Check out the results for SOL field hockey teams in action Monday. To view photos of the Upper Dublin/Upper Merion game, please visit the Photo Gallery.
National Conference
HARRY S TRUMAN 5, BENSALEM 1
The Tigers notched their first win of the conference season under the lights on their home turf, and they did it in impressive fashion. A first-half goal with 6:30 remaining by freshman Tori Baskin (Kelsey Hackbart assist) sent the Tigers into halftime with a 1-0 lead.
“It took us a little bit to get everybody connected,” Truman coach Kayla Kowalick said. “Actually, I put a couple of my bench players in, and my freshman scored the first goal. I think it was just the freshman scoring and then the girls being hungry.”
It took no time at all for the Tigers to get momentum on their side in the second half. Mikaela Pacheco scored an unassisted goal 43 seconds into the half. The Owls cut that lead in half with a goal by Kara Bachman (Madison Kubik assist) at the 16:40 mark, but 35 seconds later, Anne Estrella (Mikaela Pacheco assist) answered to put the Tigers on top 3-1. Another Mikaela Pacheco goal, this one using an Estrella assist, at the 13:40 mark gave the Tigers a 4-1 advantage, and for good measure, Mikaela Pacheco (Emily Evans assist) connected with 2:08 remaining to complete her first career hat trick.
“We’ve been talking about that hat trick – she’s been wanting to get it since she was a freshman, and she finally got it tonight,” Kowalick said.
The Tigers’ coach lauded the performances of several players in the win.
“Stephanie Wolf is actually my center back, and I pulled her up to midfield, and that’s when we started scoring,” Kowalick said. “Stephanie really stepped up.
“Madalyn Pacheco was able to swing the ball to the other side of the field and helped make the connections between the defense and offense.
“It was a whole team effort. Everyone stepped up. Their passing and just the chemistry were great tonight.”
The Tigers are 1-4 in league play (2-4 overall) while the Owls are 0-5 in the league (1-6 overall).
Bensalem 0-1 1
Harry S Truman 1-4 5
COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 4, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 3 (OT)
Gigi Tutoni scored an unassisted goal at the 14:38 mark of overtime, propelling the Indians to the dramatic win in a battle of the conference’s lone unbeaten squads.
Making the win especially significant was the fact that the Indians were without a pair of key starters, Amrit Ahluwalia and Julianne Mangano, who were sidelined with injuries.
“At the end, I got tears in my eyes because they played the best game I’ve ever seen them play as a unit,” coach Heather Whalin said. “They’re a unit this year, and that’s what I like. We don’t look to one player – you can’t mark any one player on our team because they all contribute.
“I made about 12-13 changes in the game. I had girls playing so out of position, and they just stepped up and played.”
The two teams spent regulation exchanging goals. Theresa Delahanty converted a penalty stroke at the 13:27 mark of the first half to spot the Indians a 1-0 lead, but 10 minutes later, Jackie Shragher (Caroline McGovern assist) scored on a corner to send the two teams into halftime deadlocked 1-1.
Rock South took its first lead when Nikki Boyd turned a McGovern pass into a goal just over three minutes into the second half. A goal by Rock North’s Anna Lehman (Jennica Jonovich assist) at the 19:26 mark knotted the score. Ten minutes later, Rock North took a 3-2 lead when Devon Mela scored an unassisted goal, and that lead stood for all of two minutes before McGovern – who had a hand in all three goals – scored with 7:46 remaining in regulation, setting the stage for overtime.
“Caroline is an unbelievable player,” Whalin said. “She is one of the best players I’ve watched.
“She scored a goal – it was one of the prettiest goals I’ve seen. She got around our defense and then she did a reverse chip, and it was so fast and so good. All the goals were good goals, but Caroline literally did everything on every goal.”
Two of the Golden Hawks’ goals, according to Whalin, were scored when the Indians were a player down because of green cards.
In the absence of Ahluwalia and Mangano, the Indians received a lift from some unexpected sources.
“Micayla Young doesn’t get a lot of playing time, but she stepped up huge today to fill a forward position because we moved one of our forwards back to a middie,” Whalin said. “Gabby Shepherd, a sophomore, went in the second half and played mid, and she did a fantastic job.
“Hannah Sullivan went in to play a mid and forward, and she did a heck of a job also. I pulled a freshman up from jayvee – Bridget Thompson, and she gave us a huge spark. It literally was position by committee.
“Jennica (Jonovich) moved off the forward line and was playing defensive mid. We weren’t getting enough offensive push, so I moved someone from the left to the right. These kids were playing so many different positions, and I’m just so proud of them. They did it. They got together as a team and pulled this out.”
The Indians held an 18-8 advantage in shots. Rock North goalie Julia Singer was credited with two saves while Rock South’s Anna Sternberg had 12 saves.
The Indians (7-0, 5-0 SOL) are alone atop the National Conference standings while the Golden Hawks are 4-1 in league play (5-3 overall).
Council Rock North 1-2-1 4
Council Rock South 1-2-0 3
ABINGTON 1, WILLIAM TENNENT 1 (OT)
Junior Kaila Brown turned a Courtney Klug pass into a goal just over two minutes into the second half to break a scoreless tie and give the Ghosts a 1-0 lead. The Panthers responded 10 minutes later with a goal of their own by Lexi Frieling (Kendal Brasch assist). The two teams battled the rest of regulation, and a 15-minute overtime could not determine a winner
“The performance tonight that took place under the lights both by William Tennent and Abington was absolutely superb,” Tennent coach Kaitlyn Rauchut said. “Both teams gave quite an effort for the full 75 minutes.
“Abington truly came ready to play, but the William Tennent players were relentless in their efforts.”
Rauchut went on to commend the efforts of several players.
“I am extremely proud of their performance, especially by Niyah Rhoades and Lexi Freiling on the offensive end, Makayla Christian, Libby Betz and Briana Doherty in the backfield and Meghan Izak in the midfield,” the Panthers’ coach said.
Abington coach Amanda Deering credited goalie Alyssa Herman (10 saves) for a standout effort.
“She maintained her composure, stopping several one-on-one attempts,” the Ghosts’ coach said.
Tennent’s Trish McCoy stopped six shots in goal.
Both teams are 1-3-1 in league play. The Ghosts are 2-4-1 overall while the Panthers are 1-5-1.
Abington 0-1 1
William Tennent 0-1 1
NESHAMINY 1, PENNSBURY 0
Abby Alexis scored a second half goal, using a Maria Palmieri assist, and that would be all the scoring the Redskins would need to earn a hard-fought win over the Falcons.
“It was a good win for us to carry into our next games,” coach Caitlin Koczynski said. “Our league is so strong, and Pennsbury is a good rival.”
The Redskins are 4-1 in league play (5-2 overall) while the Falcons are 3-2 in the league (3-5 overall).
Neshaminy 0-1 1
Pennsbury 1-0 1
Continental Conference
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 4, SOUDERTON 2
For the opening 30 minutes, it was anyone’s game as the two teams exchanged goals, battling to a 2-2 tie. The second half was another story entirely. South scored the go-ahead goal during corner play on a shot from the top of the circle by Corrine Kenney (Emily Cliggett assist) that deflected off a defender and into the cage at the 23:38 mark. The Indians weren’t heard from again as the Titans controlled play the rest of the way. Cliggett added an insurance goal at the 16:23 mark of a half that saw the Titans hold a 10-0 advantage in corners. The Indians did not manage a shot in the final 30 minutes.
“It was a very even first half,” South coach Brittany Grzywacz said. “I felt that we came out a little bit flat. At halftime, I told them we needed to be cutting more to the ball and beating their players to the ball. On our offensive hits, we needed to cut back to the ball and step in front of them defensively.
“They (the Indians) did a very good job of that in the first half. They were beating us to a lot of balls. Changing that for the second half helped a lot.”
A recap of the first half would show that Cliggett – who finished with two goals and an assist – put the Titans on the scoreboard at the 21:07 mark, scoring on a shot off the goalie’s pads. Less than three minutes later, Gabby Sederas tied it up for Souderton (Erin Saybolt assist). A Steph Litzenberger goal midway through the half put the Titans back on top, but Jessica Gabriel (Sederas assist) scored the equalizer with eight minutes remaining in the half.
“I think in the first half we were really not prepared,” South senior Sam Bodo said. “We just weren’t ready to play.
“In the second half, after our talk, we really stepped up and picked it up from there. We knew what had to get done, and we did it.”
The Titans upped their league mark to 5-0 (5-2 overall) with games against Quakertown and Central Bucks West later this week to complete their first go-round in conference play. The Indians are 1-4 in the league (3-4 overall).
Central Bucks South 2-2 4
Souderton 2-0 2
NORTH PENN 3, PENNRIDGE 0
Amanda Laessig (Amanda Lashkevich assist) put the Maidens on the scoreboard just over four minutes into the game. That 1-0 lead held until Jenn DeLongis (Kara Whitman assist) scored with 10 minutes remaining in regulation. Three minutes later, Lashkevich (Casey O’Donnell assist) tacked on a goal for the 3-0 final.
“Although we lost, our defenders stepped up today,” said Pennridge coach Becky Spahr, who commended the strong play of Victoria Walsh and Alyssa Bland.
Maiden goalie Marissa Elizardo was credited with six saves in the shutout while Pennridge goalie Carley Wingate had five saves.
The Maidens are 3-2 in conference play (4-3 overall) while the Lady Rams are 0-5 (0-7 overall).
North Penn 1-2 3
Pennridge 0-0 0
American Conference
UPPER DUBLIN 1, UPPER MERION 0
Cydney Christian scored on a penalty corner, using a Courtney Vincent assist with 3:43 remaining in the opening half. The Flying Cardinals made that lead stand the rest of the way to earn the hard-fought win.
“It was a really good win for us,” coach Heather Boyer said. “It’s the first time we’ve been on grass all season, so the girls really adjusted and adapted well.
“They played a really good tempo the first half, and time of possession – we were very, very dominant. We had all nine of our corners during the first half and executed beautifully on the seventh or eighth one (to score the game winner). The girls really adjusted well to the new terrain.”
Upper Merion’s Tatum Thomas delivered a stick save in the second half to keep the Cardinals from adding an insurance goal. The Vikings turned up the pressure offensively in the second half.
“Upper Merion came out with a really good tempo,” Boyer said. “They fought hard, kind of turned it on and put pressure on us. They came back with nine corners – all in the second half and had a couple of opportunities on goal, but the defense held it together and played very, very well, and we were able to hold on for the exciting win.”
Boyer acknowledged the strong performance of center midfielder Isabella Bucci.
“She had a really nice game and controlled the midfield,” the Cardinals’ coach said. “Overall, it was a good passing effort from a lot of kids, good teamwork and good communication. They worked hard together, and that was nice to see.”
For the Flying Cardinals, the win avenged last year’s loss at Upper Merion.
“It’s a nice win, especially after a tough week last week,” Boyer said. “We were 0-3 last week with (losses to) Souderton, Upper Moreland, who’s playing really well right now, and PW. It was a good start for the week. This is a big week for us.”
Upper Merion goalie Devyn Antonucci was credited with five saves while Upper Dublin’s Mikaylah Johnson recorded four saves.
Upper Dublin raised its record to 3-2 in the league (3-4 overall) while the Vikings are 2-3 in the league (3-4 overall).
Upper Dublin 1-0 1
Upper Merion 0-0 0
UPPER MORELAND 3, CHELTENHAM 1
The Golden Bears extended their conference winning streak to three games with Monday’s win over the visiting Lady Panthers. Jenna Getz scored back-to-back goals to send the Golden Bears into halftime with a 2-0 lead. Her first – at the 21:17 mark – was unassisted, and Maura O’Leary had an assist on the second, which was scored midway through the period.
Memi Holloman turned a pass from Mads Gianelle into a goal at the 26:35 mark of the second half, cutting the Bears’ lead in half. That 2-1 score stood until Emily Jeinnings (Delaney Smith assist) scored with 47 seconds remaining in regulation.
“Emily Jeinnings was very strong in the midfield throughout the game,” coach Karen Grossi said. “While Upper Moreland was the more dominant of the two teams during the first half, Cheltenham came out ready to play during the second half.”
Cheltenham goalie Tegan Dorley was credited with seven saves while her counterpart, Allison Felicetti, had one save.
The Golden Bears improved to 3-1-1 in conference play (3-2-1 overall) while the Lady Panthers fell to 1-4 in league play (2-5 overall).
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 2, SPRINGFIELD (MONTCO) 1
The two teams battled to a 0-0 halftime tie but then combined for three second-half goals.
“The first half did not generate many scoring chances for either team because most of the play was in the midfield,” PW coach Marianne Paparone said. “Both teams picked up the intensity in the second half.”
The Colonials, according to Paparone, scored on a beautiful lifted goal by Frankie O’Brien with 11:13 left in the game. Less than four minutes later, Aurora Mills added an insurance goal off a rebound. The Spartans got on the scoreboard with 4:42 remaining on a goal by Katherine McVeagh (Christine Campbell assist), and they continued to apply pressure.
“We withstood their pressure to win the game,” Paparone said. “We always have a tough time on the grass, but we adjusted well enough to win the game. It was not our best effort, but I was pleased to see that we toughed out the win.”
Sophie Kolkka contributed an assist for the Colonials, who held a 10-6 advantage in shots. The Spartans had a 6-2 edge in corners.
The Colonials upped their record to 5-0 in the league (6-2 overall) while the Spartans are 2-3 in the league (3-4 overall).
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0-2 2
Springfield 0-1 1
WISSAHICKON 7, NORRISTOWN 0
The Trojans rebounded from Friday’s non-league loss to Hatboro-Horsham to defeat the Eagles with an offensive explosion of their own. Rachel Zimmerman connected for the hat trick – all three of her goals were assisted by Marie Dickson. She also chipped in with an assist. Sam Scoma added a pair of goals, using assists from Jessica Waite and Zimmerman. Dickson and Kaitlyn Gallagher (Dickson assist) both added single goals for the 7-0 final.
Trojan goalie Claire Tarzia was credited with eight saves in the shutout. Coach Lucy Gil lauded the strong performances of Kara Miles, Lauren Marolla, Rachel Zimmerman and Marie Dickson. She also credited Norristown’s Natalie Mitchell for turning in a strong game as well.
The Trojans are 3-1-1 in league play (3-3-1 overall) while the Eagles are 0-5 (0-7 overall).
Norristown 0-0 0
Wissahickon 3-4 7
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