent of 50/50 balls, and she will not tolerate getting beat by her mark. Tonight she was a force in moving the ball up the right side of the field. She is not afraid to go on attack. I’m not worried either because I know she will recover and get back to the ‘D’ if needed.”
Quakertown (2-3, 2-2 SOL) will be on the road at Upper Moreland on Friday, and Cheltenham (0-5, 0-4) will travel to Wissahickon on Friday.
Cheltenham 0-0 0
Quakertown 0-2 2
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 4, UPPER DUBLIN 0
The Colonials took a 1-0 lead into halftime but erupted for three second-half goals en route to the shutout win.
“PW found a way to grind out a win against Upper Dublin today despite a lack of intensity in the first half,” PW coach Charise Halteman said. “Our play in the first half was marked by a number of turnovers and poor decision making.”
Jess Dixon scored the lone goal of the opening half off a deflection. Kennedy Reardon found the cage five minutes into the second half, and midway through the half, Dixon scored her second goal, this one with a Sophie Kolkka assist. Sam Spera’s goal with 2:17 remaining in regulation gave the Colonials their final margin of victory. Michelle McGrath also contributed an assist for the Colonials.
“We played with more fight in the second half,” Halteman said. “The score certainly doesn’t reflect the pressure Upper Dublin put on our team, especially on their offensive penalty corners.
“I thought our defenders, under the leadership of Sophie Kolkka, stayed composed and worked together to maintain the shutout.”
PW held a 16-10 advantage in shots, but the Cardinals had an 8-6 edge in corners.
PW goalie Katherine Houghton had 10 saves in the shutout. For the Cardinals, Meghan Muth and Sarah Herchenroder combined for 12 saves.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (5-0, 4-0 SOL) will be on the road at Hatboro-Horsham on Friday, and Upper Dublin (3-2, 2-2) will travel to Springfield Township Friday.
Upper Dublin 0-0 0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 1-3 4
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 3, UPPER MORELAND 1
The Golden Bears took a 1-0 lead when Madison Casey turned a Chloe Tice pass into a goal less than two minutes into the game. That 1-0 lead stood until Maddie Yoder found the cage with 12:17 remaining in the half, using an Ellie Hamilton assist. Six minutes later, Yoder scored what turned out to be the game winner, this time using a pass from Anya Kochanowicz. Kochannowicz (Hannah Grouthusen assist) tacked on an insurance goal with 3:25 remaining in the half. Neither team scored the rest of the way.
Spartan goalie Emily Henry recorded seven saves in the shutout win. UM’s Cassidy Murphy had seven saves. The Spartans held a 10-7 advantage in penalty corners.
Springfield Township (3-1 SOL) will host Upper Dublin on Friday, and Upper Moreland (2-3, 2-2) will host Quakertown on Friday.
Springfield Township 3-0 3
Upper Moreland 1-0 1
WISSAHICKON 9, HATBORO-HORSHAM 0
Ellen Kane connected for the hat trick and also had an assist while Sammi Pak had a hand in five goals, scoring twice and assisting on three others. Emily Purnell added one goal and three assists. Sarah Campbell scored twice, and Julianna Sutow had a goal and an assist. Steph Scoma chipped in one assist.
Pak put the Trojans on the scoreboard, and that was followed by goals from Purnell and Campbell, sending the Trojans into halftime with a 3-0 lead. Sutow and Campbell opened the scoring in the second half with back-to-back goals, and then Kane went on her own personal tear, reeling off three straight goals. Pak put an exclamation point on the win with her second goal to close out the scoring.
Wissahickon (3-1 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Friday, and Hatboro-Horsham (0-5, 0-4) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday.
Wissahickon 3-6 9
Hatboro-Horsham 0-0 0
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