Ten SOL field hockey teams will be in action in Monday’s opening round of the District Tournament. Check out the preview capsules. (Photo provided by Pennsbury field hockey)
There’s a YouTube video with more than 10 million views of the 65,000-plus Green Day fans at sold-out Hyde Park for a concert by the American punk rock group singing along with Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The Pennsbury field hockey team certainly can’t compete with that rendition, but Queen’s iconic song – thanks to Nell Webber – has been part of the fabric of a magical season for the Falcons.
“Bohemian Rhapsody” happens to be the senior captain’s favorite, and it’s become part of the regular bus ride playlist.
“Some people roll their eyes, but we all sing along,” senior captain Olivia Mauro said. “I brought the (Green Day video) up the other day and said, ‘Guys, we should do a video of ‘Bohemian Rhapsody.’”
The Falcons won’t need a video to remember a special season that saw them defeat Council Rock South for the first time in four years and Neshaminy for the first time in six years – both in the same week. They went on to capture the program’s first title since 2009 when the Falcons were co-champions with Council Rock North and Pennsbury’s first solo championship since 1992.
Twelve seniors comprise the nucleus of the squad – Mauro, Weber, Beverly Bozarth, Kate Chesney, Michelle Deodati, Madison Hackman, Lily Nolan, Gianna Pinto, Annie Price, Amy Ronin, Halle Szumigala and Alexa Tannenbaum. They had an idea their final high school season might be special. After all, their eighth grade team was undefeated, and when they were freshmen, their jayvee team also was undefeated. Seven of the seniors have been three-year starters.
“Sophomore year a lot of us were starting varsity, and we realized – our senior year we’re really going to be good,” said Webber, who has committed to continue her career at Boston College. “(Council Rock) North had their year, Neshaminy had their year, South had their year, but our senior year was going to our year. We’ve always expected it – this year we’re going to win.”
With those expectations came some pressure.
“I think there was pressure but more so a good kind of pressure,” senior captain Kate Chesney said. “We were not hard on ourselves, but we knew we really wanted to accomplish things his year and do as well as we could before graduation.
“We only had one senior graduate (from last year’s team), so we knew it was going to be a pretty successful year, but I didn’t really imagine that we would be undefeated (in the conference) and do as well as we did. It’s very exciting.”
There were some nervous moments when the Falcons fell to Mount St. Joseph Academy 1-0 in their season opener.
“We thought, ‘Oh no, this is supposed to be our year,’” Webber said. “Abington was our first big league game, and they scored on us first, and we thought, ‘Oh no, this can’t be.’
“We came back and beat Abington, and we beat more good teams. We were finishing our shots, we were outplaying good teams, and we had really good passing. I think once we beat Neshaminy – that was our first big win, and after that, we started rolling.”
“We did pretty well the whole time,” Chesney said. “But the one turning point might have been our first game against Neshaminy because I know for us seniors – we’d never beaten Neshaminy and just finally beating them gave us that extra boost of confidence – wow, we can really do it this year.”
The Falcons rolled through their SOL National Conference season without a loss. They are the eighth-seeded team in the District One 4A Tournament and have an opening round bye on Monday.
“Just being a part of this whole thing and being surrounded by the other girls and having each other’s backs, it’s really awesome,” Chesney said.
“We’ve always been joking, ‘This is our year,’ and it was,” Mauro said. “This was a really special thing to have, and I’m really happy I could do it with the girls I’ve been playing with since seventh grade.”
*****
Seventh grade marked the beginning of a journey that would culminate five years later with a conference crown.
Webber, Chesney and many of their teammates had been playing soccer almost their entire lives when they opted to give field hockey a try.
“The majority of us came from William Penn, our middle school,” said Webber. “I never really knew if I would play field hockey in high school because I still played soccer.
“It was the same for a bunch of kids. We really never knew. The summer before freshman year I chose to do field hockey. I’ve been playing soccer since I was four years old, and I felt like I wanted to do something different in high school. I still played club soccer, so why not play field hockey.”
“I actually played travel soccer since I was five years old – that was my full commitment,” said Chesney, who continued playing soccer until last year. “My story is pretty similar to Nell’s – I have always been playing soccer and was like, ‘I may as well try something else for school.’”
For Mauro, softball was the sport of choice. She’d been playing on the travel circuit since she was eight and continues to play softball. Mauro went out for hockey at the encouragement of the middle school coach.
“Field hockey and softball have always gone hand in hand,” she said. “In field hockey, there’s a lot more physical activity than there would be in softball, which I liked.
“Obviously, the endurance and the speed factor of field hockey play into my softball career, and my hand-eye coordination in softball helps with field hockey. I might pursue softball in college, but I love field hockey.”
For Mauro and many of her teammates, this season could well be their final go-round with hockey.
“We were actually talking about that on Friday,” Mauro said. “It was a sad conversation. We don’t want to end our careers here, we want to go as far as we can.
“We want this run to go on as long as possible because we want to keep playing together and also because we want to make coach (Jamie) Parell proud. We’re so happy for her, and we’re happy that as a team we can work together. This is a really special thing to have.”
There’s no mistaking this group shares a unique and special bond.
“I think we all have a lot of trust in each other,” Mauro said. “A lot of the girls on our team play club like Nell, Maya Geller, and we’re not afraid to ask each other questions – ‘In this situation, what should I do?’ or ‘In this situation, how should this work?’
“I think that’s why we work really well together because we’re not afraid to ask each other questions. There’s no big force on this team, we’re all kind of equals, which is is pretty important.”
With districts about to begin, the intensity level has amped up at practices, but so has the fun. The first half of Friday’s practice was a costume party, the brainchild of the juniors.
“Every day at practice – of course, we like to goof around because more than half of us are seniors, but we really have been focusing a ton at practice, and I would give credit to Annie Price,” Mauro said. “She has put so much effort into coming up with ideas to work on, pinpointing certain things we need to work on in the postseason. We’ve written out every single thing we’ve done wrong and made drills to work on that type of thing. I give Annie a ton of credit for that.”
The Falcons have enjoyed the usual pasta parties, and they have group chats that focus on motivating each other.
“Especially with 12 girls, it’s easy to be in cliques and split into groups,” Chesney said. “For us, what makes us so successful on the field is because off the field we’re really united and get along with each other.
“I think that personal chemistry can help us build team chemistry on the field.”
Pennsbury will return to action on Wednesday, taking on the winner of ninth-seeded Unionville and 24th-seeded Boyertown. Whatever the future holds, this Falcon squad has already insured itself a spot in the history books.
“They’re on cloud nine, and as much as it’s now in the past, it’s been great,” said Parell, herself a Pennsbury alum. “I’ve never been one to think of records, let alone being undefeated. I’ve known a lot of the girls since middle school either through my feeder program or my camps or my clinics.
“I definitely knew I had a special group, but I just didn’t know how it would pan out. I was excited for the year and excited for the potential, but at no point in my mind – even halfway through, we had so much ahead of us that could happen. It never was a thought process with us. I don’t know if the reality of what they’ve accomplished has set in with myself and even the girls. It’s still kind of surreal.”
Abington makes history
This year’s Abington squad ensured itself a spot in history, earning the program’s first postseason berth since 1993 under first year coach Katie Small.
“This was one of my goals coming off Jenkintown – we had made it my last year, so as soon as I came in I thought, ‘Okay, that’s what the goal is. We’re going to make districts,’” the first-year coach said.
The Ghosts received a huge boost with the transfer of senior Natalie McNamara to Abington from Mount St. Joseph Academy.
“Natalie McNamara was a huge part of the turnaround and having the ability to put (the ball) in the cage,” Small said of her high-scoring forward. “The Mount is still doing great this year, and she had the mentality – I’m used to winning. I don’t think they’d seen somebody get upset when there’s a loss. Now they’re starting to get that mentality, and the intensity is starting to show up.”
Mackenzie Greiner has been a force in goal, and it was her 23-save effort that preserved an important 1-0 early-season win over Council Rock South.
“She’s done a great job in cage,” Small said. “She comes up strong when needed and comes up with key saves that have kept us in the game. Mackenzie has had a great season.”
Other players have also made important contributions.
“When we played Bensalem, Georgia Wasekanes stepped up and had a hat trick, so we’re becoming a more complete team,” Small said. “Aileen Hughes, a junior, came out of nowhere, and she’s been unbelievable. She’s played every position.
“Alaina Swift is our center back, and she’s also stepped up. Both Aileen and Alaina have been key components to our wins, helping keep the ball out of the circle. I would call Aileen a beast all over the field. Her skill has completely improved over the season. I need her on the field all the time and the same with Alaina.
“The girls do whatever we ask now. I just think they started to believe in themselves, and that was key.”
Abington will travel to Central Bucks West for Monday’s district opener.
District dream a roller coaster ride for SOL squads
While advancing to districts was a foregone conclusion for some SOL squads, it was a roller coaster of emotions for others. Souderton, Council Rock North and Upper Dublin fall into the latter category as all three were in and out of the field of 24 in the District One power rankings in the regular season’s final days.
Council Rock North (25) and Upper Dublin (26) came up just short while Souderton survived the cut at 22, but the days preceding Thursday’s seeding meeting were decidedly stressful for coach Nicole Bauer.
“Tuesday after our game (a 4-0 win over William Tennent), we were 25, and Wednesday on the way home from practice we were 24,” the Indians’ coach said. “Thursday morning we were 22, and my assistant coach looked and we were back to 24 again.
“(Athletic director) Dennis Stanton came down to the field when we were practicing and said, ‘I saw you were 22,’ and I literally had checked just two hours earlier. Twenty-five was what killed me.”
The Indians have had the corner of the market when it came to heartbreaking losses – seven times losing by one goal. Two of those losses came at the hands of Monday’s opening round opponent, North Penn, and although Bauer might have preferred a different opponent, the second-year coach acknowledged the importance of earning a postseason berth.
“Last year, I think it was almost a stretch for us to get into districts – they didn’t believe that they could,” Bauer said. “This year we were building up that confidence, and to not make it would have been disappointing.
“The girls are pumped. I think we’re clicking at the right time, so I’m hoping we have success.”
#5 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST (Bye)
Central Bucks East
- 15-3 overall
- 11-1 SOL Continental Conference champions
- Second consecutive conference title
- Led offensively by Riley Donnelly (19 goals, 11 assists), Cailey Lever (18 goals, 11 assists and Phia Mannino (13 goals, 6 assists)
- Wins over #10 CB West (1-0, 5-2), #13 Neshaminy (1-0), #15 Central Bucks South (2-0, 1-0), #16 Council Rock South (3-1), #22 Souderton (3-1, 4-0) and #23 Abington (3-0).
- Split season series with #11 North Penn (4-2, 3-4).
- Two of East’s losses to first and second-seeded team, #1 Downingtown West (2-0) and #2 Methacton (3-2).
- Closed season with six-game winning streak, which included five shutouts.
#6 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH (Bye)
Plymouth Whitemarsh
- 16-2 overall
- 14-0 SOL American Conference champions
- Fifth consecutive conference title
- Did not allow a goal in 14 conference wins, outscoring opponents 73-0
- Wins over #8 Pennsbury (1-0) and #18 Wissahickon (1-0, 4-0)
- Attack led by Ava Borkowski (23 goals, 2 assists), Kennedy Reardon (13 goals, 2 assists), Jess Dixon (11 goals, 7 assists), Sam Spera (9 goals, 5 assists) and Kaleigh Missimer (10-0)
- Only two losses to #4 Haverford (2-1) and #11 North Penn (3-2)
#8 PENNSBURY (Bye)
Pennsbury
- 15-3 overall
- 12-0 SOL National Conference champions
- First solo conference title since 1992
- Anchored by 12 seniors, which includes seven three-year starters
- Led offensively by Kate Chesney (15 goals, 9 assists), Olivia Mauro (13 goals, 2 assists), Sami Hackman (9 goals, 9 assists) and Nell Webber (9 goals, 6 assists)
- Wins over #13 Neshaminy (3-1, 3-1), #16 Council Rock South (3-0, 4-0), #22 Souderton (2-1) and #23 Abington (6-3, 3-2)
- Won 10 of 11 to close out season.
#23 ABINGTON at #10 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST (Monday, 7 p.m.)
Central Bucks West
- 14-4 overall
- 9-3 SOL Continental Conference third place behind Central Bucks East & North Penn
- Attack led by Taylor Mason (27 goals, 18 assists), Eva Altadonna (9 goals, 7 assists), Liv Fitzgerald (7 goals, 10 assists) and Dani Dundas (9 goals, 3 assists)
- Wins over #15 Central Bucks South (2-1, 2-0), #21 Spring-Ford (4-0, 2-1) and #22 Souderton (2-1, 2-1)
- Split season series with #11 North Penn (2-3, 3-2)
- Won nine of 10 to close out regular season
Abington
- 9-9 overall
- 6-6 SOL National Conference fourth place
- First trip to the postseason since 1993
- Led offensively by Natalie McNamara (22 goals, 12 assists), Georgia Wasekanes (9 goals, 4 assists) and Paige Doyle (6 goals, 8 assists)
- Win over #19 Garnet Valley (3-0)
- Split season series with #16 Council Rock South (1-0, 2-3)
#22 SOUDERTON at #11 NORTH PENN (Monday, 7 p.m.)
North Penn
- 12-5-1 overall
- 9-2-1 SOL Continental Conference second place behind Central Bucks East
- 1-3 after four games but 11-2-1 since then with those three early season losses to first, second and fifth-seeded district teams
- Led offensively by Bri O’Donnell (19 goals, 5 assists), Mikayla Barrow (11 goals, 4 assists) and Emily Crawford (9 goals, 5 assists)
- Wins over #6 Plymouth Whitemarsh (3-2) and #22 Souderton (3-2, 2-1). Defeated #15 Central Bucks South 2-0 in first meeting and tied the Titans 3-3 in second.
- Split season series with #5 Central Bucks East (2-4, 4-3) and #10 Central Bucks West (3-2, 2-3)
Souderton
- 8-10 overall
- 4-8 SOL Continental Conference fifth place
- Win over #23 Abington (2-0)
- Dropped both games in season series with North Penn (2-3, 1-2).
- Seven of the Indians’ 10 losses were by one goal, including a 1-0 loss to #2 Methacton in the final week of regular season
#20 AVON GROVE at #13 NESHAMINY (Monday, 3:30 p.m.)
Neshaminy
- 12-6 overall
- 10-2 SOL National Conference second place behind Pennsbury
- Led offensively by sophomore Peyton Ritchey (15 goals, 16 assists) and senior Abby Geisler (15 goals, 11 assists)
- Wins over #16 Council Rock South (2-1, 1-0), Abington (5-0, 2-0) and Class 2A #2 Mount Saint Joseph (2-0)
- Ended season with six wins in last seven games.
Avon Grove
- 9-9 overall
- 6-7 Ches-Mont National Division
- Lost five straight to close out regular season
#18 WISSAHICKON at #15 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH (Monday, 7 p.m.)
Central Bucks South
- 10-7-1 overall
- 6-5-1 SOL Continental Conference fourth place
- Led offensively by Casey Reilly (14 goals, 6 assists), Kaitlyn Barnhart (10 goals, 5 assists) and Kasey Deitzel (6 goals, 9 assists)
- Wins over #22 Souderton (2-1, 3-1)
- Fell to North Penn 2-0 in first meeting but tied the Knights 3-3 in second.
Wissahickon
- 11-7 overall
- 10-4 SOL American Conference third place behind PW and Springfield Township
- Led offensively by Sammi Pack (11 goals, 26 assists), Emily Purnell (10 goals, 12 assists), Ellen Kane (11 goals, 6 assists) and Julianna Sutow (12 goals, 1 assist)
- Won four of six games to close out season
#17 LOWER MERION at #16 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH (Monday, 4:30 p.m.)
Council Rock South
- 10-8 overall
- 7-5 SOL National Conference third place behind Pennsbury & Neshaminy
- Led offensively by Tori Wright (12 goals, 9 assists), Katelyn Cocco (13 goals, 6 assists) and Caitlyn Thornton (10 goals, 8 assists)
- Win over #18 Wissahickon (2-1)
- Split season series with #23 Abington (0-1, 3-2)
Lower Merion
- 8-9-1 overall
- 4-6-1 Central League
- Scored 31 goals while allowing 41
- Win over Class 2A #16 Springfield-Delco (1-0) and tied #19 Garnet Valley (0-0)
CLASS 2A
#19 UPPER MORELAND at #14 WEST CHESTER EAST (Monday, 3:30 p.m.)
Upper Moreland
- 7-10 overall
- 5-9 SOL American Conference
- Led offensively by Jess Flanagan & Claudia Zanine
West Chester East
- 8-10 overall
- 7-6 Ches-Mont National Division fourth place
- Wins over Class 3A #20 Avon Grove (5-2) and Class 2A #10 Phoenixville (3-1)
CLASS 1A
#5 JENKINTOWN at #4 SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP (Monday, 3:30 p.m.)
Springfield Township
- 13-4 overall
- 11-3 SOL American Conference second place behind Plymouth Whitemarsh
- Led offensively by Ellie Hamilton and Maddie Yoder
- Win over #6 Dock Mennonite (2-0)
- Split season series with Class 3A #18 Wissahickon (2-0, 1-2)
Jenkintown
- 11-6 overall
- 9-5 BAL Constitution Division champions
- Split season series with #6 Dock Mennonite (6-1, 2-3)
- Scored the only regular season goal against #1 New Hope-Solebury in final regular season game (a 4-1 loss)
- Eight shutouts in regular season
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