Check out the results for SOL field hockey teams in action Tuesday.
American Conference
UPPER MORELAND 2, WISSAHICKON 1 (OT)
Upper Moreland’s seniors knew they were down to their final chance if they wanted to include a win over Wissahickon on their resumes when they left high school. So when the Golden Bears found themselves heading into overtime on Tuesday, the players were determined to end it quickly.
A goal by Delaney Smith less than a minute into OT propelled the Golden Bears to the giddy win and also gave the Trojans their first loss in league play.
“Honestly, it was the best feeling I’ve ever felt in high school for field hockey,” Smith said. “My freshman year we lost to them 10-0, and me and all the other seniors – we won today.
“It was the most amazing feeling. After I scored, I hugged everyone. We had a dog pile, and I felt like I was going to cry with happiness. It was just crazy. It was the best feeling ever.”
Emily Keene isn’t a senior, but she understood what this win meant to the program.
“Our whole team – varsity, jayvee, every single one of us understood the importance of this,” the junior defender said. “Wissahickon was undefeated, and it would have been normal for PW to come out and beat them, but for a little team like Upper Moreland – we came out and played our best.
“We worked so well together. Even though we had a few down moments, we came through it, and we wanted it more than anything. We really did a great job, and I’m so proud of all the girls.”
The Golden Bears took an early 1-0 lead when Smith (Emily Jeinnings assist) scored eight minutes into the first half. That lead stood until Kara Miles (Jessica Waite assist) connected with the equalizer 10 minutes into the second half. Neither team scored the rest of the way, and the stage was set for overtime.
“We had played two good games against PW and New Hope,” coach Karen Grossi said. “The girls were playing well, and each game was to work towards PW and to work towards Wissahickon, so they went in wanting a win.
“They worked very well together. The second half they got a little bit over excited and a little sloppy, but they were able to regroup. Between the end of the second half and overtime, they put their game faces back on and took control.”
The Trojans had possession to open OT but not for long.
“We like to think advantage is only what you think it is, so we went at it like we had the ball to start (overtime),” Keene said. “It depends on what you do with what you’re given.
“You have to work with what you get. They started with the ball, and we knew we had to get it from them. Our attack players and everyone that was in did such a great job. Me and the goalie and one of the other backs didn’t even touch the ball the entire overtime. It never even came near us, and that was so impressive.”
Smith recounted the sequence that ended the game 55 seconds into overtime.
“They sent the ball back once, and our midfield took the ball up,” the senior midfielder said. “I passed to Jess Flanagan, and it was almost a goal – it was exciting.
“It ended up being a corner. Right after the corner, it was Emily Jeinnings to me, and I remember dribbling through two people, doing a dodge and taking a hard drive. Just hearing it against the backboard was so unreal. It was crazy.”
Keene helped anchor a solid defensive effort for the Golden Bears.
“Defensively, we always want to play the game like it’s 0-0 – you never want to go at it with the attitude that you’re ahead and don’t have to play as hard,” she said. “We just play as hard as we can for every single goal because anything can change, especially against a team like Wissahickon.”
According to Grossi, Tuesday’s win was a team effort, but she credited several of the game’s unsung heroes.
“Allison Felicetti in goal – although she didn’t have a lot of saves, they were very good saves,” the Golden Bears’ coach said. “She dove for them and she stopped shots that would have gone in.
“Emily Jeinnings at center mid just controlled that midfield, and she always does. Our forward line, in general, has speed, and they were doing a great job passing to each other and getting that ball.”
Grossi gave special praise to right wing Noelle Woodman.
“Especially the first half, she did a really a terrific job bringing the ball down the field and crossing it towards cage, getting some shots off,” the Golden Bears’ coach said. “The second half, she was definitely more defensive, but if she wasn’t back in the circle helping the mids and defense, things could have been different. She did a great job playing a position she’s not used to.”
Two of the Bears’ defensive backs – Kayla Meakim and Kylee Bowman – also earned postgame props.
“Kayla, a ninth grader, was playing for a sick player, so this was her second game, and she was strong and smart,” Grossi said. “Kylee – nothing fancy – but she made it hard to get the ball by them.”
Wissahickon goalie Claire Tarzia was credited with nine saves. Felicetti had four.
Upper Moreland (8-4, 6-3 SOL) will travel to Upper Dublin on Thursday, and Wissahickon (9-3, 8-1) will be on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh for a contest that will go a long way toward determining the conference champion.
Wissahickon 0-1-0 1
Upper Moreland 1-0-1 2
UPPER DUBLIN 5, CHELTENHAM 0
Sophomore Anna Gouveia connected for the hat trick to lead the Flying Cardinals to a win that avenged an early season 1-0 loss at the hands of the Lady Panthers.
“It was definitely a game where we needed to prove ourselves,” UD coach Heather Boyer said. “We have struggled a good bit, and even though we’re playing well, we’re coming up short on the scoreboard.
“The first game (against Cheltenham), we doubled the corners, doubled the shots on goal but couldn’t put the ball in the cage and lost 1-0. We were not about to let the same thing happen again.”
Marlee Siegel (Maddie Templeton assist) gave the Cards a lead they would not lose when she scored at the 25:13 mark of the opening half on a penalty corner. Five minutes later, Gouveia began her personal tear, connecting on her first goal with a Molly Lunney assist. Another Gouveia goal midway through the half – this one with a Sarah Blatt assist – put the Cards on top 3-0, a score that held until the intermission.
Lunney’s goal four minutes into the second half with an assist from Kristen Jones made it a 4-0 game, and Gouveia closed out a productive day with a goal at the 19:10 mark of the half for the 5-0 final.
“Anna had a great game,” Boyer said. “She started as a freshman last year as a right defensive back.
“I feel fully confident that I can place her anywhere on the field and she’ll be great. As we were trying to find the lineup that worked the best and clicked, she was the one I probably moved around the most because she could do it. She can play anywhere. She has fantastic stick skills, she has a good knowledge of the game for such a young player, so I knew I could put her anywhere and she would know instinctively what to do.
“I think at times that frustrated her because she felt like a transplant, the person always getting moved around, but it wasn’t because she was doing anything wrong, but we were looking for what was working right.”
Gouveia has found a home at center forward.
“She’s got a nose for the goal, so she’s really had some nice games at center forward,” Boyer said. “She’s not afraid to put the ball on the pads. She had a nice little breakthrough game today.”
The Flying Cardinals had an advantage in shots (11-5) and corners (6-3). Goalie Marlowe Gardner had five saves in the shutout. Cheltenham’s Tegan Dorley had six saves.
Boyer acknowledged the importance of coming back strong after falling to the Panthers in the early season meeting.
“You look at the standings and you saw Cheltenham was above you,” the Cards’ coach said. “We’ve played some really close games, and we’ve had some bumps in the road along the way this season, and the kids have really tried to respond, but it’s frustrating when you come up short on the scoreboard, but the effort is there on the field, so to come back and say, ‘Hey, we can play’ was important, especially against a Cheltenham team that is much improved and has some really talented players with Madison Gianelle and their center back, Dana Feeney.
“She’s a tough little defender back there and lifts the ball well on free hits and really tries to advance it. They have some good players. For us to come out and say – this is our game – we set the tempo early and kept it there and did some really good things which was important.”
Boyer also lauded the strong play of center back Megan Connelly.
“She’s really been a pretty steady eddie all season and has developed nicely as a good defensive player,” she said. “She played very well today, pushed the tempo in the transition and did a good job.”
Upper Dublin (4-6, 4-5) will play eight games in the next 11 days, beginning with a home game against Upper Moreland on Thursday. Cheltenham (4-7, 4-5) will host Springfield.
Cheltenham 0-0 0
Upper Dublin 3-2 5
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 4, UPPER MERION 0
The Colonials dominated play from start to finish, but UM goalie Katie Foy kept her team in it with a heroic effort, and the Vikings trailed by just one at the at the intermission. Sophomore Michelle McGrath accounted for PW’s only goal, connecting from the top for her first varsity goal.
“(We) put constant pressure on the Upper Merion defense and goalkeeper, who stood strong for most of the game, allowing only four goals on 40 shots,” PW coach Marianne Paparone said.
Sophie Kolkka (Frankie O’Brien assist) scored just over two minutes into the second half, and back-to-back goals by Kennedy Reardon – the second with a Kolkka assist – closed out the scoring. The freshman now has 12 goals on the season.
“Freshman Kennedy Reardon continued to be a good finisher in the circle with her two goals,” Paparone said. “(We) did a good job in transition and were able to keep the ball on the offensive end for the majority of the game.
“The team worked well together and adapted adequately to the grass. The team continues to improve as the season has gone on, and we are looking forward to continued progress.”
Goalkeeper Clair McCallister and Victoria Byrne did not have to make a save in the game.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (8-2, 8-1 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Thursday in a battle for supremacy in the conference. Upper Merion (1-10, 0-8) will travel to Norristown.
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 3, NORRISTOWN 0
Meredith Giordano connected for the hat trick to lead the Spartans past the visiting Eagles. Mason DeLarso assisted on one of the goals.
The Spartans, who led 2-0 at halftime, held an advantage in shots (14-4) and penalty corners (6-1). Isabelle Boles was forced to make just one save in the shutout.
Springfield (6-6, 4-4 SOL) will travel to Cheltenham on Thursday, and Norristown (1-11, 1-8) will host Upper Merion.
Norristown 0-0 0
Springfield 2-1 3
Continental Conference
QUAKERTOWN 4, SOUDERTON 1
Deadlocked 1-1 at halftime, the Panthers and Indians appeared to be heading for yet another nail biter, but the game took a decidedly different turn in the second half as the Panthers – who celebrated Senior Night – exploded for three goals to earn the win and snap a losing streak that dated back to Sept. 11.
“They have been working hard all season,” Quakertown coach Diane Molinaro said. “Every time I look back at the stats – the games we’ve played could have gone either way.
“You have CB West who’s doing an incredible job and CB East is also very strong, but all the other games we’ve played – every single one of them came down to one goal or overtime.
“My biggest point to this team – and to any team – when you’re losing eight games in a row, you begin to doubt yourself, you begin to question things. Players begin to doubt other players, the fans begin to doubt the coaching staff. There’s a variety of emotions that come into play when you have a talented team, but you just can’t seem to get on the win side.
“The biggest thing the coaching staff kept hammering to the girls – believe in yourself, believe in your teammates, and we’ll get there.”
Erin Saybolt scored on a shot from the top of the circle at the 28:17 mark of the opening half to spot the Indians an early 1-0 lead, but Emma McLaughlin (Hillary Scott assist) scored the equalizer with 7:29 remaining in the half to knot the score.
Becky Gerhart broke that tie when she found the cage with a penalty stroke nine minutes into the second half. Scott gave the Panthers a 3-1 lead when she scored on the rebound off the goalie’s pads. McLaughlin’s unassisted goal with 7:23 remaining put the finishing touches on the big win.
“We’re midway through the season, and for the girls that don’t play hockey year round, this is when they start improving,” Molinaro said. “This is when the hard work really starts paying off.
“As coaches, as parents, the best thing you can tell your players is – keep doing what you’re doing. It’s going to work, it’s going to come. Tonight was a testament to that.”
For a Panther squad that had not scored a goal in back-to-back games, Tuesday’s four-goal explosion was welcome indeed.
“We have had issues finishing strong, so my focus for the second half of our season is to start finishing strong,” Molinaro said. “What they did tonight was – they played as a team.
“They believed in each other, they supported each other. They definitely just went all out for each other. It was Senior Night, and all five of my seniors – Emma McLaughlin, Heather Scott, Becky Gerhart, Taylor Scheetz and Taylor Rinehimer – went out there and really made sure that we won. They made sure we finished strong. They were out there for 60 minutes – they all contributed, and they all had a part in our win.”
The Panthers had a 12-10 advantage in corners. Goalie Rylee Lawler was credited with nine saves while Souderton’s Megan Mehaffey had seven saves.
“We did a lot of good things today but had some major letdowns which ultimately led to goals,” Souderton coach Lauren Whiteside said. “Our defense was able to hold them to only 11 shots, and our offense controlled a lot of the game with 20 shots which is great, but 20 shots needs to equate to more goals, and that is a total team effort.
“When offense does well, our defense feeds off of that and vice versa. We were hungry today for a win. It is very frustrating to have the stats that we have as far as shots and corners and not have the record to prove our worth. Although it didn't go our way, I know we will not stop fighting and staying hungry to prove we are a team that shouldn't be underestimated.”
Quakertown (4-9, 2-7 SOL) will travel to North Penn, and Souderton (3-6-1, 1-6-1) will be on the road at Central Bucks West for a 5 p.m. contest.
Souderton 1-0 1
Quakertown 1-3 4
NORTH PENN 2, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0
Brianna O’Donnell scored a pair of goals to lead the Maidens to a win that made the race for second place in the conference standings a whole lot more interesting. The Maidens trail the second place Patriots by just one game in the loss column after Tuesday’s win.
The important win came on the heels of an 8-1 non-league loss to Downingtown West one day earlier.
“Yesterday was a hard loss – we didn’t really show up to play yesterday,” coach Shannon McCracken said. “It was really good to get on the field today because you don’t want to linger on a loss like that too long, so I think it was really important to come out today and know that we had a big game.
“The girls knew they had to show up today. They got hyped before the game, they had that focus before the game and that competitive confidence.”
Although the Maidens had the better of play, it was a 0-0 game at halftime. In the second half, O’Donnell went to work. Her first goal was set up by an Emma Herb clear out of the defensive end.
O’Donnell did the rest, deftly dodging every would-be defender in her path as she dribbled down the left alley and then pulled right to get past the goalie before sending a shot into the cage to put the Maidens on top 1-0.
“Bri’s a really exciting player, and she has that capability to raise the level of her teammates by making a big play,” McCracken said. “Taking that ball and putting the game on her shoulders right there – you could see everyone around her started playing a little bit harder because of that. She just is a tough kid with a ton of effort, a ton of heart. You love to have her on your team.
O’Donnell teamed with freshman Emily Crawford for a goal after a rebound of a goalie save, and in a three-minute span midway through the second half, the Maidens had seized control.
Interestingly, O’Donnell did all of her damage after McCracken moved her from the right wing to the left side of the field.
“I switched her because I thought they were trying to hone in on her,” McCracken said. “We give her a lot of freedom on the field because she’s a fast kid. She just needed to find an open space.”
The switch, according to O’Donnell, isn’t as easy as she made it look.
“It’s hard to go from left to right, but once you get the hang of it, you’re good because you just connect with all your teammates around you,” she said. “That’s what we practice – passing with everyone on the team.”
The Maidens held a 13-3 advantage in shots and a 6-1 edge in corners. The Patriots suffered a huge setback when – just seven minutes into the game – sophomore Riley Donnelly took a seat on the bench after a collision at midfield. She did not return.
“The last game we played them we focused too much on her,” senior captain Jennifer DeLongis said of a 3-1 Maiden loss to CB East in the initial meeting. “This game we didn’t really talk about her too much, and I think that helped us.
“When she was out, obviously, we noticed she was out, but it was like, ‘Okay, now we can focus on us and dominate.’”
East coach Michelle Finegan was pleased with her team’s effort.
“We fought hard and showed some excellent moments,” she said. “We had a couple collisions in the first few minutes of the game, and players were adjusting to different positions in some cases and did pretty well.”
North Penn (6-5, 6-3 SOL) will host Quakertown on Thursday at 3:45 p.m., and Central Bucks East (10-2, 6-2) will host Hatboro-Horsham.
Central Bucks East 0-0 0
North Penn 0-2 2
HATBORO-HORSHAM 2, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0
The visiting Hatters scored a pair of goals in the second half to earn a win that avenged a 4-3 loss to the Titans earlier this season.
“The game got off to a slow start in the first half,” coach Laura Swezey said. “Both teams were having a tough time getting it out of the midfield to goal.
“It was an unusually hot day for the first week of October, and it showed with the first half sluggish play.”
Things changed in the second half, and the Hatters received a lift when Syd Rausa found the cage six minutes into the half, using a Kelsey Hopkins assist. With 10 minutes remaining, Heather Timm (Kaitlyn Wallace assist) tacked on an insurance goal for the 2-0 final.
“In the second half, both teams picked up the momentum, and it became more the type of play that both H-H and CB south can play,” Swezey said. “Both teams had more shots on goal the second half and much more action up and down the field. Both of our goals were scored on action in the circle after the initial shot. The second and third effort of our offense in the circle resulted in two goals.”
Hatboro-Horsham (5-7, 4-5 SOL) will be on the road at Central Bucks East, and Central Bucks South (3-6-1, 3-4-1) will travel to Pennridge.
Hatboro-Horsham 0-2 2
Central Bucks South 0-0 0
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 6, PENNRIDGE 0
The Bucks have shown an ability to score goals in bunches this season, and that was the case on Tuesday night. West led 1-0 at halftime but exploded for five second half goals.
“We played a great game,” West coach Courtney Lepping said. “The first half was very well played with lots of fast breaks and goal scoring opportunities coming left and right, but both defenses stayed strong.”
The only goal of the half came when Taylor Mason scored on the rebound of a goalie save with 8:15 remaining in the half.
At the 27:37 mark of the second half, Cadera Smith scored off a Bryn Boylan assist from the top of the circle. Seven minutes later, Smith returned the favor, sending a pass along the top to Boylan for a goal and a 3-0 West lead. Boylan finished an Ariana Wexler pass at 16:88, and four minutes later, Mikayla Darrows scored on the right post, using a Boylan pass from the top. Smith closed out the scoring with a reverse chip goal for the 6-0 final.
“It was a well played game in which Pennridge did a great job passing and transitioning through the midfield,” Lepping said. “The defense and Macella Molenari held tight and kept Pennridge off the board.
“Many of the goals were well defended but incredible finishes that nobody would be able to stop. Molenari was credited with three saves in the shutout, one a beautiful double leg stack as Pennridge was pouring it on at the end of the game.”
The Rams celebrated Senior Night prior to the game.
“We played a good first half but just fell apart in the second,” Pennridge coach Becky Spahr said. “West is too good for us to make mistakes against, and they took advantage.”
Central Bucks West (10-0, 8-0 SOL) will host Souderton on Thursday at 5 pm in a Pink Out game in which the players will be raising funds to donate to Play for the Cure. Pennridge (4-6, 3-6) will host Central Bucks South.
Central Bucks West 1-5 6
Pennridge 0-0 0
National Conference
PENNSBURY 2, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 1
The Falcons had beaten Council Rock North just once in the last six years, and that came on Oct. 9, 2013 (1-0). On Tuesday, they came up with a huge win over the Indians, rallying from a 1-0 halftime deficit to earn the win.
“To be honest, we dominated the whole game,” coach Jamie Parell said. “Three quarters of the first half we were inside the Council Rock 25, if not in the circle.
“We were taking shots, we were being aggressive. The scoring opportunities, by all means, were there. It just wasn’t going in the cage, which is pretty crucial.”
The Indians took a 1-0 lead on a goal by Danielle Nelson in the opening half.
“We have a bad habit of letting teams come down and have one or two shots on goal, and they become actual goals,” Parell said. “I said, ‘You have to find it in yourselves to put the ball in the cage. This is going to be a battle, and you have no idea how important every game is in the second half of the season.’
“We weren’t playing a bad game – a little bit of ball watching and a little bit of waiting for the ball to come to us, but it was more just fine tuning what we were already doing well.”
In the second half, the Falcons capitalized on a pair of corner opportunities. Marguerite Salamone tied the score when she connected with 16:54 remaining in regulation, using an Olivia Mauro assist. With 4:37 remaining, it was Mauro scoring an unassisted goal to give the Falcons a 2-1 lead that would stand until the final whistle.
According to Parell, the win was a team effort.
“The defense had some issues at the beginning, but they cleaned it up, and the forwards and mids just kept feeding the ball in and feeding the ball in,” Parell said. “I said, ‘Make it a possession game – just keep the ball on your stick and (pass) it to each other.’”
The win loomed large for the Falcons, who were ranked 26th in the initial power rankings last weekend.
“I said too them, ‘You guys have no idea what this does,’” Parell said. “From here on out, we have to be on our ‘A’ game. I don’t care who it is – you have to bring it every game.
“Our league is well known for having crazy things happen. No team is out of it until they’re out of it.”
Pennsbury (8-4, 6-3 SOL) will travel to Bensalem on Thursday, and Council Rock Nroth (7-4, 5-3) will host Harry S Truman.
Council Rock North 1-0 1
Pennsbury 0-2 2
HARRY S TRUMAN 0, WILLIAM TENNENT 0 (OT)
Neither team could get on the scoreboard as the respective defenses held strong for 75 minutes. The Panthers had the better of field play, drawing eight corners to the Tigers’ five, but any advantage they might have had was negated by Truman goalie Maria Dea, who turned away 13 shots in the shutout.
Tennent’s Trisha McCoy turned away all three shots she faced as well.
Truman (0-11, 0-8) will travel to Council Rock South on Thursday, and Tennent (2-8-1, 2-5-1) will host Pennridge on Friday.
William Tennent 0-0-0 0
Truman 0-0-0 0
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 9, BENSALEM 0
The Golden Hawks sprinted to a 6-0 halftime lead on their way to a win that saw six different players contribute goals.
Tori Write scored an unassisted goal at the 25:20 mark, and less than a minute later, Caroline McGovern found the cage, using a Katie Rafter assist. Wright connected for her second goal, this time using a McGovern assist, and when Sarah Womer scored with a Paige Schmid assist, the Golden Hawks led 4-0 less than eight minutes into the game. Single goals by Mikayla Vanaken (Rafter assist) and Womer (Wright assist) closed out the half.
Bianca Bonanni (McGovern assist) put her name in the scoring column with a goal three minutes in the second half, and then it was Caitlyn Thornton connecting for a goal. Womer completed the hat trick with a goal midway through the half to close out the scoring.
Bensalem goalies Katie Mulvey and Selena Lee were credited with eight saves. Morgan Kubik and Mulvey were both credited with a defensive save. Rock South goalie Julia Pero was forced to make just one save in the shutout win. The Golden Hawks held a 19-2 advantage in shots.
Council Rock South (9-4, 8-1 SOL) will travel to Abington Thursday while Bensalem (3-7, 1-7) will host Pennsbury.
Bensalem 0-0 0
Council Rock South 6-3 9
NESHAMINY 8, ABINGTON 0
The Redskins opened up a 5-0 halftime lead on their way to the shutout win.
Elena Donato (Christen Pennington assist) put the ‘Skins on the scoreboard eight minutes into the game, and four minutes later, Pennington set up a Lauren Duckenfeld goal that put the Redskins on top 2-0. Another Pennington assist resulted in a goal by Marlena Koellner, and when Donato scored her second goal, this time using an Amanda Blum assist, the Redskins led 4-0 with eight minutes remaining in the half. Pennington picked up her fourth assist of the half when she found Anna Skrot for a goal that sent the Redskins into halftime with a five-goal advantage.
In the second half, Duckenfeld scored back-to-back goals to complete her hat trick – the first with a Koellner assist and the second with an assist from Mia Sexton. Pennington capped an impressive performance by scoring the final goal, using a Sexton assist.
Neshaminy (12-0, 9-0 SOL) will host William Tennent on Thursday, and Abington (4-7, 2-6) will host Council Rock South.
Abington 0-0 0
Neshaminy 5-3 8
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