Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Wednesday. Neshaminy/Pennsbury photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. CB West/CB East photos courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for galleries of both games: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f435525856
SOL Patriot Division
NESHAMINY 6, PENNSBURY 0
Neshaminy coach Jamie Pinto picked up a milestone win, notching the 100th of her stellar career in Wednesday’s SOL opener against the Redskins’ archrival.
“Jamie’s 100th win is so well deserved,” said athletic director Lisa Pennington, herself a highly successful field hockey coach at Neshaminy. “Her dedication to her players, the team and the Neshaminy field hockey program is unparalleled!
“Jamie is not only a top-notch coach who is committed to coaching and making her players successful, but she is also a role model and mentor to her players. Jamie brings out the best in her players both on and off the field, leading by example and showing them that hard work pays off. I’m so excited that Jamie is leading our hockey program and wishing her continued success as she continues in her coaching career. Go Neshaminy!”
Pinto’s players made sure their coach reached the century mark in style, scoring early and scoring often on their way to the impressive win. Kasey Reiger’s hat trick led the Redskins’ potent attack.
“Today was a total team effort,” Pinto said. “To open conference play against Pennsbury, we knew coming out that we needed to be prepared.
“The girls have been working hard at practice and it paid off today. Across the field, we did what we needed to do— defensively, our backs did a nice job stepping to the ball, the mids worked hard supporting the play, our center players controlled the field, and the forwards did a nice job of generating offense.”
Claire Saloky put the Redskins on the board before the fans had settled in their seats, using a Molly Courtney assist. Late in the opening quarter, Courtney scored with an assist from Maddy Shtino.
In the second quarter, Rieger went to work, scoring with an assist from Shtino and then turning a Saloky pass into a goal to send the ‘Skins into halftime with a 4-0 lead.
Rieger’s second goal late in the third period was unassisted, and Hannah Stanton closed out the scoring with a fourth-quarter goal, using assists from Ava Arbakov and Mia Sermarini.
“Senior captains Molly Courtney, Mia Sermarini, Cait Colyar, and Morgan Shaltens have been doing a great job of leading on and off the field,” Pinto said. “Juniors Kasey Rieger, Ava Arbakov, Maddy Shtino, and Alayna Roscoe have been doing a nice job of using their skill and stepping up this year. We will continue to work hard and together the rest of this week at practice and prepare for next week.”
Neshaminy (2-0, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Council Rock South Tuesday, and Pennsbury (1-1, 0-1) will be on the road at Harry S Truman on Tuesday.
Neshaminy 2-2-1-1 6
Pennsbury 0-0-0-0 0
(Article submitted by Pennsbury field hockey)
The rainy morning gave way to just enough sunshine to dry out the grassy pitch at Pennsbury High School as the Falcons opened up at home against top-ranked Neshaminy. Pennsbury allowed history to repeat itself once again, as Neshaminy knocked some wind out of their sails and sent PHS back to the drawing board with a 6-0 loss.
“As coaches, we just have to put one foot in front of the other and get really creative and more purposeful in deciding how to take the next step,” said head coach Traci Curtis. “In this league, just when you think you’ve worked really hard and prepared well, you learn that there is so much more that needs to be done. Our starting point is just not at the same level as Neshaminy’s and we have to do better and figure out how to close that gap before August.”
The ‘Skins came out and scored in the first two minutes with a cross and a tip that the Falcons’ goalie misread.
“It was an unlucky moment and something we have to learn to bounce back from right away”, said Curtis. “Giving a team like Neshaminy a gift like that so early on is never a good way to start because they will definitely pounce on that vulnerability and use it.”
The red and blue notched a goal off of a corner shot with three minutes left in the first quarter, giving them a 2-0 lead as the first buzzer sounded. Neshaminy’s Kasey Rieger added two more goals in the second quarter off penalty corners, giving the ‘Skins a 4-0 lead into halftime.
Pennsbury’s coaching staff was working the lineup like they were trying to solve a Rubix Cube.
“We were addressing fatigue issues and using fresh legs off the bench, while simultaneously hoping to play to our strength of speed. Our combinations were changing rapidly, and unfortunately, we just couldn’t find the sweet spot today,” Curtis said.
The Falcons came out in the second half with a little more fight. Sophomore goalie and jayvee captain Abby McCole stepped into the cage and did an amazing job for the final two quarters. Pennsbury held the Skins to one goal in the third quarter with three minutes left and one goal in the fourth quarter with two minutes left, making the final score 6-0.
“Neshaminy is a strong, fast team and they don’t let down or wait for anything for the entire 60 minutes,” Curtis said. “The only thing we can do is learn from them and understand the immense work we have to do moving forward. Being ‘good’ doesn’t cut it in this league – our only choice is to get better.”
Curtis made sure to add, “There were some key players today who did step up and work really hard to make a difference. Freshman Abby Iacona, came in and did all the right things in the center of the field, junior Avalee Shumski was a beast on defense along with freshman defender Cailyn Reilly. and freshman Ryan Burdette and senior Mia Popovich used their speed and smarts to create opportunities offensively.”
Curtis laughed, “We are like scientists in a lab looking for the perfect formula. We will get there – we just need a little more time.”
Pennsbury will travel to Truman on Tuesday and then face Bensalem on Thursday next week.
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 8, BENSALEM 0
Two of the Golden Hawks’ top players from last year’s squad – Megan Rafter and Kylee Hager – are watching games from the sidelines, both after suffering season-ending injuries. In Wednesday’s opener, the Golden Hawks showed they are not without some firepower.
“This was a good learning opportunity for our offense,” Rock South coach Kelly Mason said. “We are a new team, and we are working on connecting as a team.
“Kelly Longmore, Sarah Freeman and newcomer Mia Schink sparked our scoring. Our offense was able to string sequences together in the fourth quarter to earn our first win of the season.”
Schink turned a pass from Kelly Longmore into a goal and a 1-0 lead, and then it was Sarah Freeman connecting during corner play with an assist from Clare Morgan to give the Hawks a 2-0 lead after one quarter.
Longmore set up a second-quarter goal by Annagrace McKinney that sent the Golden Hawks into halftime with a 3-0 lead.
Meghan O’Brien and Elise Lindros each scored an unassisted goal in the third quarter.
The Hawks closed out the game with goals in the fourth quarter by Longmore, McKinney (Schink assist) and Schink.
“There were moments, tiny little moments that we need to take away from this game and build on,” Bensalem coach Gary Kubik said. “We have plenty to work on, but we now have something to build on. We need to take away the positives and improve on the negatives. And we start that tomorrow.”
Council Rock South (1-0, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Unionville for a non-league game Friday at 2 p.m., and Bensalem (0-1, 0-1) will host Council Rock North on Tuesday.
Council Rock South 2-1-2-3 8
Bensalem 0-0-0-0 0
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 8, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
The Indians opened up a 4-0 lead after one quarter and never looked back.
Brynn Bogle spotted the Indians a 1-0 lead, using an assist from Julie Ondria. Ondria followed with an assisted goal, and then it was Isabella Teitelman scoring with a Charlotte Ondria assist. Charlotte Ondria scored back-to-back goals – the first with a Bogle assist and the second with an assist from Teitelman. Amelia Broadway’s unassisted goal sent the Indians into halftime with a 6-0 advantage.
Maddy Mela connected on a pair of goals in the third quarter to close out the scoring – the first with an assist from Lily King and the second unassisted.
Council Rock North (1-0, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Villa Joseph Marie for a non-league game Friday at 3:30 p.m., and Harry S Truman (0-2, 0-1) will be on the road at New Hope-Solebury for a non-league game Friday.
Harry S Truman 0-0-0-0 0
Council Rock North 4-2-2-0 8
SOL Colonial Division
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 2, SOUDERTON 1 (OT)
The game was destined to end in a tie, but Kaeli VanDerSluis made sure it didn’t, turning a through pass from Samantha Thomas into the game-winner with 4.4 seconds remaining in overtime. Yes, 4.4 seconds was the difference between a tie and a win for the Titans.
“Sam was actually a back in 7v7, and she got a pass from the other back and was dribbling up the field,” South first-year coach Kelli Chioffe said of the sequence that set up the game-winner. “She sent it through to Kaeli who then had a 1v1 with the goalkeeper, pulled it around her and scored it in the left corner. It was pretty exciting.”
Earlier, in the first quarter, the Titans took a 1-0 lead when VanDerSluis scored with a Tessa Walls assist. Just over four minutes later, Souderton evened the score with a goal by Ashley Paturzo (Julia Blair assist). That tie stood until the dramatic game-winner.
“It was back and forth,” Chioffe said. “They had a lot of corners on us. We were scrambling, we were panicked, we were not ourselves.”
For a while, it didn’t exactly look like things were going the Titans’ way.
“Sam Thomas, our senior captain, was carded twice for her mouth guard being out of her mouth,” Chioffe said. “I think it’s a new thing. You tell the girls, but you don’t think anything of it.”
The Titans’ coach went on to laud the play of Thomas as well as junior Ella Haag.
“Sam is a phenomenal defender,” Chioffe said. “She gets very low, she just got that ball in the backfield and was able to get it up to Kaeli on that specific play, but she’s just a solid kid.
“Ella Haag is a solid midfielder, and she distributes the ball very well. She’s aggressive, she doesn’t stop. She was sort of leading the way.”
The Indians held a slight edge in shots (8-6) and penalty corners (8-5). Emma Kraft was credited with seven saves in goal for South.
For the Titans, the win snapped a four-game losing streak at the hands of the defending Colonial Division champions, who graduated several key players and lost last year’s high scorer (all-state junior Ava Jones) to a season-ending injury.
“I think the girls shocked themselves,” said Chioffe of her team’s dramatic win. “I was without my terrific left mid, Avery Tyler, who got a concussion last Wednesday when we had a scrimmage against New Hope, and we had another girl injured in the middle of the game today. In the third quarter, she banged heads with someone, so our bench is dwindling.”
But as wins go, this was a big one for Chioffe, who was presented the game ball by athletic director Justin Farrell for notching her first win.
Central Bucks South (1-0, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks East Tuesday for a 5 p.m. contest, and Souderton (0-2, 0-1) will host Methacton on Thursday at 3:15 p.m.
Souderton 0-1-0-0-0 1
Central Bucks South 0-1-0-0-1 2
NORTH PENN 6, PENNRIDGE 2
For one half, it looked as though Friday’s SOL opener would be another dogfight between the division rivals as they entered halftime deadlocked. Then came the second half, and the Knights erupted for four unanswered goals on their way to the convincing win.
“We came alive in the second half,” North Penn coach Shannon McCracken said.
Cara Albano scored the go-ahead goal with 6:36 remaining in the third quarter, using a Caleigh Sperling assist, and the Knights took a tenuous 3-2 lead into the final quarter when the floodgates opened.
Kylie Barwis scored an unassisted goal with 10:20 remaining in regulation. Less than a minute later, Sperling found the cage, and Paige Shearer capped a dazzling two-minute span with a goal that was assisted by Barwis for the 6-2 final.
“Credit to the Pennridge goalkeeper, Molly Bross, who had a great game in goal,” McCracken said of the Rams’ goalie who turned away 22 shots in a standout effort. “Midfielders Laura Albert and Caleigh Sperling did a great job keeping the ball on the attacking end, and sophomores Paige Shearer and Kylie Barwis led the way offensively with their speed and a variety of shots in the circle.”
Earlier in the contest, the Rams took a 1-0 lead when Leah Verespy scored midway through the opening quarter. Five minutes later, Shearer turned a Sperling pass into the equalizer. In the second quarter, Sperling scored to put the Knights on top 2-1, but Lexi Capo answered for the Rams.
North Penn held a decisive advantage in shots (28-2) and corners (12-0).
North Penn (1-0, 1-0 SOL) will host Owen J Robert in a non-league game Friday at 5 p.m., and Pennridge (0-1, 0-1) will travel to Upper Perkiomen on Friday (10 a.m.).
Pennridge 1-1-0-0 2
North Penn 1-1-1-3 6
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 8, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0
The Bucks took a 2-0 lead into halftime, and then – in a third quarter that featured a whole lot of Mimi Duffy – blew the game wide open with a six-goal explosion.
“It was a total team win – across each of our lines and student-athletes,” West coach David DeAngelis said. “We (coaches) felt we possessed and transitioned the ball with speed and intent.
“Our defense continued to cover for each other and cut off various counter attacks, our midfielders were very active at both ends of the pitch, and our forwards continued to attack the circle from multiple angles.
“It was a beautiful evening for crosstown rivals to compete on War Memorial Field. Student-athletes from both programs know each other very well – many play on the same field hockey club team.”
Aide Ierubino connected on an unassisted goal just a minute into the contest to give the Bucks an early 1-0 lead, and 53 seconds later, Nina Mayro scored with an assist from Calista Boos.
“We were able to take quick advantage of their early miscue and raced out to a fast 2-0 lead,” DeAngelis said.
That 2-0 lead stood until the third quarter when Duffy went to work, reeling off three straight goals in an inspired two-minute span. The first came during corner play with an assist from Lily Cosner, the second was unassisted, and Ierubino had the assist on the third that put the Bucks on top 5-0.
Ierubino connected on her second goal, this one unassisted, and then it was Mayro scoring on a corner with a Boos assist. The Bucks converted their third corner into their final goal, this one by Eve Damsker with a Mayro assist.
East coach Emma Rosenthal was able to put her team’s loss in perspective.
“It’s so early in the season – we’re taking it one game at a time,” the Patriots’ coach said. “Onward and upward.“
Central Bucks West (2-0, 1-0 SOL) will travel to North Penn on Tuesday, and Central Bucks East (1-1, 0-1) will host Central Bucks South on Tuesday at 5 p.m.
Central Bucks East 0-0-0-0 0
Central Bucks West 2-0-6-0 8
SOL Liberty Division
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 3, ABINGTON 2
Maddie Carr converted a penalty stroke in the fourth quarter, breaking a 2-2 tie and propelling the visiting Colonials to their first win of the young season.
“The win was a really big moment for the team,” PW coach Charise Halteman said. “After two tough, non-league losses, it was great to get a league win and boost our team’s confidence.
“We have been working hard at practice and learning a lot, and it was nice to see the fruit of all of that work result in a win. We took a lot of what we worked on at practice and implemented it into today’s game. We created a lot of great offensive opportunities. Defensively, we still need to clean up our circle play.”
Early on, the Ghosts took a 1-0 lead when senior forward Sydney Beal scored an unassisted goal. In the second quarter, PW evened the score when Emily Dobrowolski scored on the rebound of a shot off the Abington keeper.
The Ghosts led 2-1 when sophomore forward Brooke Dougherty turned a pass from sophomore forward Janice Coonahan into a goal. Again, the Colonials answered. This time it was Gracie Kern scoring during corner play with no time left on the clock, sending the two teams into halftime with the score knotted 2-2.
Neither team scored in the third quarter, although PW had numerous offensive corners. The two teams entered the final frame with the score still tied, setting the stage for Carr’s game-winner.
Despite the outcome, Abington coach Janine Beal saw a lot of things she liked.
“Freshman goalie Keeley Gallagher entered the game in the second half and had a gutsy performance in goal, saving four goals and allowing just one on a penalty stroke,” the Abington coach said.
Seniors Isabel Updyke (1 defensive save), Grace Upham (2) and Maggie Cardamone (3), according to the Ghosts’ coach, stepped up on the defensive end and recorded several defensive saves.
“Sophomore midfielder Carly Hughes had a great game, making many key plays to help stop Plymouth Whitemarsh’s offensive flow and providing great defense on the field,” Beal said. “Senior defensive back Kayla Kretschman also stepped up in the fourth quarter to prevent any further offensive threats from Plymouth Whitemarsh to make it to the goal.
“We fell short today in a tough game against a talented Plymouth Whitemarsh team. A few defensive lapses allowed Plymouth Whitemarsh to stay in the game and walk away with the win.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (1-2, 1-0 SOL) will host Quakertown on Tuesday, and Abington (1-1, 0-1) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0-2-0-1 3
Abington 1-1-0-0 2
QUAKERTOWN 4, UPPER DUBLIN 0
The Panthers opened their season with an impressive road win.
“This really was a team effort,” Quakertown coach MacKenzie Moser said. “They worked extremely well as one unit, not just individual players.
“I cannot stress this enough, but the connection between this team is all there. They understand me and they work very well together with reading each and backing each other up. Passes were there, communication was there and their movement as one full unit was very apparent.”
Freshman Paige Longacre had a memorable varsity debut, scoring a pair of goals in the second quarter – the first a minute into the frame and the second five minutes later. The Panthers took that 2-0 lead into halftime.
Three minutes into the third quarter, junior Katelyn Landis scored on a hard shot. Another freshman, Sunny Draper, scored her first varsity goal with 4:42 remaining in the third quarter.
“It was reverse chip to the top left corner,” Moser said. “This was a very well-played game with a lot of hard work poured into it.
“Our goalie had many great saves and that combined with our team’s pressure on Upper Dublin’s goalie contributed to our success.”
Quakertown (1-0, 1-0 SOL) will travel to Palisades for a non-league game Friday at 10 a.m. Upper Dublin (1-1, 0-1) will host Wissahickon on Tuesday.
Quakertown 0-2-2-0 4
Upper Dublin 0-0-0-0 0
WISSAHICKON 6, HATBORO-HORSHAM 0
Sparked by Riley Ball’s hat trick and the one-goal, three-assist effort of Faith Jampo, the Trojans rebounded from a tough non-league loss to Downingtown West to notch a convincing win over the visiting Hatters in Wednesday’s SOL opener.
Jampo scored a goal that turned out to be the game-winner in the opening minutes of the first quarter, using a Regan Szczepkowicz assist. That 1-0 score stood until Ball turned a Jampo pass into a goal with 11:22 remaining in the second quarter. Three minutes later, Kayla Pak scored with an Audrey Walsh assist to send the Trojans into halftime with a 3-0 lead.
In the third quarter, Ball scored back-to-back goals – both with Jampo assists, and Cait Connaghan scored with Walsh’s second assist of the game late in the quarter for the 6-0 final.
Wissahickon goalie Ava Fell was forced to make just one save in the shutout while Mia Fisher turned away 25 shots in goal for the Hatters.
Wissahickon (1-1, 1-0 SOL) will be on the road at Upper Dublin on Tuesday, and Hatboro-Horsham (0-1, 0-1) will host Abington on Tuesday.
Hatboro-Horsham 0-0-0-0 0
Wissahickon 1-2-3-0 6
SOL Freedom Division
LOWER MORELAND 1, UPPER MORELAND 0
In a battle of neighboring rivals, it was the Lions eking out a 1-0 win in Wednesday’s SOL opener.
“Once again, all around strong team play was a large factor in our success,” LM coach Janet Lutter said.
In the second quarter, senior captain Jess Pachman scored the lone goal of the game off a corner, connecting on a rocket from the top of the circle.
“Strong midfield and defensive play were key to the Lion’s success today,” Lutter said. “We’ve been working on moving the ball and creating a wall to stop the opposing teams’ free hits and both were well executed today.”
Despite falling just short, the Bears fought hard during the tightly contested game.
“We played hard from the first whistle to the last,” UM coach Pam Remmey said. “Our team doesn’t have many subs yet that are ready for varsity, so the starters played relentlessly the entire game, playing their hearts out to try to push it to overtime! As a coach, I could not have asked more of them for our first league game.
“The subs are improving every practice and will gain the skills and intensity needed to play varsity field hockey in Suburban One soon.”
The Golden Bears, according to the UM coach, had several opportunities to score in the second half but couldn’t finish.
“Julia Gallen had an awesome game at right back stopping Lower Moreland’s offense time and time again, carrying the ball up to our forwards,” Remmey said. “Eowyn Stainback improved throughout the game, taking most of the Bears’ free hits and starting our attack. Kelly Bates and Cambrie Richmond used their amazing stick skills on defense to thwart the Lions offense in the circle.”
Lower Moreland (2-0, 1-0 SOL) will be on the road at Cheltenham on Tuesday, and Upper Moreland (1-1, 0-1) will host William Tennent on Tuesday.
Upper Moreland 0-0-0-0 0
Lower Moreland 0-1-0-0 1
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 10, CHELTENHAM 0
The Lions rolled to a win in Wednesday’s SOL opener.
Ava Cozza scored four goals and Rylee Logston added a pair while Madie Thistlewaite, Olivia Conte, Nicole Segler and Abby Varghese each added one.
“It was great to get our season started,” Lions’ coach Gwen Smith said. “Cheltenham gave it everything they had. They put forth a good effort and fought the entire game.”
New Hope-Solebury (1-0, 1-0 SOL) will host Harry S Truman on Friday, and Cheltenham (1-1, 0-1) will host Lower Moreland on Tuesday.
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 9, WILLIAM TENNENT 0
Spartans’ goalie Grace Bell was credited with seven saves in goal in the shutout win.
“We had multiple goal scorers on the day,” Spartans’ coach Anita Stum said. “It was a lovely day for a home opener.
The Spartans took 16 shots on goal and held an 8-4 advantage in penalty corners.
Springfield Township (1-0, 1-0 SOL) will host Bristol in a non-league game Thursday, and William Tennent (0-1, 0-1) will host Cheltenham next Thursday.
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