PW advanced to the District One 4A title game with its win over Owen J Roberts. Souderton earned a berth in the state tournament. PW/OJR photos provided courtesy of Kim Supko. Check back for a gallery of photos.
CLASS 3A
#2 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 1, #3 OWEN J ROBERTS 0
The Colonials’ magic carpet ride through the postseason continues.
Four days after earning a berth in the state tournament – their first in 15 years, the Colonials went one step further, earning a spot in Saturday’s District One 3A title game with an impressive win over the Wildcats.
“I’m still in shock – I can’t believe it right now,” senior co-captain Livia Truong said. “When people say that we’re still playing in November – it means so much to me senior year especially.
“I’m just so proud of the team that we’ve come this far. We jumped from getting kicked out in the second round to getting into the finals this year. That’s a great improvement. I’m still in shock.”
Tuesday’s win avenged PW’s 4-3 loss to Owen J. Roberts on Sept. 28, a loss that the players admit gave them added motivation.
“One hundred percent – it’s different if they blew us out 8-0, but we scored first the last time, and it was a very close game,” Truong said. “It was a one-goal deficit, so we knew we had the potential to beat them. It’s just we needed the motivation and the hunger to want to score and keep our lead.”
Ava Borkowski – after being shut out for the first time in 20 games Friday – scored the game-winner, but the story of this one was the Colonials’ tenacious defense that shut out the dangerous Wildcats for the first time this season.
“It’s awesome,” coach Charise Halteman said of the win. “I’m giving the defense all the credit today. Our team’s strength is offense, but our defense played probably the best game they have played all year.
“Honestly, I thought our whole team played with the most heart I’ve seen them play with all season, just really showed up today and did what they needed to do to get the win.”
The Wildcats drew 13 offensive corners – eight in the first half – but came up empty on all of them. They also had 13 shots.
“Today we did a really good job of marking in the circle especially,” said senior co-captain Kayla Link, who along with Truong anchored the defense. “We had a lot of great tackles, and especially coming from our goalkeeper (Sarah Trask), she had a ton of saves. I think overall – in the past, we had trouble with the rebounds off the goalkeeper, but we’ve been working on that a lot, and today we really stepped it up.”
“Today it was two very offensive teams, and it came down to defense,” Truong said. “Especially with us holding a 1-0 lead.
“The whole team – we all support each other throughout the field. The mids supported the forward, and the defense supported the mids, so I think it made it very hard for OJ Roberts to dribble down the field because once they beat one of our people, another girl was behind them to help, and I think that helped because we had a little trouble backing each other up in the season.”
Momentum began to shift in PW’s favor in the second half, and six minutes into the half, Borkowski – who recently made a verbal commitment to perennial powerhouse University of North Carolina – capitalized on a scrum in front of the cage by lifting a shot over the goalie and into the cage.
“She rebounded the ball off the goalkeeper and lifted it into the cage – it was close range,” Halteman said.
That 1-0 lead held until the final horn when the Colonials celebrated the historic win.
“They probably played better in the first half and had the most opportunities, and I think we made the most of our second-half opportunities,” Halteman said. “It was a well-played game. Both teams had their chances. We hit the post a couple of times, they had a ball hit the post. It was a nail-biter type of game. Our defensive unit had to hang tough a lot today.
“The last time we played them it was 4-3, back and forth with a lot of goals. They clearly can score a lot of goals based on their other scores this season. I was just so proud of our defense for really stepping up, and even close opportunities, they found a way to hang tight.”
Anchoring the defense in addition to Link and Truong were goalie Sarah Trask, Kaleigh Missimer and Carly McGee. Trask was credited with nine goals in a stellar outing.
“I thought everybody played a good game today,” Halteman said. “We needed everyone to show up and play well, and I really think that they did that today.
“Kaleigh (Missimer) played a good game in the midfield. She was under a lot of pressure there, but I thought she made some nice plays for us, and she really helped with the transition defense. Overall, we just played a really good team game today.”
The Colonials couldn’t have picked a better time to avenge their only loss of the season.
“I think some of us were really nervous, but we were able to put those nerves into motivation,” Link said. “We had a talk before the game, and we were like ‘Use the last time we played them when we had a really close loss as our motivation to go out and score against them and hold them to a win today.’”
“I think we’re really excited,” Link said. “A lot of people have been saying, ‘Oh, it’s the team you lost to,’ but we knew we needed to have a comeback against them, and we did it.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (20-1, 14-0 SOL) will take on sixth-seeded Downingtown West in Saturday’s District One 3A title game at Methacton (3:30 p.m.).
Owen J Roberts 0-0 0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0-1 1
Playbacks
#6 SOUDERTON 2, #10 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 1
“Amazing.”
One word summed up Courtney Kenah’s emotions after Tuesday’s win that vaulted the Indians into the state tournament, although relieved might also fit the bill, especially for Kenah and her fellow seniors.
“Last year, it was like – ‘Oh, I’m so jealous of the seniors. Their last year they go to states. That’s a fun way to go out,’” Kenah said. “For me, I wanted that to happen my senior year so I could have just as much fun my senior year.”
“For me, last year we made it to states –I don’t want to take a step back,” senior Anna Gwiazdzinski said.
The Indians were coming off a heartbreaking 5-4 loss to Owen J Roberts in a quarterfinal contest they believed they should have won. It was a loss that left a bad taste in their mouths.
“I think we were all just frustrated after that,” senior Kylie Norbeck said. “It was one of those games – what could we have done? I think we came off that game and all played well as a team. This game we wanted to come back and win.”
“I think it also fueled us,” Kenah said. “We were angry about it. We didn’t want to end on that.”
The game did not exactly get off to a promising start for the Indians.
“We were very timid in the beginning,” senior Anna Gwiazdzinski said. “We came out, it was a dreary day – I think we underestimated the other team, and we were like, ‘This should be an easy game.’”
The Indians found out in a hurry that the game was going to be anything but easy. They fell behind nine minutes into the game when the Hawks hit pay dirt on their first corner. La Salle-bound Katelyn Cocco – who made the insert pass and was on the left post – banged home the game’s first goal, spotting Rock South a 1-0 lead.
“Katelyn has been an offensive threat for the past couple of years,” Rock South coach Lisa Belz said of the senior captain and four-year starter. “Hard to replace, definitely, but we have some younger players that have really improved this year.
“Kerry Kaufman – we moved her around a little bit today. She wasn’t in her typical position, and she really did a great job.”
Rock South’s 1-0 lead stood until the Indians – after a wicked shot by Lauren Kenah from the top of the circle – were awarded a penalty stroke that Gwiazdzinski converted, knotting the score 1-1.
Only a clutch goal line save by Taylor Weaver 30 seconds later prevented the Golden Hawks from regaining the lead, and the two teams went into halftime deadlocked.
The Hawks drew a pair of corners in the opening minutes of the second half but could not capitalize. Six-and-a-half minutes into the half, Courtney Kenah – after a strong individual effort – fired a rocket from the top of the circle that was deflected into the cage by Gwiazdzinski. The Indians had a 2-1 lead that held until the final horn. They survived a pair of corners in the final minute to earn the state berth.
“They were definitely pressuring us,” Gwiazdzinski said. “When we had balls go over the end line, you’re like, ‘Somebody should have been there. What could we have done to get the tip?’
“We’ve had that problem all season. We’ve really been working hard. It’s a situational thing. You never know where the defender’s going to be. It’s something we have to work on for the next game.”
“Although we’re not getting goals on balls going over the end line, we know we’re right there,” Kenah said. “We just have to put it in. That doesn’t discourage me. For me, it’s like ‘We’re so close, we’ll get it the next time.’”
Coach Sue Casciato called it a ‘ugly win’ but was more than happy to take it.
“Like my husband said, ‘All wins are beautiful,’” the Indians’ coach said. “We hung on by our fingernails most of the second half.
“We got down right away which unfortunately we’ve had a tendency to do lately, but it doesn’t faze them at all. They have all the confidence – ‘Hey, we’re a second-half team. We’ll be fine,’ but this was definitely a game that could have gone either way.”
The Indians’ coach credited the strong play of Norbeck, who plays defensive mid.
“I thought Kylie had a great game,” Casciato said. “She’s been telling me for years she’s not a field hockey player. She’s a lacrosse player, and that’s her passion, but every year we keep telling her – ‘You’re accidentally getting pretty good at hockey.’
“She was the difference today. I said, ‘Today you’re man-marking number 15 (Cocco) from the 30 in.’ Cocco is good – she’s dominant, she’s definitely somebody who can carry the ball the length of the field and get off a nice shot. Kylie’s always the person we use to shut down the other team’s top scorer. She was that person last year. We’re going to miss that a lot.”
Casciato also acknowledged the strong play of Lauren Kenah in the win and noted that the Indians are still a team in transition.
“We’re in game 21, and we’re still changing our corners and still changing our lineup,” the Indians’ coach said. “I tried four people in one position today.”
For a Souderton squad that lost 10 seniors from last year’s successful squad to graduation, earning a spot in states for the second consecutive year might not have been predicted by many.
“It was harder this year,” Courtney Kenah said.
“I think it feels better,” Norbeck said. “Before preseason started, we were a little nervous, but after we won our first game, we knew that we just clicked.”
For the Golden Hawks, Tuesday’s loss marked the end of a successful season.
“Honestly, we went pretty far,” said Cocco. “We were really just trying to play our best. We just really wanted to make it to states, and we knew these teams were all going to be good, so we were just really trying to play our hardest to get where we had to be.
“We were like family, so going to practice every day, it was never ‘Oh, I have to go to practice.’ We were all so excited to go. Our bond was great and the way we played the game – it was just a good feeling. Seeing it end is very upsetting because after the four years, it’s hard to let it go.”
Souderton (18-3, 11-1 SOL) will travel to top-seeded Garnet Valley for Friday’s fifth place game.
Council Rock South (10-2) closed its season with a 15-7 record. The Golden Hawks were 13-3 after a 2-4 start – 13-1 in 14 games before their back-to-back losses to second-seeded Plymouth Whitemarsh and the sixth-seeded Indians.
“I thought we played well,” Belz said. “We had two tough games in a row – PW and Souderton. I’m very, very pleased with this group.
“I told them it was an honor coaching them. I have a family, and every year I re-evaluate and say, ‘Can I do this? Can I juggle everything?’ This year it didn’t even cross my mind. They were such a joy. I’m sad to lose our senior group. I thought we had a great senior.”
Belz bids farewell to Cocco, Lauren Mitchell, Rachael Rolle, Ashley Lackman and Mollie Clark.
Council Rock South 1-0 1
Souderton 1-1 2
#1 GARNET VALLEY 1, #6 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0 (OT)
It wasn’t supposed to end like this, but it did, and the Patriots saw a postseason of great promise come to an end much sooner than they’d hoped.
“Honestly, I don’t even know how to describe the feeling,” coach Meghann Spratt said. “We weren’t expecting our season to be over. Not saying we didn’t take into consideration how good Garnet Valley would be, but we weren’t expecting for us to be over. That’s the only way I can explain it. It was just an abrupt ending to a very good season.”
The Jaguars won it with a goal during corner play by Claire Wolf less than two minutes into overtime.
“As soon as the game ended, I said, ‘Don’t hang your heads,’” Spratt said. “We have a future, but for our seniors and for everybody that was on the field tonight, it was a hard loss to swallow.
“I said, ‘This is a life lesson. You have to roll with the punches, understand that we can’t always come out on top.’ We expected our season to go longer, but it didn’t, and it’s something to strive for next year.”
Central Bucks East (16-5, 11-1 SOL) closed out a successful season with a share of the SOL Continental title.
Central Bucks East 0-0-0 0
Garnet Valley 0-0-1 1
CLASS AA
Playback
#7 MOUNT SAINT JOSEPH 1, #6 WISSAHICKON 0 (OT)
The Trojans – one of four teams vying for the fifth and final state berth – hung with the Magic but never could find the cage and saw their successful season come to an end Tuesday. According to their coach, they did not lose for lack of effort.
“It was a really good game,” coach Lucy Gil said. “It was really close, it was just going back and forth, back and forth.
“Both teams played their hearts out. It didn’t look like a playback game where it was just ‘who cares?’ It looked like a championship game. Everyone was giving everything they had. It was just a really fun game to watch. It could have gone either way. It just so happened they scored.”
The Trojans were at a decided disadvantage when overtime rolled around – down two players.
“We had a couple of cards right before the end of regulation, so it was seven to five out there, which makes a huge difference,” Gil said. “We withstood it. They worked really hard. They kept possession and we were able to hold them off.”
Gil lauded the play of several players.
“Grace Ball and Hannah Havrilla carry the team,” the Trojans’ coach said. “Grace had an opportunity to score with three minutes left in overtime. Unfortunately, she hit the crossbar. It was heartbreaking.
“My goalie, Meghan Reilly, had an amazing game. There was shot after shot. They definitely had more shots than we did, but the field game was more even than it looked on paper.
“We had opportunities. There was a lot of really intense field play.”
Wissahickon (12-2 SOL) closed out its season with a 14-6-1 record.
“I’m very pleased,” Gil said. “They made a jump from last year to this year in intensity, in skill, in everything. They come off the field, and they’re spent. They’ve given everything they have.
“It was a really nice, very together team. It was a fun season to be around these girls.
Mount St. Joseph 0-0-1 1
Wissahickon 0-0-0 0
DISTRICT ONE CLASS A title game
#1 NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 2, #2 SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 0
Coach Linda Nixon knew her squad was facing a major challenge when the Spartans took the field at Lower Moreland High school to do battle with a 20-0 Lions’ squad that had not allowed a goal this season.
The Spartans managed just one corner – that came in the first half.
“On that corner, we almost scored,” Nixon said. “We were just a few inches off the goal post. If we had scored on them in the first half, that probably would have changed their perspective.”
Kate Dougherty put the Lions on the scoreboard 10 minutes into the second half. She added a second goal in the closing minutes.
“I thought they were good,” Nixon said. “We were just not as good as we had played.
“I’m hoping we can recoup ourselves and come back and play a good game.”
Springfield Township (16-5, 10-4 SOL) will take on the District 12 champion in the opening round of the state tournament next Tuesday.
Springfield Twp 0-0 0
New Hope-Solebury 0-2 2
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