Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Tuesday. Neshaminy/CR South photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL American Conference
WISSAHICKON 2, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 1 (OT)
Ellen Kane scored with 8:20 remaining in overtime, propelling the Trojans to a dramatic Senior Night win over the Spartans. Sammi Pak assisted on the game winner. The win avenged a 2-0 loss at the hands of the Spartans on Sept. 25.
"It was early in the season, and I felt we played really poorly on grass, and I felt like that really held us up a lot," Wissahickon coach Lucy Gil said of the early season loss. "I wanted to almost show the world that's not who we are. We don't play like that, so this was really important.
"It was important to the girls, and it was important to me too. The girls are feeling really good about themselves."
The Trojans are the 18th seed in the latest District One 3A power rankings.
"After that loss, we were out of the tournament at that point," Gil said. "A loss would have made it really almost impossible for us to make it. This at least gives us a fighting chance depending on what other teams do in the next couple of days."
The two teams battled to a 1-1 halftime tie. Hannah Grothusen – with assists from Any Kochanowicz and Ellie Hamilton – scored a goal six minutes into the contest. The Trojans evened the score with 12:29 remaining in the first half when Emily Purnell (Pak assist) found the cage, and that 1-1 score stood until Kane’s overtime heroics.
The Trojans held a 10-6 advantage in shots and a 10-5 edge in corners. Springfield goalie Emily Henry recorded seven saves. Trojan goalie freshman Sophia Murray was credited with three saves in the shutout win.
"Our varsity goalie had a concussion and was out for three games," Gil said of sophomore Meghan Reilly. "It's not like we would have beat Gwynedd Mercy (a 5-0 loss) if we would have had her. Our jayvee goalie did a stellar job, but it wasn't our varsity goalie who's just amazing.
"They're both really young, and it was great Sophia could fill in, and she did a nice job. She held in there and got us through this last week, and if we do make the playoffs playoffs, our regular goalie (Reilly) will be back. She's been practicing the last few days and will be back by Monday if we're in."
Wissahickon closed out its regular season with an 11-7 record (10-4 SOL).
Springfield Township 1-0-0 1
Wissahickon 1-0-1 2
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 4, QUAKERTOWN 0
Perfection is nigh impossible to attain, but the Colonials were perfect in conference play. PW rolled to a 14-0 record and did not allow a goal in those 14 games en route to their fifth consecutive conference crown.
Jess Dixon led the Colonials’ attack with a pair of goals in the first half. Ava Borkowski and Kaleigh Missimer each added one goal while Sam Spera had a pair of assists.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (16-2, 14-0 SOL) is the 18th seed in the latest District One 3A power rankings. Quakertown closed out its season with a 5-12 record overall (5-9 SOL).
Plymouth Whitemarsh 3-1 4
Quakertown 0-0 0
SOL Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0
With the conference title already in their back pocket, there wasn’t a whole lot at stake for the Patriots. Except pride and the not-so-little-matter of remaining perfect against their sister school.
“We knew we had the Suburban One title secured, no matter what, but we did not want to leave the Suburban One League ending on a loss, especially to one of the CB schools,” senior captain Riley Donnelly said. “We had beaten West twice and South once already, and we wanted to do that again and not let them back in because they’re always a team you know they want it, and they’re going to do whatever they can to get it.”
Donnelly did her part to make sure the Patriots would earn a sweep of the Titans, scoring the game’s only goal with 18:21 remaining in regulation after a dazzling individual effort. The senior midfielder simply would not be denied, avoiding every defender in her path and scoring when the ball deflected off a defender’s stick.
“She gets determined, and when her determination kicks in, she’s not going to quit,” East coach Michelle Finegan said. “She dribbled through the crowd – she used her skill, and she has speed and a dynamic presence on the field, but she’s very much a team player, so you don’t see it all the time.
“Her goal is never to do it herself. Her goal is to help her team, and today she knew she needed to help her team and score a goal, and she did. You’ve got to give her credit for that.”
The Titans had several opportunities to score, but the Patriots’ defense stood tall, giving up just two corners and allowing only four shots.
“We try to be on them before they get the ball instead of actually waiting behind them,” senior captain Isobel Mannino said. “A couple of times today we didn’t, and that’s when they did break through. The high intensity and the high pressure on the ball really helps break up the dangerous plays.”
Mannino helped anchor a standout defensive effort by the Patriots.
“I thought Isobel Mannino stepped up and did a nice job,” Finegan said. “There were quite a few breakaway opportunities, and I thought she did a real nice job stopping the ball in the defensive end.
“I was happy with the way we stood our ground and were strong.”
On the other side of the field, South coach Pat Toner was pleased with her team’s effort.
“Our league is extremely strong and every game is a battle,” the Titans’ coach said. “I am really proud of the fact that our team is no longer intimidated by anyone we play.
“CB East has an excellent team with a lot of offensive weapons and is well-coached. We were able to hold our own against the top team in our league and one of the top-ranked teams in District One.”
Central Bucks East (15-3, 11-1 SOL) is ranked number five in the District One 3A rankings, the highest seeded SOL team. Central Bucks South (10-6-1, 6-5-1) is seeded 15th in the power rankings.
Central Bucks East 0-1 1
Central Bucks South 0-0 0
SOUDERTON 4, WILLIAM TENNENT 0
The Indians – who had been holding down the 24th seed in the District One 3A power rankings – took care of business on Tuesday night with their shutout win over the Panthers.
The Indians raced to a 3-0 halftime lead, thanks to goals from Courtney Kenah, Jess Gabriel and Liz O’Hara. Senior Julianna Borisow tacked on a goal in the second half, using assists from Kenah and Gabriel.
“They’re playing with some swag, and they’re having fun,” coach Nicole Bauer said. “We went out on the field to have fun and to play together tonight. There’s chatter on the field.”
The Indians were coming off a 1-0 loss to an undefeated Methacton team that is seeded second in the district power rankings. Only the 11-save effort of Molly Frey stood between the Indians and the big upset.
Souderton closed out the regular season with an 8-10 record (4-8 SOL).
Souderton 3-1 4
William Tennent 0-0 0
NORTH PENN 5, PENNRIDGE 2
The Knights opened up a 3-1 halftime lead on their way to the win in their regular season finale Tuesday.
Madison Stotler broke a scoreless tie with 11:33 remaining in the first half when she scored an unassisted goal. Mikayla Barrow’s unassisted goal put the Knights on top 2-0, but Sydney Boreneman (Abby Wollow assist) cut that lead in half with a goal for the Rams. Barrow’s second goal of the half with 3:51 remaining sent the Knights into halftime with a two-goal lead.
Bri O’Donnell put her name in the scoring column with an unassisted goal 10 minutes into the second half. Borneman connected for her second goal midway through the half, but Julia Scanlon turned a Crawford pass into a goal for the 5-2 final.
The Knights had an advantage in shots (23-11) and corners (10-4).
North Penn goalie Anissa Gardizy was credited with seven saves. Rachael Fisher and Meghan Daniels each had one defensive save. Pennridge goalie Mackenzie Bross recorded 17 saves.
North Penn (12-5-1, 9-2-1 SOL) is the 11th seed in the latest District One 4A power rankings. Pennridge (5-11, 2-10) will travel to Council Rock South for a non-league game on Wednesday.
Pennridge 1-1 2
North Penn 3-2 5
SOL National Conference
PENNSBURY 8, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
(Submitted article)
When you've fielded sports teams as long as Pennsbury High has done so, it's hard to do something that's never been done before. If that does happen, it's pretty special.
The Pennsbury field hockey team, backed by three goals from Kate Chesney and two from Maya Geller, defeated Harry S Truman 8-0 Tuesday afternoon. The win completed a 12-0 run through the Suburban One National Conference and marked the first time a Pennsbury field hockey has had a perfect league season.
"I couldn't be more proud of the team," said Pennsbury coach Jamie Parell. "It's not easy for any team to go through the league unbeaten. Our league has a lot of challenges, a lot of great players and a lot of great coaches. To be undefeated is incredible."
A year removed from a 6-6 league season but with 10 returning starters, Pennsbury was pretty dominant all season in the conference. The Falcons trailed only twice in the 12 games, both times by a 1-0 score against Abington, and other than an OT win over Abington, Pennsbury won the other 11 games by at least two, including seven by at least four goals. Pennsbury had eight league shutouts, outscored its league opponents by a combined 55-7 and outshot its league opponents by a combined 340-74.
"We tried to play with the same intensity no matter what the situation," Parell said. "We didn't want to take anything for granted. We wanted to stay focused on each possession and then let the big picture take care of itself."
Pennsbury led 1-0 against Truman six minutes into the game after Olivia Mauro tipped in a drive from Geller, after Anna Sharp had played the ball perfectly to Geller. The Tigers, though, are a much-improved team, winners of three of four coming into the game against the Falcons, and they kept the score at 1-0 until Chesney scored just before the half.
Pennsbury's relentless offensive wave finally wore down Truman, and the Falcons scored six goals in less than 15 minutes of the second half to break it open. Bev Bozarth had a goal and assist, and the final goal came from senior Halle Szumigala, on a Sharp assist.
Truman's Kyra Martin made 12 saves.
Pennsbury, now 14-3 overall, finishes the regular season at Upper Dublin Wednesday and then awaits the District 1 seeding announcement Thursday. Truman is now 4-11 after a 1-9 start. The Tigers will host Bristol in their season finale on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Pennsbury 2-6 8
Harry S Truman 0-0 0
ABINGTON 6, BENSALEM 0
Georgia Wasekanes connected for a hat trick to lead the Ghosts to a shutout win in their regular season finale under the lights at Schwarzman Stadium.
It was Wasekanes connecting on an unassisted goal to put the Ghosts on the scoreboard, and then Aileen Hughes scored an unassisted goal. Wasekanes connected on back-to-back goals to close out the half – the first with an Anna Joseph assist and the second with an assist from Natalie McNamara – to send the Ghosts into halftime with a 4-0 lead.
“(Our) goal was to get on the board quickly, and we did that with Georgia Waskanes scoring off a goalie save in the first 30 seconds,” coach Katie Small said.
In the second half, Grace Terrizzi found the cage with a pair of goals – the first unassisted and the second with an assist from McNamara.
“Bensalem played a great game and gave us some trouble in the middle of the field,” Small said. “We were able to connect on our passes and get the ball into the circle to put shots on the cage, connecting six times.
“Selena Lee played an amazing game in goal for Bensalem, saving 23.”
Mackenzie Greiner and Megan Dockstader combined in goal for the shutout. Both goalies had a pair of saves.
The Ghosts held an advantage in shots (29-4) and corners (15-3).
Abington (9-9, 6-6 SOL) is seeded 23rd in the latest District One 3A power rankings. Bensalem closed out its season with a 3-14 record overall, 1-11 in the SOL.
Bensalem 0-0 0
Abington 4-2 6
NESHAMINY 1, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 0
Anna Skrot scored on the rebound of a Peyton Ritchey corner shot with 7:06 remaining in regulation. That was enough to propel the Redskins to their fourth win in as many games.
“Tonight was a hard-fought game – we knew South was going to come out hard, and they did,” coach Jamie Pinto said. “Throughout the whole season, our girls have played hard, but there have been pieces here and there that have been missing. The last couple of weeks, everything has come together.
“They’ve been working hard, playing hard as a team, and it’s paying off. The girls are excited, they’re ready to play. They know they’re playing well right now. I truly think it’s a whole team effort. Everybody had a part in the win. They’re doing what they’re supposed to do, they’re playing hard. Everybody is doing their job, and it’s all just coming together.”
The Redskins are 6-1 in their last seven games after a 6-5 start.
“We’ve been consistently working on the same things over and over again at practice,” Pinto said. “I think they’re finally just putting it all together.
“They’ve been playing well – we’ve been practicing hard, and their win against Mount was a good non-league win against a really good team. It just showed the girls, ‘Hey, we can do this.’ They had a great practice the other day, and they played really well.”
Neshaminy (12-6, 10-2 SOL) is seeded 13th in the most recent District One 3A power rankings while Council Rock South (9-8, 7-5) is seeded 16th.
Neshaminy 0-1 1
Council Rock South 0-0 0
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