Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Tuesday.
SOL Patriot Division
BENSALEM 4, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
The Owls could not find the cage in the opening 30 minutes but then exploded for four second-half goals – one each from four different players – to earn the win over their neighboring rival.
“We had to shift a lot of the field around today due to injuries and other factors,” Bensalem coach Morgan Buechner said. “Kristen (Laspee) and Jocelyn (McLaughlin) were two key players that were able to adjust to changes and worked hard on the field to do what they needed to do to execute for us.”
Laspee, McLaughlin and Kenzie Kubik each scored a third-quarter goal to give the Owls a commanding 3-0 lead. Giuliana Pasquarella found the cage in the fourth quarter for the 4-0 final.
“Kenzie (Kubik) has had two amazing opening games to the season,” Buechner said. “She has control over the field and is able to dominate the middle of the field to help us keep control.
“We chose to bring up Giuliana today, and it was a great call. She was able to get some minutes and did not show any signs of nerves. She was very excited. We were happy with our second half play today. We really came together after we got used to the adjustments we were making.”
Bensalem (1-1 SOL) will host Council Rock North on Friday, and Harry S Truman (0-2) hosts Neshaminy on Friday.
Harry S Truman 0-0-0-0 0
Bensalem 0-0-3-1 4
NESHAMINY 7, PENNSBURY 0
Five different players recorded goals for the Redskins who turned a 1-0 lead after one quarter into a commanding 4-0 halftime lead on their way to the convincing win over their neighboring rival. Caitlyn Colyar’s hat trick led the ‘Skins.
“Today was a good win for us,” Neshaminy coach Jamie Pinto said. “Pennsbury is always a tough team and a hard-fought game.”
For the Redskins, this was a bounce-back win after falling to Council Rock South 2-1 in their league opener.
“After our loss to CR South, I’m proud of the way we came together today and played,” Pinto said. “We have worked hard at practices the last few days, and it showed today.”
On the other side of the field, Pennsbury coach Traci Curtis tipped her hat to the Redskins but was puzzled by her team’s performance.
“We knew this game was going to be a different level of challenge than we had seen, but the coaches were not expecting the team to respond – or not respond – the way they did,” the Falcons’ coach said. “Unfortunately, (we) did not rise to the occasion, and that mental block that gets in the way when playing the ‘Skins took over – it’s a horrible gift that keeps on giving.
“Neshaminy is an incredibly fast, skilled, polished, united team with talent throughout every layer of the field. It rocked us to the core, and our girls just did not find a way to relax and play our game. We forgot that we are also a fast, skilled, polished and united team. The mental part of the game for high school kids is tough to coach and can send a game spiraling out of control, and that’s what happened from the first whistle.”
Ava Arbakov put the Redskins on the scoreboard less than three minutes into the game, turning a Kasey Rieger pass into a goal. In the second quarter, Rieger – who contributed a goal and four assists in a productive day – had a hand in all three goals. Colyar scored 26 seconds into the second quarter, using a Rieger assist. Rieger found the cage with an Avery McGinty assist, and then it was Mia Sermarini scoring, also with a Rieger assist.
In the third quarter, Colyar completed her hat trick, scoring back-to-back goals with assists from Arbakov and Rieger. Colette Schardt’s unassisted goal in the fourth quarter closed out the scoring.
“All we can do is move on,” Curtis said. “It’s so cliché to say that – we have no other choice. This is our division, our conference, our competition, and the challenges are only going to get more difficult.
“There is so much to learn from these 60 minutes about ourselves as individuals and as a unit. It is imperative that we get stronger and build up a thick skin – there is no room to crumble in the SOL.
“There were a few Pennsbury players whose presence on the field made a difference today and helped to provide sparks along the way – EB Rafferty, Jaclyn Gorgo, Olivia Graebner, Molly Murray, Sophia Curtis and Rylie Borgman.”
Pinto lauded the efforts of several players in the win.
“Defensively, Avery McGinty and Megan Hollenbaugh stepped up and played well,” the Redskins’ coach said. “Colette Schardt played well in the center, and forwards Caitlyn Colyar, Kasey Rieger and Ava Arbakov all played strong up top.
“We played together as a team today and will continue to play hard and work together throughout the season.”
Neshaminy (1-1 SOL) will travel to Harry S Truman on Friday, and Pennsbury (2-1, 1-1) will be on the road at Council Rock South on Friday.
“(We) will regroup and start preparing for Friday’s game against CR South on turf,” Curtis said. “Congrats to Neshaminy on a great showing, and thank you to all our fans who continue to follow and support us along the way.”
Pennsbury 0-0-0-0 0
Neshaminy 1-3-2-1 7
SOL Colonial Division
SOUDERTON 3, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 1
The goal was textbook and came at the end of one of those dazzling passing sequences that are easy to diagram but difficult to execute.
Lauren Kenah brought the ball out of the Indians’ defensive end and sent it to Ang Borisow in the center of the field. The junior midfielder sent a perfect lead pass to the speedy Kenah, who was sprinting down the right alley, and with most expecting Kenah to shoot, the University of Virginia-bound senior spotted teammate Lauren Hallman approaching the left post and sent a pass that Hallman deflected into the cage.
“It was pretty awesome,” Kenah said.
“It really was awesome,” Hallman said.
“Four nice passes,” coach Sue Casciato said. “Everything was in stride. It was a beautiful goal, but I’m going to say it’s a slight amount of luck. (Lauren Hallman) caught the ball in stride – you couldn’t have rolled the ball there any better.”
Kenah described the highlight reel sequence.
“I was coming down the field, and I saw a defender coming on me, and I feel like she thought I was going to take the shot,” the Souderton senior said. “I saw I had Lauren Hallman on my left. I kind of faked it and dished it left, and she was wide open. I’m so glad she put it in. I gave her a huge hug and said, ‘That’s what we’ve been practicing.’ I was so happy we could get it done.”
For her part, Hallman made it sound easier than it was.
“I just ran onto it, just kept my momentum going, and it worked out,” the senior forward said. “I was like ‘Whew.’ I was so relieved. I didn’t really think about it.”
Both Hallman and Kenah pointed to the play of the other as the key.
“Just faking out the defender like Lauren did – she passed it off her right foot, and it was just me and the goalie,” Hallman said.
“Keeping your eye on ball is super key,” Kenah said. “It’s such a big moment but keeping your eye on the ball and not getting frantic, keeping your composure and getting it in (the cage).”
Hallman’s goal broke a 1-1 tie with 8:41 remaining in the third quarter of a game the Indians trailed 1-0 early. With just over five minutes remaining, Hallman tacked on an insurance goal during a scramble in front of the goal for the 3-1 final. The win over the defending division and District One 3A champions was special for more than just the division standings.
“We said coming into this – we’ve never beaten East on this new turf,” Kenah said. “I said, ‘Girls, it’s my senior year. I want to go out and beat East on my home turf. I haven’t done it, I want to do it,’ and I’m so glad we got it done today.”
Early on, it was the Patriots getting on the scoreboard with just under six minutes to play in the opening quarter on a goal by junior Amelia Wheelan that deflected off a defender’s stick. With 6:40 remaining in the second quarter, Kenah scored the equalizer on a strong individual effort. All but lost in the shuffle was a huge diving save by Souderton goalie Tegan Farina early in the second quarter.
“It was 1-0 at the time, and it could have been 2-0,” Casciato said of the clutch save.
The two teams went into halftime deadlocked, and it was the Indians scoring a pair in the second half.
“We were slow getting started today,” East coach Emma Rosenthal said. “We should have controlled this game. We weren’t connecting on passes today. It was a tough preseason for us. Our only scrimmage got cancelled, and it’s hard to get onto the field without having played. We got some of the rust out against Pennridge, but I guess not enough.”
“I think we need to take this as a learning experience,” East senior Paige Hussie said. “From the very start, they wanted it more. We need to come out stronger. Beating them to every 50-50 ball is a huge thing, and I just feel like we were a little bit on our heels.
“We’re going to come back stronger. We’re not going to let this get us down because this has happened in the past, and we’ve come back stronger from it. We’re definitely not going to let this slow us down.”
Making life difficult for the Indians was East senior goalie Grace Gidwani, whose 10 first-half saves frustrated the Indians. She finished the game with 13 saves.
“I said to them, ‘Guys, we’ve got to keep knocking on their door. We’re getting the shots off. The score isn’t reflecting that – we’ve got to put it in the net. We have to put our foot on the pedal, we have to keep going. We can’t put our heads down,’” Kenah said. “We wanted to score first. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen, but we had to keep putting shots on goal.”
Casciato lauded the play of Olivia Nogami in her first start.
“She usually plays defense and we threw her in at left mid, and she played a great first half,” the Indians’ coach said. “She really contributed to our offensive output. She plays a lot left-handed, but she’s so strong she can play with one hand on her stick. She had a great game.”
Souderton (3-1, 2-0 SOL) will travel to North Penn on Friday, and CB East (1-1) will be on the road at Central Bucks South on Saturday for a 10 a.m. contest.
Central Bucks East 1-0-0-0 1
Souderton 0-1-1-1 3
NORTH PENN 4, PENNRIDGE 2
The visiting Knights dominated play on the field, but it wasn’t reflected on the scoreboard, and the two teams were deadlocked 2-2 late in the third quarter. Pennridge goalie Maia Machado certainly had a whole lot to do with that, frustrating the Knights at every turn.
“We put up (32) shots – she was just like a wall today,” NP coach Shannon McCracken said. “They got three corners the whole game, and they got their first corner in the fourth quarter.
“Unfortunately for us, they did a very good job of making the most of their opportunities when they got the ball down the field.”
If the Knights were looking for a boost, freshman Laura Albert – who was playing left mid at the time – gave it to them, scoring the go-ahead goal that turned out to be the game-winner. The goal, according to McCracken, was a thing of beauty.
“If you want to talk about a pretty goal – Laura picked up a rebound, she turned to her reverse and put it up, and it sailed over the defense and over the goalie into the goal,” McCracken said. “It was like a blind shot. I couldn’t believe it. That was her first varsity goal. I turned and said, ‘How did she do that?’ She is a very creative player, she’s very good, and she’s doing some nice things for us as a freshman.
“Just the creativity of getting that shot off and it working and going in was awesome. It was probably one of the best goals I’ve seen from a freshman in a high pressure situation. It’s tied 2-2, and we’re continuing to pepper the goalkeeper. That’s what we needed today – a little bit of creativity. Our whole sideline was just going nuts because you’re so pumped for a kid to get their first varsity goal as a freshman, and the way she did it – I think she surprised herself.”
The Knights took a 3-2 lead into the fourth quarter, and the Rams remained within striking distance until Madison Waldspurger found the cage with 27 seconds remaining.
Earlier, Catherine McGeehan scored less than five minutes into the game to give the Knights a 1-0 lead after one quarter, and that lead grew to 2-0 after Riley O’Donnell scored with 5:42 remaining in the half. Thirty-two seconds later, the Rams got on the scoreboard when Maddie Kuhns (Payton Muth assist) connected for her first varsity goal. It was a 2-1 game at the intermission.
The Rams made things real interesting when Kaelyn Casper scored with an assist from Kylie Destefano with just over six minutes remaining in the third quarter, knotting the score 2-2. Three minutes later, Albert came to the rescue for the Knights, giving them a lead they would not lose.
Machado finished the game with 26 saves in a glittering performance, and when she wasn’t making the stops, teammate Lindsey Campione was there to offer an assist, recording two defensive saves. McCracken recalled one of those Campione saves.
“Madison Waldspurger had an ariel shot, and it got over the goalkeeper’s head, and one of their defenders put her stick up behind the goalkeeper to save it,” McCracken said. “They were doing everything right defensively. We were putting on heavy pressure, and they just had a great defensive day. Hats off to their defense and their goalkeeper. They just had an incredible effort back there.
“I was pleased with our performance. I thought we were a little disjointed at times, but I think that can happen in a game where you’re putting a lot of offensive pressure on – the defense can get a little sleepy. Pennridge has a fast attack, so we got caught in transition a couple of times. That’s kind of how a game like that goes.”
The Knights’ coach lauded the play of several of her team’s unsung heroes.
“Linsey Gilbert had a great game in the defensive end, and outside midfielders Kerry O’Donnell and Caleigh Sperling did a nice job of feeding the ball to the attack,” McCracken said.
The Knights held a 32-4 advantage in shots and a 12-3 edge in corners.
“North Penn is very skilled and organized,” Pennridge coach Becky Spahr said. “They attack and defend well as a unit.
“We played a strong defensive game backed up by stellar play from our goalkeeper, Maia Machado, who was phenomenal. We took advantage of our few scoring chances and kept the game tight until North Penn scored in the last minute of play.”
North Penn (3-0, 2-0 SOL) will host Souderton on Friday in a key division battle. Pennridge (1-2, 0-2) will be on the road at Upper Perkiomen on Wednesday for a non-league game.
North Penn 1-1-1-1 4
Pennridge 0-1-1-0 2
SOL Liberty Division
WISSAHICKON 5, ABINGTON 0
Kendall Crowley scored two goals and assisted on two others while Ella Hummel also scored a pair of goals and added an assist to lead the Trojans. At first glance, it might appear that the Trojans’ attack stole the spotlight, and while they did turn in a standout performance, the gritty defensive effort of the Trojans did not go unnoticed.
“I was really very happy with my defense,” Wissahickon coach Lucy Gil said. “We did generate a lot of offense, which was really nice.
“My center back, Julia Schools, dove to save a ball that was going in the goal cage. Left and right, they were doing everything they had to do to make sure the ball did not go in. There were a few times that Abington pressed us pretty hard.
“They have a nice player – Cameryn Stewart, and when she got the ball in the circle, she could be dangerous. It was really cool to see them get really, really intense back there. I was pleased with that because on offense, we were doing really nice things. There was some really nice passing, there was some really nice runs down the field between two people passing back and forth. It was just really nice to see, but the backfield really came through for the shutout.”
Anchoring the Trojans’ defensive backfield in front of standout goalie Alli Wood were Schools at center back, right back Faith Gampo and left back Caroline Kirkpatrick.
“All three of them were just really intense and really into it,” Gil said. “I don’t know how to describe it, but they were like, ‘That ball is not going in the cage,’ and all three of them worked really, really hard. Alli Wood, my goalie, is always on top of everything.
“The one time the ball did get past Alli on a cross, Julia Schools and the forward on the other team threw themselves at the ball, and the two of them landed one on top of the other inside the cage. You could just see how important this was to both of them. It was awesome. I was happy with the win. I had no idea what to expect. It was nice.”
The Trojans – thanks to a Hummel goal with a Crowley assist – took a 1-0 lead less than five minutes into the contest. That lead grew to 2-0 when Hummel returned the favor late in the second quarter, finding Crowley for a goal that gave the Trojans 2-0 halftime lead. Riley Ball turned a Brynne Miller pass into a third-quarter goal and a 3-0 Wissahickon lead. The Trojans put the finishing touches on the win with a pair of goals in the fourth quarter, the first by Hummel again with a Crowley assist and the second by Crowley with a Kayla Pak assist.
The Trojans held a 23-9 advantage in shots.
Wood was credited with eight saves in the shutout, and Abington goalie Marilyn Capps had 18 saves.
Wissahickon (3-0, 2-0 SOL) will host Quakertown on Friday, and Abington (2-1, 1-1) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Friday.
Wissahickon 1-1-1-2 5
Abington 0-0-0-0 0
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 4, HATBORO-HORSHAM 0
Hailey Copestick scored two goals and assisted on another to lead the visiting Colonials – who took a 2-0 advantage into the intermission – to the win.
Copestick’s unassisted goal with 3:26 remaining in the third quarter turned out be the game-winner. Julie Price added a goal with five minutes remaining in the second quarter, and the Colonials put the game out of reach with two more in the third quarter.
Jules Tulio turned a Copestick pass into a goal less than two minutes into the third quarter, and Copestick’s goal on a penalty stroke with no time remaining on the clock gave the Colonials their final margin of victory.
“We started out slow but really picked it up in the third quarter, used passing and teamwork to get us the win,” PW coach Jessica Randazzo said. “We were strong with drawing and executing corners and blocking up the ball on defense.
“We got a chance to use some other players in different positions than they are used to, and I am proud on how flexible our team was. A great team win on grass.”
Plymouth Whitemarsh (2-1, 2-0 SOL) will host Upper Dublin on Friday, and Hatboro-Horsham (0-3, 0-2) will travel to Abington on Friday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 1-1-2-0 4
Hatboro-Horsham 0-0-0-0 0
UPPER DUBLIN 2, QUAKERTOWN 0
The visiting Flying Cardinals notched their first win of the young season, shutting out the Panthers behind the strong play of their defense and goalie Dara Fishman.
“Both teams fought and played hard, it came down to who could find the back of the cage,” UD coach Emily Town said. “Our defense held Quakertown off on seven corners. Flyer Avery Lennon got to the ball quickly to break down the plays.”
Fishman recorded 11 saves.
“She shut down multiple breakaways resulting in 1vGK,” Town said.”
Mason Kullmann turned a pass from Aviva Kuznits into a goal with 3:45 remaining in the first quarter. That 1-0 score stood until the fourth quarter when Kuznits scored an unassisted goal with 12 minutes remaining.
“Aviva scored from the top of the circle after a great breakaway by the offensive line,” Town said. “Both teams were scoreless in the second and third quarters. In the third quarter, both teams were giving it their all, fighting for every ball. The energy and intensity was high.”
Upper Dublin (1-1 SOL) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday, and Quakertown (0-2) will be on the road at Wissahickon on Friday.
Upper Dublin 1-0-0-1 2
Quakertown 0-0-0-0 0
SOL Freedom Division
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 3, LOWER MORELAND 0
The host Lions – who received goals from three different players – took a 1-0 lead into halftime and then added a pair of insurance goals in the third quarter.
“We started out slow and didn’t quite play as a team, but as the game went on, we started playing more as a team,” NHS coach Gwen Smith said. “We got better as the game went on. That I was proud of.”
Mia Patino turned a Maddie Thistlewaite pass into a goal to put NHS on the scoreboard just over a minute into the second quarter, and that lead stood until Sophia Cozza scored with an assist from Ava Cozza with 5:30 remaining in the third quarter. A goal by Mia Gomolinski with just under two minutes remaining gave New Hope-Solebury its final margin of victory.
Despite seeing her team come up short, LM coach Janet Lutter was pleased with her team’s performance.
“The 3-0 score does not accurately reflect the game,” the Lady Lions’ coach said. “It was a hard-fought game with the Lady Lions playing a very strong first half.
“Unfortunately, fatigue and the heat got to (us), especially in the third quarter. I’m very proud of the way my team played, especially in the first half.
“I don’t think I have ever seen our team play a historically tough New Hope team this well in at least the past six matchups. We will continue to work on some things and look forward to playing them again next month.”
New Hope-Solebury (2-0 SOL) will host Pennington School on Wednesday in a non-league contest, and Lower Moreland (3-1, 1-1) will host Cheltenham on Friday.
Lower Moreland 0-0-0-0 0
New Hope-Solebury 0-1-2-0 3
UPPER MORELAND 7, CHELTENHAM 1
The Golden Bears – who led 1-0 after one quarter – erupted for four goals in the second quarter to blow Tuesday’s division game wide open.
“We capitalized on our opportunities in the circle,” UM coach Marissa Elizardo said. “Our forwards did a great job setting up our press, which allowed us to keep the ball in our attacking end for most of the game.
“Cheltenham’s goalies had some great saves. We are looking forward to building off of this success and bringing this momentum into our next game.”
Zoe Longstreth scored an unassisted goal with five minutes remaining in the first quarter to spot the Golden Bears the early lead. In the second half, Anna Duncan got things rolling with back-to-back goals in a five-minute span – the first with a Jenna Piantieri assist and the second unassisted. Just over a minute later, Taylor Boone scored with an assist from Grace Ounan. Lia Liou’s goal with a Maggie Morrow assist with 45 seconds remaining in the quarter sent UM into halftime with a 5-0 lead.
Four minutes into the third quarter, Mallory Seider scored with an assist from Cambrie Richmond. The Lady Panthers broke up the Golden Bears shutout bid when Sheila Boyle found the cage. A late goal by Ounan (Boone assist) gave the Golden Bears their final margin of victory.
UM goalie Emma Hurley was forced to make just one save in the win. Cheltenham’s Mayanna Perry (10 saves) and Ryan Fillmore (5 saves) split time in goal.
Upper Moreland (2-2, 1-1 SOL) will travel to Springfield Township on Friday, and Cheltenham (0-1) will be on the road at Lower Moreland Friday.
Cheltenham 0-0-0-1 1
Upper Moreland 1-4-1-1 7
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 4, WILLIAM TENNENT 0
The visiting Spartans notched a shutout win over the Panthers, who were playing their first game of the season.
Isaabella Navo opened the scoring with an assist from captain Annie Coll, and then it was Anna Jablokov turning an Emma Yoder pass into a goal. Norah Conlin scored back-to-back goals to close out the scoring, the first with an assist from Coll and the second with a Gracie Buchholtz assist.
The Spartans preserved the shutout with a pair of defensive saves late in the game, one by Coll and the other by Iona Stum.
Springfield Township (1-1 SOL) will host Upper Moreland on Friday, and William Tennent (0-1) will host New Hope-Solebury on Friday.
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