SOL Field Hockey District Preview (10-22-18)

Thirteen SOL field hockey teams will be in action this week in the District One Tournament. Check out the preview capsules.

Neshaminy field hockey has shown it knows how to win, capturing the SOL National Conference title with a perfect 12-0 record. They also know how to have fun, a whole lot of fun.

“Every practice is fun,” coach Jamie Pinto said. “It’s a good group of girls. They like each other, they have fun together.”

The players smile a lot and laugh oftener. Their enjoyment of the sport and each other evident in every word, every sentence, and they had a feeling they were onto something special well before the season began.

“Lafayette Camp is the camp we do in the summer, and we all just clicked and we won that,” senior Kayla Connelly said. “We knew we were capable of doing this because some of the teams in our league were there. Some other teams were more challenging – we had tough games.

“I feel that really sparked the interest in all of us. We know we can do it, so let’s do it.”

“I definitely think that camp ignited a fire in us,” senior Sophie Schardt said. “We spend all this time together, which really helps build off-the-field chemistry and you get closer.”

“We literally look at each other and laugh – you don’t need any context. I think that helps because on the field you know what the other person is going to do.”

That chemistry has led to success on the field, and after dropping their first two games of the season – both non-league and both by one goal, the Redskins have won 15 of 16 to close out the season.

“We just overall trust in each other,” junior Jamie Pennington said. “We also push each other too.

“In practices and even in games, we’re always communicating with each other and pushing each other because we all know at the end of the day we’re such good friends and we just want what’s best for each other.”

This year’s title came on the heels of back-to-back second place finishes after capturing the conference crown in 2015.

“We were kind of frustrated last year that we finished in second,” junior Peyton Ritchey said. “We just cleared it out of our heads – we’re going to focus game by game and we’re not going to jinx anything.

“We’re going to play, connect with each other, have fun and just play field hockey.”

“From last year, we have a lot of the core people back,” Pennington said. “We also play offseason together – in the winter, the summer and the spring.

“We’re all such good friends off the field that we have great chemistry together on the field.”

All the talk about chemistry – and the word comes up a lot – isn’t just lip service.

“We love the company of each other and that helps a lot,” Connelly said. “We have so many inside jokes, we all come together and just laugh. Some of my best friends are on this team, so that helps 100 percent because we connect on and off the field.

“In school even offseason, we still connect with each other. It does help to play all year round, but I feel even if we didn’t play all year round we would all still be best friends because we know at the end of the day we’d still be a team.”

“It’s supposed to be fun,” Schardt said. “That’s why we all play field hockey – it’s fun.

“They’re the best friends for the rest of our lives.”

The Redskins have their share of longstanding traditions.

“I think that’s something cool that our team does that not a lot of other teams do,” Pennington said. “We made our wall, which is a team bonding thing during preseason.

“On the way back from away games – in our school driveway, we sing our alma mater, which has been going on since my mom was in high school in the 1980s. I think it’s pretty cool, and it adds to our chemistry.”

Incoming freshman are required to learn the chant the team does in the middle of the field before every home game. They also must know the alma mater.

“Everything comes out of love,” Schardt said. “Nothing is negative.”

“When we compliment each other on the field, it’s all positive,” Connelly said. “It’s always uplifting.

“Even if someone makes a mistake, you find a positive out of it which helps keep the spirits up so you can keep going. I think we learned the more you touch and hug, the more connection you have with each other.”

They say a quick touch is a way to transfer positive energy, and even Pinto acknowledges this group is unique.

“It’s always a good group of girls, but these girls are extra positive,” the Redskins’ coach said.

Last Tuesday’s 3-1 win over Pennsbury clinched the title, and while the Redskins celebrated after the game, they were already looking ahead.

“All our hard work paid off,” Ritchey said.

“But it has to continue,” Connelly said.

“This is the first step,” said Schardt.. “We just have to build off of this going into the playoffs.”

For the team’s six seniors, their final high school season is coming down the home stretch.

“Field hockey will be the only thing I miss about high school,” Schardt said. “I don’t want it to end ever.”

“It hit me personally that the season is almost over,” Connelly said. “My last practice can be any practice, and I hope that never comes, so every moment I have to make the best of.”

It’s even starting to hit home with the underclassmen.

“This is the group we have been playing with for three years,” said Pennington, a junior. “It’s kind of crazy to think that it’s our last year of playing with each other.”

On Monday, the ninth-seeded Redskins will host a familiar foe in 24^th-seeded Pennsbury. It is the third meeting between the two teams.

“We’ve been playing really well together,” Pinto said. “The season just flies by – with the school year and coming out to have fun with them. They support each other, so it’s been coming together.”

Falcons get in under the wire – Pennsbury spent its season firmly on the bubble in the District One 3A power rankings. As recently as the final week of the season, the Falcons appeared to be on the outside looking in, but on the last day of the season, they found themselves with the 24^th and final seed.
“We looked like were out of it for a while, so they were excited,” coach Jamie Parell said. “I also think they have mixed emotions.”
Those mixed emotions have a whole lot to do with the fact that they’re facing archrival Neshaminy for the third time this season.
“We were supposed to play Souderton (in the regular season), but it was one of the games we could not make up due to weather and things like that,” Parell said. “It looked like we were going to draw Souderton, and then we drew Neshaminy.
“We see Neshaminy so much that they would like to see someone new, but at the same time, how cool would it be to beat them?”
Earning a district berth is the goal of every team, and Pennsbury – which lost 12 seniors from last year’s conference championship squad to graduation – is no exception.
“It’s what you play for,” Parell said. “A lot of our games were one-goal losses, so we were in every game, but unfortunately, we didn’t come out on top.
“I know they were bummed when it looked like we were out of it.”
Those emotions surfaced when the Falcons fell to Neshaminy 3-1 in their final conference game last Tuesday.
“I don’t know if they thought that was the writing on the wall or if they were that upset that they lost, but it really wasn’t a bad game,” Parell said. “They were really upset.
“We had Hatboro-Horsham the final day, and they said, ‘Is it over?’ I said, ‘Honestly, I don’t know. If it is over, have fun, and if it’s not over, have fun because we don’t know.’ I try and tell them all the time – every point, every game, everything matters.
“They find this extra fire with Neshaminy, and I don’t know where it comes from. It’s on their own, so to be honest, I’m excited we have Neshaminy because they find this extra sense of urgency.”

CLASS 3A
#1 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST (Bye)

Central Bucks East

17-1 overall
12-0 SOL Continental Conference champions
Third consecutive conference title
Defense has allowed just 13 goals in 18 games (0.72 gpg) with 12 shutouts
Attack led by Phia Mannino (16 goals, 15 assists), Drexel commit Cailey Lever (11 goals, 7 assists) and Kenzie Lever (8 goals, 2 assists)
Wins over #6 Downingtown West (2-0), #9 Neshaminy (3-2 OT), #8 Souderton (1-0 & 1-0), #12 Central Bucks South (4-0 & 2-1), #18 Council Rock South (5-2) & #20 Pennridge (2-7 & 3-1).
Only loss to #14 Methacton (1-0) on Sept. 29.

#5 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH (Bye)
Plymouth Whitemarsh

17-1 overall
14-0 SOL American Conference champions
Sixth consecutive conference title
Colonials boast a 53-game winning streak in conference play
Attack led by Ava Borkowski (28 goals, 7 assists), Kaleigh Missimer (24 goals, 7 assists), Indiana commit Kennedy Reardon (17 goals, 9 assists) and Sam Spera (17 goals, 8 assists). Hailey Copestick, (6 goals, 7 assists) and Kayla Link (4 goals, 10 assists) also contributed.
Wins over #15 Abington (2-0 & 4-0), #21 Lower Merion (7-0) & #24 Pennsbury (4-1) as well as 2A #9 Wissahickon (5-0 & 4-1) & #12 Upper Dublin (7-1 & 5-0).
Only loss to #3 Haverford (3-2) on Sept. 21.

#8 SOUDERTON (Bye)
Souderton

15-2 overall
10-2 SOL Continental Conference second place behind CB East
Attack led by Anna Gwiazdzinski (23 goals, 15 assists), University of Penn commit Courtney Kenah (15 goals, 11 assists) and Randi Hess (17 goals, 3 assists). Alyssa Krady (6 goals, 2 assists) & Lauren Kenah (5 goals, 4 assists) also contribute.
Wins over #12 Central Bucks South (5-3 & 2-1), #14 Methacton (3-1), #15 Abington (5-0), #19 Council Rock North (2-0) & #20 Pennridge (2-1 OT, 5-1) as well as Class 2A #6 Gwynedd Mercy (5-3).
Only two losses to #1 Central Bucks East (1-0 & 1-0).

#24 PENNSBURY at #9 NESHAMINY (Monday, 3:30 p.m.)
Neshaminy

15-3 overall
12-0 SOL National Conference champions
Attack led by Appalachian State commit Peyton Ritchey (21 goals, 14 assists), Caroline Angerer (11 goals, 3 assists), Kayla Connelly (9 goals, 9 assists) and Villanova commit Jamie Pennington (5 goals, 16 assists).
Wins over #18 Council Rock South (4-1 & 4-0), #10 Council Rock North (4-1 & 5-0), #12 Central Bucks South (2-1) & #24 Pennsbury (2-1 OT & 3-1) as well as Class 2A #4 Great Valley (2-1 OT) and #6 Gwynedd Mercy (2-1).

Pennsbury

8-9 overall
6-6 SOL National Conference fourth place
Attack led by Maya Geller (16 goals, 6 assists), Anna Sharp (6 goals, 4 assists) & Samie Hackman (6 goals, 1 assist).
Defense anchored by goalie Keira Korzeb
Win over #15 Abington (4-0)

#21 LOWER MERION at #12 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH (Monday, 7 p.m.)
Central Bucks South

9-6-2 overall
6-4-2 SOL Continental Conference third place
Attack led by Casey Reilly (22 goals, 7 assists), Sophia Wasyliw (11 goals, 2 assists), Ashley Timby (7 goals, 2 assist) and Mel Dunton (4 goals, 7 assists).
Wins over #18 Council Rock South (5-0), #20 Pennridge (3-0 & 3-1) as well as Class 2A #4 Great Valley (2-1) and #12 Upper Dublin (9-1).

Lower Merion

7-8-1 overall
5-5-1 Central League
Win over Class 2A #16 Marple Newtown (1-0)

#18 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH at #15 ABINGTON (Monday, 3:30 p.m.)
Abington

11-7 overall
10-4 SOL American Conference second place behind Plymouth Whitemarsh
Attack led by Paige Doyle (9 goals, 14 assists), Devan DiMaria (7 goals), Becca Gable 6 goals, 1 assist) and Anna Joseph (4 goals, 5 assists)
Wins over Class 2A #9 Wissahickon (2-1) & #12 Upper Dublin (3-0 & 2-0)

Council Rock South

9-7-2 overall
9-2-1 SOL National Conference second place behind Neshaminy
Attack led by Katelyn Cocco (19 goals, 11 assists) and Kerry Kaufman (10 goals, 5 assists).
Wins over #19 Council Rock North (4-1) and #24 Pennsbury (2-1 & 2-1).

#19 COUNCIL ROCK NORTH at #14 METHACTON (Monday, 6 p.m.)
Council Rock North

10-7-1 overall
8-3-1 SOL National Conference
Led by Villanova recruit Hannah Barsky
Attack led by Celie Burke, Brenna Schoenfeld and Sarah Scott
Defense anchored by goalie Kyra Deering-Lewis
Wins over #15 Abington (4-0) and #24 Pennsbury (1-0 & 3-2)

Methacton

11-7 overall
5-5 Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division tied for third place
Led by senior midfielder Katy Benton (St. Joseph commit) and senior goalie Molly Fry (Temple commit). Both were all-state selections last year.
Wins over #1 Central Bucks East (1-0) and #13 Spring-Ford (4-2)

#20 PENNRIDGE at #13 SPRING-FORD (Monday, 3:45 p.m.)
Pennridge

9-9 overall
4-8 SOL Continental Conference
Attack led by Caitlyn Amsden (13 goals, 14 assists), Sydney Borneman (11 goals, 10 assists), Emily Amsden (7 goals, 8 assists), Emma Schlotter (7 goals, 2 assists) and Abby Ludlow (6 goals, 5 assists).
Win over #18 Council Rock South (2-0).

Spring-Ford

11-6 overall
5-5 Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division tied for third place
Freshman Ashley Sessa leads the attack while goalie Ashley Della Guardia anchoring the defense in goal.
Wins over #14 Methacton (2-1), #18 Council Rock South (4-0) & #22 Unionville (2-1) as well as Class 2A #11 Upper Perkiomen (4-0) & #14 West Chester Henderson (7-3).

CLASS 2A
#9 WISSAHICKON AT # 8 MERION MERCY (Tuesday, 3:30 p.m.)
Wissahickon

11-6-1 overall
9-5 SOL American Conference third place
Attack led by Hannah Havrilla (12 goals, 5 assists) and Grace Bell (8 goals, 9 assists).
Defense anchored by Meghan Reilly
Wins over #14 Abington & #19 Council Rock North (2-0) as well as Class 2A #12 Upper Dublin (2-0)

Merion Mercy

10-7-1 overall
6-4 Catholic Academies League
Led by Boston College commit Margo Carlin, who competed with the US U-17 Women’s National Team
Win over Class 3A #20 Unionville (4-2) and tied #3 Haverford (1-1).

#12 UPPER DUBLIN at #5 PHOENIXVILLE (Tuesday, 7 p.m.)
Upper Dublin

9-7-1 overall
8-5-1 SOL American Conference fourth place
Attack led by Ryann Kullmann (8 goals, 9 assists), Lauren Greene (6 goals, 3 assists) and Jenn McCarry (7 goals).
Defense anchored by goalie Meghan Muth
Wins over #21 Lower Merion (3-0) as well as Class 2A Wissahickon (3-2)

Phoenixville

14-4-1 overall
9-1 Pioneer Athletic Conference Frontier Division tied for first with Upper Perkiomen
Lost to eventual champion Owen J Roberts 6-0 in PAC semifinals
Led by Quinnipiac commit Gabby Herschell
Wins over Class 2A #11 Upper Perkiomen (4-3) and#16 Marple Newtown (3-0)

CLASS 1A
#6 SACRED HEART at #3 SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP (Tuesday, 4 p.m.)
Springfield Township

10-6-1 overall
7-6-1 SOL American Conference
Attack led by Maddie Yoder (14 goals, 3 assists), Anya Kockanowioz (6 goals, 3 assists) and Charlotte deKerillis (3 goals, 10 assists).
Wins over Class 3A Abington (1-0), Class 2A #9 Wissahickon (1-0) and Class 1A #4 Dock Mennonite (4-2) & #8 Lower Moreland (6-0).

Sacred Heart