Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Tuesday. CB South/Pennridge photos courtesy of Tracy Valko, New Hope-Solebury/Tennent photos courtesy of Karla Donohoe and Neshaminy/Bensalem photos courtesy of John Gleeson. CLICK HERE to view the SOS posted FIELD HOCKEY GALLERIES.
SOL Patriot Division
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 2, PENNSBURY 1
The Falcons took an early 1-0 lead, threatening to put a damper on the Golden Hawks’ Senior Night festivities, but the Hawks answered with back-to-back first-half goals for a 2-1 lead that held until the final whistle.
Ava Jordan put the Falcons on the board four minutes into the game, but Rock South’s Sarah Freeman got that goal back with one of her own late in the quarter. In the second quarter, Ava Leonetti scored what would be the game-winner, using a Mia Schink assist.
Scoring Summary
First quarter
Ava Jordan (P) 11:00
Sarah Freeman (CRS) 3:12
Second quarter
Ava Leonetti (CRS) from Mia Schink 2:33
Council Rock South coach Kelly Cappellano on the game: “This was a great Senior Night to be at. All seniors put in great effort to win this game on both offense and defense.
“Tonight we got to honor our seniors and the teachers who helped us get there.”
–Props: “Standout performances were from Kelly Longmore, Carly Conetta and Sarah Freeman with Mia Schink carrying the ball down the sideline for us.”
Up next: Council Rock South – 21st in the latest District 1 3A power rankings – closed out its regular season with an 8-7-3 record overall, 6-4-0 in the SOL. Pennsbury (10-6-1, 4-5-1) will host Notre Dame Academy Thursday in a non-league game. The Falcons are one spot above the Hawks in the latest power rankings at 20th.
Pennsbury 1-0-0-0 1
Council Rock South 1-1-0-0 2
(Article submitted by Pennsbury field hockey)
‘Tis the season for Senior Night celebrations.
The last time the Falcons were on the pitch, they were at home as they celebrated their 11 seniors and battled North to an intense 1-1 overtime tie. That was five days ago. This time it was Council Rock South honoring their seniors, setting the stage for an emotionally charged performance at night on their home field.
After using the weekend to reset, PHSFH came back together on Monday to prepare to meet South for the second time, aware of the environment and the stakes. Their first meeting on Sept.11 resulted in a CR South victory, and last night, history repeated itself – and with the same exact score, 2-1.
Pennsbury came out on fire and lit up the scoreboard 1-0 four minutes into the first quarter. Senior Ava Jordan tallied the goal for the Falcons.
“Ava, one of our captains, played her heart out,” said head coach Traci Curtis. “Her effort level is something to be admired.”
The Falcons held that 1-0 lead until the Hawks found the back of the net with three minutes left in the first, tying it up 1-1. That score held going into the second quarter. It was a tight back-and-forth battle throughout the second quarter with both teams displaying heart, strong sticks, speed, and overall skill.
“We knew that senior nights always boost a team’s emotional level, and our girls were prepared to answer with extreme intensity, and they did,” said Curtis. “We were playing our game and doing the right things, but just could not capitalize in those important moments.”
The Hawks found a way to capitalize on their opportunities with two minutes left in the second quarter, taking the lead 2-1 and sending PHS into halftime brainstorming come-from-behind strategies.
The Falcons started the second half battling hard and created some nice offensive pushes, led by the incredible talent of Abby Iacona, who worked tirelessly to get the ball where it needed to be. Ryan Burdette supported Iacona’s IQ, and Ava Pinto was laser focused on using her strengths to compliment her teammates.
“We were passing well and moving the ball quickly, but could not get sticks on it in the circle. Our penalty corners weren’t producing, and we just ran out of time,” said Curtis.
The black and orange held the Hawks defensively for the entire second half, keeping it a close game for the 30 minutes. Goalkeeper Amelia Fernandes made her varsity debut protecting the cage in the second half.
“She came out and did an amazing job for us. She had a bunch of crucial saves and kept us in the game for sure,” said Curtis. “Senior Ayla Alon played strong defense along with Cailyn Reilly in the backfield. Avalee Shumski held our middle well. Angelina Kenney is just a great force all over the field no matter where we put her. She comes to the ball with strength and purpose.”
Pennsbury had plenty of possessions to make something happen up until the final 15 seconds of the game, but South had a strong grip on their lead and was determined not to let go. South outshot PHS 13-6 and earned more offensive penalty corners as well, six versus Pennsbury’s three.
“It was a great game all around,” Curtis said. “The spirit of competition was high, and the teams were evenly matched. Years ago, we wouldn’t have even been in this game and now we are at a level to make it an awesome fight. I love our progress and how far we have come in our program.
“Congratulations to the South seniors – we wish you the best as you move forward.”
Pennsbury is set to play Notre Dame HS on Thursday at Falcon Field for their final regular season game of 2024.
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 8, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
The Indians raced out of the gate to a 3-0 lead after one quarter and never looked back. Brynn Bogle and Kate Horan both scored one goal and assisted on two others. Megan Owens had a pair of goals. Kailyn Smith had a goal and an assist while Ashley Kim and Megan Reichenbach both added a goal.
Council Rock North is 19th in the latest District 1 3A power rankings.
Scoring Summary
First quarter
Kate Horan (CRN) from Brynn Bogle 10:06
Morgan Owens (CRN) from Kailyn Smith 3:13
Morgan Owens (CRN) 2:03
Second quarter
Megan Reichenbach (CRN) from Kate Horan 11:50
Brynn Bogle (CRN) 10:02
Kailyn Smith (CRN) from Kate Horan 9:10
Ashley Kim (CRN) from Brynn Bogle 4:41
Third quarter
Scarlett Stucky (CRN) from Izzy Teitelman 11:51
Council Rock North coach Jules Singer on the win: “Tonight was Senior Night, and it was great to honor our 11 seniors for their hard work and dedication for the past four years. It’s been great to coach such a great group of girls who put their heart into every single game and every single practice and set a really good example for the underclassmen.”
–Props: “This game is hard to mention just one shoutout, so I do just wanna shoutout to all the seniors for a great game and congratulations to the Truman seniors for a great season as well. Shoutout to Brynn, Taylor, Megan, Morgan, Izzy, Cara, Keiley, Julia, Addie, Kate, and Sierra for a great game and four years.”
Up next: Council Rock North closed out its regular season with a 9-8-1 record, 7-2-1 in the SOL. Harry S Truman finished its season with a 1-15 mark overall, 0-10 in the SOL.
Harry S Truman 0-0-0-0 0
Council Rock North 3-4-1-0 8
NESHAMINY 6, BENSALEM 0
Senior Kasey Rieger scored three goals and assisted on two others, vaulting the gifted senior to the 200-point milestone.
“Kasey is a dedicated, hardworking player that has continued to improve and grow as a player over the past four years,” Neshaminy coach Jamie Pinto said. “With her speed and skill, she has become an offensive threat throughout the league— she works hard on and off the field and today it paid off reaching her 200th point.”
In addition to Rieger, Paige Comer scored a pair of goals, and Ava Arbakov had one.
Norah Saloky, Claire Saloky and Mia Brooks each had one assist.
Neshaminy is 11th in the latest District 1 3A power rankings.
Scoring Summary
First quarter
Paige Comer (N) from Kasey Rieger 1:34
Kasey Rieger (N) from Norah Saloky 08.8
Second quarter
Ava Arbakov (N) from Kasie Rieger 11:44
Paige Comer (N) from Claire Saloky 11:00
Third quarter
Kasey Rieger (N) from Mia Brooks 5:41
Fourth quarter
Kasey Rieger (N) 2:25
Bensalem coach Gary Kubik on the season: “We finished the season with a 7-11 record, which is their highest win total in at least 15 years. We are consistently moving forward in wins, in goals scored, and in goals against. We are making progress and will continue to do so in the offseason, in the weightroom, in indoor, and throughout the summer workouts. These girls continue to work hard, and they promise to be more competitive in the coming years.”
Up next: Neshaminy (13-4, 10-0 SOL) will travel to North Penn Wednesday for a non-league game. Bensalem closed out its season with a 7-11 record overall, 2-8 in the SOL
Bensalem 0-0-0-0 0
Neshaminy 2-2-1-1 6
SOL Colonial Division
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1, PENNRIDGE 0 (OT)
Ella Marchesi deflected a shot by Ella Haag during corner play into a goal with 3:48 remaining in overtime, propelling the visiting Titans to the dramatic win on Pennridge’s Senior Night.
Marchesi also had a defensive save while South keeper Nora McQueen was forced to make just one save in the shutout win.
South held an edge on shots (7-2) and corners (7-3).
Scoring Summary
Overtime
Ella Marchesi (CBS) from Ella Haag 3:48
Central Bucks South coach Kelly Chioffe on the win: “Pennridge had their Senior Night. We know we are always going to have a tough game vs Pennridge, and tonight was no exception. They were so kind to mention our three seniors: Ella Haag, Erin Kelly, and Kaitlin Sullivan.
“Pennridge made it very difficult to score on them. We had several chances that were turned away during regulation by their strong defense. Our team had to make some adjustments and move several girls around to different positions to try and change things up. We are grateful for this win tonight.”
–Props: “Midfielder Ella Marchesi hustled the entire game eventually scoring the winning goal in the OT as well as making a defensive save in regulation.
“Ella Haag, one of our backs, shot the winning goal on corner play which was tipped in by Ella Marchesi with 3:48 minutes left in the OT. This win was an entire team effort.
“Generating some solid offensive play for us tonight was one of our forwards, Kaeli VanDerSluis. Once Kaeli has the ball, she often gets doubled teamed by other teams and has to fight even harder to make plays happen. She played solid tonight.”
Pennridge coach Elena Romesburg on the game: “It was a tough game that had momentum swings for both teams and a lot of emotion behind it. We struggled to finish our opportunities, but again were able to highlight the commitment behind the four years the seniors put into the program.”
–Celebrating the seniors: “It was a hard-fought game and a tough way to end our season, but it was also an amazing celebration of the eight seniors in the program. I can’t thank them enough for their hard work and dedication to the program and they will be greatly missed next year. Special shoutout to each of them: Audrey Frentzen was a force in the goal circle this year and always made her mark on the field with her speed and consistency. Lucy Obarowski added
consistent versatility and athleticism that allowed her to play all over the field. Sophia Cipressi and her speed and effort whether it was practice or a game on the forward line always impacted the team. Ryleigh Lily’s ability to overcome adversity after a torn ACL early in the season and still impact the girls on the team with her energy and passion – she will accomplish great things at the next level in softball. Gianna Nulty’s ability to make a play when you think it’s not going to go in our favor really amplified our defensive unit, and her teammates loved working together with her. Captain Alyssa Gobrecht’s IQ and ability to play at any level of the field will be truly missed, and I can’t wait to see her accomplishments at Bloomsburg University at the next level. Captain Leah Verespy’s intensity and hustle all over the field impacted every game on both sides of the ball and I can’t wait to also see her accomplishments at the next level in lacrosse. Captain Dhwani Bengali’s leadership and skill held down our defensive unit, and her positivity and commitment to the team made her such a great role model for the team.”
–Props: “Juniors Kira Mangin, Elsa Parsons, Lexi Capo and goalie Charlotte Gozzard also contributed all over the field tonight and in cage.”
Up next: Central Bucks South (7-9-1, 3-7-0 SOL) will host Merion Mercy in a non-league contest Thursday while Pennridge closed out its season with a 4-13-1 record overall, 1-8-1 in the SOL.
Central Bucks South 0-0-0-0-1 1
Pennridge 0-0-0-0-0 0
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 2, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0
The Bucks held their annual Pink Out game, and this one was deeply personal and especially emotional after the mother of team member Zola Morelli, Zoe Morelli, lost her battle with breast cancer earlier this month.
“The game, always a well-attended and competitive event due to the sister rivalry between the teams, carried extra significance this year,” West coach Lori Ierubino said. “Tonight, we played in honor of Zoe Morelli, who passed away on Oct. 3 following a courageous battle with metastatic breast cancer.
“Zoe was a standout field hockey player at Pennsbury High School and continued her career at Becker Junior College, where she was inducted into the Hall of Fame. She also earned All-American honors at Shippensburg University. Tonight‘s atmosphere was charged with support from the community.
“Our entire team, but especially Zola, rose to the occasion – playing with heart, hustle, resilience, and determination in Zoe’s memory.”
Claire Demmer (Aida Ierubino assist) scored the only goal the Bucks would need less than a minute into the contest. Ierubino’s unassisted goal in the second quarter gave the Bucks their final margin of victory.
West – a perfect 10-0 in league play – is second in the latest District 1 3A power rankings.
Scoring Summary
First quarter
Claire Demmer (CBW) from Aida Ierubino 14:04
Second quarter
Aida Ierubino (CBW) 3:05
Third quarter – No score
Fourth quarter – No score
By the numbers:
Shots: CBW 12, CBE 1; Corners: CBW 12, CBE 2
Up next: Central Bucks West (15-2, 10-0 SOL) will host Delaware County Christian School in a non-league game Thursday. Central Bucks East closed out its season with a 5-10-3 record, 2-7-1 SOL.
Central Bucks East 0-0-0-0 0
Central Bucks West 1-1-0-0 2
SOUDERTON 2, NORTH PENN 0
Just over a month ago, the Knights rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Indians 3-2. In Tuesday night’s rematch, the Indians once again took a 2-0 lead – thanks to a pair of Ava Jones first-half goals, both with Julia Blair assists.
This time, however, there would be no comeback for the Knights as the Indians notched their fourth shutout in their last five games and their third straight since a 3-0 loss to Colonial Division champion Central Bucks West. It is the first time the Knights have been shut out in 17 games.
Souderton held a 16-3 advantage in shots despite holding only an 11-10 edge in corners. Both of Souderton’s goals – one in the first and the other in the second quarter – came from the dangerous Blair to Jones corner connection.
Souderton is eighth in the latest District 1 3A power rankings while North Penn is 17th.
Scoring Summary
First quarter
Ava Jones (S) from Julia Blair 4:56
Second quarter
Ava Jones (S) from Julia Blair 5:24
By the numbers:
Shots: S 16, NP 3; Corners: S 11, NP 10.
Saves: Kiley Moister (NP) 9; McKenna Atkinson (S) 3.
Souderton coach Sue Casciato:
–A new approach: “We’re playing with so much more energy. I think we were almost overconfident earlier in the year. We expected – ‘On paper, we’re a good team, and teams are just going to lay down.’ One of my players said, ‘We should stop talking about being a second half team. How about we start playing harder in the first half.’ I said, ‘It’s true. We go into games giving 80 percent and gauge how much more we have to give, and some games we’re behind 2-0 or 3-0 because we want to see how hard we have to play.’”
–Getting defensive: “We gave up 10 corners, which is too many, but the fact that we only gave up three shots the whole game is impressive. We’ve been very successful on defensive corners because our flyer – Hannah Fuente – is so fast. She’s fearless, and she had a couple of deflections on some of their shots. We did make a couple silly mistakes, and we gave up corners at the end of the second and third quarters.
“Our press is good – we put a lot of pressure on the other team. I know it’s cliché to say the defense drives the offense, but for us, it really does.”
–Props: “We have a couple of sophomores who have really come on so strong. Lex Yanchunas had three goals yesterday, and Autumn Wagner was our MVP today – she was all over the field. The two of them have made a huge difference on our forward line.”
–Senior captain Gianna Radcliffe: “I feel like we realize the talent our team has when we glue together and communicate and really show our hard work and effort on the field.”
–Senior captain/center back Ava Jones on the Indians’ defense: “The main thing is – everyone plays defense – the forwards play defense, the mids play defense and the defense plays defense. When everyone is playing defense, we’re going to win the game because nobody is lagging, and they can’t get the ball up, so I feel that’s a major thing. And communicating – stepping to every 50-50 ball and making sure they don’t win the balls.”
–Senior captain Tatum Andrews on the Indians’ offense: “A lot of times as a right forward – a thing for my position is to get corners. Get corners, and our team can execute on corners, so being able to get those corners in games like this – we can get the goals up and score as a team.
“I think a lot the seniors – we realize this is our last season, and we want to make the most of it, so that’s a huge thing going into the start of the second season.”
North Penn coach Shannon McCracken on the game: “This field for us is challenging because we come from a fast field to a slow field, so it takes us a little bit to adjust, but that is no excuse because we do play on other slow turfs throughout the season but ours is the fastest.”
–The second time around: “I just think the difference between the first time we played Souderton to the second time is they just seemed to clean up a lot in their midfield. They were picking up a lot of our hits heading up field and then transitioning because their sticks were down really well. We weren’t seeing space very well.
“They were pretty fast out on corners, and we had a challenging time getting the insert out fast and then getting a shot off fast, and we didn’t follow very well. We weren’t gritty in the circle.”
Up next: Souderton closed out its regular season with a 14-4 record overall, 7-3 SOL. North Penn (10-7, 6-4) will close out its regular season Wednesday at home in a non-league game against Neshaminy.
North Penn 0-0-0-0 0
Souderton 1-1-0-0 2
SOL Liberty Division
WISSAHICKON 6, HATBORO-HORSHAM 1
The Hatters celebrated their seniors, but it was the Trojans celebrating the win.
Layla Keller had a hand in three of the Trojans’ first four goals, scoring once and assisting on two other goals.
The Trojans scored two goals in each of the first three quarters. Noelle Koop set up both of the first-quarter goals – the first to Cami Lutte and the second to Keller.
Keller assisted on both of the second quarter goals with Carley Lehman scoring the first and Lutte the second to go into halftime with a 4-0 lead.
In the third quarter, Lehman scored with an assist from Kayla Mullin, and then it was Riley Ball scoring with an assist from Lutte.
The Hatters scored their only goal in the fourth quarter.
With the win, Wissahickon – second in the District 1 2A rankings – clinched a share of the SOL Liberty title.
Scoring Summary
First quarter
Cami Lutte (W) from Noelle Koop
Layla Keller (W) from Noelle Koop
Second quarter
Carley Lehman (W) from Layla Keller
Cami Lutte (W) from Layla Keller
Third quarter
Carly Lehman (W) from Kayla Mullin
Riley Ball (W) from Cami Lutte
Fourth quarter
Hatboro-Horsham goal
Wissahickon coach Lee Ann Marchesi: “Happy Senior Night to the Hatters’ seniors.”
Up next: Wissahickon (12-4-1, 8-2-0 SOL) will travel to Marple Newtown on Thursday, and Hatboro-Horsham (4-13, 0-10) will be on the road at Lower Moreland Thursday in a 3 pm contest.
Wissahickon 2-2-2-0 6
Hatboro-Horsham 0-0-0-1 1
QUAKERTOWN 11, ABINGTON 0
Katelyn Landis scored four goals – two in the first quarter – in a contest that saw the Panthers erupt for 11 goals.
Sunny Draper added a hat trick, and Paige Longacre had two goals. Cassidy Landis and Cadence Jozefowski both added one goal.
The Panthers led 2-0 after one quarter and blew the game wide open with a four-run second inning that sent them into halftime with a 6-0 lead.
With the win, Quakertown clinched a share of the SOL Liberty Division title.
Scoring Summary
First quarter
Katelyn Landis (Q) 14:23
Katelyn Landis (Q) 9:09
Second quarter
Katelyn Landis (Q)
Paige Longacre (Q)
Cassidy Landis (Q)
Sunny Draper (Q)
Third quarter
Paige Longacre (Q)
Fourth quarter
Sunny Draper (Q)
Sunny Draper (Q)
Cadence Jozefowski (Q)
Katelyn Landis (Q)
Quakertown coach MacKenzie Moser on the win: “All the drills we have been working on in practices came into action tonight. We brought intensity and coupled that with connection, ball handling and ball movement to have a dominating game.
“Shots were solid and hard tonight, something we have been working on throughout our practices.”
Up next: Quakertown closed out its regular season with a 15-3 record, 8-2 in the SOL. Abington finished its season with a 5-11-1 record overall, 2-8 in the SOL.
Abington 0-0-0-0 0
Quakertown 2-4-1-4 11
SOL Freedom Division
LOWER MORELAND 1, UPPER MORELAND 0 (OT)
Lower Moreland celebrated its nine seniors with a night game against Upper Moreland and a 1-0 win in overtime.
Scoring Summary
Overtime
Mady Rossiter (LM) from Roya Rosala
Lower Moreland coach Janet Lutter on the game: “We found ourselves in our defensive end for a good part of the first quarter but then found our rhythm and really put the pressure on offensively.
“Upper Moreland’s goalies both had excellent games, with each making many great saves. We’ve been pretty successful on our offensive penalty corners but were shut out the first 10.”
–The game-winner: “In OT, we were able to capitalize. We have been really working on sealing the circle and tonight that paid off. Mady Rossiter finally got the ball over the goal line with the assist going to Roya Rosala.”
Upper Moreland coach Pam Remmey on the game: “In this neighborhood rivalry, both teams played their hearts out to take the game into a scoreless overtime. The defense held strong keeping Lower Moreland scoreless for 66 minutes.”
–Props: “Kelly Bates, Julia Gallen and Addi Gans made multiple plays in the circle to keep the Lions off the scoreboard (during regulation).”
–The goalies: “The most outstanding defensive performances of the night came from our goalies. We have a very strong goalie crew that represents our theme of 1 percent better every day on a daily basis. We really don’t need to push any of our goalies, they push themselves. This has paid off in games as they make multiple saves to keep us competitive against some tough opponents. We have switched up our goalie workouts with Coach Rowland using a longer period of time with our best shooters to push our goalies with various shots and take them through a difficult workout every day.
“They were prepared for tonight as our JV goalie Tierney Hogan started off the night with 28 saves in a stellar performance In the junior varsity game, Addi Hurley had nine saves in regulation, while Ash Conrad made 10 saves. Conrad got injured on an incredible tumbling save where they went down and injured their back, but Hurley was ready to go back in. Hurley continued to play in the OT making two more saves.”
Farewell to seniors: “This game was very emotional for our 10 seniors AND the underclassmen and the coaches that will miss them. Each one of them ended up being very important players for our program and also accepted the underclassmen and helped them improve. The seniors’ leadership, inclusion, coachability and kindness will be missed next year, but this influence will be a building block that will remain for our program for years to come.”
Up next: Lower Moreland (8-8-1, 6-3-1 SOL) will play their last home game on Thursday against Hatboro Horsham. Upper Moreland closed out its season with a 6-11-1 (3-7-0 SOL).
Upper Moreland 0-0-0-0-0 0
Lower Moreland 0-0-0-0-1 1
SPRINGFIELD TWP 7, CHELTENHAM 0
Natalie Rittler and Ella Seeslow both scored two goals, leading the Spartans to the convincing Senior Night win.
Adding single goals were Bella Nava, Gracie Buchholz and Gabi Maletta.
Springfield Scoring Summary
Natalie Rittler – 2 goals
Ella Seeslow – 2 goals
Bella Nava – 1 goal
Gracie Buchholz – 1 goal
Gabi Maletta – 1 goal
Springfield Twp coach Anita Stum on game: “It was a great Senior Night for Springfield Twp. All five seniors scored on the night, and we had a very nice celebration and recognition of their four years.”
Up next: Springfield Twp closed out its regular season with an 8-8-2 record, 7-2-1 in the SOL. Cheltenham closed out its season with a 2-12-1 record, 0-9-1 in the SOL.
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 2, WILLIAM TENNENT 0
The Lions celebrated Senior Night with a shutout win over the visiting Panthers.
Claire Thomas-Klug scored a goal that turned out to be the game-winner in the first quarter, using a pass from Abby Varghese.
Olivia Conte connected on an unassisted goal in the third quarter for the 2-0 final.
The Lions – who closed out league play with a perfect 10-0 record – are fourth in the latest District 1 1A rankings.
Scoring Summary
First quarter
Claire Thomes-Klug (NH-S) from Abby Varghese
Second quarter – No score
Third quarter
Oliva Conte (NH-S)
Fourth quarter – No score
Up next: New Hope-Solebury closed out its regular season with a 13-3 record overall, 10-0 SOL. William Tennent closed out its season with a 2-14-1 record overall, 2-7-1 SOL.
William Tennent 0-0-0-0 0
New Hope-Solebury 1-0-1-0 2
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