Five SOL field hockey teams will be in action in Wednesday’s second round. A pair of Class AA schools saw their season come to an end Tuesday. To view photos of the Upper Moreland/Upper Perk game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
While five SOL schools will be in action in Wednesday’s District One Class AAA second round, two SOL schools – Upper Moreland and Springfield (Montco) – saw their seasons come to an end in Tuesday’s opening round of the District One AA Tournament. Both teams lost by identical 3-2 scores.
Upper Moreland coach Karen Grossi could not hide her emotions after watching a special season come to an end.
“We had three wins last year,” the Golden Bears’ coach said. “I have to be proud of them. They did a great job.”
The Golden Bears closed out the season with a 12-6-1 record (10-3-1 SOL) after a 3-14 season one year earlier. They could well have picked up their 13th win if a few breaks had gone there way.
As it was, they were left to deal with a heartbreaking loss, thanks to Sam Dingler’s goal with 1:10 remaining in regulation on the Tribe’s 12th corner of the second half.
“They had 20 corners, and we held them on almost all of them,” Grossi said. “We have a very strong defense, and I’m proud of them.”
The Golden Bears trailed 1-0 at halftime but knotted the score at the 27:53 mark of the second half when Maura O’Leary turned Noelle Wooden’s cross into the equalizer. A minute later, Wooden was lost for the remainder of the game after getting hit by a drive.
After fighting off five Upper Perk corners, the Golden Bears hit pay dirt on their second corner of the half when Delaney Smith (Emily Jeinnings assist) banged home a shot from the top of the circle to give her team a 2-1 lead.
“They came out the second half, and they played hard,” Grossi said. “They weren’t quite clicking the first half, but they were the second half.”
The Indians knotted the score midway through the half on their eighth corner and won it as time was winding down on Dingler’s goal.
“It was a good battle,” senior Melissa Felicetti said. “It was back and forth. There was not a second of the game when I thought we gave up.
“It was a good fight. I can’t be disappointed because it was a good game. I’m proud of what we did, coming this far.”
“It’s such an accomplishment to be here in the first place,” O’Leary added. “The way we played really showed what kind of team we are. We’ll be back.”
The Bears, who played most of the second half without Wooden, suffered a major setback when – with 8:24 remaining – they were awarded a second yellow card for not giving five yards on free hits. Since it was the second card for the same offense, they were a player down for 10 minutes – or the final 8:24.
Springfield saw its season end in a 3-2 loss to Delco. Madison Moore connected for the game winner with 10:25 remaining in regulation. Ellie Hamilton and Meredith Giordano each scored a goal for the Spartans, who fought off 28 penalty corners. Tara Murphy contributed an assist.
#18 MOUNT ST. JOSEPH at #2 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH
Central Bucks South
- 16-2 overall
- 14-0 SOL Continental Conference champions
- Eighth consecutive conference crown for program
- Last loss came on Sept. 6 to #5 Conestoga (3-0)
- Regular season wins over #12 North Penn (3-1 & 1-0), #13 Central Bucks West (1-0 & 1-0), #22 Hatboro-Horsham (1-0 & 5-1) and #26 Quakertown (2-0 & 5-0)
- Attack led by senior Emily Cliggett (13 goals)
Mount St. Joseph
- 12-7-1 overall
- 6-5-1 Catholic Academies League
- Regular season wins over #12 North Penn (3-2) and #26 Quakertown (3-2)
- Lost to #6 Council Rock North (3-0) in regular season.
How they got here: The Magic defeated Owen J. Roberts in penalty strokes 3-1 after the two teams battled to a scoreless tie through regulation and two overtime periods. Allison McMullen posted the shutout.
#11 WEST CHESTER EAST at #6 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH
Council Rock North
- 17-2 overall
- 12-2 SOL National Conference Co-champions with Neshaminy
- Opened season with 14 straight wins
- Wins over #9 WC Henderson (2-1), #17 Neshaminy (3-1), #18 Mount St. Joseph (3-0), #20 CR South (4-3) and #24 Wissahickon (6-0)
- Twelve of 16 wins were shutouts
- Sophomore Anna Lehman leads the attack with 24 goals and four assists. Jennica Jonovich (13 goals, 8 assists) and Devon Mela (10 goals, eight assists) also are offensive weapons.
How they got here: Amrit Ahluwalia and Theresa Delahanty teamed up for a pair of goals and Devon Mela (Julianne Mangano assist) added a single goal for the Indians, who opened up a 2-0 halftime lead on their way to a 3-0 win over Radnor.
West Chester East
- 14-5 overall
- 10-3 tied for second in Ches-Mont National Conference
- Regular season wins over #21 Bishop Shanahan 3-2 and #23 Avon Grove 3-0
How they got here: The Vikings opened up a 2-0 lead 51 seconds into the second half of their opening round game against Hatboro-Horsham, thanks to a pair of goals from Maddy Lewis. The Hatters cut the lead to one with a Casey Swezey goal, and it remained a 2-1 game until the closing seconds of the game when the Vikings tacked on a goal for the 3-1 win.
#12 NORTH PENN at #5 DOWNINGTOWN EAST
North Penn
- 13-6 overall
- 10-4 second place SOL Continental Conference
- Closed regular season with a five-game winning streak
- Wins over #4 Downingtown West (3-2), #13 CB West (2-1), #22 Hatboro-Horsham (3-1 & 2-1) and #26 Quakertown (9-2)
- Attack led by Amanda Laessig (19 goals, 8 assists) and Casey O’Donnell (13 goals, 13 assists)
Players to Watch: Casey O'Donnell (Sr, Forward), Amanda Laessig (Sr., Forward), Marissa Elizardo (Sr, GK), Amanda Lashkevich (Sr., Defense), Brianna O'Donnell (Fr., Forward), Frankie Tossona (Sr., Midfield)
How they got here: The Maidens used a goal by Amanda Laessig with 12:43 remaining in regulation to earn the 1-0 win over Bishop Shanahan in a game they dominated. Goalie Marissa Elizardo had seven saves in the shutout.
Downingtown East
- 16-3 overall
- 10-3 tied for second place in Ches-Mont National
- Regular season wins over #4 Downingtown West (1-0), #9 West Chester Henderson, #23 Avon Grove (4-0) and #28 Strath Haven
- Only regular season losses were to #1 Unionville (2-1), #11 West Chester East (3-2) and #20 Bishop Shanahan (4-2)
How they got here: The Cougars crushed 28th-seeded Strath Haven 4-0. They held a lopsided advantage in shots (25-3) and corners (13-2). Jenna Davison, Kallie Gray, Jess Wilcox and Isuru Amarasekera each scored single goals.
#13 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST at #4 DOWNINGTOWN WEST
Central Bucks West
- 14-4-1 overall
- 10-4 tied for second place in SOL Continental Conference
- Opened season with nine straight wins
- Battled CR South to 1-1 tie in a non-league battle
- Split season series with #12 North Penn, winning first game (5-4) and losing second (2-1), and #22 Hatboro-Horsham, winning initial meeting (2-1) and losing rematch (2-1)
- Swept season series with #26 Quakertown (4-0 & 6-1)
How they got here: The Bucks won a 2-1 overtime thriller over Council Rock South when sophomore Bryn Boylan (Kim Hitchcock assist) scored her second goal of the game with 1:21 remaining in overtime on a well-executed corner. Boylan scored her first goal midway through the second half to knot the score 1-1.
Downingtown West
- 14-3-1 overall
- 12-1 Ches-Mont National champions
- Handed top-seeded Unionville its only loss (1-0)
- Lost to #12 North Penn 3-2 on Sept. 2
- Fell to #5 Downingtown East 1-0 for only league loss
- Regular season wins over #9 West Chester Henderson (2-1), #21 Bishop Shanahan (2-0) and #23 Avon Grove (1-0)
#16 NESHAMINY at #1 UNIONVILLE
Neshaminy
- 14-5 overall
- 12-2 SOL National Conference Co-champions with Council Rock North
- Regular season wins over #6 Council Rock North (2-1) and #20 Council Rock South (2-0)
- Closed regular season with six straight wins after a 3-0 loss to top-seeded Unionville on Sept. 27
- Posted 10 shutouts during the regular season
- Attack is led by the high-powered duo of Christen Pennington (23 goals, 6 assists) and Abby Alexis (16 goals, three assists)
How they got here: The Redskins opened up a 4-0 halftime lead on their way to a 6-0 win over Plymouth Whitemarsh. Christen Pennington scored three goals and assisted on two others, Mackenzie Turchi had a pair of goals, and Abby Alexis had a goal and an assist to lead the ‘Skins.
Unionville
- 17-1 overall
- 13-0 Ches-Mont American Division champions
- Haven’t lost since falling to Downingtown West 1-0 on Sept. 4
- Defeated Neshaminy 3-0 in regular season
- Regular season wins over #3 Perk Valley (5-1), #5 Downingtown East (2-1), #8 Conestoga (3-2), #9 West Chester Henderson (3-0), #11 West Chester East 6-1), #20 Council Rock South (3-1), #21 Bishop Shanhan (5-1) and #23 Avon Grove (5-0).
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