Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Wednesday. Lower Moreland/Abington photos courtesy of Greg Zesinger. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL Patriot
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 3, PENNSBURY 1
The Indians saved their best for last.
After seeing their season halted when Rock North was closed because of the Covid pandemic, the Indians returned with a new appreciation for being back on the field and – according to their coach – turned in their best performance of the season.
“We never had a full team, and it’s a shame because yesterday and today we had our full team together, and it totally made a difference,” North coach Heather Whalin said. “When we were done with the game, the girls said, ‘I wish we had more games’ because it finally clicked.
“It was happy because they were all really happy that they played great today, but it was sad because it was like, ‘Wow, what could have been if all this didn’t happen.’”
The Indians got on the scoreboard less than two minutes into the game on a goal by Rebecca Ripans. The Falcons knotted the score early in the second quarter when Maddy Spratt’s shot was deflected into the cage by Jaclyn Gorgo. That 1-1 score stood until halftime.
A goal by Lindsey O’Brien midway through the third quarter gave the Indians a 2-1 lead, and the Indians iced the win when freshman Julie Ondria scored with a Riley Clark assist five minutes into the final quarter.
“Today was a total team win,” Whalin said. “My goalie – Sarah Teitelman – had a very nice game.
“Everyone talked about how it was a big team win. We played well together, we looked good, and we were having fun. It was good, and Pennsbury is a class act, a real nice team to play. It was just a fun game.”
The Indians’ coach praised the effort of Pennsbury goalie Jordan Vradenburgh.
“She had some phenomenal saves – she really had a great game,” Whalin said. “She made two 1v1 stops.”
While their season might not have turned out the way they’d hoped, thanks in large part to the pandemic, the Indians shared a special bond.
“The one thing I loved about this team – they were so together,” Whalin said. “There was zero drama.
“The leadership of the seniors was great even though there was only four of them. I forgot what grade kids were in because they were just so connected. For so much drama going on in the world, it was fun to have zero drama on and off the field.
“After we were shut down, we realized that could have been it, and we were so excited to get back and play. The girls didn’t care about playoffs. They were just excited they got to play.”
Council Rock North closed out its regular season with a 5-5 record (3-5 SOL), and Pennsbury closed out its season with a 3-6 record (3-5).
Pennsbury 0-1-0-0 1
Council Rock North 1-0-1-1 3
Falcons Grateful for Season Just Completed
(Submitted by Pennsbury field hockey)
It was definitely not the way they wanted to end the hockey portion of this crazy season, but the Falcons walked away with clear eyes and full hearts nonetheless. Council Rock North came out ready to fight and kept an intense momentum that was tough for Pennsbury to crack. It was another strong turf battle with some great hockey on both sides of the ball. The Indians scored first on a beautiful, fast-paced ball sent across the circle and tipped past the goalie. The score remained 1-0 until Pennsbury connected on a great deflection set up by Maddy Spratt to Jaclyn Gorgo in the second quarter.
With the game still tied at halftime, PHS coaches focused on building on momentum and encouraging players to take intensity to the next level. We had many opportunities in the attacking 25 and just needed to finish. It’s been something we have needed to improve on all season. Not having starting senior right wing Kayli Williams on the field forced us to make some lineup adjustments, and it took a little bit for the forwards to get into a groove. Once they did, Spratt, Gorgo, and sophomore Meg McClure created a lot of offense, but the circle is where it ended. North notched another goal in the third quarter putting them up 2-1, and the Falcons kept fighting back with corner opportunities and breakaways.
Once again, the Pennsbury defense came up strong as senior Hannah Aker stepped up, broke through and broke up a lot of plays in the defensive end. Reilly Monach, Sophia Hitchingham, and goalie Jordan Vradenburgh added to the stops and kept CRN from accumulating many goals. Junior Jenna Outcalt stepped in and rose to the occasion on defense with a strong stick and great channeling down the sideline. Marissa MacAinsh was solid in the midfield along with starting sophomore center mid Olivia Graebner.
Despite efforts, the Falcons fell behind 3-1 when the Indians scored again and that is how the game ended. We know that North had a tough couple of weeks trying to get back to playing after the shutdown, and it was nice for them to end with such great playing. They outplayed us for sure with some big hits and just solid connections up field.
The Falcons will look back on this season with joy, pride and knowing that they became better versions of themselves along the way as a united group during a very difficult time. It will be remembered as a time when we escaped together, bonded together and played great hockey set against a backdrop of sheer gratitude for it all. Best wishes to our seniors, who were amazing leaders along the way – Captains Sophia Hitchingham and Hannah Aker, Maddy Spratt, Kayli Williams, Aditi Luitel, Reilly Monach, and Marissa MacAinsh. Congratulations to all of the teams in the SOL for the seasons they had and good luck to all who will continue into playoffs. #noexcuses
Non-league
ABINGTON 4, LOWER MORELAND 4 (OT)
The Ghosts were on their way to a win and a possible district berth when the Lions – behind the inspired play of senior Taryn Mayer – came roaring back to knot the score with a remarkable fourth quarter rally. Neither team scored in OT.
“Abington saw one slip away today as Lower Moreland was able to score three goals in the final quarter to tie the game,” Abington coach Katie Small said. Overtime was evenly matched with both teams having opportunities. With the tie, Abington just 
misses districts.”
The Ghosts took a 4-1 lead into the final quarter, and just 15 minutes separated them from a win. That’s when the JMU-bound Mayer went to work, scoring three unassisted goals in a dazzling five-minute span.
Early on, things looked promising for the Ghosts when they connected on a pair of goals in the first quarter. Olivia Dougherty turned a Camryn Stewart pass into a goal 10 minutes into the period, and three minutes later, Dougherty connected on her second goal, this one with a Ysabel Lowery assist.
“Lower Moreland came out strong and dominated the first seven to eight minutes,” LM coach Shawn Mayer said. “The ball dropped quickly at the 10-minute mark, and they were on the board. The second goal happened fairly quickly three minutes later in much the same fashion.”
The Lions got on the board when junior Meredith Lutter turned a pass from Mayer into a goal that trimmed the Ghosts lead to 2-1. The Ghosts got that goal back just over two minutes into the third period on a goal during corner play by Devan DiMaria with an Aly Campbell assist. Camryn Stewart tacked on a goal in the final minute of the quarter, sending the Ghosts into the final quarter with a 4-1 lead.
“The third quarter wasn’t pretty as we were down with our biggest deficit of the game,” Mayer said. “We couldn’t buy a goal, but the fourth quarter gave us life.”
More specifically, Taryn Mayer – who had a hand in all four goals – gave them life.
Small lauded the strong play of Stewart, Lowery and Dougherty.
“This year has been a success in so many ways,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “Our seniors really stepped up this year and led this team through uncertain times.
“In the end, they came out better players and, more important, better teammates and ready to tackle whatever the rest of the year may throw at them.”
Abington closed out its season with a 5-5-1 record (5-5 SOL) while Lower Moreland was 6-4-1 (4-4).
Lower Moreland 0-1-0-3-0 4
Abington 2-0-2-0-0 4
NORTH PENN 2, WISSAHICKON 1
Freshman Riley O’Donnell redirected a corner shot by Maddie Waldspurger into a goal with 6:50 remaining in regulation, breaking a 1-1 tie and propelling the Knights to the big non-league win. The win came on the heels of back-to-back losses to Central Bucks East and Souderton.
“When we’re successful, it’s when we play a fast-paced restart and passing game, and that’s what we went back to today,” NP coach Shannon McCracken said. “We lost it a little bit against Souderton, and today we corrected that and just played a fast-paced game. We passed the ball really well.”
A key to allowing the Knights to set the tempo was Waldspurger.
“Maddie Waldspurger was huge for us in the midfield today,” McCracken said. “She had the task of keeping an eye on (Aiden) Drabick from Wissahickon, who’s a great player, so she did a really nice job of holding down the middle and then really did a nice job of feeding the ball to our attack players and keeping the ball in our attack end.
“We had a lot of opportunities and kept the ball in our attack end the majority of the game. We had 19 corners, but Wissahickon is very fast, so we sometimes got ourselves caught in the transition, but our defense stepped up and made some key plays.”
Neither team found the cage in the first half, but Eleni Kountroubis broke the scoreless deadlock when she scored with 3:45 remaining in the third quarter. Wissahickon’s Brynne Miller evened the score with a goal five minutes into the final period, and the stage was set for O’Donnell’s game-winner.
“I thought our midfield in general was the difference in the game today,” McCracken said of Ali Hoffman, Kerry O’Donnell, Erin O’Donnell and Waldspurger. “They made such an impact on the game today because they did a really nice job of controlling the ball in the midfield, maintaining possession and then feeding the ball to our attack end.”
The Knights held an advantage in shots (16-11) and corners (19-4). NP goalie Mallory Stowell was credited with seven saves, and Wissahickon’s Alli Wood had 12.
“This game was key for us because we had two one-goal losses against (CB) East and Souderton,” McCracken said. “So to be able to pick up a game with Wissahickon – who is doing a great job in their division this year – was important. They’re a well-coached team, a good team to play going into the playoffs.
“It was key for us to have a good game before going into the playoffs. Just having good competition, a well-matched game and then being able to get the win today is just a huge boost before going in.”
For the Trojans, the loss was the first during a three-game stretch of non-league games this week after they notched impressive wins over Souderton and Neshaminy.
North Penn (6-5, 5-5 SOL) and Wissahickon (11-4, 7-3) will both await their seeds in the upcoming District One 3A Tournament.
Wissahickon 0-0-1-0 1
North Penn 0-0-1-1 2
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