Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Monday. (Photos provided by CB West field hockey.)
SOL National
PENNSBURY 3, ABINGTON 2 (OT)
(Submitted article)
Nobody ever said playing for a championship is supposed to be easy. On the other hand, if you want to be a championship team, you have to do what the Pennsbury field hockey team did Monday afternoon at Abington – win really, really tough games against inspired opponents who want nothing more than to derail your run.
Maddie Hackman knocked in the game-winning goal five minutes into overtime as Pennsbury earned a thrilling 3-2 win over Abington to remain unbeaten in the Suburban One League National Conference at 8-0. The Ghosts pressured Pennsbury from the opening whistle on the turf at PSU-Abington, and it took huge plays from Amy Ronin and Annie Price on the defensive end of the field in the final minute of regulation – while the Falcons were playing one player down due to a card – and then relentlessness from Hackman and Nell Webber on the offensive end in the OT to pull out the win.
"This was nerve-racking," said Pennsbury coach Jamie Parell. "Abington was ready to go from the start of the game, and they never let up at all. Both teams competed really well the entire game, and I'm really proud of how we responded to the challenge from Abington. I've been telling them that this league is really tough, and it's not going to get any easier."
It certainly won't in the next game for the Falcons, who host second-place Neshaminy Friday afternoon. Pennsbury (10-2) is now 8-0 in the league, while Neshaminy's only league loss came earlier this season against Pennsbury. Before then, though, Neshaminy has a date Wednesday with Abington.
Abington is the only team this year to score more than one goal in a game against Pennsbury, and the Ghosts have now done it twice, after Pennsbury's 6-3 win in the first meeting between the two this year. As in that game, Abington scored early. Unlike that game, Pensbury was never able to take control.
Anna Joseph finished a cross from Natalie McNamara off a counter to make it 1-0, but Pennsbury would answer, getting goals from Olivia Mauro and Nell Webber to go up 2-1 midway through the first half. Abington (5-7, 3-5 SOL) answered shortly after that, as Paige Doyle scored off a corner, evening it at 2-2.
It would stay that way through a saved penalty stroke by Abington goalie Mackenzie Greiner late in the first half and then a wild second half that saw both teams have numerous chances, both goalies make big saves and a huge defensive save by Ronin off a drive off of a penalty corner that seemed like it was heading in.
Abington had the best chances as regulation ticked away, after Pennsbury was called for a five-minute card with 1:48 left in regulation. Ronin made the biggest, stopping a 2-on-1 rush off another counter by the Ghosts by stealing a pass and clearing it, and then Price was able to just get her stick on the ball in the circle twice to prevent a scoring opportunity and then finally clear it down the field.
The card carried over into the overtime, which began with Pennsbury down a player. It ended a few seconds after the teams got back to even strength, after Hackman almost single-handedly kept the ball in the Abington end before getting it to Webber, who dribbled into the circle and then, falling down, got the ball back to Hackman, who tapped it in for the win.
"We have to come out with great intensity from the start Friday, because we know Neshaminy will," Parell said. "We can't celebrate this game too long. It was a great effort from both teams, and a lot of players made a real contribution to this victory."
Pennsbury goalie Michelle Deodati made five of her seven saves in the second half, while Greiner made 10 saves and was great at clearing the ball all game.
Pennsbury outshot Abington 24-13, but shots were 9-9 after halftime.
Pennsbury 2-0-1 3
Abington 2-0-0 2
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 1, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0
Lisa Belz was looking for her team to put together a 60-minute game.
It was a point of emphasis for the Rock South coach after watching her squad allow a pair of goals in a four-minute span in the Golden Hawks’ 3-2 win over Abington last week.
The Golden Hawks gave their coach exactly what she was looking for on Monday night, controlling play from the outset and coming up with the win on Rock North’s Senior Night.
Both teams entered the game with identical 4-3 records in conference play. With the win, the Golden Hawks own sole possession of third place in the conference standings.
“Overall, the game was pretty much a midfield game,” Belz said. “I think North played really hard.
“I want to applaud our team because I think we played hard the entire 60 minutes, which is what we were looking for. We had a lot of nice passing combinations, and I was just really pleased overall.”
Shannon Lind scored the only goal the Golden Hawks would need just two minutes and 10 seconds into the contest, using an assist from Katelyn Coco.
“One of our goals is to score early in the game,” Belz said. “We weren’t able to put another one in – we had a hard time finishing in the circle, but I’m still proud of how everyone played.”
The Golden Hawks’ coach lauded the efforts of several players in the win.
“Fiona McGinley was playing sweeper, and she did a really nice job – she stood out defensively,” Belz said. “Tori (Wright) and Mikayla (VanAken) are the ones controlling the field.
“Caitlyn Thornton also did a really nice job tonight. She plays in the midfield and was really running up and down the field.”
For the game, the Golden Hawks held an advantage in shots (12-0) and corners (10-1).
Council Rock South (6-6, 5-3 SOL) will travel to Harry S Truman on Wednesday, and Council Rock North (6-5, 4-4) will host Bensalem on Wednesday.
Council Rock South 1-0 1
Council Rock North 0-0 0
NESHAMINY 8, BENSALEM 0
Peyton Ritchey scored two goals and assisted on three others while Abby Geisler added two goals and an assist for the Redskins, who opened up a 5-0 halftime lead on their way to the big win.
Ritchey scored an unassisted goal to put the ‘Skins on the scoreboard just over two minutes into the game. Then it was Liana Jones (Ritchey assist) scoring midway through the half to put the Redskins on top 2-0. Caroline Angerer (Jamie Pennington assist), Brooke Cordisco and Ciara Lambon (Geisler assist) scored goals in the final 12:11 of the half.
The second half belonged to Ritchey and Geisler. Ritchey scored an unassisted goal just over a minute into the half and then assisted on a goal by Geisler 46 seconds later. Late in the game, Geisler (Ritchey assist) connected on another goal to close out the scoring.
Neshaminy (7-5, 6-1 SOL) will host Abington on Wednesday, and Bensalem (3-9, 1-7) will travel to Council Rock North on Wednesday.
Neshaminy 5-3 8
Bensalem 0-0 0
SOL Continental
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 3, NORTH PENN 2 (OT)
The Bucks didn’t waste any time. Fifty-four seconds into overtime, Taylor Mason turned a Dani Dundas crossing pass into a goal that propelled the Bucks to the thrilling win over the visiting Knights.
“We got possession in overtime, and we moved the ball around to the left side,” West coach Courtney Lepping said of the game-winning sequence. “Liv (Fitzgerald) sent it over to the right.
“Dani took the ball into the circle and sent a rocket across the circle. Taylor gets it and I can’t describe how she did it, but she got it into the upper right corner of the goal. It was amazing. There was no stopping it. It was a beautiful shot.”
Not a whole lot separates the Bucks and Knights. That much was established after the Bucks edged the Knights by the identical 3-2 score the Knights defeated the Bucks in the initial meeting.
For the Bucks, Monday’s win loomed large.
“Obviously, this is a huge week for us with North Penn, CB South and CB East, but the kids are focusing one game at a time,” Lepping said. “They knew how big this North Penn game was, and they wanted this game so bad. They wanted to control their destiny.
“They came out so hard. In the first half, we had trouble sustaining an offense. We were getting a lot of counterattacks going, but they had the more sustainable offense.”
Liv Fitzgerald put the Bucks on the scoreboard with 13 minutes remaining in the opening half.
“Liv scored on a beautiful lifted shot,” Lepping said.
It took the Knights all of 56 seconds to answer with a goal of their own as Bri O’Donnell turned a Kellie Pickford pass into the equalizer during corner play. A goal by Mikayla Barrow (O’Donnell assist) put the Knights on top 2-1 with 7:18 remaining in the first half. That score stood until halftime.
“They really were doing a lot of good things,” Lepping said. “Their speed was really hurting us on our left defensive side.
“They were really attacking, attacking with lots of speed, but the defense held up. (Goalie) Peyton Fischer was playing really well. Casey Reichwein, in the middle, was playing well. Kaci Murray at right back was playing well. We had Dani Dundas all over the place, and we just kept changing things up.
“We were a little stronger starting the second half. Our conditioning was definitely starting to take over.”
With 9:56 remaining in regulation, Dundas knotted the score, using a Mason assist.
“We made an adjustment that really started to frustrate them, and it led to our goal and to them not having the same domination they had in the first half,” Lepping said. “It was much more even. We were getting more penetration, we had some corners at the end. They had a corner at the end.”
Neither team could capitalize, setting the stage for overtime and Mason’s heroics.
“Every player on our team had huge moments throughout this game,” Lepping said. “They played well and didn’t give up.
“Peyton (Fischer) did a great job in the goal cage, Casey Reichwein – especially towards the end of regulation – had some huge stops and was getting the ball out and had big hits at the moments we needed them, and one of the shifts we made – Caitlin Mulligan was just relentless as a forward, really working to suffocate their right back from trying to get the ball out.”
The Knights held an edge in shots (9-8) and corners (12-9).
Fischer was credited with seven saves while North Penn goalie Anissa Gardizy had five.
Monday was CB West’s annual Pink Out game with proceeds to benefit Beth Darcy and the entire Darcy family. Beth Darcy, who is waging her own battle with cancer, is not only a member of the Central Bucks School Board but the mother of past and present West students: Jack is at Georgia Tech, Meghan is at Cal Poly and Jim is a sophomore at West.
“That was an emotional uplift for our kids,” Lepping said.
Central Bucks West (9-3, 6-2 SOL) will host Central Bucks South on Wednesday, and North Penn (7-5, 6-2) will be on the road at William Tennent on Wednesday.
North Penn 2-0-0 2
Central Bucks West 1-1-1 3
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 4, SOUDERTON 0
The Patriots once again find themselves alone atop the conference standings, thanks to their win over the Indians and North Penn’s loss to Central Bucks West.
The Donnelly sisters spotted the Patriots a 2-0 halftime lead. First it was Emma Donnelly scoring with 7:22 remaining in the first half.
“Emma Donnelly was incredible with a quick pull and a shot to the corner for a goal that would eventually be the game winner,” coach Michelle Finegan said.
Four minutes later, Riley Donnelly scored on a diving reverse chip shot. Early in the second half, Cailey Lever turned a pass from Emma Donnelly into a goal, connecting on a lifted shot. Riley Donnelly scored her second goal of the game midway through the half during corner play, using a Lever assist.
“After coming off an overtime loss to North Penn, the team started off a little tentative,” Finegan said. “Our defense was solid with leadership from captain Isobel Mannino and seniors Whitney Dietz and Tara Harper.
“Emily Bullard had some great saves in the shutout.”
The Patriots had a 14-10 advantage in shots, and the Indians had a 9-6 edge in corners.
Central Bucks East (10-1, 7-1 SOL) will be on the road at Pennridge on Wednesday, and Souderton (4-7, 2-6) will host Pennridge on Thursday at 6:30 p.m.
Central Bucks East 2-2 4
Souderton 0-0 0
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 7, PENNRIDGE 0
Kasey Dietzel scored two goals and assisted on two others to lead the Titans to a no-doubt-about-it win over the visiting Rams. Megan Weeks added a pair of goals.
“We played a strong game and finished well in the circle,” coach Pat Toner said. “Kasey Dietzel had a fantastic game.”
Weeks turned a Dietzel pass into a goal two minutes into the game, and the Titans were off and running. Two minutes later, Annie Brady (Kaitlyn Barnhart assist) found the cage, and when Barnhart scored using a Dietzel assist, the Titans led 3-0 less than 10 minutes into the contest. Dietzel’s unassisted goal put the Titans on top 4-0, and they weren’t finished yet.
A pair of Weeks’ goals – both with assists from Casey Reilly – were sandwiched around a Dietzel goal to close out the scoring.
“Despite the score, Pennridge fought the entire 60 minutes, and (Pennridge goalkeeper) Mackenzie Bross had several spectacular saves,” Toner said.
Bross was credited with 14 saves in a busy outing. South’s Jillian Heilig made two saves in the shutout.
The Titans held an advantage in shots (21-2) and corners (10-3).
Central Bucks South (7-4, 5-3 SOL) will be on the road at Central Bucks West on Wednesday, and Pennridge (3-7, 1-6) will host Central Bucks East on Wednesday.
Pennridge 0-0 0
Central Bucks South 4-3 7
SOL American Conference
UPPER MORELAND 1, HATBORO-HORSHAM 0
Jess Flanagan scored with 25:36 remaining in regulation. It turned out to be the game winner.
“We played well,” UM coach Karen Grossi said. “Great passing, good communication, nice movement on the field – we played well as a team.”
The game was a far cry from the initial meeting of the two teams – a 6-2 Hatboro-Horsham win.
“Today we felt that we have progressed and turned the corner,” HH coach Laura Swezey said.“We really jelled today even though the score was 1-0 (Upper Moreland).
“We controlled the ball for a decent amount of the game but just missed scoring a number of times.”
The Hatters’ coach went on to acknowledge the performances of several players.
“Priscilla Yoo had control of the midfield for HH and transitioning the ball,” Swezey said. “The defense of Molly Masterson, Emily Salvatore, Madeline Toporowski and Angelina Spiezio held Upper Moreland scoreless on corners.”
Grossi also lauded the efforts of players on both sides.
“Liz (Wilburn) made a lot of nice saves and made our attackers work for their goal,” the Golden Bears’ coach said of the Hatters’ goalie. “UM center defender Chloe Tice played one of her best games.”
Wilburn was credited with nine saves while UM goalie Cassidy Murphy had five saves. The Golden Bears held a 13-5 advantage in penalty corners.
Upper Moreland (5-6, 4-5 SOL) will travel to Cheltenham on Wednesday, and Hatboro-Horsham (1-11, 1-8) will host Quakertown on Wednesday.
Upper Moreland 0-1 1
Hatboro-Horsham 0-0 0
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 4, WISSAHICKON 0
On Sept. 8, the Colonials edged Wissahickon 1-0. The Trojans were the only team to test PW in conference play as the Colonials have outscored their conference opponents 48-0.
For one half, the Trojans kept it close, trailing 1-0 after Sam Spera scored with just under six minutes remaining in the first half on a reverse stick goal.
The Trojans came close to knotting the score but Sophie Kolkka came up with a defensive save just before the end of the first half.
“Sophie Kolkka played a great game,” PW coach Charise Halteman said.
The Colonials blew the game wide open with three goals in the second half. Spera scored her second goal and assisted on another. Ava Borkowski and Kaleigh Missimer each added a goal, and Jess Dixon had an assist.
“PW stuck to their game plan today and put a lot of pressure on Wissahickon to earn the win,” Halteman said
PW goalie Katherine Houghton was credited with three saves in the shutout win.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (11-1, 9-0 SOL) will be on the road at Springfield for a conference showdown with the second place Spartans. Wissahickon (7-4, 6-3) will host Upper Dublin on Wednesday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 1-3 4
Wissahickon 0-0 0
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 4, CHELTENHAM 0
The Spartans stayed within striking distance of the Colonials, trailing PW by just one game heading into Wednesday’s showdown between the two teams.
Maddie Yoder put the Spartans on the scoreboard with an unassisted goal 10 minutes into the game. Ellie Hamilton, who led the Spartans with two goals and an assist, scored back-to-back goals to send the Spartans into halftime with a 3-0 lead – both with assists from Charlotte deKerrillis.
Ella Marino added a goal in the second half, using an assist from Hamilton.
The Spartans held an advantage in shots (20-0) and corners (19-0).
Spartan goalie Emily Henry was not forced to make a save in the shutout. Cheltenham goalie Nimi Badejoko was credited with 16 saves.
Springfield (9-2, 8-1 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh on Wednesday, and Cheltenham (0-15, 0-10) will travel to Upper Moreland.
Springfield 3-1 4
Cheltenham 0-0 0
UPPER DUBLIN 3, QUAKERTOWN 0
The visiting Flying Cardinals opened up a 2-0 halftime lead on their way to the shutout win.
“Upper Dublin played with a lot of composure, especially against a much-improved Quakertown team that demonstrated strong passing out of their defensive end to their transition play,” UD coach Heather Boyer said.
Molly Lunney put the Cardinals on the scoreboard with 13:48 remaining in the first half, using an assist from Maddie Templeton. Another Templeton assist set up the Cards’ second goal, this one by Emma Mead with five minutes remaining in the half.
Lydia Casey turned a Mead pass into a goal with 18:33 remaining in regulation. That was the extent of the scoring for both squads.
UD goalies Sarah Herchenroder and Meghan Muth combined for the shutout with Muth turning away a pair of shots. Quakertown goalie Caitlyn Lashaw had nine saves in goal. Quakertown defenders Juliette Dessart and Mackenzie Hadfield both had stick saves.
The Flying Cardinals had 16 shots on goal and nine penalty corners while the Panthers had two shots and two corners.
Upper Dublin (7-4, 6-3 SOL) will be on the road at Wissahickon on Wednesday, and Quakertown (2-9, 2-7) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Wednesday.
Upper Dublin 2-1 3
Quakertown 0-0 0
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