Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Monday.
Non-league
PENNSBURY 4, ABINGTON 0
The Falcons improved their seeding in the District One 3A power rankings with a no-doubt-about it win over the Ghosts. They are 25th in what will be a 24-team district field.
“We have been working really hard, and a lot of our games have been one-goal games, which can drain a team,” coach Jamie Parell said. “They came out today and set the tempo from the beginning. They were just working on the turf really well, passing to each other and working more as a unit rather than individuals.
“We knew that Abington sits pretty high in their league – they’re second right now. We have a tough road ahead, so we definitely have some work ahead of us. We know every game counts and every minute counts. I’ve been stressing that to the girls, and I’ve been stressing finishing. We’re right there in every game. We’re just not coming out with a ‘W.’”
Maddie Spratt turned a Maya Geller pass into a goal that turned out to be the game-winner, and then it was Geller connecting on an unassisted goal to send the Falcons into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
In the second half, Kayli Williams and Anna Sharp each added single goals with Sharp converting a penalty stroke for the game’s final goal.
“I think the big thing that has worked against us this year is our turnovers, which were very minimal today,” Parell said. “We’ve been kind of complacent, no matter where we’ve been in the game.
“We’ve just been mediocre with our tone, and today it really didn’t seem that way despite the weather. It rained the whole game, but we really never gave up and kept working. I think that fourth goal, being a stroke, really solidified it for us.”
Parell credited the strong efforts of several players.
“Maya (Geller) had the two goals, and I think Anna Sharp has been playing consistently well all the way around,” the Falcons’ coach said. “Keira (Korzeb) in goal has just really held us in. Abington had some shots and definitely had some chances to score, and they didn’t.”
Pennsbury (6-7, 5-4 SOL) will travel to Council Rock South on Tuesday. The two teams met on Friday with the Golden Hawks earning a 2-1 win.
“On Thursday night, we won (3-1) over Tennent, and we were very flat Friday against South,” Parell said. “It’s tough coming out after a night game, but I said, ‘We just have to keep moving forward.’ We have four games this week, so there’s no time to really practice or work on anything.”
Abington (8-6, 8-3 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Tuesday.
Pennsbury 2-2 4
Abington 0-0 0
NORTH PENN 1, UPPER DUBLIN 0
Kristin Varilla scored on the rebound off the goalie’s pad during corner play just over nine minutes into the second half. That 1-0 lead stood the rest of the way as the Knights eked out the non-league win.
“It was a well-executed corner where Emily (Crawford) shot the ball from the top of the circle. The goalie made a great save, and Kristin Varilla got the rebound and put it back,” coach Shannon McCracken said. “We played on Thursday and Friday and then again tomorrow, so it’s kind of a rough patch in the schedule.
“I was pleased with the girls’ play. It takes a new team some time to gel, and today they passed the ball well. They utilized the whole field better.”
Goalie Mallory Stowell recorded five saves in the shutout.
“Defensively, my goalkeeper is really coming along,” McCracken said. “She’s a sophomore that just started playing goalkeeper last year as a freshman.
“She was thrown right into the fire, and she’s really starting to play with maturity in the backfield. She’s making good decisions, and her level of play is definitely gone up in the last few games.”
Another rookie – freshman Madison Waldspurger – has also been an impact player for the Knights.
“She’s been a key kid in the backfield for us,” McCracken said. “Today she played center back for us because we had a kid that was out with a back injury.
“To be honest, we’ve been moving kids around to find out what’s clicking, and sometimes you make adjustments for the teams you’re playing. She’s been playing in the backfield and defensive center mid. Quite frankly, we call upon her to mark some of the top kids from opposing teams.
“Today she was rock solid at center back. Any time that Upper Dublin was coming at us on the attack, she came up with big stops. She’s been rock solid for us this year, and it’s exciting to see a freshman play so maturely. She had three defensive saves last week, so she’s really doing a great job for us.”
The Knights’ coach also lauded the performance of junior Deb Kim.
“She had a strong game for us in the midfield,” McCracken said. “She had some really great passes today.”
The win was just the second in eight games for the young Knights.
“There’s no forgiveness in the schedule – our conference is so strong, and we play a non-league schedule that is challenging as well,” McCracken said. “We needed that win today.
“We’ve been in games, but it’s been hard to play a consistent 60 minutes. A lot of our games – if you look at halftime scores, it’s 1-0 and we’re in the game, but it’s hard to sustain. I feel like the attack players and the forwards in the area are so dynamic and so fast right now. When you have a young defense, you can only sustain for so long.”
For the Flying Cardinals, goalie Meghan Muth recorded nine saves. The Knights held a 5-2 edge in corners.
North Penn (5-9, 3-6 SOL) will host Central Bucks West on Tuesday, and Upper Dublin (7-6-1, 6-4-1) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday.
North Penn 0-1 1
Upper Dublin 0-0 0
NESHAMINY 4, ARCHBISHOP CARROLL 0
Coach Jamie Pinto admits she didn’t know a whole lot about Archbishop Carroll, the PCL’s top squad, heading into Monday’s non-league game. It turns out that didn’t matter a whole lot as the Redskins seized early control and rolled to the shutout win.
“We had never played them before, but the girls stepped up, and that’s what we have to keep doing,” Pinto said. “The last couple of games have been such a team effort, and that’s what we told the girls again today. Everybody is contributing.
“Things we were working on at practice they were doing, and it’s really coming together. I think what’s most important is the girls have fun and they genuinely like each other, which is neat to see because they’re just a fun group of girls to be with and coach.”
Sophie Perillo turned a Caroline Angerer pass into a goal midway through the first half, and the Redskins took that 1-0 lead into halftime.”
The second half began with back-to-back Peyton Ritchey goals in a six-minute span.
“Peyton’s speed and her skill in the circle this year has been outstanding,” Pinto said. “She’s really been stepping up for us, kind of leading the charge, and everybody is picking up after her.
“She was a force up top and kind of got the ball rolling for us.”
The game’s final goal – with 16:58 remaining – came when Dylan Beegal turned a Jamie Pennington pass into a goal during corner play.
“We started out – the game was close,” Pinto said. “They were like us. They were a grass team, so they were excited to play on grass.
“The first five minutes or so, the game was back and forth, just feeling each other out because we never played them before. Then we just started putting everything together. The girls just started clicking. We had really good passing, our corners were great – we executed some of our corners that we normally don’t try, and we were able to score on one of them.”
The Redskins’ coach credited the strong play several players in the win.
“Sophie Schardt’s been playing so well in the center defensive mid,” Pinto said. “She’s really stepping up, she hustles, she sees the field well, and she’s been a real leader.
“Our defense played well too. Brooke Cordisco, Dylan Beegal, and Tori Young in the back stepped up and played really well. They’ve been playing solid in the back.”
Neshaminy (11-3, 9-0 SOL) will host William Tennent on Tuesday.
Archbishop Carroll 0-0 0
Neshaminy 1-3 4
CHELTENHAM 2, LANSDALE CATHOLIC 1
Things didn't exactly start out on a promising note for the Lady Panthers, who arrived late and had no warm-up, but they were unfazed.
"We are used to playing on grass, so we felt more confident going into this game," coach Tabatha Gilbert said.
The Crusaders got on the scoreboard first, but the Lady Panthers answered with a goal by Sadie Ellis, assisted by Elsa Nguyen, sending the two teams into halftime deadlocked 1-1.
"We've had a lot of close halftime scores this year, but we haven't been able to put a win or a score together."
This time it was different, and Samantha Boyd connected on the go-ahead goal with less than 10 minutes remaining to give the Crusaders a lead they would not lose.
Gilbert started freshman goalie Mayanna Perry, who played the entire game and helped secure the Lady Panthers’ first win.
"We are not a school with a feeder program for hockey, so most of our team/athletes don't start playing until ninth grade," Gilbert said. "We have made a lot of progress with the program in the last few years.
"We play because we love it, we play with heart, and no matter what the score, we don't give up. I can honestly say that it's not one person, but the whole team."
Cheltenham (1-11, 0-11 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday.
Cheltenham 1-1 2
Lansdale Catholic 1-0 1
CARDINAL O’HARA 1, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0
About the Author
