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SHILLINGTON – Meg Hutchinson applauded her players as they walked off the field after Tuesday night’s PIAA Class AAA semifinal game against Hershey.
The Central Bucks South coach had reason to applaud.
It had been quite a season for the Titans, and not even a 4-1 season-ending loss to the Lady Trojans could diminish the accomplishments of a South squad that made history by advancing to the state semifinals.
“It was a great season,” Hutchinson said. “It was an awesome season.
“It was one of those storybook seasons. What a special group. This doesn’t happen every year.”
And then she added, “It’s amazing when you see the way we started to where we are now.”
The Titans’ storybook season that began last summer in the sweltering heat at hockey camp at Old Dominion University ended on a cold November night at Governor Mifflin High School.
It had been a most memorable journey for the Titans, and Hutchinson evoked laughter from her players during her team’s post-game huddle when she mentioned playing on the ‘loser’s field’ at ODU.
“We pretended we liked it,” senior Gretchen Kempf said with a laugh. “We would say, ‘That turf is so much better.’ We had to pretend.”
They didn’t have to pretend for long.
After a 1-2 start, the Titans proved they were the real deal long before the playoffs rolled around, and the ‘loser’s field’ became little more than a distant memory.
On Tuesday, however, they ran into a formidable opponent. The Lady Trojans – looking anything but the part of a four seed – were coming off an emotional win over District 3 champion Lower Dauphin, and it didn’t take long to figure out they were both talented and confident.
“Their stick skills especially were a little better than ours, and they work just as well as we usually do as a team,” South senior co-captain Sarah Hasson said. “That combination made them extremely successful.
“Honestly, with the scouting report, we heard they were aggressive, but I think we thought we were definitely going to be the better team.”
It didn’t take long to recognize that the Titans were going to have their hands full. The Lady Trojans came out on the attack and drew their first of six first-half corners less than three minutes into the game.
“They were very talented everywhere,” Hutchinson said. “They did not have a weak position.”
Hershey, despite having the better of play, didn’t get on the scoreboard until the 11:43 mark when they capitalized on a corner opportunity that saw Casey Boyer turn a pass from Leslie Smith into a goal.
The Titans made their first offensive opportunity of the game count when they were awarded a penalty stroke after creating some serious pressure on their first corner of the game.
Sophomore Maddy Harding calmly stepped to the line and fired a stroke into the upper left corner of the cage, knotting the score with 10 minutes remaining in the half.
The tie was short-lived.
At the 8:11 mark, K.C. Collier turned a great ball into the circle by Smith into a goal, and less than two minutes later, the Lady Trojans capitalized on their sixth corner of the half when Nikki Ororato connected on a follow-up shot that sent Hershey into halftime with a 3-1 lead.
The Titans appeared to be playing with renewed confidence in the second half. Sophomore Colleen Kempf, who was on the goalie pads, forced a corner. The Titans didn’t manage a shot.
Then Ally Bradley was taken down just outside the circle, resulting in another corner. Again, the Titans couldn’t get a shot off.
The Lady Trojans called a timeout, and this time Gretchen Kempf forced the action, carrying the ball into the circle with a relentless effort and forcing another corner. Again, no shot for the Titans.
Their fourth corner appeared to be the charm as the Titans put the ball in the cage only to see the officials wave the goal off for a violation prior to the score.
“The first half we were on our heels – it wasn’t very good,” Kempf said. “We stepped up in the second half. We had our little huddle, and we said, ‘We’re just as good as this team. We have this if we want it,’ and that set everyone off. They realized if we go to the ball, we can get it.
“Our mindset changed. I wish we would have played that way from the start. Things might have worked out differently.”
Hershey put the finishing touches on the impressive win when Arielle King (Alyssa Voelmle assist) scored with 3:47 remaining on her team’s first and only corner of the second half.
For South’s five seniors - Kempf, Hasson, Bradley, Julia Goldsworthy and Kelsey Lang, Tuesday’s loss marked the end of a special era.
“I have been playing with some of these girls since seventh grade, and most of us are best friends,” Kempf said. “To make it this far as a team – we’re so happy.
“Everyone who was crying – most of us are seniors who don’t want to leave this team. We worked so well together.”
“The five seniors have been best friends forever,” Hasson said. “Since we have never gotten this far as a school, let alone as a team – it’s just so rewarding that we’re the first, and (the tears) are not necessarily that we lost. It’s the fact that we’re so close as a team.
“We really were a special team. We had a great run, and the fact that we’re not going to be playing with each other is the saddest thing.”
Hershey will face Penn Manor in Saturday’s state title game. Penn Manor defeated Central Dauphin 4-2 in the other semifinal.
HERSHEY 4, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1
Hershey 3 1-4
Central Bucks South 1 0-1
Goals/Assists: Hershey – Casey Boyer 1-0, K.C. Collier 1-0, Nikki Ororato 1-0, Arielle King 1-0, Leslie Smith 0-2, Alyssa Voelmle 0-1. Central Bucks South – Maddy Harding 1-0.
Shots: H-6, CBS-5.
Corners: H-7, CBS-6.
Saves: Sonya Torres (H) 2, Lydia Keener (CBS) 2, Liz Lewellan (CBS) 0.
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