Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Wednesday. Photos of Pennsbury vs CR South submitted by Gregory Powell. CLICK HERE to go directly to the Suburban One Sports FIELD HOCKEY gallery.
SOL Patriot Division
PENNSBURY 3, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 2
(Article submitted by Pennsbury field hockey)
The Pennsbury Falcons took to the highway to face Council Rock South for a midweek matchup. Coming off of a big win at home against CR North, the Falcons were anxious to get back to work and keep the momentum going.
“This was the most ‘blind’ we have ever gone into a game against South. We really had no idea what kind of roster they had or any details about their style of play,” said head coach, Traci Curtis. “All we knew was that they had two new incredible coaches who would certainly bring out the best in their group.”
Blind or not, PHS did not wait to attack, scoring their first goal one minute after the starting whistle.
“Nandi Ntshalintshali took a quick free hit, putting it out wide to Regan Rodriguez who carried and distributed to Abby Iacona on the right. Iacona dodged with such control and confidence and carried it baseline then dumped it to stroke where Rodriguez had cut awaiting the pass. Rodriguez connected for a perfectly executed offensive series,” said Curtis.
-49.jpg)
The score was 1-0 before anyone could blink.
Four minutes later, everyone did blink, and the score was tied up 1-1. CR South came down the right side with strength, hypnotized one of the PHS defenders and scored on a simple cross pass to the post and deflect it right in. It was pretty much a carbon copy of the Pennsbury goal and proved that this was going to be one tough battle.
The Falcons struck again with 50 seconds left in the first quarter when Leila Curtis fed the ball into the circle from the left to Ryan Burdette who got a tip around the goalie with just enough deflection for Regan Rodriguez to pick it and dump it with a reverse tap.
“It was a 2-1 game going into the second quarter, but we knew it was going to be a tough climb for sixty minutes against this team,” explained Curtis. “We loved the way our girls were playing and dominating possession, but there were moments of breakdown for sure and something we need to continue to work on.”
The second quarter was scoreless, but the Falcons had possession in their offensive end for most of the fifteen minutes.
“We had many opportunities to add another goal in the second quarter, putting a handful of shots on goal, but just did not finish in the circle. We loved the patience and possession our girls were using throughout, but there was an urgency to get more than a one goal lead,” said Curtis. “Kudos to Cailyn Reilly in the backfield for making a very smart decision at the end of the quarter to ice the ball in the corner and allow the clock to run down. It’s moments like that when we feel the power across the board on our team – every single person is doing their job and doing it really well.”
The third quarter was a more back and forth battle with South not letting up at all. The orange and black stretched the lead to 3-1 with two minutes left in the third on a breakaway run by Burdette feeding Iacona a pass in front of the goal for another great teamwork finish.
-78.jpg)
“The way Iacona and Burdette operate in the middle is so much fun to watch. Their IQ, speed, skill, and decision making together is top notch,” Curtis said.
The fourth quarter got interesting when South connected on a “man-up” goal with nine minutes left to play. PHS had a player out with a card, and South took advantage of the moment. With only half a quarter left to play, it was a one-goal game, and you could feel the CRS energy rising. The intensity heated up with another PHS player carded and out and South earning two offensive penalty corners with two minutes left in the game. Abby McCole and company put a stop to those opportunities, and with a complete team effort, Pennsbury squashed any further attack and walked away with the 3-2 win.
“Once again, our coaching staff was very proud of the unity and connectedness of our squad at every level. There are so many great things happening out there, and we are seeing the girls get creative and really play freely as a unit. We will continue to take one moment at a time and stay laser focused on what we need to do each and every day,” explains Curtis.
Pennsbury will travel to Abington on Friday to face an opponent they haven’t seen in a few years.
Up next: Pennsbury will be on the road at Abington for a non-league game Friday, and Council Rock South will be on the road at Springfield Twp for a non-league game Friday.
Pennsbury 2-0-1-0 3
Council Rock South 1-0-0-1 2
NESHAMINY 6, BENSALEM 0
Neshaminy’s corner game was in top form in Wednesday’s win. Five of the team’s six goals were scored on corners, and no one had a busier day than Mia Brooks, who had a hand in all six goals – scoring four and assisting on the other two. Reese Merrill added a goal and an assist while Chloe Brison had a single goal.
Scoring summary
First quarter
Mia Brooks (N) from Reese Merrill, 3:06
Second quarter
Mia Brooks (N) from Maci Fox, 4:19
Mia Brooks (N) from Hailey Wert, 2:16
Third quarter
Chloe Brison (N) from Mia Brooks, 6:31
Reese Merrill (N) from Mia Brooks, 0:06
Fourth quarter
Mia Brooks (N) from Hailey Wert, 7:47
Neshaminy coach Jamie Pinto: “Today we were able to execute our corners; five of the six goals were scored on corners. Mia Brooks had a hand in all of our goals; she’s been doing a nice job at leading the offense. We were able to connect on some nice passes to generate offense—it was good to be able to capitalize on opportunities today”
Bensalem coach Gary Kubik: “Neshaminy converted on five corners. (We) played Neshaminy tough for all 60 minutes, and taking away the brilliant work that Neshaminy did on their corners, played one of the best games the Owls have played against that team in a long time. These two teams have played each other for a long time, and this was one of the most competitive games I remember. We will continue to work on our practice days on a number of things, but the effort these girls gave today made me proud.
“Again, we continue to go in the right direction, we continue to get better. We’re becoming more competitive each game we play.”
–Props: “Outstanding Owl went to Abby Cheung today for her continued hard work on the back line. Shoutouts go out to Keana Rodriguez, Makayla Duncan, Paige Dando, Anjali Guda, and Vern Lennon. Goalkeeper Hailey Fricke was overrun by some great Neshaminy corner work today but stood tall while both teams were running the field. She kept us in that game early on.”
Up next: Neshaminy will host Central Bucks West in a non-league game Monday, and Bensalem will travel to Upper Moreland for a non-league game Thursday (7pm).
Bensalem 0-0-0-0 0
Neshaminy 1-2-2-1 6
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 8, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
(Submitted by CR North field hockey)
Our team came out firing against Truman and set the pace right away. The energy, passing, and communication were all there from the start, and I couldn’t be more proud with how the girls played.
In the first quarter, we struck four times. Ellie Carney opened the scoring, followed by a nice finish from Kailyn Smith. Ashley Kim added another, and Sophia Pinto closed out the quarter with a strong goal to give us the early lead.
The momentum carried into the second quarter. Ashley Kim scored her second of the night, and then Gia Longo caught fire, netting two goals back-to-back. To wrap things up, Kailyn Smith tallied her second goal as well, keeping the pressure on Truman.
“I’m so proud of our intensity, hunger in the circle, teamwork, and overall hard work,” Rock North coach Jules Singer said. “Every goal came from hustle and smart decisions, and everyone played their part in this win. We set the tone early which is something we have been talking about all season. We will continue to grow from this.
Up next: Council Rock North will travel to Dock Mennonite Academy for a non-league game Thursday (7pm).
SOL Colonial Division
SOUDERTON 1, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0
It’s always a battle when these two division rivals meet. Wednesday’s game was no exception.
The Indians capitalized on a corner early in the second quarter when Charlotte O’Neill turned an insert pass into a goal.
“It was on a corner, and she didn’t even drive it – she lifted it, a knee-high lift that went into the cage,” Souderton coach Sue Casciato said. “It was a good shot.”
That goal stood as the game-winner.
For the Indians, it was their fourth one-goal game of the season – their third win in those four games and their second in as many games.
“We’ve had years where we were losing close games all the time,” Casciato said. “It’s definitely nice, but it would be a lot easier on the coaches on the sideline if we weren’t only ahead by one goal waiting for the clock to tick down. Obviously, getting these wins is key. It keeps you in the hunt for things – you don’t want to let these close games slip away.”
Scoring summary
First quarter
No score
Second quarter
Charlotte O’Neill (S) assisted by Autumn Wagner, 12:13
Third quarter
No score
Fourth quarter
No score
By the numbers: Shots: S 7, CBS 6; Penalty corners: CBS 6, S 5. Saves: Sophia Hurley (CBS) 6, Nina Coll (S) 6.
Souderton coach Sue Casciato:
–On the game: “We’re actually experimenting with a new formation just to try and get more people on the offensive end. We just came up with it yesterday. I was pretty pleased with how it went. It didn’t result in more goals, but at least our numbers are better on the offensive end. CB South is always good about defending their circle. They’ve had some nice wins, and it was nice to go to an away field and get a win.”
–Props: “Hannah Fuente has had two or three good games in a row. She’s number 2, and I hear other teams talking about her. She’s a mid, she’s super quick, and she probably has more touches than anyone on the field on both teams. She’s just always around the ball.
“Our goalie, Nina Coll, has had a nice run too – she had some nice clears today, and she just became a goalie last year.”
Central Bucks South coach Kelli Chioffe: “Souderton always plays a great game against us, and it is hard to lose a game by the score of 0 to 1. We had a few key players out with injuries today, and we tried to make some adjustments. Today we learned that we have to play as a unit in order to make things happen. However, still proud of the team for not giving up, moving to different positions and playing until the final whistle.”
–Props: “Kudos to Sophia Hurley in the goal cage for stepping up and saving six shots on goal. We will look ahead to next week when we get to play our non-league crossover games.”
Up next: Souderton will be on the road at Council Rock South for a non-league game Monday, and Central Bucks South will travel to Bensalem Monday.
Souderton 0-1-0-0 1
Central Bucks South 0-0-0-0 0
NORTH PENN 3, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 2
Sparked by the three-point game of Cara Albano, who had two goals and an assist, the Knights won a thriller Wednesday night.
It took a dazzling save of an East penalty stroke by goalie Kiley Moister – with time expired in regulation – to preserve the win.
There were early signs this one would come down to the wire.
Paige Shearer broke a scoreless tie with a goal assisted by Albano six minutes into the second quarter. Less than three minutes later, the Patriots evened the score on a goal by Nell Zietsman, sending the two teams into halftime deadlocked 1-1.
In the opening minutes of the third quarter, Albano scored an unassisted goal. Two minutes later East’s Sydney Lafferty answered with an unassisted goal.
The tie stood all of 69 seconds when Albano turned a pass from Kylie Barwis into the go-ahead goal. Neither team scored the rest of the way as the Knights held on for the hard-earned win.
Scoring summary
First quarter
No score
Second quarter
Paige Shearer (NP) assisted by Cara Albano, 9:02
Nell Zietsman (CBE) 6:47
Third quarter
Cara Albano (NP) 13:22
Sydney Lafferty (CBE) 11:22
Cara Albano (NP) assisted by Kylie Barwis, 10:13
Fourth quarter
No score
By the numbers: Shots: NP 15, CBE 9; Penalty corners: NP 4, CBE 3; Goalie saves: Kiley Moster (NP) 7, Camryn Puhalla (CBE) 10
North Penn coach Shannon McCracken:
–On the game: “It was a true team effort for the Knights tonight. I thought we maintained possession well and did a great job moving the ball down the field as a unit.
–Props: “Junior forward Cara Albano had her hands in all three goals tonight. She has really dialed it up a notch in the last couple of games, and it has raised the play of her teammates. Senior midfielder Kylie Barwis held down the midfield tonight, sparking the transition game from defense to offense and setting up many offensive opportunities. Senior goalie Kiley Moister made a spectacular save with no time on the clock on a penalty stroke to end the game and secure the win.”
Central Bucks East coach Emma Rosenthal:
–On the game: It was a really evenly matched game, and I think we can take away some things that we did well tonight. Obviously, we’re not happy with the result, and unfortunately, we just got a spark a little too late.”
Up next: North Penn will travel to Downingtown East for a non-league game Saturday (11:15am), and Central Bucks East will host Wissahickon Friday.
Central Bucks East 0-1-0-1 2
North Penn 0-1-2-0 3
SOL Liberty Division
QUAKERTOWN 5, ABINGTON 0
Cameron Landis anchors the Panthers’ defense at center back.
In Wednesday’s win, Landis was the team’s offensive leader as well, scoring a pair of goals – including the game-winner midway through the first quarter.
Casey Rosenberger, Emma Stalletti and Zoe Smith each contributed a goal and assist – for Smith, it was her first goal of the season. Paige Longacre had a pair of assists for the Panthers, who won their fourth game in a row.
Scoring summary
First quarter
Cameron Landis (Q) assisted by Casey Rosenberger, 8:46
Emma Stalletti (Q) assisted by Zoe Smith, 3:41
Second quarter
Casey Rosenberger (Q) assisted by Paige Longacre 2:00
Third quarter
No score
Fourth quarter
Cameron Landis (Q) assisted by Emma Stalletti, 2:48
Zoe Smith (Q) assisted by Paige Longacre, 0:50
Quakertown coach Peach Draper: “Excited to capitalize on another TEAM win. I was proud of the team for playing the full 60 minutes and scoring two goals in the last three minutes of the game. We continue to make progress and know there is more work to do.
–Props: “It was wonderful to see our sophomore center back Cameron Landis score two goals and our junior midfielder Zoe Smith to have her first goal of the season with 50 seconds left from a beautiful cross from Paige Longacre. We are hoping to keep this winning streak alive as we face Springfield Monday.”
Up next: Quakertown will host Springfield Twp Monday (7pm), and Abington will be on the road at Pennsbury for a non-league game Friday.
Abington 0-0-0-0 0
Quakertown 2-1-0-2 5
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 9, UPPER DUBLIN 0
If it’s a fast start the Colonials were looking for, they certainly got that, erupting for five goals in the first quarter on their way to the shutout win. Gracie Kerns led a balanced attack with two goals and one assist while Sammy Gallan and Bridget Fullerton each had two goals.
Scoring summary
Gracie Kerns – 2 Goals, 1 Assist
Sammy Gallan – 2 Goals
Bridget Fullerton – 2 Goals
Emily Dobrowolski – 1 Goal, 1 Assist
Ella Catania – 1 Goal
Tori Newell – 1 Goal
Quinn Burns – 1 Assist
Sophie Kerns – 1 Assist
Plymouth Whitemarsh coach Charise Halteman: “PW had another strong offensive start with 5 goals in the first quarter. PW’s starting forwards each had two goals apiece in the victory. Gracie Kerns got the scoring started at the 12:07 mark assisted by Quinn Burns. Bridget Fullerton, Sammy Callan, Kerns, and Emily Dobrowolski (Sophie Kerns assist) would all score in the first quarter as well. Callan scored her second of the game on a nice 1v1 with the UD goalkeeper at the 12:45 mark of the second quarter. Ella Catania added another two minutes later. Fullerton scored her second in the third quarter with 5:15 remaining. Senior Tori Newell scored early in the 4th quarter to round out the attack. Goalkeepers Carly Spinner, Claire Carrington, and Anna Powel combined for the shutout in cage.”
Up next: Plymouth Whitemarsh will host Lower Moreland in a non-league game Monday, and Upper Dublin will host Upper Moreland in a non-league game Monday.
Upper Dublin 0-0-0-0 0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 5-2-1-1 9
WISSAHICKON 3, HATBORO-HORSHAM 1
Sam Farno scored one goal and assisted on another to lead the Trojans in Wednesday’s road win.
Manika Ishi turned a Carly Lehman pass into a goal and a 1-0 lead that held until late in the third quarter when the Trojans scored back-to-back goals in less than a minute – the first by Sophia Kim (Farno assist) and the second by Farno.
The Hatters scored during corner play in the fourth quarter.
Scoring summary
First quarter
Manika Ishi (CRS) from Carly Lehman 3:06
Second quarter
No score
Third quarter
Sophia Kim (CRS) from Sam Farno 3:55
Sam Farno (CRS) 3:20
Fourth quarter
Hatboro-Horsham goal, 5:34
Wissahickon coach Hannah Havrilla:
–On the game: “We had a slower start than we would have liked, but our focus was on bringing intensity and being purposeful in the circle to earn corners. We also emphasized setting up our press quickly and taking free hits faster to maintain momentum and control the speed of the game.”
–Props: “I would also like to recognize Sam Farno, one of our strongest midfielders. She did an excellent job distributing the ball to our forwards and consistently made an impact in the play.”
Up next: Wissahickon will travel to Central Bucks East for a non-league game Friday, and Hatboro-Horsham will host Cheltenham in a non-league game Monday.
Wissahickon 1-0-2-0 3
Hatboro-Horsham 0-0-0-1 1
SOL Freedom Division
SPRINGFIELD TWP 7, CHELTENHAM 0
The Spartans earned the shutout win in Wednesday’s Going for the Gold game, an event supporting the MIP Foundation and raising funds for childhood cancer awareness.
Sparked by a pair of goals from Molly McGuckin, the Spartans raced out of the gate to a 4-0 lead after one quarter. McGuckin and Kiara Ochab both had two goals to lead the Spartans while Sophia Sokorai, Lily Hunsberger and Violet Malone each had one goal.
Grace Ball played three quarters in goal while Ada Bianchi closed out the game in the fourth quarter, combining for the shutout.
The Spartans had 19 shots on goal and were awarded 11 penalty corners.
Scoring summary
First quarter
Molly McGuckin (S) 12:22
Molly McGuckin (S) 11:03
Sophia Sokorai (S) 7:45
Kiara Ochab (S) 6:07
Second quarter
No score
Third quarter
Lily Hunsberger (S) 3:43
Violet Malone (S) 0:00
Fourth quarter
Kiara Ochab (S)12:55
Springfield Twp coach Brianna Buckely:
–On the game: “The matchup featured stretches of competitive play in the midfield, with Cheltenham working hard to create opportunities and challenge Springfield throughout the game. Despite their strong effort, Springfield’s offense found its rhythm to pull ahead, with Molly McGuckin setting the tone by scoring twice in the first quarter. Sophia Sokarai, Lilly Hunsberger, and Violet Malone each netted their first goals of the season, capping off a meaningful night for the Spartans.”
Up next: Springfield Twp will host Council Rock South in a non-league game Friday, and Cheltenham will be on the road at Hatboro-Horsham for a non-league game Monday.
Cheltenham 0-0-0-0 0
Springfield Twp 4-0-2-1 7
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 11, WILLIAM TENNENT 0
About the Author
