Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Thursday. Neshaminy/CR North photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL Continental Conference
SOUDERTON 1, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0 (OT)
Courtney Kenah can cross beating CB East off her bucket list.
“We’ve played them seven times, so all I wanted was to beat them my senior year, and that’s what we went out there and did,” the University of Penn-bound senior said.
Kenah did her part to make sure it happened, connecting on the game-winner with 6:17 remaining in overtime to propel the visiting Indians to the heart-stopping win.
“I don’t remember a whole lot leading up to it,” Kenah said of the game-winner. “But my sister (Lauren Kenah) was on the top of the circle, and I was just standing there pretty much wide open. I was like, ‘Lauren, Lauren,’ and she saw me, gave me a quick pass and it went in the goal.”
The win snapped a personal seven-game losing streak to the Patriots for Kenah and her senior teammates. It was Souderton’s eighth straight loss to East, dating back Oct. 9, 2015, when the Indians defeated the Patriots 3-2.
“We’ve been struggling all season to figure out our starting 10 – I think we actually have them after today,” Souderton coach Sue Casciato said. “We have a sophomore Reiley Knize, and she had an amazing game. She ran 70 yards down the field to force a foul on a ball that we struck in desperation.
“We ended up with a free hit, got the ball in the circle, and Court (Kenah) ripped it from the left side of the corner. I think the goalie was set up to make a stop because she’s very talented, but it deflected into the right side of the goal cage. She hit it hard because even after the deflection it still went into the goal cage hard.”
Kenah knew that goals weren’t going to be easy to come by against a team that shut out the Indians three times last season, including a 3-0 win in a district quarterfinal game.
“They dominated us when we played in districts, but the two league games could have gone either way,” Casciato said. “Today was the same way. It could have gone either way.”
Last year’s two regular season games were both 1-0 East wins.
“Their goalie – Emily Bullard – is amazing, so going against her, we knew it would be tough just to get any shots off against them,” Kenah said. “It was a great team win, it was one we’ve been wanting, and it was one of our goals going into the season.”
The Patriots, according to Casciato, had the better of play in a scoreless first half.
“We started very flat today – they dominated us the first 10 minutes,” the Indians’ coach said. “From that point on, we exchanged moments.”
The Patriots – who held an edge in shots (14-10) and penalty corners (12-10) – had nine shots in the first half to just four for the Indians.
“In the first half, we definitely were in our defensive end a lot more,” Kenah said. “I’ll give all the credit to the defense – they played amazing. Lauren Frye, Taylor Weaver, Ange Brisow and our goalie, Jordan (Michalak) – they all stepped up and made amazing plays. They were really good the whole game.
“(East) has a lot of strong players, but our players really stepped up to the plate, especially because they were all so young. It was awesome to see how much they’ve grown through four games.”
For a while, it looked as though both teams would have to settle for a scoreless tie when the game was halted five minutes into the second half because of lightening in the vicinity. After a 30-minute stoppage, play was resumed.
“We knew they were a really good team,” Kenah said. “We never gave up. The motivation from the sidelines – the jayvee girls, the girls who were on the bench, they all contributed to the win. They kept us motivated and we kept going.”
Michalak was credited with 12 saves in the shutout win.
The tone might have been set on the bus ride to East, which, according to Casciato, was unusually quiet. The reason for the quiet ride was at least in part because the team was without a speaker to play its usual pre-game music.
“It ended up being okay because everyone was really focused, and you could just tell – everyone wanted to win, and that was really awesome to see,” Kenah said. “We just have to remember – we’re on a high right now and we’re so excited we won, but we have a tough game tomorrow so we’ve got to get back and focused for that game.”
“I said to the girls, ‘Enjoy your evening,’” Casciato said. “They all went to Applebees together – varsity and jayvee. I said, ‘You have 12 hours and then you have to start thinking about playing this hard again.’”
Souderton (6-0, 4-0 SOL) will host Gwynedd Mercy Academy in a non-league game on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Central Bucks East (5-2, 3-1) will travel to Quakertown on Monday.
Souderton 0-0-1 1
Central Bucks East 0-0-0 0
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1, PENNRIDGE 0 (OT)
Braylee Webb made her first varsity goal a memorable one when she turned a pass from teammate Sophia Wasyliw into the game-winner 5:43 into overtime.
“Braylee Webb had never played in an overtime game, and it was great to see her finish in the circle and put in the game-winner,” South coach Pat Toner said. “The game was played in the pouring rain, and both teams played hard despite the conditions.”
The Titans held an advantage in shots (11-3) and penalty corners (14-5).
“Both teams worked hard through tough conditions to keep the game 0-0,” Pennridge coach Becky Spahr said. “South’s attack put continuous pressure on our defense, but the ‘D’ stayed tough and kept the ball out of the cage.
“We had moments of good attacking movement, but we were unable to control possession of the ball. A tough way to lose a game, but we will learn and move forward.”
Pennridge goalie Mia Machado was credited with 10 saves in goal. South’s Jillian Heilig recorded three saves in the shutout win.
“We completely revamped our lineup and system of play, and I felt we controlled a good portion of the game,” Toner said. “Pennridge is a well-coached and talented team that doesn’t give up, and I was happy that we were able to find a way to win.”
Central Bucks South (4-3, 2-2 SOL) will travel to North Penn on Wednesday, and Pennridge (4-1, 2-1) will host Souderton on Monday.
Pennridge 0-0-0 0
Central Bucks South 0-0-1 1
NORTH PENN 5, QUAKERTOWN 1
Eleni Kountroubis turned an Erin O’Donnell pass into a goal 59 seconds into Thursday night’s game. It marked the beginning of a productive half for the Knights, who opened up a 4-0 halftime lead en route to their first win of the young season.
O’Donnell’s unassisted goal six minutes into the game was followed three minutes later by a goal from Jillian Lampitoc, and the Knights led 3-0 10 minutes into the game. Deborah Kim (Alex Fein assist) scored in the closing seconds of the half.
With 5:16 remaining in regulation, Lauren Junke put the Panthers on the scoreboard when she connected on an unassisted goal. Sierra Gee closed out the scoring for the Knights.
The Knights held a 28-3 advantage in shots.
North Penn goalie Mallory Stowell was credited with two saves in the wins. Quakertown’s goalie had 21 saves, and the Panthers’ defense had two saves.
North Penn (1-3, 1-2 SOL) will host Pennsbury in a non-league game Friday, and Quakertown (0-5, 0-3) will host Lansdale Catholic in a non-league game Saturday at 10 a.m.
North Penn 4-1 5
Quakertown 0-1 1
SOL National Conference
WILLIAM TENNENT 1, PENNSBURY 0 (OT)
William Tennent is the surprise team in the early weeks of the season. The upstart Panthers – who won just four games all of last year – are 3-1 after four games. Thursday’s thrilling overtime win that saw Carly Pritchett score the game-winner 23 seconds into OT was the Panthers’ third without a loss in conference play.
“It was an overall great game today,” Tennent coach Julia Cummiskey said. “The girls put everything we talked about in pregame practice into place and showed that they are true competitors this year.”
Sophia Trozzi turned away all 11 shots she faced in a stellar outing in goal.
“Our goalie, Sophia Trozzi, and our defense – Alexis Jones, Vanessa Yanes and Alicia Hoefferman – were a brick wall back in the circle and kept their composure throughout the entire game and did not let anything go by,” Cummiskey said. “Midfielder Carly Pritchett was another contributor in helping our team chemistry flow between the defenders, midfielders and forwards.
“Their intensity and their team chemistry shined throughout the game, especially in the end. We got possession on our side on the 35 with 48 seconds left on the clock, and the girls were able to carry it down the field and get a corner with no time left on the clock. After a foul called on the first corner, we were able to get a second chance, but with an unbelievable (Tennant) fly, the ball was called out of play, and it was time for overtime.”
The Panthers brought a quick end to OT.
“Starting overtime we, as a team, were very confident, and we were confident that our girls on the field could capitalize on utilizing our space and our forwards and mids speed,” Cummiskey said. “Kirsten Scott had a fantastic carry down the sideline with a beautiful move into the center of the circle where her teammate Karly Adkins cut for her to her left.
“Kirsten saw the cut and led Karly with a pass. Karly was able to run up to the ball and shoot a fast and hard hit to the middle of the cage as Carly Pritchett was able to get a touch on the ball and knock in the game-winning tip less than a minute into OT. Overall, it was a great game of field hockey, and we are excited to keep putting in the hard work to improve our skills.”
For the Falcons, it was not your typical start to the day, according to coach Traci Curtis.
“The pre-game routine was shifted as the jayvee was scheduled to play first and then soon into that first game, the sun disappeared and the torrential rains fell,” the Falcons’ first-year coach said. “The Pennsbury and Tennent varsity players stood and watched the jayvee squads finish in the saturating rain…and then it stopped.
“Pennsbury’s jayvee came out on top 2-1 and set the tone for their soaking wet teammates. The Falcons and the Panthers did not let the weather or later playing time affect them at all. After a quick warm-up, they wrung out their uniforms and stepped onto the field ready to go.”
The Falcons got off to a strong start but could not convert their offensive opportunities.
“Those opportunities didn’t pan out as Tennent’s goalie was an absolute brick wall and she continued that caliber of play throughout the entire game,” Curtis said. “If there was an MVP, it would have been her, hands down.
“The Falcons had breakaways, shots, scuffles in the circle, and much more, but never got one over the white line.”
Pennsbury goalie Keira Korzeb was equal to the task as well, and the two teams battled to a scoreless tie at halftime.
“The second half was much of the same, but the excitement heightened when Tennent had two penalty corner opportunities after the clock ran out at the end of regulation,” Curtis said. “With the score 0-0, the teams were staring overtime right in the face. The Panthers first corner was disrupted with a foul on PHS and resulted in a repeat try.
“The second attempt was blocked by the incredibly strong fly effort of PHS senior Casey Glynn – she executed the task perfectly and sent the Falcons into their first overtime experience of the season. Both teams had played incredible hockey for 60 minutes and the energy was awesome, the vibe was upbeat on both sides and really a fun environment.”
The Panthers took immediate possession in overtime and scored the game-winner less than a minute into OT.
“It was great hockey and fun to watch from start to finish,” Curtis said. “Key contributors for the Falcons included: Nicole Joniak, Sophia Hitchingham, Hannah Aker, and Kayli Williams.
“We are extremely proud of what happened out there today, especially with needing to adjust to the turf as a grass team.
“Having the loss on our record is minimal compared to the spirit, efforts, unity, and heart that showed during the entire game – it was a win in so many other ways. We are continuously working to put together combinations on the field that will allow us to finish offensively – the answer will be in honing all of those little extra tactics, techniques, skills, and application of field hockey IQ.”
The Panthers had seven corners – six in the second half – to four for the Falcons.
William Tennent (3-1, 3-0 SOL) will be on the road at Springfield Township for a non-league game Friday. Pennsbury (1-4, 1-2 SOL) will travel to North Penn Friday for a non-league game. It is the Falcons’ fourth game of the week.
Pennsbury 0-0-0 0
William Tennent 0-0-1 1
NESHAMINY 5, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0
Jamie Pennington scored a goal and assisted on three others to lead the Redskins to the win in a game that was halted with 10 minutes remaining. Peyton Ritchey scored two goals and also had an assist.
“As the season progresses we are starting to put together the skills we have been working on at practice and playing together as a team,” coach Jamie Pinto said. “In today’s game, we were able to put together some good passing combinations and able to get good shots off and score from those plays. We have some strong nonleague games coming up and we will continue to work hard and to be prepared for those games.”
Pennington set up a goal by Sanaa Hebron just over three minutes into the game, and then it was Pennington scoring an unassisted goal. Ciara Lambon turned a Ritchey pass into a goal that sent the Redskins into halftime with a 3-0 lead.
Back-to-back goals by Ritchey in the opening minutes of the second half – both with Ritchey assists – closed out the scoring.
Neshaminy (4-2, 4-0 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West for a non-league game on Friday (6 p.m.) Council Rock North (4-2, 2-2) will host Wissahickon in a non-league game Friday.
Council Rock North 0-0 0
Neshaminy 3-2 5
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 4, BENSALEM 0
The Golden Hawks opened up a 4-0 halftime lead when the game was called because of the inclement weather. Cailey Hiscox and Rachael Rolle both had two goals.
Council Rock South (3-4, 2-1 SOL) will host Pennsbury on Monday, and Bensalem (0-5, 0-4) will host Harry S Truman on Monday.
Bensalem 0-0 0
Council Rock South 4-0 4
SOL American Conference
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 4, HATBORO-HORSHAM 1
Anya Kochanowicz had a hand in four goals, scoring twice and assisting on the other two goals in a contest that saw the Spartans erupt for three second-half goals after the two teams battled to a 1-1 halftime tie.
Kochanowicz (Kate Wojeck assist) and the Hatters’ Abby Roesing (Jada Mills assist) exchanged first half goals.
Kochanowicz turned a pass from Maddie Yoder into the go-ahead goal six minutes into the second half and then assisted on goals by Ella Marino and Wojeck.
The Spartans held an advantage in shots (10-6) and penalty corners (4-2). Spartan goalie Rebecca Berglund was credited with three saves.
“Lauren Corrado and Emma Congdon played tough defense, stopping breakaways,” assistant coach Anita Stum said. “Kate Wojeck and Anya Kochanowicz opened up the offense with ball movement and penalty corner opportunities in addition to tough play and leadership from Charlotte Henry and Brigid Roy.”
Springfield Township (3-2, 2-2 SOL) will host William Tennent in a non-league game Friday at 3:30 p.m. Hatboro-Horsham (2-4, 2-2) will host Cheltenham on Monday.
Hatboro-Horsham 1-0 1
Springfield Twp 1-3 4
WISSAHICKON 9, CHELTENHAM 0
Grace Bell scored four goals and added an assist to lead the Trojans – who scored nine first-half goals – to the win. Hannah Havrilla and Julia Schools both had two goals. Havrilla also had a pair of assists. Ella Hummel added one goal. Kate Lovensheimer contributed three assists while Kendal Williams and Tess Klugherz both had one assist.
Cheltenham’s goalie recorded 16 saves.
Wissahickon (3-1-1, 3-1 SOL) will travel to Council Rock North Friday for a non-league game. Cheltenham (0-4) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Monday.
Cheltenham 0-0 0
Wissahickon 9-0 9
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 10, ABINGTON 0
Ava Borkowski continued her torrid offensive production, scoring four goals and assisting on another in the Colonials convincing win. Hailey Copestick added a hat trick, and Kaleigh Missimer had a pair of goals. Livia Truong contributed one goal. Kayla Link had a pair of assists and Molly Lynch had one assist.
PW goalie Sarah Trask had six saves and recorded her second shutout of the season.
“Kaleigh Missimer and Livia Truong played strong games in the center of the field to help set up scoring opportunities,” PW coach Charise Halteman said.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-0 SOL) will travel to Lower Merion for a non-league game on Saturday at 10 a.m. Abington (0-3-1, 0-2-1) will host Upper Moreland in a non-league game on Friday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 5-5 10
Abington 0-0 0
Non-league
HARRY S TRUMAN 4, NORRISTOWN 0
The Tigers erupted for four goals in the opening half and held that lead when the game was halted seven minutes into the second half because of inclement weather. It was the first win of the young season for the Tigers.
“We’ve had four tough games,” coach Tom Leahy said. “We started against probably the four best teams in the league.
“Today for us was obviously a different. The girls are actually figuring out where their positions are and how to get a better feel for passing. It was a much different game. Until the downpour started. The refs kept us out on the field – you couldn’t even see down the field, and they finally called it. Everybody was absolutely drenched to the bone.”
Four different players scored goals for the Tigers, and it was Paige Gonzales putting the Tigers on the scoreboard. That was followed by goals from Solana Castillo, Hailey Marshall and Sam Dominic.
“The first lift was the first score by Paige Gonzales,” Leahy said. “What was really great was we actually had scores off two corners. Sam Dominic had the last goal off of a corner. She’s a (defensive) back, but I used her as an inserter because the first inserter came off the field. That was a short opportunity, and she made good with it.”
The Eagles, according to Leahy, threatened on several occasions, but freshman Stacy Couillard was strong in goal, posting her second straight shutout.
“The team was really up for this game, figuring we had a chance, and they certainly proved it,” Leahy said. “The girls kind of had their heads down after our fourth loss to Neshaminy.
“Neshaminy could have run that score up to the heavens, but they actually played keep-away the whole second half. That was nice that the coach did that, but what it made obvious to the girls was what they needed to do to improve, and I think that carried over into today’s game where they actually were now moving further away from the ball, looked up for where they made their passes instead of right into the opposition and carried the ball down the right side of the field. We had much, much more of that happen today than we had in the past.”
Harry S Truman (1-4, 0-3 SOL) will travel to Bensalem on Monday.
Norristown 0-0 0
Harry S Truman 4-0 4
Wednesday, Sept. 11
GWYNEDD MERCY 10, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0
The Bucks spent a lot of time playing defense against a potent Monarch attach. Maggie Whalen and Payton Traumuller were both credited with two defensive saves, and Sara Lelii had one defensive save. Sadie Furgiuele and Brooke Golbeski combined for 11 saves in goal.
About the Author
