Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Tuesday. Neshaminy/Pennsbury photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. PW/Boyertown photo provided courtesy of Michael Rice. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL Patriot Division
NESHAMINY 5, PENNSBURY 1
The Redskins – sparked by a pair of early goals by Mia Sermarini – jumped out to 3-0 lead after one quarter and never looked back. Sermarini was all but unstoppable in the circle, scoring four of her team’s five goals.
“Today was a great way to start the season,” Neshaminy coach Jamie Pinto said. “The girls came out strong and aggressive, and they were able to capitalize early. Forward Mia Sermarini really stepped up today and finished well.”
It took Sermarini just two minutes to put the Redskins on the scoreboard, turning a pass from Ava Arbakov into a goal. Four minutes later, Sermarini found the cage for her second goal – this one with 
an assist from Caitlyn Colyar. With 6:18 remaining in the quarter, Kasey Rieger scored with an assist from Olivia Roscoe.
Neither team scored in the second quarter, and the Redskins took that 3-0 lead into halftime.
Sermarini converted a pass from Kasey Rieger into a goal that completed her hat trick. The Falcons got on the scoreboard with 8:03 remaining when Meg McClure (Rylie Borgman assist) scored during corner play. Sermarini put the finishing touches on a glittering offensive performance when she connected for her fourth goal just over five minutes into the final quarter, this time using an assist from Maddy Shtinio.
Pinto credited the efforts of several players in the win.
“Kasey Rieger and Ava Arbakov worked hard applying strong pressure in the circle,” the Redskins’ coach said. “Avery McGinty and Olivia Roscoe did a nice job controlling the center of the field.
“We are going to take one game at a time this season and continue to work hard and play together as a team.”
(Submitted by Pennsbury field hockey)
Preseason went by in a blur this year.
“It feels like we blinked, and the next thing we knew we were standing opposite the defending SOL champs with the sound of the opening whistle ringing in our ears,” said head coach, Traci Curtis. “Facing Neshaminy in our first regular season game on the first day of school took a special type of preparation, both physically and mentally. We have been working really hard to fine tune our talents and put the pieces together. Today just helped us to catapult that process ahead as we scribbled game notes on how to improve across the board.
“The loss is disappointing, but the takeaway is valuable. The best part about playing Neshaminy in this first match up is that it 
completely establishes where we stand. What we think we are doing well we need to do better and what we think we need to work on continues to be true.”
The Skins came out strong and pushed us back on our heels right away. They are good at that. Their hard hits, speed, skill, and aggressive play are familiar Neshaminy traits that can be tough to match. This year our Pennsbury FH theme is #WORKINPROGRESS, and it played itself out in perfect form over four quarters. The Skins scored three goals in the first quarter to put the Falcons down 3-0. Pennsbury refused to give up, there was no choice but to adjust. The second quarter was scoreless as the black and orange held it to 3-0 going into halftime. Progress.
Neshaminy scored again early in the third making it 4-0 and then the Falcons answered back with their first goal. Riley Henderson took the penalty corner shot and Rylie Borgman redirected it to Meg McClure who tipped it into the cage. Progress.
With the score 4-1 and a lot of game left to play, the Falcons continued to fight. Goalkeeper, Jordan Vradenburgh denied shot after shot, and defender Gabby Darling added two defensive saves. The Skins put in one final goal in the fourth quarter to make the final score 5-1, which is a much better outcome compared to last season’s first matchup when the Falcons fell to Neshaminy 7-0. Progress.
“We learned a lot about ourselves today as players and coaches and are grateful that we have the opportunity to keep working, growing, and getting better,” Curtis said.
Neshaminy (1-0 SOL) will host Council Rock South on Thursday in a key division battle, and Pennsbury (0-1) will be on the road at Harry S Truman on Thursday.
Pennsbury 0-0-1-0 1
Neshaminy 3-0-1-1 5
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 8, BENSALEM 0
The Golden Hawks erupted for five goals in the opening quarter on their way to the no-doubt-about-it win.
Annagrace McKinney put the Golden Hawks on the scoreboard with a goal assisted by Kylee Hager. Back-to-back unassisted goals by Caroline Martin and Megan Rafter put the Hawks on top 3-0. Martin found the cage with her second goal of the game, this one with a Sarah Freeman assist. Freeman turned a pass from Amanda Green into a goal, and the Golden Hawks led 5-0, a lead they took into halftime.
In the third quarter, Hager scored with an assist from Rafter, and then Rafter scored with a Green assist, sending the Hawks into the final quarter with a 7-0 lead. Hager’s unassisted goal in the fourth quarter closed out the scoring.
Hager led a balanced Rock South attack with two goals and two assists while Rafter added two goals and one assist. Martin also had a pair of goals, and Green contributed a pair of assists.
Council Rock South (1-1, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Neshaminy for a battle of last year’s division co-champions on Thursday. Bensalem (0-1) will host Council Rock North on Thursday.
Bensalem 0-0-0-0 0
Council Rock South 5-0-2-1 8
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 8, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
Maddy Mela was a one-woman wrecking crew, scoring five goals and assisting on another to lead the Indians to a convincing win in Tuesday’s SOL opener.
It was Mela putting the Indians on the scoreboard in the first quarter, connecting for an unassisted goal, and the Indians tacked on three more goals in the second period. First it was Paige Matthews scoring with an assist from Leah Abbe, and then Mela scored her second goal of the game, this one with a Julie Ondria assist. Bryn Bogle’s unassisted goal sent the Indians into halftime with a 4-0 lead.
Rock North led by five in the third quarter after Mela scored with an assist from Amelia Broadway, and then it was Bogle turning a Mela pass into a goal. Back-to-back goals by Mela – the first with a Broadway assist and the second unassisted – closed out the scoring in the third quarter.
Council Rock North (1-0) will travel to Bensalem on Thursday, and Harry S Truman (0-2, 0-1) will host Pennsbury on Thursday.
Harry S Truman 0-0-0-0 0
Council Rock North 1-3-4-0 8
SOL Colonial Division
NORTH PENN 3, PENNRIDGE 1
The Rams and visiting Knights narrowly escaped the impending storm, playing the final 10 minutes in a downpour. When the weather took a turn, the Knights were clinging to a 2-1 lead. An unassisted goal by Caleigh Sperling with eight minutes remaining gave the Knights some welcome breathing room, and they held on for the win.
“The last 10 minutes of the game, the rain and wind started coming in sideways,” NP coach Shannon McCracken said. “We scored a goal, and you could breathe a little sigh of relief. Fluke things can happen in that kind of weather. The ball can take a weird bounce, or you just can’t clear it out. We were pretty excited to get that third goal to secure the win.”
Take away the last 10 minutes and, according to McCracken, it was a back and forth game, although the Knights held a 16-8 advantage in shots.
“We did a nice job – Pennridge came in and got a shot off, and we cleared it out, and that’s why they didn’t get a lot of second and third opportunities,” the Knights’ coach said.
The Knights got on the scoreboard first when Grace McGeehan scored an unassisted goal with four minutes remaining in the first period. In the opening minutes of the second quarter, the Rams evened the score on a goal by Keira Horensky, using an assist from Lindsey Campione. Ashleigh Barwis (McGeehan assist) scored the go-ahead goal for the Knights with 3:48 remaining in the first half. That 2-1 goal stood until Sperling’s late goal.
“It was a hard fought game in the rain,” Pennridge coach Becky Spahr said. “Lots of back-and-forth play, but North Penn’s team play got the best of us tonight.
“We had some strong moments but are still working to string together end-to-end play.”
Maia Machado and Molly Bross split time in goal for the Rams with each goalie recording five saves.
For the Knights, Kiera Holt and Sara Stringfellow combined for three saves in goal in the win.
“Melissa Sessler led the defense, making some key stops, and she did a great job of transitioning the ball to the attack,” McCracken said. “It was a true team effort. The passing was really great. Laura Albert and Catherine McGeehan had some really nice passing sequences.”
North Penn (1-0 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West on Thursday for a 7 p.m. contest, and Pennridge (1-1, 0-1) will host Souderton on Thursday at 3:30 p.m.
North Penn 1-1-0-1 3
Pennridge 0-1-0-0 1
SOL Liberty Division
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 1, ABINGTON 0
Jules Tulio scored in the first quarter, using an assist from Tyler McLafferty. That goal stood the rest of the way and turned out to be the game-winner.
“It was definitely a team effort,” PW coach Jessica Randazzo said. “We are super young this year, and our freshmen and sophomores really are stepping up, which has been awesome to see.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (1-1, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Quakertown on Thursday for a 7 p.m. contest. Abington (0-2, 0-1) will be on the road at Hatboro-Horsham on Thursday (3:45 p.m.).
Abington 0-0-0-0 0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 1-0-0-0 1
WISSAHICKON 9, HATBORO-HORSHAM 1
Riley Bell connected for the hat trick in the opening quarter of Tuesday’s SOL opener, and the Trojans were off and running. Ball scored back-to-back goals in the opening seven minutes. Her first goal was assisted by Kendall Crowley, and Caroline Kirkpatrick was credited with an assist on the second. Kirpatrick scored less than a minute later with an assist from Ella Hummel, and Bell’s third goal with 1:08 remaining was also assisted by Hummel.
The Trojans added four more goals in the second quarter. Kirkpatrick scored midway through the quarter with an assist from Kayla Pak. Sophia Havrilla found the cage, using an assist from Kayla Mullin. Mullin (Havrilla assist) and Cait Connaghan (Kirkpatrick assist) both scored a goal in the final two minutes of the quarter. Mullin (Julia Wells assist) closed out the scoring in the fourth quarter.
Meredith Walsh (2 saves) and Ava Fell (1 save) combined in goal for the win.
Wissahickon (2-0, 1-0 SOL) will host Upper Dublin on Thursday, and Hatboro-Horsham (0-1) will host Abington on Thursday.
Wissahickon 4-4-0-1 9
SOL Freedom Division
LOWER MORELAND 3, UPPER MORELAND 0
Senior Liz Neeld scored a pair of goals and sophomore Bri Rocha added another to lead the visiting Lions to the win over their neighboring rival.
Rocha scored the game’s first goal with 3:51 remaining in the first half. It turned out to be the game-winner.
“Junior midfielder Jess Pachman beautifully set up the goal by Rocha,” LM coach Janet Lutter said. “Strong midfield play by Mia Peng, Carlie Keller and Ashley Avington were a key to the Lions’ success today.”
Neeld added a pair of goals in less than a minute early in the fourth quarter.
“We played a great 55 minutes of hockey today,” UM coach Marissa Elizardo said. “We had a small breakdown for about five minutes, and Lower Moreland capitalized on that.
“(Goalie) Addi Hurley made a nice save on a stroke in the first quarter to keep LM off the board. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to finish offensively.”
The Lions held an 11-6 advantage in corners. Hurley was credited with 14 saves in goal.
Lower Moreland (2-0, 1-0 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Thursday, and Upper Moreland (1-1, 0-1) will travel to William Tennent on Thursday.
Lower Moreland 0-1-0-2 3
Upper Moreland 0-0-0-0 0
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 9, WILLIAM TENNENT 0
The visiting Spartans opened their 2022 season with a convincing shutout win over the Panthers.
“It was an overall team effort,” Springfield coach Anita Stum said. “The scoring was across the entire team.
“Norah Conlin, Emma Yoder and Hailey Lesniak all had good games and got us off to a good start.”
Springfield Township (1-0 SOL) will travel to New Hope-Solebury on Thursday, and William Tennent (0-2, 0-1) will host Upper Moreland on Thursday.
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 16, CHELTENHAM 0
Monday, August 29
UPPER DUBLIN 4, UPPER MERION 3
The Flying Cardinals broke a 3-3 tie – the third tie of the game – when a shot by junior Olivia Vitelles during corner play was redirected into the cage by senior Drew Malizia for a goal that turned out to be the game-winner.
“We had a lot of offensive corners – 11 – but had trouble converting them into a goal until the last three minutes of the game,” UD coach Emily Town said. “We came out slow against them, but luckily, we were still able to start scoring and get the energy up.”
Sophomore Tess Malizia scored with an assist from senior Ashley MacNeal, and when MacNeal scored with an assist from sophomore Olivia Burdo, the Flying Cardinals led 2-1 only to watch the Vikings knot the score 2-2.
“After that goal, Ashley, who is a captain, rallied to team with a ‘2-minutes’ call,” Town said. “I always tell my girls after you’re scored on – get back down and score your own (goal) in two minutes to shift the energy back.
“Well, Ashley took that very seriously, and one minute later scored her second goal of the game with an assist from junior Aviva Kuznits. This brought us back into the lead.”
Upper Merion refused to go away and knotted the score as time was winding down in the third quarter, and the stage was set for Malizia’s game-winner.
Town lauded the effort of freshman goalie Camryn Muth, who had eight saves.
“She was a field player up until preseason,” the UD coach said. “She has really been impressing us and stepping up into her role.”
Upper Dublin (1-1) will travel to Wissahickon for its SOL opener on Thursday.
BOYERTOWN 3, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 0
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