Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action. Pennsbury/Harry S Truman photos provided courtesy of Darryl Rule of J&D Photography. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL Patriot
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 4, BENSALEM 0
Kerry Kaufman had a hand in three goals in the Golden Hawks’ shutout win over the Owls. With the win, Rock South upped its record to 4-0 in division play.
It was Kaufman sending a ball into the circle that Amanda Green turned into a goal with 5:31 remaining in the opening quarter. Annagrace McKinney scored off a rebound of a goalie save in the opening minute of the second quarter, and the Hawks led 2-0. Kaufman – after dribbling into the circle – scored an unassisted goal midway through the quarter to send the Golden Hawks into halftime with a 3-0 lead.
In the third quarter, Caroline Martin turned a Kaufman pass into a goal with 8:04 remaining to close out the scoring for both sides.
“There were some nice setups from Megan Rafter in the middle,” Rock South coach Colette Paprocki said. “Breanna Gable played well in the mid position today. She continually hustles and does not give up on the ball. Overall, our defense played well to keep the ball out of the circle and minimizing any opportunities.”
The Golden Hawks’ coach also credited the play of the Owls.
“Bensalem had nice hits out of the back and did a nice job taking their free hits quickly,” Paprocki said. “They fought hard the entire game.”
Council Rock South (4-1, 4-0 SOL) will travel to Harry S Truman on Tuesday, and Bensalem (1-3) will be on the road at Neshaminy on Wednesday.
Bensalem 0-0-0-0 0
Council Rock South 1-2-1-0 4
PENNSBURY 6, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
(Submitted by Pennsbury field hockey)
It was a gorgeous day for field hockey!
The Pennsbury Falcons hit the field with fire after coming off of two confidence-killing losses. Liz Jordan connected on a pass from Meg McClure halfway through the first quarter to start off the scoring. The Tigers held the score to 1-0 going into the second quarter as it seemed to take PHS a little time to fully connect and finish.
Head coach Traci Curtis was pleased with how the game progressed. “We found our groove in the second quarter and moved the ball beautifully, making transitions across the field, putting the ball into space, and using some big hits from defense to gain momentum on attack,” the Falcons’ coach said.
Meg McClure started the second quarter, scoring on an assist from Lily Abraham. Senior Lily Morgan scored her first goal of the season on an assist from McClure, and EB Rafferty notched the fourth goal before halftime on an assist from Reagan Ward. Senior captain Pranita Madaka added another goal in the third quarter on a cross from Mia Popovich, then McClure added the sixth goal, unassisted, in the fourth to finish out the game.
“Meg McClure is amazing on the field for us,” Curtis said. “She has a hand in almost every successful play and is just getting smarter and smarter with the ball. She is taking chances and truly getting better with every minute. We are so excited about her contribution and her efforts.
“It was nice to have five different girls contributing to the scoring and certainly a confidence boost for many. It was great to see all of our players across the both varsity and JV get playing time today – we can honestly say it was a full team effort.
“Truman had some girls in the backfield with strong sticks and that helped them tremendously with some strong stops. We have so much respect for that team of players and coaches who work so hard, and despite having light numbers, they fought to the end in both varsity and JV with girls putting in so many minutes for the afternoon.
“We still need to capitalize on our penalty corners more, and we missed a bunch of cross deflections in the circle. We will continue to practice hard and hone our skills in every way possible. It felt good to win, but we also know how a shutout feels – we’ve been on the other side of that score twice already this season and it’s humbling. The Falcons know that every game is important, especially as we dig further into the season. Our focus is one step at a time, one game at a time, and to find a balance between our heads, our hearts, and our hockey. Our job now is to switch gears and prepare to play on turf on Wednesday at CR North. This next game is huge for us and our mentality – consistency will be the key.”
Pennsbury (3-2, 2-2 SOL) will travel to Council Rock North on Wednesday, and Harry S Truman (0-4) will host Council Rock South on Tuesday.
Harry S Truman 0-0-0-0 0
Pennsbury 1-3-1-1 6
NESHAMINY 4, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0
Kasey Rieger scored two goals and assisted on another to lead the visiting Redskins to the win.
Rieger scored a goal that turned out to be the game-winner midway through the first quarter with an Avery McGinty assist. With 3:46 remaining in the second quarter, McGinty used a pass from Mia Martin to score a goal that gave the Redskins a 2-0 halftime lead.
That 2-0 score stood until Rieger found the back of the cage just over a minute into the fourth quarter, using a Caitlyn Colyar assist. A minute later, Ava Arbakov (Rieger assist) connected to close out the scoring.
“Today was a hard-fought game by both teams,” Neshaminy coach Jamie Pinto said. “The win was a good way to start off a tough week.
“We picked it up offensively in the fourth quarter, led by Kasey Rieger and Ava Arbakov. Midfielders Colette Schardt and Mia Martin played well, and Avery McGinty played strong defensively.”
Neshaminy (3-1 SOL) will host Bensalem on Wednesday, and Council Rock North (3-3, 2-2) will be on the road at Pennsbury on Wednesday.
Neshaminy 1-1-0-2 4
Council Rock North 0-0-0-0 0
SOL Colonial
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 2, NORTH PENN 0
The Titans are establishing themselves as a team to be reckoned with in the SOL Colonial Division. Since a one-goal loss to Souderton in their first game of the season, the Titans have won three straight, including Monday’s win over the Knights on the heels of a win over Central Bucks East on Saturday. During that three-game stretch, the Titans have outscored their opponents 12-1.
Making Monday’s win especially impressive was the fact that they shut out a Knight squad that had scored 19 goals in their preceding four games combined.
“We tried to keep changing it up,” South coach Pat Toner said of her team’s defensive strategy. “Now that it’s 15-minute periods – if you’re doing something wrong in minute one, you can’t do anything about it until minute 15 because there are no timeouts, so you’re trying to make adjustments on the field, so we are trying to change it up the best we can each quarter.
“You’ll get a different look each quarter. We can’t always do it, but that’s what we’re trying. By the time you figure it out, we’ll do something different, but that doesn’t always work, especially with a team as good as North Penn. Their coach (Shannon McCracken) makes tremendous adjustments right away. I have the utmost respect for her. They have great basic skills, they don’t give up on the ball. They’re relentless, you can’t dribble at all – they get numbers around the ball on offense and defense always. They’re so well coached.”
The Titans capitalized on a corner opportunity with five minutes remaining in the opening quarter when Anna Shirley turned a Julia Cooper pass into a goal and a 1-0 lead. It was still a 1-0 game heading into the fourth quarter when Erin Smith scored in a scramble in front of the goal, using a Rebecca Zakrzewski assist.
The Knights held an 11-8 edge in corners. Sophomore Emma Kraft was credited with six saves in the shutout.
“We gave up a lot more corners than I would have liked to, but our corner defense has been pretty solid,” Toner said. “Our 10th grade goalie did a great job.”
The Titans’ version of ‘sister act’ – siblings Julia and Sarah Cooper and Lily and Grace Haag – anchored a stellar defensive effort.
“We spend a lot of time working on containing, redefending, recovering and also footwork, and they’re very good at it,” Toner said. “Let me include Anna Shirley with that mix. She does a really nice job too.”
Central Bucks South (3-1 SOL) will host Pennridge on Wednesday, and North Penn (3-2, 2-2 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Wednesday.
North Penn 0-0-0-0 0
Central Bucks South 1-0-0-1 2
SOUDERTON 3, PENNRIDGE 0
Lauren Kenah scored an early goal and assisted on two others to lead the Indians to a 3-0 win over the visiting Rams. It is their fourth win in division play without a loss.
“I was really pleased with our effort today,” Souderton coach Sue Casciato said. “I was a bit worried we might let down after getting a really tough win last week at North Penn.
“This league is super competitive, so if a team doesn’t bring its best every time out, anything can happen. We’re trying to take one game at a time and show steady improvement as we go.”
Kenah turned an Ang Borisow pass into a goal that stood as the game-winner just over two minutes into the game. Lauren Hallman’s goal with a Kenah assist a minute-and-a-half into the second quarter made it a 2-0 game at the half. Reiley Knize found the cage midway through the fourth quarter – also with a Kenah assist – for the 3-0 final.
“Souderton plays great team hockey and is very skilled,” Pennridge coach Becky Spahr said. “We are still settling into our lineup and working on playing as a unit. Although we were outscored, I am happy with our team’s improvement and effort.”
Souderton held an advantage in shots (23-7) and corners (11-4).
Souderton (5-1, 4-0 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West on Thursday (7 p.m.), and Pennridge (1-5, 0-4) will travel to Central Bucks West on Wednesday (7 p.m.).
Pennridge 0-0-0-0 0
Souderton 1-1-0-1 3
SOL Liberty
ABINGTON 4, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 2
Julie Price connected for a hat trick, and Ava Matthias added a single goal in a contest that saw the Colonials break a scoreless halftime tie with three goals in the third quarter on their way to their fourth win without a loss in division play.
“It was a great effort from all,” PW coach Jessica Randazzo said. “The midfield stayed strong, and the defense didn’t let their guard down.
“The freshmen are really giving it their all, and I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
The Ghosts scored both of their goals in the third quarter. Erica Devlin scored once and then assisted on a goal by Rachel Kallan.
“An evenly matched game was played today at PW,” Abington coach Katie Small said. “Abington saw an early goal that could have changed the trajectory of the game called back on a questionable call during corner play in the first quarter.
“PW capitalized on some of our mental lapses in the third quarter, scoring three goals. We dug deep and started a comeback, scoring two goals in the fourth quarter, but it was a little too late. We will be looking to play at our level for a full 60 minutes in our upcoming weeks. We keep telling the girls if they can keep their composure for a full 60 minutes – they know they can beat anyone.”
The Ghosts’ coach lauded the play of Tara Hughes on defense and Erica Devlin on attack.
Randazzo also had high praise for one of her players.
“Carly McGee played a great game,” the Colonials’ coach said.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-1, 4-0 SOL) will travel to Wissahickon on Wednesday (7 p.m.) for a battle of the division’s unbeaten squads. Abington (3-2, 2-2) will be on the road at Quakertown on Wednesday.
Abington 0-0-0-2 2
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0-0-3-1 4
SOL Freedom
QUAKERTOWN 5, HATBORO-HORSHAM 0
The visiting Panthers raced out of the gate to a 4-0 halftime lead on their way to the shutout win.
“It was great to get our first win today,” Quakertown coach Kate Kemp said. “The girls adjusted to the grass and played well.
“It was awesome to see four different scorers on our five goals. Hats off to Hatboro for playing hard the full 60 minutes.”
Kaitlin Calvello put the Panthers on the scoreboard with a goal, using an assist from Alexis Mowrer. Kiera Gallagher connected on an unassisted goal, and then it was Calvello scoring her second goal of the game – this one unassisted. Maureen Healy (Dani Burns assist) found the cage to send the Panthers into halftime with a 4-0 lead.
Ember Retter scored the lone goal of the second half, using the second assist of the game by Burns.
Kemp lauded the efforts of her players in the win.
“Natalie Boyd, Alex Bevan-Xenelis, Kiera Gallagher, and Megan Roth were once again solid in the midfield,” the Panthers’ coach said. “Natalie was our captain this game and proved that she deserved that honor – she had an exceptionally good game.
“Our forward line of Maureen Healy, Kaitlin Calvello and Alexis Mowrer was aggressive and worked well taking the ball down the field. Our defense was solid only giving up one corner all game.”
Quakertown goalie Kylie Lerch recorded five saves in the shutout win.
Quakertown (1-4, 1-3 SOL) will host Abington on Wednesday, and Hatboro-Horsham (0-5, 0-4) will host Upper Dublin on Wednesday.
Quakertown 4-1 5
Hatboro-Horsham 0-0 0
WILLIAM TENNENT 3, UPPER MORELAND 2
The Panthers used a pair of third-quarter goals to break a 1-1 tie and held on to notch their first win of the young season.
Grace Ounan used an Anna Duncan assist to put the Golden Bears on the scoreboard five minutes into the second quarter. Four minutes later, Tennent’s Ava Cartwright (Leila Doran assist) found the cage to knot the score.
That 1-1 tie held until the third quarter when the Panthers received goals by Melanie Izak four minutes in the frame and Kasey Forr in the final minute of the quarter. A goal by Duncan three minutes into the fourth quarter pulled the Golden Bears to within one. They would get no closer.
“We came out slow and spent most of the game on our heels,” UM coach Marissa Elizardo said. “We tried to make a comeback in the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late.”
Tennent held an 8-5 edge in corners.
UM goalie Emma Hurley was credited with nine saves.
William Tennent (1-2 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Friday, and Upper Moreland (2-5, 1-4) will be on the road at New Hope-Solebury on Monday.
William Tennent 0-1-2-0 3
Upper Moreland 1-0-0-1 2
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 2, LOWER MORELAND 0
The Spartans scored a pair of goals in a five-minute span the third quarter, breaking a scoreless deadlock. That turned out to be the difference in the game.
Three minutes into the third quarter, Annie Coll scored with an assist from Emma Yoder, and with 7:59 remaining in the frame, Hailey Lesniak turned a Norah Conlin pass into a goal, and a 2-0 lead that held until the final whistle.
Goalie Erin Roy notched the shutout for the Spartans, recording six saves. Her counterpart, LM’s Sarah Rosala, was credited with 18 saves, and the Lions’ defense racked up four defensive saves.
“Springfield scored their first goal in the third quarter on a corner,” LM coach Janet Lutter said. “Unfortunately, (we) struggled to recover from that goal.
“We will get back to practice tomorrow and prepare to wrap up the first half of our league schedule on a positive note on Wednesday when we take on William Tennent.”
The Spartans had an 18-1 advantage in penalty corners.
Springfield Township (4-1 SOL) will travel to Cheltenham on Wednesday, and Lower Moreland (4-2, 2-2) will host William Tennent on Wednesday.
Lower Moreland 0-0-0-0 0
Springfield Township 0-0-2-0 2
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 10, CHELTENHAM 0
Mia Gomolinki scored back-to-back goals in a three-minute span early in the opening quarter, and the Lions were off and running, opening up a 4-0 lead after one quarter on their way to the shutout win. Gomolinski’s four-goal, one-assist effort led a balanced Lions’ attack. Also finding the cage in the first quarter were Avery Mendola (Sophia Cozza assist) and Ava Cozza (assisted by Mendola) as the Lions opened up a 4-0 lead.
Sophia Cozza (Gomolinski assist) scored in the opening minutes of the second quarter, and Gomolinski completed her hat trick minutes later with a goal that sent the Lions into halftime with a 6-0 advantage.
Madie Thistlewaite (Sophia Cozza assist) added her name in the scoring column when she scored in the closing minutes of the third quarter. In the final quarter, Ava Cozza, Kat Thistlewaite (Mendola assist) and Gomolinski (Ava Cozza assist) each added a goal to close out the scoring.
New Hope-Solebury (5-0, 4-0 SOL) will host Upper Moreland on Wednesday, and Cheltenham (0-3) will host Springfield Township on Wednesday.
New Hope-Solebury 4-2-1-3 10
Cheltenham 0-0-0-0 0
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