A highlight of Mondays’ SOL action was the ‘Pink Night’ game pitting Central Bucks East - whose coach Marie Meehan was diagnosed with breast cancer in January - against Central Bucks West. To view photos of the special night, visit the Photo Gallery.
DOYLESTOWN – Marie Meehan glanced in the direction of her players as they were preparing to leave the field after Monday night’s emotionally charged 4-3 win over archrival Central Bucks West.
“They look really good in pink,” the Central Bucks East coach said with a smile.
The Patriots wore pink jerseys for Monday’s ‘Pink Night’ game against the Bucks, and this one was personal for everyone on East’s side of the field.
Making this night so poignant was the fact that Meehan was diagnosed with breast cancer in January. The Patriots’ coach had surgery in March and completed treatments that included four weeks of radiation and 16 weeks of chemotherapy at the end of July.
“This means a lot,” senior Shannon Devlin said. “Hearing back in (March) that she had breast cancer – it was really heartbreaking for us as a team.
“We didn’t really know what to expect, but I think it brought us closer as a unit, and it brought us closer to her. This says that we care, and we want to make an impact in her life.”
“This night is very emotional for us,” teammate Liz Thiroway added. “We wanted to outdo any other ‘Pink Night’ because we were so closely affected by this horrible news, but she has been such a role model.
“She has been strong, she’s been attending practices while on treatment, and it really shows how much she cares and loves this team.”
Meehan admits that returning to the sidelines this fall was a goal from the outset.
“This senior group is a very close-knit group,” she said. “There was no way I wasn’t going to spend their senior year with them. After this year, I didn’t know, depending on how I felt.
“I’m so blessed, I’m so fortunate. My family and my friends helped me through. The team, the Central Bucks East faculty were fabulous to me, and I just wanted to maintain that relationship with hockey and the girls.”
With a family history of breast cancer, Meehan admits she was almost prepared for the diagnosis.
“That’s why I don’t think I felt down because I expected it at some point, so I think I was prepared to fight it,” the Patriots’ coach said. “You can’t beat family history, no matter what you do.”
In August, Meehan - just two weeks removed from her final chemo treatment – was back on the sidelines for preseason.
“It was August, and, of course, there was the heat,” she said. “It was exhausting. We would do our preseason stuff for five hours, and I would go home and go to bed and get ready for the next day.
“I don’t think I sat down at any practices, I don’t think I sat down at any games. I drive myself, and then I collapse at home. My family had to really support the other stuff that was going on because hockey was coming first.”
It was Devlin who came up with the idea of using the money the team raised working at Meehan’s summer hockey camp to buy pink jerseys.
“It’s one thing to go to these ‘Pink Nights’ and say, ‘Oh yeah, support breast cancer awareness and research,’ but now you’re doing it for someone you know, and it means so much more when you’re donating the extra dollar,” Devlin said. “This is our first time doing this, so we didn’t know what to expect, but we had a good turnout.”
The players presented flowers to Meehan before the game and then went out and opened up a 4-1 halftime lead before the Bucks rallied to make it close. The Patriots, however, held on for the win.
“Coming into the game, we knew what we had to do,” Thiroway said. “We knew we had to come out strong and score quickly.
“In the middle of the game, we were kind of tired, we were kind of sore, but just that extra push that we’re doing it for coach Meehan, and we’re here for her just gave us that emotion to go out and win it for her.”
“It was really emotional,” Devlin said. “I couldn’t have asked for a better start – I could have asked for a better finish, but that’s okay. We came out with the result we wanted.
“Obviously, coach Meehan has a lot of support here tonight, and it makes us happy and makes the win that much greater.”
Meehan is using her experience to teach her players life lessons.
“One out of seven women will be diagnosed with the disease,” she said. “More and more people need to get involved in the movement because so many women are being affected.”
The Patriots’ coach admits her battle with cancer altered her perspective.
“Family and friends are everything,” she said. “Preparing these girls for a life of strong relationships is what I’m really about on this team. And being positive – that’s more what it’s about.
“Yes, we try and teach them how to play hard and win, but I think they will be close-knit together for a long time because of what we’re doing here.”
Meehan – who credits her husband Mark for his unwavering support - admits that working with the hockey team has been good medicine.
“At times you’re tired, and then they’ll do something on the field, and it gives you strength,” she said. “They’re a fabulous group of girls.
“This is amazing. This came from them. This is what they wanted to do. They planned it, and to see people come out from school and family and friends – the parents were fabulous helping us set up. It’s not for me. It’s for a good cause.”
A cause that became deeply personal for everyone wearing pink because of Meehan.
SOL Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 4, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 3
In yet another war between the neighboring rivals, the Patriots sprinted to a 4-1 halftime lead and then held on for the win.
“It was really nerveracking, but we pulled through, and our defense played great,” East’s Liz Thiroway said.
The Patriots got on the scoreboard four minutes into the game on a goal by Sarah Thiroway. The Bucks knotted the score 1-1 when Christy Grezeszak (Heather Zezzo assist) scored at the 17:38 mark. That goal opened the floodgates as the Patriots answered with a pair of goals in the next two minutes.
First it was Marissa Glatt (Katt Miller assist) scoring on a corner, and then it was Liz Thiroway (Glatt assist) connecting on yet another corner, putting the Patriots on top 3-1 midway through the first half. A goal by Emily Vasey sent the Patriots into halftime with what seemed to be a commanding 4-1 lead, but the Bucks came roaring back in the second half, using goals by Steph Cooper (Grezeszak assist) and Jennie Kamel (Zezzo assist) to make it a 4-3 game with 16:30 remaining in regulation.
Both defenses – sparked by the play of West goalie Jess Meisinger-MacDonald (17 saves) and East goalie Emily Guthier (11 saves) – held the rest of the way, and a win was in the books when East’s Casey Apt came up with a takeaway just over midfield to seal the win.
“When we went up 4-1 in the first half, I think it showed how talented we are as a team,” senior Shannon Devlin said. “But I think the second half showed how young we are and that we need to start developing as a team. We need to grow, and we need to grow quickly.”
With the win, the Patriots improved to 6-5 in league play while the Bucks fell to 3-8.
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 2, NORTH PENN 0
Kaitlin Poiesz admitted that the Maidens – despite the outcome – posed a formidable challenge for the Titans, who defeated the Maidens 3-2 in OT in the initial meeting between the two squads.
“The last game they were definitely intense and good, but this game they seemed more upbeat and they wanted it more,” the Titans’ sophomore left back said.
The Titans were propelled to Monday’s win by a standout defensive effort and the strong play of goalie Gina Brigo as well as an opportunistic offense.
“On defense, we work in twos, so if one person gets beat, there’s a backup - we back each other up every time,” Poiesz sad.
The Maidens had the better of play early on, but it was the Titans scoring a goal on their first shot of the game at the 22:43 mark when Megan Hamilton turned a perfectly-delivered cross from Amber Steigerwalt into a goal on a bang-bang play that left the Maidens stunned.
“She just flat out ran by our defense,” Maiden co-coach Carrie Jankowski said of Hamilton. “She (Steigerwalt) made a good play getting her the ball. There were positives for them in that, but we can’t let them run by us like that.
“That being said, our defense is going to make mistakes. You’re never going to win a game with zero goals, and you have to expect to score more than one goal because you have to afford your defense a mistake.”
The Maidens came back on the attack, but goalie Brigo (seven saves) and the Titan defense were equal to the task. With 6:08 remaining in the opening half, the Titans converted their first corner of the game into a goal with Steigerwalt scoring on a play that was set up by corner striker Kayla Kenney.
“That first goal – we were shocked it happened so soon,” Poiesz said. “We were all pumped up about that, and we had motivation to get another. They were probably stunned and back on their heels because we caught them off guard.”
The Maidens had a statistical advantage in corners (9-7) and shots (9-7) and certainly had their opportunities. Brigo came up with a big stop on a one-on-one play with 10 minutes remaining in the second half. Twice – once in the first half and then again in the second half – Carly Pickford sent a perfect pass across goal. Both went untouched. It was that kind of day for the Maidens.
“It’s really disappointing,” Pickford said. “It’s the little things. We had the ball up there so many times, and we had so many chances, but we do the little things wrong and don’t score.
“We had two bad breakdowns, they scored, and it was hard to come back. I think overall we had a good game, but we weren’t scoring. It’s frustrating.”
The Titans – one week removed from a loss to Souderton that temporarily knocked them out of first place – maintain their hold on the top spot in the Continental Conference standings with a 9-1-1 record while the Maidens fell to 7-4
“We know we can’t afford to lose or tie because that will put us behind Souderton again,” Poiesz said. “We have to play hard every game.
“Last year we lost 12 seniors, and we didn’t think we would be where we are now. Everybody is individually a good player, so we just had to put everybody together to be a good team.”
SOUDERTON 5, QUAKERTOWN 0
Senior Rachel Valentine scored three goals and contributed an assist to lead the Indians to the big win. It was Valentine scoring back-to-back goals – the second with an Abbey Gabriel assist - to spot the Indians a 2-0 lead. Alyssa Ziegler scored an unassisted goal to send the Indians into halftime with a 3-0 lead. Gabriel (Valentine assist) connected, and then Valentine completed the hat trick with an unassisted goal to close out the scoring. As a result of the win, the Indians upped their league mark to 9-2 while the Panthers fell to 1-10.
American Conference
NORRISTOWN 2, UPPER DUBLIN 1
Norristown coach Stacie Staufenburg admits she did something she’s never done before when she called a team meeting on Sunday.
“In the seven years I have been a varsity coach, I have never called a team meeting on a weekend or at my house,” the Eagles’ coach said. “I felt that something had to be done because we were so flat.
“One of the parents bought five pizzas and a bunch of snacks, and the team showed up. We talked about what we needed to do, and we changed some strategy around. We did a little motivational reading, and it paid off.”
Did it ever.
The Eagles struck first, scoring five minutes into the first half. They took that 1-0 lead into halftime. Emily Hitchings knotted the score for the Flying Cardinals only to watch Sammi Kidd score on a corner to give the Eagles a lead they would not lose.
“Scoring first was big because it kept my team charged up the entire time,” Staufenberg said. “We played well as a team. Everyone did their part – not one person slacked off, and that’s what counts. You have to play as a unit and just dig in the entire game.
“That was our strategy from last night into the game.”
Goalie Eliana Gilette came up big for the Eagles.
“She had a really nice game and made some key saves when she needed to,” Staufenberg said. “They have a bunch of players that can shoot at will, and Eliana and my defense held them off. I’m real happy with that.”
Earlier this season, the Eagles fell to the Flying Cardinals 4-2 in a game that saw Upper Dublin turn a 2-1 lead into a 4-1 lead, thanks to a pair of goals in a one-minute span.
“We kind of hiccoughed, and they scored two goals,” Staufenberg said. “We went hard and lost, and everyone was pretty disappointed.”
The Eagles have seven games in the final two weeks.
“There’s a lot of playing left to do,” Staufenberg said. “We play Wissahickon tomorrow at their field. Hopefully, we will still have the wind in their sails for tomorrow.”
While the Flying Cardinals fell to 8-2 – two games behind Wissahickon in the loss column, the Eagles upped their record to 6-3 in league play.
WISSAHICKON 8, UPPER MORELAND 0
Emily Gallagher connected on the hat trick in the first half, propelling the Trojans to a 5-0 halftime lead on their way to the convincing win. She also had an assist. Jackie Hibbs and Taylor Myers both added a goal and an assist in the opening half. Gallagher scored her fourth goal in the opening minute of the second half, using a Hibbs assist, and Caroline Kovacs closed it out with back-to-back goals, the first with an assist from Melanie Fry and the second with a Zoe Kale assist. Saige Wenik turned away 19 shots in goal for the Golden Bears. The Trojans are 8-0 in league play (12-1 overall) while the Golden Bears fell to 0-9 in the league (1-11 overall).
National Conference
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 4, PENNSBURY 0
Alex Kuzma and Carly Everett both scored a pair of goals to lead the Indians to the big win. Kuzma (Michelle Hand assist) scored the lone goal of the first half. Everett opened the second half with back-to-back goals, the first with a Melissa Rowland assist and the second with a Hand assist. Kuzma closed out the scoring, using an Alyssa Mangano assist. While the Indians improved to 10-0 in league play, the Falcons fell to 6-3-1. To read PhillyBurbs.com field hockey beat writer Karen Sangillo’s complete account of Monday’s game, click on the following link: http://www.phillyburbs.com/sports/high_school/courier/indians-move-close-to-title/article_2ed38524-aeb8-526d-87c6-f7d1140f7492.html
NESHAMINY 2, BENSALEM 1 (OT)
The Falcons used a goal by Brittany Sheenan with 1:45 remaining in overtime to eke out the important win. Earlier, the Owls received a goal from Tatyana Keshanech (Hayley Geller assist) with 2:47 remaining in regulation, setting the stage for overtime. Corinne Donnelly (Sheenan assist) scored at the 19:13 mark of the first half to send the Redskins into the intermission with a 1-0 lead. Bensalem goalie Stephanie Unger turned away 16 shots.
WILLIAM TENNENT 5, HARRY S. TRUMAN 2
The Tigers took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Chrstine Hoon nine minutes into the game. The Panthers rallied to knot the score and then outscored the Panthers 4-1 in the second half to earn the win. The Panthers are 6-3-1 in league play while the Tigers are 0-9.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 1, ABINGTON 0
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