New Hope-Solebury captured its sixth consecutive District 1 1A title Tuesday. Photos provided courtesy of Keith Clemens Photography. Check back for a gallery of photos. In a Class 3A playback game, CB West edged Souderton to earn a state berth. All SOS photo galleries for FIELD HOCKEY can be viewed by clicking HERE.
District 1 1A championship
#1 NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 2, #2 DOCK MENNONITE 1 (OT)
Talk about leaving it all on the field – the Lions did just that.
With only 15 players on their roster and no jayvee, the players have grown accustomed to logging a whole lot of minutes, but when Sophia Cozza’s corner shot deflected off a defender’s stick and into the cage for the game-winner with 3:39 remaining in overtime, the senior captain didn’t have all that much energy left to celebrate.
“I was overjoyed – I jumped, and my feet didn’t work anymore because I was so tired, so I laid on the ground and I have turf burn from that,” said Cozza, who immediately found herself on the bottom of a dogpile.
The senior captain explained the sequence that led to the game-winner, which came on the Lions’ first and only corner of overtime.
“Coach said, ‘Straight shot but probably pass to Maddie (Thistlewaite),” Cozza said. “So, I’m taking a deep breath and I’m going to pass to her, and she said, ‘No, just shoot it,’ and I just shot it. Thank goodness that girl’s stick wasn’t angled correctly, and it went in.”
The win gave New Hope-Solebury its sixth straight district title, and this one was definitely hard-earned.
“This means basically the world,” Cozza said. “My freshman year I was that one freshman on varsity. I didn’t know the meaning of this.
“Now I’m a senior, and when it was tied, I’m like – ‘I might never be able to feel this as a senior.’ I felt like it was my job to do everything I could, and I was like, ‘Come on, guys, let’s go’ because when you’re not a senior, you don’t really care that much. You’re like – why are they crying?’”
Cozza is one of three seniors on this year’s squad, and teammate Avery Mendola was oh so close to being forced to leave the game during the heat of battle in the 7v7 overtime.
“I did not want to go off – I wasn’t sure if there was protocol that forced them to take me off, but I knew I wanted to stay in the game and be part of it while on the field,” said the senior captain, who threw up in overtime but somehow recuperated.
Mendola – a key player in the Lions’ transition game – was in the middle of the postgame celebration.
“I fell to the ground – it’s over, thank gosh we got a goal,” Mendola said. “I was just so happy it was over. It was the biggest relief I’ve ever experienced – to see it end well for us and end on a six-peat where our whole season of hard work pays offs. I’ve never felt that happy in a single moment in my life.”
The game was evenly matched from the outset, and neither team generated all that much offense in the first half. The two teams went into halftime deadlocked 0-0. Just over four minutes into the third quarter, Cozza connected on a goal to put the Lions on the scoreboard, but with 4:33 remaining in the frame, Dock’s Celeste Derstine evened the score with perfectly placed lift shot that was all but impossible to defend.
“When we scored, I think we thought, ‘Oh, it’s done,’” Cozza said. “We had a whole half a game left, and the minute we relaxed they 
came right back and scored on us. In the future, we have to work on playing the entire 60 minutes.”
The Lions drew four penalty corners in the fourth quarter and threatened but came up empty, and the stage was set for overtime and Cozza’s heroics.
“It’s kind of crazy because that was a rough game, but we ended up pulling through at the end,” senior captain Riley Spera-McLaughlin said. “It was cool watching how the whole team at the end – we’ve never really gotten emotional over a district game, but this year, there was something in the air that we got really emotional.
“(When Sophia scored), I was through the roof. That’s my favorite part – running in from the sidelines, cheering with the team. “
The Lions’ limited numbers, according to Cozza, helps prepare the team for a game like Tuesday’s.
“We’re all pretty dead, but we do a lot of conditioning, so when we won our first round of districts, we went to practice and (coach Gwen) Smith was like – ‘You all know we’re doing running today,’ and we’re like, ‘Yes, we do,’” Cozza said. “Also in practice, since we can’t have a scrimmage, we just do overtime full field, and it’s brutal, but it works – just for this situation.”
There wasn’t a whole lot separating the two teams in Tuesday’s district title game, and both will advance to the state tournament.
“It was a gutsy game on both sides,” Lions’ coach Gwen Smith said. “This was pure guts for sure.
“I think this was a harder road, so I think it means more. It’s been a tough battle this season – our growth as a team was a slow process. This game, more than any other, we played not to lose rather than playing to win, and that showed in our play.”
Dock goalie Haley Harper and New Hope-Solebury’s Caroline Berman both came up big in Tuesday’s title game.
New Hope-Solebury (18-2, 14-2 SOL) will host Lansdale Catholic in a District 1/12 Regional Qualifier on Thursday.
Dock Mennonite 0-0-1-0-0 1
New Hope-Solebury 0-0-1-0-1 2
#7 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 1, #6 SOUDERTON 0
There was a sense of urgency as the Bucks lined up for a series of what turned out to be three penalty corners with time expired in the third quarter of a scoreless playback game.
Finally, on the third, Lily Cosner’s shot deflected off the stick of a Souderton defender and into the cage for a goal that stood as the game-winner. Kendal Siegle was credited with the assist.
“We just knew on the last corner going into the fourth quarter – we had three corners after the time ran out, and we just knew we could not let (the ball) out without it being a goal, and that’s what we did,” Cosner said. “We were mainly playing a defensive game for the first half, and by the third quarter, we were like – this cannot happen anymore because they were pretty much dominating the game.
“We got really lucky with some really good saves, and we had to push back and show them we’re not going to let them walk all over us. Knowing we had a chance to seal the deal tonight – we just took it, and we ran with it.”
The win gave the Bucks a coveted state berth, capping a wild couple of weeks that included its share of ups and downs.
“It has been a roller coaster of emotions, coming off a regular season and mainly winning every game,” Cosner said. “I think the tie (with Neshaminy) really threw us for a loop. We were like, ‘This cannot happen again,’ and we were just very upset that we lost the SOL league (title) by a tie on a grass field.
“I think we showed we are a better team when we played them in the second round (a 6-1 West win), and then the loss to Spring-Ford – we all agreed it was not our best game, and Spring-Ford had it together, and they deserved it that night. We just knew tonight we had to come out and show up from our loss this past week.”
Cosner acknowledged it would have been hard to imagine a journey that would culminate with a trip to the state tournament – the program’s first since 2016.
“At the start of the season, we knew were going to be better than we had been, and we knew we were going to give some teams a run for their money, and that’s exactly what we did,” Cosner said. “Just knowing we’re going to the state tournament is pretty amazing. It means a ton to all of us.”
Tuesday’s game was the third meeting between the two SOL Colonial powers. Souderton won the initial meeting 4-3, and the Bucks returned the favor with a 3-0 win in the final week of the regular season.
“To be the best – you need to beat the best,” West coach David DeAngelis said. “We knew that it would be a challenge going to Souderton and playing against them for the third time this season. They are so well coached and have fantastic balance throughout their team – offensively and defensively.
“This evening was a defensive battle. Everyone’s effort had significant value and meaning – maintaining possession – and poise – was of the utmost importance throughout the match. We continued to support and play for each other for the full match.”
There certainly were no secrets heading into Tuesday’s playback game.
“Coming off of already playing Souderton twice, we knew each other’s tactics, and we knew how to stop them,” Cosner said. “Both teams did a really good job of shutting the other team down.”
Both teams certainly had their chances. The Indians held a 7-5 edge in shots on goal and had 12 penalty corners to eight for the Bucks. West goalie Kendra Pitts was credited with six saves in the shutout win.
“Shoutout to our freshman goalkeeper Kendra Pitts,” DeAngelis said. “Once again, she was able to step up and make game changing saves in the cage tonight.
“We are proud across all of our student-athletes, regarding their commitment and work ethic that has been required for us to continue to be playing right now.”
Central Bucks West (18-2-1, 14-1-1 SOL) will travel to Methacton for Friday’s fifth place game. Souderton (17-4, 15-1) will host #8 Garnet Valley Friday with a berth in states on the line for the winner.
Central Bucks West 0-0-1-0 1
Souderton 0-0-0-0 0
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