Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Wednesday. CR North/William Tennent photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL American Conference
ABINGTON 3, UPPER DUBLIN 0
The Ghosts have set the stage for Friday’s conference showdown against defending champion Plymouth Whitemarsh, defeating the Flying Cardinals in a key conference battle. Both teams enter Friday’s contest with identical 3-0 records, and the Ghosts are making their presence felt in their new conference.
“They were our toughest in-league opponent to date, so going into it, we figured this would be the game to let us know how we really were in the Suburban One American Conference,” Abington coach Katie Small said. “It was exciting, it was a good game. Upper Dublin is definitely a very formidable opponent.”
If there was a turning point, it came when – 12 minutes into the contest – the game was halted for 30 minutes because of thunder.
“It was one thunder clap,” Small said. “At that point, it was 1-0, and we were playing a very, very sloppy game.
“While we were in our rain delay, I actually sat with them and told them – ‘We have to pick it up. This is not the Abington I’ve seen play.’ The ball was in our feet, and I think some of it had to do with our previous game. It was a much slower paced game against Upper Moreland, and I think they were still trying to get some kinks out. When they came out (of the delay), they were on fire.
“All of a sudden, we had possession of the ball most of the time where I think Upper Dublin had it for the first 12 minutes, and the last 18 we took control of the ball. The girls really just started connecting on their passes.”
Grace Kirwin’s goal at the 20:36 mark of the opening half spotted the Ghosts their 1-0 lead, and after the thunder delay – with 2:56 remaining in the half, Kirwin connected for her second goal, this time using a Rebecca Gable assist. With 50 seconds showing on the scoreboard clock, Grace Gable turned a Paige Doyle assist into a goal that gave the Ghosts a 3-0 halftime lead. That score held until the final whistle.
“In the second half, Upper Dublin picked it up – their defense and their goalie (Meghan Muth) played phenomenal in that second half,” Small said. “We definitely outshot them and had more corners than they did, and they just stepped it up and were able to keep the ball out of the net in the second half.”
Small had high praise for her defense.
“I can’t even say enough about Olivia Geissler, Alainna Swift and Mikayla Kizel on the back line,” Small said. “They kept us in the game.
“Upper Dublin didn’t really get it past the 25 for those last 18 minutes in the first half. They were able to pick up everything, and they did a really great job outletting the ball wide and getting it to our midfield who then would get it up to our forwards.”
The Ghosts held an advantage in shots (20-9) and corners (10-6). Ellie Hughes was forced to make just two saves in the shutout win while UD’s Meghan Muth had nine saves.
The Ghosts have won three straight since dropping their season opener to Council Rock North (4-0).
“Since Council Rock North – that was an eye-opener for the girls,” Small said. “They didn’t really come out together. Since then, they’ve decided – ‘Wait, we want to play.’ That back line along with Aileen (Hughes) and Paige (Doyle) have just really stepped up, and they’re definitely leading the team.
“They’re basically the five starters from last year. Mikayla (Kizel) was off the bench, but her game has really improved this year. We’re really excited to watch her play as a junior and know that we have her next year.
“There’s still stuff we have to work on. The offensive game we had against Upper Moreland (in a 6-0 win) needs to match the defensive game we had today. If that comes together, then we’re going to be pretty good.”
Abington (3-1, 3-0 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh in a conference showdown Friday.
“Plymouth Whitemarsh has some really strong players, and I’m actually looking forward to seeing how they play as well as playing them,” Small said. “Hopefully, we give them a game.”
Upper Dublin (2-1) will be on the road at Lower Merion for a non-league game on Saturday.
Abington 3-0 3
Upper Dublin 0-0 0
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 1, WISSAHICKON 0 (OT)
Maddie Yoder found the cage seven minutes into overtime, using an assist from Kate Wojeck to propel the Spartans to the dramatic win. If the Spartans needed a bounce-back week after enduring back-to-back 4-0 losses to Abington and Plymouth Whitemarsh last week, they’re getting just that.
Wednesday’s win comes on the heels of a non-league win over Dock Mennonite Academy Tuesday, and this win loomed even larger since it came against a conference rival.
The Spartans might have ended the game a whole lot sooner had it not been for the 25-save effort of Trojan goalies Meghan Reilly and Alli Wood. Reilly turned away all nine shots she faced in the opening half, and Wood stopped 16 shots in the second half and overtime.
Springfield goalie Kate Berglund was credited with nine saves in the shutout win. Wojeck and Annie Coll had defensive saves for the Spartans.
Springfield Township (3-2, 1-2 SOL) will be on the road at Hatboro-Horsham Friday, and Wissahickon (1-2) will travel to Cheltenham on Friday.
Wissahickon 0-0-0 0
Springfield Township 0-0-1 1
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 14, CHELTENHAM 0
Nine players contributed goals for the Colonials, who opened up a 9-0 halftime lead over their visitors. Senior Sam Spera led the Colonials with three goals and two assists. Alexis Minor also collected a hat trick.
Sophomore Ava Borkowski added two goals and an assist while Kennedy Reardon and Autumn Luptak both had one goal and one assist. Contributing one goal each were Shelley Price, Livia Truong, Meghan DiGiacomo and Kaleigh Missimer.
“We received offensive contributions from a number of different athletes, many of whom scored their first career goals,” coach Charise Halteman said.
Goalie Sarah Trask recorded two saves in the shutout win.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-0, 3-0 SOL) will travel to Abington Friday for a battle of the top two teams in the conference. Cheltenham (0-3) will host Wissahickon on Friday.
Cheltenham 0-0 0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 9-5 14
SOL Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 6, NORTH PENN 4
In all five of their games this season – all wins, the Patriots have scored at least three goals. They continued their offensive assault of opposing defenses with six goals – divided between four players – in their most recent win.
“We lost five of our key starters last year, and I think that forced the rest of the team to step up,” senior co-captain Cailey Lever said. “We’re a very young team, and I really think we have something to prove, and we have been in our first five games.
“Honestly, I really have a lot of confidence in us, and I do think we deserve to have what we have now – we’ve worked hard for it. I think we’re where we should be right now.”
That’s not to say there weren’t any concerns.
“At the beginning of the season, we were worried,” senior co-captain Kyleigh Talomie said. “But as we started to practice more in preseason, we got in such great shape. We conditioned so much, and I think that’s what helped us a lot.
“We’ve learned to run to every single ball, and even if our technical skills aren’t where they were last year, our heart’s in it a lot more.”
This year’s Patriot squad boasts both speed and talent. There’s also the not-so-little matter of hustle that Talomie alluded to that was on full display when – with the Patriots holding a 4-2 lead after Allie Gallant scored (Phia Mannino assist), Gallant tracked down a ball that was heading out of bounds deep in the Knights’ territory. Moments later, Mannino lifted the ball over the downed Knight goalie, and the Patriots had a three-goal lead.
“That summarizes what we’ve been trying to do a lot this season as far as hustling to every single ball,” Talomie said of Gallant’s hustle play.
It was a play that also caught the eye of coach Meghann Spratt.
“Allie Gallante, my forward, had two goals, and she had that hustle play all the way down in the corner, and then we capitalized on it with a goal by Phia Mannino,” the Patriots’ first-year coach said. “Me and my assistant said – she came to play the entire game today, and thank god because we needed a spark, and from the minute she walked out until the minute we walked off, she was a huge force.”
After watching the teams battle to a 1-1 halftime tie – thanks to goals by Mannino and Emily Crawford (Jillian Lampitoc assist), there was nothing to suggest the teams would combine for 10 goals, but that’s exactly what happened.
“They were so resilient today,” Spratt said. “It took us a little bit to get started, which is not what I like, but overall, we dominated the entire game.
“They played the long ball, and once we got back to our passing game and using our speed, I think that’s when the whole dynamic changed in our favor. We opened the scoring up, and we could breathe a little more, but our biggest problem was giving them corners, and they capitalized.”
Gallant (Emma Donnelly assist) scored just over six minutes into the second half to give the Patriots a one-goal advantage that was erased when Kristin Varrilla deflected a corner shot by Megan Albert into the cage. Donnelly turned a crossing pass from Sophia Parker into a goal and a 3-2 East lead, and after Crawford was thwarted on a breakaway, Gallant turned a Mannino cross into a goal and a 4-2 lead. Then came Mannino’s goal after the Gallant hustle play, and when Kenzie Lever scored on a rocket from the top of the circle, capping the 4-0 tear, the Patriots had a commanding 6-2 lead.
“In our Neshaminy game, we were down pretty much the whole game,” Talomie said. “I think we’ve learned to keep our heads in it. Even when they got those goals on corners, we don’t let that affect us. We usually come back stronger.”
The Knights didn’t go down quietly. Varilla scored on the rebound off the goalie’s pads, and in the closing seconds, the Knights connected for their fourth goal on a penalty corner when Varilla completed her hat trick, scoring on the rebound of a goalie save.
“We work on our corners pretty hard, and with a player like Emily (Crawford), you can be creative on the corners,” McCracken said of the UMass-bound senior. “Emily Crawford is smooth with the ball, and Megan Albert, who’s a sophomore, had a really nice shot.”
“Corners were their strength,” Spratt said of a Knight squad that converted three of seven corners into goals. “Going into their second timeout, I said – ‘If you’ve learned one thing from this game, you cannot give North Penn corners.’ They were absolutely beautiful.
“Me and my assistant said some were so beautiful, they were college-worthy. They were so pretty.”
Spratt credited the defensive effort of Grace Bethke in the win.
“She’s my right back on defense, and she played so strong and so great,” the Patriots’ coach said.
Lever gave props to another player in the Patriots’ defensive backfield.
“Molly Eron has really stepped into her position, and she’s been a rocket in our starting lineup,” the senior co-captain said.
McCracken saw some things she liked in the loss.
“I was pleased on the attack end we made the most of our opportunities because we didn’t have a whole lot of shots, but we made our opportunities count when we were there,” the Knights’ coach said. “Unfortunately, so did CB East. They had more shots than we did.”
The Knights’ coach went on to credit East.
“They have really nice speed on the forward line, and they did a nice job of swarming the goal,” McCracken said. “They’re relentless in the circle. My defense needs to do a better job of communicating and calling for the switches. They moved well in the circle, and we need to organize better.”
The Knights’ back line is comprised of a sophomore, junior and freshman with a sophomore keeper.
“We’re young and inexperienced in the backfield, but we can’t use that as an excuse,” McCracken said. “We have to continue to work hard defensively.”
North Penn’s Mallory Stowell was credited with nine saves. Madison Waldspurger and Emily Liu also delivered defensive saves.
Central Bucks East (5-0, 3-0 SOL) will travel to Souderton Friday for a battle of conference unbeaten squads, and North Penn (1-3, 0-2) will host Quakertown on Friday.
Central Bucks East 1-5 6
North Penn 1-3 4
SOUDERTON 5, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 3
Central Bucks East isn’t the only SOL Continental Conference team turning heads this season. An Indian squad that won just four games in conference play last year notched its fourth win of the season without a loss, opening up a 5-0 lead before the Titans staged a late rally.
The Indians led by just a 1-0 score at halftime but exploded for three goals in the opening 10 minutes of the second half to seize control of the game.
“It’s our team speed,” coach Sue Casciato said. “We have a lot of speed, and the nice thing is we had five different people score a goal today.
“Other years we had a lot of individual efforts. I said – ‘We need lots of weapons because we don’t want any team to be able to key on any one person and take you out of the game.’”
The Indians’ lone goal in the first half came compliments of the Kenah sisters with Courtney Kenah turning a pass from Lauren into a goal.
Two minutes into the second half, Anna Gwiazdzinski scored with assists from Courtney Kenah and Jenna Hunsicker, and then it was Lauren Kenah (Gwiazdzinski assist) connecting for a goal that put the Indians on top 3-0.
“Anna (Gwiazdzinski) has been playing high offense for us, and I’ve been screaming for somebody to catch up to her,” Casciato said. “On our third goal, Lauren literally sprinted 50 yards and touched the ball six inches off the goalie’s pads – she caught up to the play at the 99-yard mark of the field. She just barely touched the ball, and it went through the goalie’s legs because she wasn’t expecting Lauren to get to it. She busted her butt to catch up to the play.”
A goal by Randi Hess (Courtney Kenah assist) put the Indians on top 4-0 nine minutes into the second half, and they led 5-0 When Caroline Warner (Caitlin Lennon assist) scored midway through the half.
The Titans closed out the game with three unanswered goals in the final 10 minutes. Casey Reilly (Megan Weeks assist) broke up the Indians’ shutout bid, and then it was Sophia Wasyliw connecting on an unassisted goal. Reilly’s second goal – this one with a Mel Dunton assist – was the final of the game for either side.
“I believe we have a very talented team that is not yet playing to their potential,” South coach Pat Toner said. “Having made it to states last year, we may be putting undue pressure on ourselves instead of relaxing and playing like we are capable of playing.
“After getting in a 5-0 hole against a good team, I am very proud of them for fighting back to make it 5-3. Had we played like that the entire game, we may have had a better result. That being said, congrats to Souderton on a hard-fought game.”
The Titans held a 6-4 edge in corners while the Indians had an advantage in shots.
Casciato credited the effort of her defense – seniors Grace DeThomas, Jess Schmidt and Caitlin Lenon.
“We only have three deep defenders, and I think all of our defenders played well, especially our sweeper, Grace DeThomas,” the Indians’ first-year coach said.
Souderton (4-0, 2-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks East in a battle of unbeaten squads on Friday, and Central Bucks South (2-2, 1-2) will be on the road at Pennridge on Thursday.
Souderton 1-4 5
Central Bucks South 0-3 3
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1, PENNRIDGE 0
Just over nine minutes into Wednesday’s contest, Casey Reichwein slammed home a shot from the top of the circle during corner play, using an assist from Anya DeAngelis. That 1-0 lead stood the rest of the way, and when the final horn sounded, the Bucks celebrated their first win of the young season.
“It was important for West to get that first win of the season, especially after a big 10-0 loss on Friday to Souderton,” coach Ginny Moore said. “We needed to remember how good it feels to fight hard and earn a victory.
“We fought hard for this win. Tonight marks the first win of the season as well as our first goal.”
The Bucks’ first-year coach went on to acknowledge the strong performances of her players.
“Our young mids gave us fresh energy the whole game,” Moore said. “Casey (Reichwein) also had an amazing defensive save shortly after our goal. Pennridge had a breakaway and was past our goalie, and she hustled and recovered in time.
“Anya (DeAngelis), Carlin (McFadden) and Lauren (Hahn) hustled the whole game too. Pennridge had great through balls and many breakaways. They had a lot of scoring opportunities and close calls. It was a great game, both teams hustled every minute.”
The Rams held an advantage in shots and corners but couldn’t cash in on that advantage.
“We started out slow and allowed West to get an early goal, but then dominated possession in the end of the first and the entire second half,” Pennridge coach Becky Spahr said. “We just struggled to put the ball in the cage. West’s defense and goalie (Cassidy Pitts) played well.
“Our defense – Kelcie Mannon, Lexie Dinsmore and Shannon Griffin – shut down West’s offense and limited their attacking chances. Besides goal scoring, we did everything we needed to win the game. I am proud of our intensity and effort.”
Central Bucks West (1-3, 1-2 SOL) will travel to Downingtown East Saturday for a non-league contest, and Pennridge (1-2, 1-1) will host Central Bucks South on Thursday.
Central Bucks West 1-0 1
Pennridge 0-0 0
SOL National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 4, WILLIAM TENNENT 0
The stage has been set.
The Indians – taking care of business – opened up a 3-0 halftime lead on their way to the shutout win that upped their conference record to 3-0. On Friday, they will face a Neshaminy team that is also 3-0.
Celie Burke and Sarah Scott spent the game setting each other up offensively – both had a hand in all four goals. Burke scored three goals and assisted on the other while Scott had three assists and scored one goal.
It was Burke (Scott assist) breaking a scoreless tie with 17:42 remaining in the first half, and the duo duplicated that same connection with a second goal less than two minutes later. Burke completed the hat trick with 10:53 remaining in the first half, again using a Scott assist to cap a seven-minute personal tear. Scott turned a Burke assist into a goal less than two minutes into the second half. Neither team scored the rest of the way.
The Indians held a lopsided 21-1 advantage in shots and a 6-1 edge in corners.
Tennent goalie Sophia Trozzi kept her team in the game with 15 saves. Rock North’s Kyra Deehr-Lewis recorded one save in the shutout win.
Council Rock North (4-0, 3-0 SOL) will host Neshaminy in a key conference battle on Friday, and William Tennent (1-1) will be on the road at Pennsbury on Friday.
William Tennent 0-0 0
Council Rock North 3-1 4
NESHAMINY 5, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
The Redskins – who received goals from four different players – opened up a 3-0 halftime lead and led 5-0 when the game was called with eight minutes remaining due to inclement weather.
Kayla Connelly scored the only goal the Redskins would need at the 21:26 mark of the first half. Also in the first half, Jamie Pennington turned a Peyton Ritchey assist into a goal, and Caroline Angered also benefitted from a Pennington pass for the score and a 3-0 Redskin lead.
Brooke Cordisco (Madi Neiman assist) scored just over five minutes into the second half, and six minutes later, Connolly connected for her second goal of the game, this one with a Ritchey assist for the 5-0 final.
Neshaminy (3-2, 3-0 SOL) will travel to Council Rock North Friday, and Harry S Truman (0-3) will host Northeast in a non-league game Friday.
Harry S Truman 0-0 0
Neshaminy 3-2 5
PENNSBURY 5, BENSALEM 0
Maya Geller connected for a hat trick – all three goals were unassisted – to lead the visiting Falcons to the shutout win. She also assisted on a goal by Cammy Stuhlmuller, and Samie Hackman turned an Anna Sharp assist into a goal.
Pennsbury (1-2, 1-1 SOL) will host William Tennent on Friday, and Bensalem (0-4, 0-3) will host Council Rock South on Friday.
Pennsbury 2-3 5
Bensalem 0-0 0
About the Author
