Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Friday.
SOL Patriot
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 5, PENNSBURY 2
Sarah Freeman was the ultimate facilitator in Friday’s win over the Falcons, contributing assists on all five of the Golden Hawks’ goals.
“Sarah was present in the center of the field for us and carried the ball into the circle all game for our team,” Rock South coach Kelly Mason said. “A win today was a good way to end a week of league play.”
Kylee Hager turned a Freeman pass into a goal and a 1-0 lead after one quarter. In the second quarter, Caroline Martin scored with a Freeman assist, sending the Golden Hawks into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
In the third quarter, Hager connected for her second goal and a 3-0 advantage, and in the fourth quarter, the Golden Hawks received goals from Martin – her second – and Gianna St. Thomas. The Falcons scored both of their goals in the final frame.
Mason credited the play of Hager and Martin.
“Caroline and Kylee finished the ball in the back of the cage,” the Golden Hawks’ coach said.
(Article submitted by Pennsbury field hockey)
It was the final Friday of the regular season, and the Pennsbury field hockey seniors felt the sentimental tug at their hearts as they traveled to CR South for what was also their final away game of 2022. It was a crazy week leading up to CR South as the Falcons hosted a home game, traveled to a night game, and had to postpone a game just a day prior.
“The end of the regular season seems to move at warp speed and even though we know it’s coming, there is always so much emotion attached to the ‘lasts’ with each class of seniors,” said Coach Curtis. “The girls do a great job of channeling that emotion into coming together to play solid games as one united force. We had a good warmup and came out ready to do the work.”
South is a strong, skilled, fast team, and it was definitely a different experience playing them on their turf compared to our grass. The Hawks struck first in the opening quarter and the score remained 1-0 going into the second. Once again, our defense stepped up to the task and made some really great plays to help hold of the Hawks attack. Council Rock South added to its lead in the second quarter and Pennsbury continued to search for ways to adjust and make a counterattack. The game was 2-0 at halftime, and it was far from over according to the orange and black.
“Our focus at halftime was not solely on the end result, but on the moment and all of the wonderful opportunities we had in front of us,” Curtis said. “Being on the losing end of a score is simply a challenge in progress, and it was our goal to face the challenge as a collective unit and just get better.”
The third quarter ended with Pennsbury down 3-0 after CRS tallied another in the first five minutes. It took until the fourth quarter for the Falcons to answer back and prove that they have staying power and the ability to grow despite the obstacles in their path. Meg McClure, who spent the entire first three quarters fighting through defenders to keep possession, create, and gain yards, finally connected five minutes in on a great shot from right inside the circle making the score 3-1.
“It was an awesome shot and a great spark that the girls needed to fire them up for the final ten minutes of the game,” Curtis said. “We made some lineup changes, and the energy just rippled through everyone. The support our girls give to one another is a great strength and serves us well.”
The Hawks tried to extinguish the Falcons’ spark with another goal with five minutes left, but the Falcons refused to let up, using the “together” mentality to the fullest. McClure connected again with four minutes left and the scoreboard illuminated a 4-2 score.
“The second goal was a beautiful moment for us all,” Curtis said. “It started with senior Siya Patel and reached senior Jessie Martin. Martin made a smart pass to senior Rachel Stein, who tapped it to senior Meg McClure. McClure finished it, making it a complete senior progression up the field.
“The contributions of all of those girls in that play was worth celebrating and celebrate they did. We are so proud of Siya, Rachel, and Jessie for how hard they have worked to get to that moment. It felt so good to see them accomplish that and score one more against such a strong team late in the fourth.”
The Hawks did squeak in another goal with less than two minutes left in the game, resulting in a 5-2 final.
“I wish we could have held them to one less, but we did all we could for 60 minutes,” Curtis said.
Once again, despite the numbers on the scoreboard, the story of PHS goalie Jordan Vradenburgh, tells a better truth about the battle. Vradenburgh was pummeled with a myriad of shots – 30 of them – and had 25 saves.
“She is so much fun to watch and I honestly believe she thrives when tested to the highest level,” Curtis pointed out. “Jordan is incredible in the cage, and the defensive unit she has helped to create is very special.
“All of our players were able to see time today, making it a full team effort. As we head into our final three games of the regular season, we look forward to watching our field hockey family come together and finish as a better version of ourselves than when we started two months ago. We will be crossing the finish line of our season with service in our hearts as we collect food at our three home games in support of a local food pantry.
Pennsbury (6-9, 4-9 SOL) will honor its seniors on Monday against Bensalem, host CR North on Tuesday, and then close out 2022 at home on Thursday against Central Bucks South.
Council Rock South (10-6-1, 9-5-1 SOL) – 17th in the latest District One 3A rankings – will close out its regular season at Harry S Truman on Tuesday.
Pennsbury 0-0-0-2 2
Council Rock South 1-1-1-2 5
BENSALEM 0, HARRY S TRUMAN 0 (OT)
SOL Colonial
SOUDERTON 2, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1
The Indians notched their 15th league win without a loss to clinch at least a share of the division title, but no one was celebrating.
“I feel like we backed into it,” said Souderton coach Sue Casciato, whose team had 15 shots but managed just two goals. “Their goalie did play well, but we could have been down 2-0 at the end of the first quarter. We had two defensive saves on the end line by two different defenders – Charlotte McNeill and Ashley Magnus.
“For the most part, we dominated, but we did not finish, and we didn’t play very cleanly. CB East definitely had more of a sense of urgency than we did, and we’re playing for the league championship. In fact, at one point, one of the officials heard my assistant coach and I talking, and she turned and looked at me and said, ‘What is your team waiting for?’”
With just over a minute remaining before halftime, Lauren Frye put the Indians on the scoreboard, connecting on the left post during corner play. The Indians upped their lead to 2-0 when freshman Hannah Cornes – also on the left post – scored with just over five minutes remaining. Frye and Ava Jones assisted on the goal.
East broke up the Indians’ shutout bid when Alli Troth scored with two minutes remaining for the 2-1 final.
“We did play a little better in the second half,” Casciato said. “We just struggled to finish – their goalie played well. We unfortunately give up quick strikes. We possess the ball for five minutes and don’t come away with anything and then we give away a breakaway goal or give up a corner on a breakaway.
“Fortunately, Ang Borisow played well in the middle, and Lauren Frye had a good game for us. At least the two of them held the ship from going completely under.”
East coach Emma Rosenthal had high praise for her team’s effort.
“It was an evenly matched game, and again it’s tough because the score doesn’t always reflect that,” the Patriots’ coach said. “We had the ball in the circle so many times and just barely missed a few balls on the post.
“Souderton is a great team and I’m proud of how we played. Alli Troth was so close to scoring the whole game, and finally got it done in the last two minutes of the game. Audra Szymborski came up with 19 saves in goal, and Katie Szczypiorski came in clutch with a late game defensive save.”
A showdown awaits the Indians on Tuesday when they will travel to Central Bucks West – which trails Souderton by one game – for their regular season finale, a fact that may have been in the back of the players’ minds Friday.
“We talked about that yesterday,” Casciato said. “We were talking about perfect effort. Not perfect play but perfect effort.
“I felt pretty good after our game against North Penn the other night (a 5-1 win). I felt like our passing was good, we had a little more sense of urgency, but today we slid back to – unfortunately, I would say, pretty blasé about the whole thing.”
Souderton (16-1, 15-0 SOL) – the fourth seed in the latest District One 3A power rankings – will close out its regular season with a showdown at Central Bucks West on Tuesday (7 pm). Central Bucks East (5-10) will travel to North Penn for its season finale on Tuesday (7 pm).
Souderton 0-1-1-0 2
Central Bucks East 0-0-0-1 1
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1, NORTH PENN 1
The Knights and Titans exchanged first-half goals, and that would be the extent of the scoring for both sides as the two teams were forced to settled for a tie.
“It was a defensive battle as a lot of the game was played in the midfield with a lot of back-and-forth play,” NP coach Shannon McCracken said. “The exception was the fourth quarter when the Knights were able to hold off South and force overtime after South had possession of the ball for the better part of the quarter.
“South steps to the ball well and plays good defense all over the field, which limited (our) opportunities today.”
The Knights got on the scoreboard first when Catherine McGeehan scored with no time on the clock.
“The goal was initially waved off, and both teams met between quarters,” South coach Pat Toner said. “During the meeting, the refs changed the call to a goal. Although we were disappointed with the call, I know the refs are doing their best to call each game as they see it.
“I am proud of the fact that our team kept their composure and came out much stronger.”
Freshman Kaeli VanDerSluis scored the equalizer with an assist from Megan Reilly with 11:27 remaining in the first half.
The Titans held an advantage in shots (9-4) and penalty corners (10-3).
“(We) had several chances to score, but North Penn’s goalie did a nice job in net,” Toner said. “This game was drastically different than the first time we played North Penn and lost 5-0. Congrats to both teams on a hard-fought game.”
North Penn goalie Kiera Holt was credited with eight saves while South goalie Emma Kraft had three saves.
McCracken lauded the effort of backs Annabella Smink and Melissa Sessler and forward Kylie Barwis.
Central Bucks South (6-7-2, 5-7-2 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham for a non-league game Monday, and North Penn (8-8-1, 8-6-1) will close out its regular season on Tuesday with a home game against Central Bucks East at 7 p.m. The Knights are 21st in the latest District One 3A power rankings while the Titans are 25th.
North Penn 1-0-0-0-0 1
Central Bucks South 0-1-0-0-0 1
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 7, PENNRIDGE 0
The visiting Bucks took a 1-0 lead into the second quarter and then blew the game wide open with a three-goal outburst in the second on their way to the big win. Eve Damsker’s three-goal, one-assist effort led the Bucks
“It was the third game this week within conference play – each match as competitive as the next,” West coach David DeAngelis said. “Credit to Pennridge, the outcome does not reflect how well they played.
“We were pleased regarding our overall effort and effectiveness. Our transition was very effective in creating opportunities. We will continue to have a very balanced attacking and scoring group. Our defensive group did a nice job by minimizing open shots against us and recording a clean sheet. We have a close-knit group that continue to work and play for each other.”
Eva Damsker broke a scoreless tie with 2:12 remaining in the first quarter when she scored with an assist from Aida Ierubino. In the three-goal uprising in the second quarter, Mimi Duffy connected on an unassisted goal, and less than two minutes later Damsker scored with a Nina Mayro assist. Duffy’s second goal of the frame – this one with a Calista Boos assist – sent the Bucks into halftime with a 4-0 lead.
In the third quarter, Avery Anderson scored with a Damsker assist, and Damsker’s third goal with a Mayro assist with 15 seconds remaining in the quarter sent the Bucks into the final quarter with a commanding 6-0 lead. Anderson’s unassisted goal three minutes into the final quarter closed out the scoring.
The Bucks held an advantage in shots (17-8) and penalty corners (9-5).
Central Bucks West (15-1, 13-1 SOL) – seventh in the District One 3A power rankings – will be playing for a share of the division title Tuesday when the Bucks host Souderton at 7 p.m. Pennridge (7-9-1, 6-8-1) will travel to Central Bucks South on Tuesday for its regular season finale. The Rams are 23rd in the district power rankings.
Central Bucks West 1-3-2-1 7
Pennridge 0-0-0-0 0
SOL Liberty
QUAKERTOWN 4, HATBORO-HORSHAM 1
The Panthers scored a pair of goals in the second period to go into halftime with a 2-0 lead on their way to the conference win.
“Our ball movement was on point today, and that really helped us capitalize to get on the board,” Quakertown coach MacKenzie (Kramer) Moser said.
Kiera Gallagher spotted the Panthers a 1-0 lead less than a minute into the second period, sweeping into the cage the rebound off the goalie’s pads. Kaitlin Calvello scored on the post with nine minutes remaining in the half for the 2-0 advantage.
The Hatters came out of halftime inspired and cut the Panthers’ lead in half with a goal by Maddie Gregory.
“We looked like we were back on track, but Quakertown came back and answered,” HH coach Marie Schmucker said.
With three minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Panthers added a goal by Leah Schwalm.
“Our forwards had great passing from left wing Ella Schubert to center Kaitlin Calvello, and then right wing Leah Schwalm tapped the ball in,” Moser said.
In the fourth quarter, the Panthers scored on a corner when Schubert deflected a hard drive by Katelyn Landis into the cage.
Quakertown (10-6-1, 9-5-1 SOL) – 15th in the District One 3A power rankings – will travel to Abington for its regular season finale on Tuesday, and Hatboro-Horsham (2-13, 2-12) will host Central Bucks South Monday in a non-league game, its first of a three-games-in-three-days stretch to close out the season.
“We have three more games next week, so no time to dwell on the loss,” Schmucker said. “Freshman Mia Fisher again was tough in goal, but we needed to generate offense.”
Hatboro-Horsham 0-0-1-0 1
Quakertown 0-2-1-1 4
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 2, UPPER DUBLIN 1
The Flying Cardinals took an early 1-0 lead, but the Colonials battled back, evening the score in the second quarter and taking a lead in the third quarter on a goal during corner play.
Julie Price and Ava Matthias each scored a goal for the Colonials.
“Hadley Blake had an excellent game on defense,” PW coach Jessica Randazzo said.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (9-6-1, 9-4-1 SOL) will travel to Wissahickon for Tuesday’s regular season finale (7 pm), and Upper Dublin (8-8-1, 7-7-1) will host Hatboro-Horsham in its final regular season game on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Colonials are 18th in the District One 3A power rankings while UD is ninth in Class 2A.
Upper Dublin 1-0-0-0 1
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0-1-1-0 2
WISSAHICKON 7, ABINGTON 0
Riley Ball had herself a day for the Trojans, scoring four goals and assisting on another to lead Wissahickon to the decisive win.
Ball began what would be a productive game when she turned a Sophia Havrilla assist into a goal with eight minutes remaining in the first quarter. Just over a minute later, Caroline Kirkpatrick scored with an assist from Ella Hummel, and the Trojans led 2-0 after one quarter.
Neither team scored in the second quarter, and in the third quarter, the Trojans added to their lead. Hummel scored with a Ball assist less than two minutes into the second half, and with five minutes remaining in the quarter, Ball scored – once again using a Havrilla assist.
In the final quarter, the Trojans erupted for three more goals. Thirty seconds into the frame, Ball scored to complete her hat trick, using a Kirkpatrick assist. With six minutes remaining, Kirkpatrick connected on her second goal, this one with an Audrey Walsh assist. Ball closed out the scoring with just under five minutes remaining, using a Kendall Crowley assist.
Wissahickon goalies Meredith Walsh (1 save) and Ava Fell were forced to make just one save in the shutout. Abington’s Nina Van Ekelenburg (5 saves) and Caitlin Murcur (2 saves) shared time in goal.
Wissahickon (17-0, 15-0 SOL) – ranked second in the District One 3A power rankings – will host Plymouth Whitemarsh in its regular season finale on Tuesday at 7 p.m. Abington (10-6, 9-5) will host William Tennent on Monday. The Ghosts are ranked 14th in the district power rankings.
Abington 0-0-0-0 0
Wissahickon 2-0-2-3 7
SOL Freedom
LOWER MORELAND 2, SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 1
The Lions have played the Spartans tough.
In an early season meeting between the two teams, the Spartans edged the Lions 1-0, and last year, the Spartans won both tightly contested games (1-0, 2-0). The Lions turned the tables on Friday, this time winning a close one.
“We played a well-fought game today and came out on top,” LM coach Janet Lutter said.
“Our last four meetings with them have been close games, and we could never come out on top, but today was our day.
“We were able to come out strong and get on the board first, setting the tone for the first half.”
Mady Link scored the game’s first goal, using an assist by Liz Neeld. The Lions took that 1-0 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, Carly Keller connected for the Lions’ second goal with an assist from Jessica Shein. The Spartans scored their only goal in the fourth quarter.
“We suffered two tough injuries to starters Jessica Pachman and Carly Keller, but the Lady Lions held strong to pull off the win,” Lutter said. “We knew Springfield would fight till the end which they did scoring their only goal in the fourth quarter.
“As a team, we played our best and most consistent 60 minutes of the season on all sides of the ball.”
Goalie Sarah Rosala had seven saves on the day, and LM’s Mady Rossiter contributed a defensive save.
Lower Moreland (8-8, 7-8 SOL) – 12th in the latest District One 2A power rankings – will travel to Archbishop Wood for a non-league game Monday, and Springfield Township (8-8-1, 8-6-1) will host Cheltenham in its regular season finale Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Spartans are seventh in Class 1A
Springfield Twp 0-0-0-1 1
Lower Moreland 0-1-1-0 2
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 8, WILLIAM TENNENT 0
Sophia Cozza scored just one goal, but she was the catalyst offensively, assisting on three others to lead the Lions to the convincing win. Avery Mendola’s hat trick led the Lions.
It was Cozza’s unassisted goal with just over four minutes into the game that turned out to be the game-winner. Then Sophia Cozza connected with her sister Ava for a goal and a 2-0 lead after one quarter.
In the second quarter, the Lions added a pair of goals. Abby Varghese scored with an assist from Mia Patino, and then it was Mendola turning a Sophia Cozza pass into a goal for a 4-0 halftime lead.
The Lions closed out the scoring with a four-goal explosion in the third quarter. Patino – who finished with a goal and two assists – scored with an assist from Sophia Cozza, and then it was Mendola connecting with a Patino assist. Mendola completed her hat trick by converting a stroke, and Rylee Logston closed out the scoring with an unassisted goal.
New Hope-Solebury (15-2, 13-2 SOL) – the number one seed in the District 1A power rankings – will host Upper Moreland in its final regular season game on Tuesday, and William Tennent (2-11-1, 2-10-1) will be on the road at Abington on Monday.
William Tennent 0-0-0-0 0
New Hope-Solebury 2-2-4-0 8
CHELTENHAM 0, UPPER MORELAND 0 (OT)
Thursday, Oct. 13
NESHAMINY 5, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0
The weather was anything but ideal, but the Redskins made the best of it, celebrating Senior Day with a shutout win on Thursday.
“Today we played well, our passing looked good, and we had good shots and pressure,” coach Jamie Pinto said. “We had many positive contributions from a number of players.
“Playing well and stepping up were our nine seniors: Avery McGinty, Olivia Roscoe, Rebecca Fawkes, Emily Papeo, Jackie Oseredzuk, Ruby Shtino, Kayla Ledbetter, Gigi Ciallella, and goalie, Brittany Mattoi. The Neshaminy field hockey program would like to thank our seniors for their leadership, dedication, and hard work over the last four years.”
It was a pair of seniors – McGinty and Roscoe – connecting for first-quarter goals to spot the Redskins an early 2-0 lead. Their advantage grew to 3-0 by halftime, thanks to a goal in the second quarter by Ava Arbakov from Kasey Rieger. Roscoe’s unassisted goal in the third quarter put the Redskins on top 4-0, and in the fourth quarter, Rebecca Fawkes found the net for the 5-0 final.
Neshaminy (13-2-1, 12-1-1 SOL) – 12th in the latest District One 3A power rankings – will travel to Bensalem on Tuesday, and Council Rock North (6-11, 5-10) will be on the road at Pennsbury on Tuesday for its season finale.
Council Rock North 0-0-0-0 0
Neshaminy 2-1-1-1 5
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