Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Thursday. (CB West/Quakertown photos provided courtesy of Sharin Harbeck.)
SOL National Conference
PENNSBURY 6, HARRY S TRUMAN 1
The Falcons celebrated Senior Day by opening up a 3-0 halftime lead on their way to the convincing win.
“It was a beautiful day for field hockey, and the Pennsbury Falcons took advantage of every moment,” coach Traci Curtis said. “The game against Truman was the highly anticipated Senior Recognition Game – a time to celebrate the seven seniors’ field hockey journey and honor their hearts as amazingly strong young women.
“After pre-game festivities including trumpeters from the PHS band, seniors Casey Glynn, Julianna Martin, Cindy Budzinski, Keira Korzeb, Nicole Joniak, Celia Dolan, and Sammie Tosh took the field with bright smiles and high energy, kicking the Falcons into gear and helping to enter halftime with a 3-0 lead.”
Junior Kayli Williams put the Falcons on the scoreboard with an assist from Sophia Hitchingham, and a minute later, it was Budzinski scoring with an assist from Martin. Junior Maddy Spratt added another goal on a beautiful cross from Glynn to send the Falcons into halftime with their three-goal lead.
“Senior, Nicole Joniak, played incredible step-up defense and moved her way into the offensive end to provide a great assist for Maddy Spratt to open up the second half,” Curtis said. “With the Falcons ahead 4-0, the focus shifted to maximizing improvement in the small details of the game – challenging ourselves against the clock, talking more, taking fast accurate free hits, switching fields, forcing penalty corners, and then fine tuning corner plays. There is always room for learning, growing, and improving in every situation and that is what we were emphasizing today.”
Julianna Martin notched a goal with a Hitchingham assist, and Budzinski added her second of the game during a corner to close out the scoring for the Falcons.
“Truman worked hard, stayed positive, and never let down, scoring a goal with six minutes left in the game making the final 6-1,” Curtis said. “They are definitely an improved team and it was great to see their skills progress and confidence boosted since our first meeting. It is imperative to celebrate other teams and champion one another as we are all in this for the same reason – to grow the game. It was great to see that in Truman and know those girls have worked hard to get where they are. Pennsbury’s story continues Friday as they travel to Hatboro Horsham and reach higher and higher.”
For Truman, Jada Pote scored off a corner to put the Tigers on the scoreboard. The goal was assisted by Paige Gonzales and Hailey Marshall.
“In usual fashion, the team played hard until the final buzzer,” Truman coach Tom Leahy said. “Goalie Stacy Couillard had numerous saves as did defenders Colleen Rementer, Reilly Creswell, Paige Gonzales and Alli Escalante. Center mid Hailey Marshall had many tackles and takeaways in her first start in that position.”
Pennsbury (6-9, 5-6 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham for a non-league game Friday, and Harry S Truman (4-12, 0-11) will be on the road at Upper Merion for a non-league game on Monday.
Harry S Truman 0-1 1
Pennsbury 3-3 6
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 1, WILLIAM TENNENT 0
Katelyn Cocco converted a penalty stroke with 37 seconds remaining in the first half. That 1-0 lead stood the rest of the way for the Golden Hawks, who dominated play but never could solve the mystery of Tennent goalie Sophia Trozzi. The Panthers’ standout goalie recorded 16 saves, effectively negating the Golden Hawks’ 17-3 advantage in shots.
Rock South coach Lisa Belz tipped her hat to the Panthers.
“The William Tennent goalie is very good and their defense has strong sticks,” the Golden Hawks’ coach said. “There were definitely some opportunities in the circle and we executed some good corners but couldn’t capitalize. Overall, it was a good game – well played by both teams.”
Rock South goalie Karlie McCloskey recorded three saves in the shutout win.
Council Rock South (10-5, 9-2 SOL) will host Pennridge on Friday, and William Tennent (6-8-1, 5-6) will host Harry S Truman on Tuesday.
William Tennent 0-0 0
Council Rock South 1-0 1
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 2, BENSALEM 0
The visiting Indians controlled play – taking 16 shots and drawing 12 corners, but they managed just one goal in each half.
A goal by Sarah Scott with an assist from Skylar Bayard gave the Indians a 1-0 lead with 11:16 remaining in the first half. That 1-0 lead held until Rebecca Ripans scored an unassisted goal in the game’s closing minutes.
Council Rock North (10-6, 7-4 SOL) will host Council Rock South on Tuesday, and Bensalem (3-12, 2-10) will host Norristown in a non-league game Friday.
Council Rock North 1-1 2
Bensalem 0-0 0
SOL Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCK SOUTH 2, NORTH PENN 1
The Titans know all about overcoming adversity.
Julia Cooper, the team’s top scorer, was already sidelined with a season-ending injury, and in Tuesday’s non-league win over Upper Dublin, Sophia Wasyliw – who had five goals in the last three games – injured her ankle and was not available for Thursday’s important game against the Knights.
“We were prepared and then Sophia got hurt,” coach Pat Toner said. “She’s such a tough kid, and she did everything in the world to try and come back, wrapped her foot and everything else. She tried to go out and play, and I know it really hurt her.
“I asked her to sit it out and let it heal, so at the last minute, I had to switch our entire lineup around. North Penn is very fast. I knew they lost one of their players (Jillian Lampitoc) and we lost two of ours. Three of my kids are sick but still gutted it out and played. They have injured players, we have injured players, and both of us are young.”
Despite the lineup changes, the Titans – who fell to the Knights 2-0 in the initial meeting between the two schools – pulled together and found a way to win, capitalizing on two of their four shots in the game.
“I said to our kids – we didn’t get any corners the last time we played them, which killed us,” Toner said. “They were very good at taking away our ability to get a corner, and we got two shots on goal – that’s it.
“We got more opportunities against (league-leading) East and Souderton, but North Penn really did a great job. This time we had four shots on goal and two of them went in, so we chose our opportunities wisely.”
Sophomore Erin Smith turned a feed from sophomore Anna Shirley into a goal with just over 13 minutes remaining in the first half. Nine minutes later, junior Braylee Webb scored on a breakaway to spot the Titans a 2-0 lead.
“I was really proud of Braylee Webb – she stepped up,” Toner said. “I’ve been moving her all over the place, and she did a nice job.
“Erin Smith had a very nice goal on a heads-up play off of a corner.”
Megan Albert (Erin O’Donnell assist) cut the Titans’ lead in half when she found the cage with just over a minute remaining.
“Megan Albert had a beautiful goal on a corner, but we shut them down,” Toner said. “They shut us down too, but we shut down their opportunities and tried not to let them have any uncontested shots. Anytime they wanted to get a shot off, we wanted to have a stick in there.”
Junior Alyssa Endrick, who usually plays right forward, found herself playing left mid in place of Wasyliw, who has played all six of the forward/mid positions as well as center back this season.
“She works really hard, and I like how she plays defense,” Toner said. “She’s never really played it before, but we expect everybody to learn defense.
“We’ve been moving people around all season, and I said to her – ‘Will you try this?’ I told her what she had to do and she was great, she was absolutely great. I also said – ‘You’re going to have to be a flier on corners’ even though she’d never done it before. They scored on their first corner, and I think Alyssa blamed herself a little bit. I said, ‘It has nothing to do with you. Hang in there, you’re doing fine,’ and she did great on the rest of the corners.”
Toner lauded the effort of her defense.
“Again, we’re switching people around trying to match up,” the Titans’ coach said. “We were all over the place. Anna Gillard and our goalie Jillian Heilig both did a really good job.
“I am so proud of this team for showing resilience in the face of adversity.”
The Knights had an advantage in shots (9-4) and corners (7-3), but the Titans had the edge on the scoreboard.
“CB South’s defense and goalkeeper had an excellent second half as North Penn maintained possession of the ball and had numerous scoring opportunities as they were playing from behind,” North Penn coach Shannon McCracken said. “CB South made the most of their offensive opportunities as North Penn had a slow start to the game.
“We picked up our play in the latter end of the first half and dominated much of the second half; however, it was too little too late against a tough and well-coached CB South squad.”
The Knights’ coach lauded the strong play of Megan Albert.
“She came up with some big stops defensively and put in the lone goal for us on an offensive penalty corner,” McCracken said.
Central Bucks South (10-6, 6-5 SOL) – 13th in the latest District One 3A rankings – will travel to Central Bucks West on Tuesday, and North Penn (7-8-1, 5-6) – 22nd in the rankings – will host Pennridge in its Senior Night game on Tuesday.
North Penn 1-0 1
Central Bucks South 2-0 2
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 4, PENNRIDGE 0
The Patriots made it official, clinching at least a share of their fourth conference title in as many years.
“The girls are thrilled – it’s very exciting,” coach Meghann Spratt said.
It took just 51 seconds for the Patriots to get on the scoreboard when Phia Mannino turned an Emma Donnelly pass into a goal that turned out to be the game-winner. Midway through the half, Donnelly connected on an unassisted goal. The Patriots took that 2-0 lead into halftime.
Ten minutes into the second half, Allison Gallant scored on a rebound off the goalie’s pads, and the Patriots closed out the scoring when Elizabeth Philipp (Sophia Parker assist) connected on a direct strike off a corner. It was the senior defender’s first career goal.
“This was my favorite goal of probably the season,” Spratt said. “She has never scored, and it has been her personal goal – and never in a selfish way. She’s my center back.
“She scored twice against North Penn – one was called back because they said it was outside of the circle, and the other was tipped in at the last second. She’s been very close, but tonight she finally got it. Our team celebrated, me and Lori (Mastropietro) celebrated – we were so excited for her.”
The Patriots’ coach credited the strong play of her defense in the shutout win.
“Emily Bullard had another shutout,” Spratt said of her junior goalie, who recorded four saves. “Overall, my team played very, very well. They were fast, their passes were connecting.
“We dominated offensively, and overall, we played a very, very strong game. It was a great way to finish up the SOL.”
The Patriots held an 8-3 advantage in corners.
Central Bucks East (14-3, 11-1 SOL) will host perennial PCL power Archbishop Carroll in a non-league game on Monday to close out the regular season. Pennridge (8-5-1, 5-5) will be on the road at Council Rock South for a non-league game Friday.
Central Bucks East 2-2 4
Pennridge 0-0 0
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 4, QUAKERTOWN 1
The Bucks erupted for a season-high four goals. Bella Aulisio connected on her first two goals of the season to lead the way. Kendall Siegle and Caroline Crecca each contributed their first assists of the season.
“The Bucks found the back of the cage tonight,” coach Ginny Moore said. “It all came together when they supported each other, connected passes and took shot after shot.
“A shout-out to Bella, Caroline and Kendall who got their first stats of the season. Quakertown played with great aggression and hustle. It was a good fight.”
Julia Bunch put the Bucks one the scoreboard with an unassisted goal, and then Aulisio connected on back-to-back goals – one in each half. The first was assisted by Siegle and the second by Em Erickson. A goal by Erickson (Crecca assist) closed out the scoring.
The Bucks’ coach lauded the play of her squad in the big win.
“Forwards Bella Aulisio, Em Erickson, Bryn Spoerl, and Caroline Crecca did a fantastic job creating opportunities, taking shots, and crashing the cage effectively,” Moore said. “They played really well together all night.
“Mids Julia Bunch, JL, Kendall Siegle, and Claire Engebreth did a great job working the ball up the field and getting into the circle. Defenders Sara Lelii, Claire Natoli, and Maggie Whalen did a great job supporting plays and protecting the cage. And Brooke Golbeski made six saves in net. It was an awesome effort and hustle from the Bucks, and the coaches could not be more proud of the execution and fire tonight.”
Central Bucks West (2-14, 2-9 SOL) will host Central Bucks South on Tuesday, and Quakertown (1-15, 0-11) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Monday in a non-league game.
Quakertown 0-1 1
Central Bucks West 2-2 4
SOL American Conference
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 5, CHELTENHAM 0
The Spartans celebrated the team’s 10 seniors with a convincing win over the Lady Panthers.
“The seniors did a great job coming out and playing hard in the first half versus Cheltenham with excellent passing and tremendous teamwork,” assistant coach Anita Stum said.
The two teams battled to a scoreless halftime tie. Kate Wojeck opened the scoring in the second half with an assist from Anya Kochanowicz.
“The team was on fire after that with four more goals,” Stum said. “It was a great job by the Spartans.”
Kaelen Loscalzo (Charlotte Henry assist), Kochanowicz (Wojeck assist), Ella Marino (Brigid Roy) and Maddie Yoder (Marino assist) each contributed a goal in the second half.
Springfield Township (11-4, 8-4 SOL) will host Pennridge in a non-league contest Monday, and Cheltenham (0-12) will host Upper Merion in a non-league game Friday.
Cheltenham 0-0 0
Springfield Twp 0-5 5
WISSAHICKON 7, UPPER DUBLIN 0
Grace Ball connected for a hat trick and also assisted on a pair of goals to lead the Trojans – who celebrated Senior Night – to the decisive win.
Less than a minute into the game, Tess Havrilla turned a crossing pass from Hannah Havrilla into a goal. Havrilla assisted on a Ball goal to give the Trojans a 2-0 lead with 21:41 remaining. Then it was Kendal Williams finding the back of the cage with a Ball assist. Back-to-back goals – the first with a Tess Kulhgerz assist – put the Trojans on top 5-0.
In the second half, Kate Lovensheimer (Ball assist) and Lauren Donofrio (Tess Kluherz assist) each added a goal for the 7-0 final.
Meghan Reilly was credited with six saves in the shutout win while UD’s Rhianna Gonzales had 10 saves.
Wissahickon (12-3-1, 11-2 SOL) will travel to Upper Moreland on Tuesday, and Upper Dublin (3-11,2, 2-9-2) will host Lower Merion in a non-league game Monday.
Upper Dublin 0-0 0
Wissahickon 3-4 7
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 9, UPPER MORELAND
The Colonials celebrated their senior class – Alice English, Jess Frangiosa, Kayla Link, Autumn Luptak, Alexis Minor, Julia Roehm, Casey Sharpe and Livia Truong – for their hard work and commitment to the program with a big win.
Ava Borkowski – who led the Colonials with three goals and an assist – scored the game’s first goal with an assist from Kaleigh Missimer, and 10 minutes later, Truong (Missimer assist) scored off a well-executed corner play. Goals by Borkowski and Missimer to close out the half sent PW into halftime with a 4-0 lead.
After honoring the seniors at halftime, the Colonials added five more goals in the second half.
In addition to Borkowski’s big day, Missimer had two goals and two assists, and Hailey Copestick added a goal and two assists. Autumn Luptak added a goal and an assist. Truong and Alexis Minor each contributed one goal, and Kayla Link had two assists.
UM’s Isabella Guaranghi was credited with 25 saves in goal.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (15-1, 13-0 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday, and Upper Moreland (7-9-1, 5-7-1) will host Wissahickon on Tuesday.
Upper Moreland 0-0 0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 4-5 9
ABINGTON 2, HATBORO-HORSHAM 0
Non-league
NESHAMINY 7, NORTHEAST 0
Senior Day had a special feel this year not only because of the winning legacy of the very talented group but also because these seniors kept the Redskins together during a difficult time.
“Today we celebrated our seniors – Peyton Ritchey, Jamie Pennington, Brooke Cordisco, Maddie Tiemann, Asia Barnard, Nancy Lin, Shama Patel, and Jadyn Denis,” coach Jamie Pinto said. “This year, to me, this Senior Day was very special— our team recently dealt with a terrible loss, but without the leadership and support of our eight seniors, I don’t think our team would be healing, supporting each other, and staying so strong with out them. I would like to thank them for leadership on and off the field, not only of the past few weeks but throughout the whole season.”
Appropriately, it was a senior-to-senior connection that resulted in the game’s first goal when Denis turned a Patel pass into a goal that turned out to be the game-winner. Asia Barnard found the cage, using a Dylan Beegal assist, and then it was Colette Schardt connecting on an unassisted goal. Brielle Ames turned a Ritchey pass into a goal, and then it was Pennington finding Ritchey for a goal and a 5-0 halftime lead.
Ritchey completed the hat trick with a pair of goals – the first with a Pennington assist.
Neshaminy (13-3, 11-0 SOL) will travel to Pennsbury for its conference finale on Tuesday.
Northeast 0-0 0
Neshaminy 5-2 7
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