Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Tuesday. CB East/CB West photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos.
Thirteen field hockey games were played in the SOL on Monday and Tuesday combined, and in what has to be a rare occurrence, 11 of the 13 contests were shutouts. Only two games – William Tennent/Upper Moreland (3-2) and Abington/PW (4-2) – saw both teams get on the scoreboard.
SOL Patriot
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 10, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
Five different players contributed scoring for the Golden Hawks, who opened up a 6-0 lead after one quarter and rolled to the shutout win.
“We are working on continuing to connect on our passing and support each other with our off-ball movements,” Rock South coach Colette Paprocki said. “Truman had some really nice defensive saves during the game, and their goalie was credited with 22 saves.”
Kerry Kaufman, who collected a hat trick, opened the scoring with a goal two minutes into the contest. Two minutes later, Kylee Hager found the cage, and then it was Amanda Green – at the 8:50 mark of the quarter – scoring on a rebound. Caroline Martin scored on a rebound off the goalie with four minutes remaining in the opening quarter, and Megan Rafter (Clare Morgan assist) connected on a corner to put the Golden Hawks on top 6-0.
In the second quarter, Kaufman scored with a Rafter assist for a 7-0 halftime advantage. The Golden Hawks added three goals in the third quarter – one each from Kaufman (Green assist), Martin (Hager assist) and Green (Rafter assist).
Hager finished with two goals and an assist while Rafter had one goal and two assists. Green and Martin both had two goals.
Council Rock South (5-1, 5-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks East on Friday in a crossover game, and Harry S Truman (0-5) will travel to Pennridge on Friday.
Council Rock South 6-1-3-0 10
Harry S Truman 0-0-0-0 0
SOL Colonial
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 4, CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 0
Emma Rosenthal and her CB East field hockey squad didn’t have a whole lot of time to get acquainted much less develop chemistry.
“We didn’t have time to do that from day one,” the Patriots’ first-year coach said. “They met me on the first day of preseason, so we really have had to use every single second of practice that we’ve had.”
Rosenthal – herself a CB East alum – inherited an East team that had won five straight division titles but had graduated three first team all-league players who’d been the nucleus of that squad to graduation. All three were highly recruited and are playing at the D1 level. One of them – Phia Mannino – has started all six games as a rookie for eighth-ranked Penn State University.
To say it’s a new world for the Patriots this season might be an understatement.
“I think they feel the pressure of being ‘the five-time defending champs,’ but the reality of the situation is we’re not the same team,” Rosenthal said. “Sure, everybody can look at us as the top dog, but we’re not. We’re going into every single game as the underdogs. We’re going to have that underdog mindset.
“Me, personally, I’ve never been a top dog. I’m five-feet tall, and I was a goalie, so I’m an underdog by blood. I think that underdog mentality is really going to help us here in this tough conference.”
The Patriots won their first two games out of the gate but dropped the next two to Souderton and to Central Bucks South. If they needed a bounce-back win, they got it on Tuesday with their shutout win of West in a battle of the neighboring rivals. Leading the Patriots to their decisive win was Caroline Suko, who finished with a hat trick.
“This game was a total morale boost,” Rosenthal said. “We only had one practice between our loss to South on Saturday and our two tough conference games today and tomorrow (against North Penn), so at practice, we focused on teamwork. We focused on bonding as a team and working as a unit.
“Working as a team really boosted our morale, and then getting the shutout today boosted it even more.”
Suko scored on a reverse shot in the opening quarter to put the Patriots on the scoreboard. The Patriots added a pair of goals in the second quarter – one each by Suko and Sophia Parker, and East led 3-0 at halftime. Suko completed her hat trick with a goal in the third quarter. Neither team scored the rest of the way.
“Caroline Suoko had a beautiful hat trick and was well supported by great work in the midfield by Sophia Parker, Paige Keller, Olivia Nolan and Paige Hussie,” Rosenthal said. “Kiera Lamb did a great job shutting down the breakaway balls in our defensive end and not giving West much opportunity to attack the cage.”
Rosenthal credited her captains – Parker, Hussie and Lamb – for providing positive leadership.
“Spreading the experience around the field helps us a lot because we really do have strong leadership in our captains, and I think them having such confidence in their play and in their experience – I rely on them to boost everyone around them,” Rosenthal said. “It’s always a fun game playing against West, and today’s complete team effort made the win even sweeter. Our goal for today was to play as a team in one unit, and we accomplished just that.”
Central Bucks East (2-2 SOL) will travel to North Penn on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. game. Central Bucks West (1-3) will host Souderton on Thursday (7 p.m.)
Central Bucks West 0-0-0-0 0
Central Bucks East 1-2-1-0 4
SOL Liberty
WISSAHICKON 2, UPPER DUBLIN 0
The Trojans earned their fifth win without a loss, but according to coach Lucy Gil, this win was anything but easy.
“It was a scrappy game,” the Trojans’ coach said. “They put a lot, a lot of pressure on my girls. As soon as one of my girls touched the ball, there was like three of them on her right away. That kind of pressure – it’s good for us to have those kind of games. It was probably the toughest game we’ve played so far. We were happy for the competition, but we’re also happy that we came out on top.”
Ella Hummel put the Trojans on the scoreboard with 4:30 remaining in the opening period. Kate Lovensheimer had the assist. The Trojans took that 1-0 lead into halftime. Finally, with 55 seconds remaining in the third quarter, they tacked on an insurance goal when Riley Ball scored – also with a Lovensheimer assist.
According to Gil, it took a team effort to win this one.
“I didn’t think there was one all-star – everyone was looking to get to the ball,” Gil said. “It was more a really solid bunch of girls. They were all nice and strong.”
UD goalie Dara Fishman had another big game, recording 18 saves.
“She was strong – she had a really nice game,” Gil said. “She was where she needed to be.”
Wissahickon goalie Alli Wood was credited with seven saves in the shutout.
Wissahickon (5-0, 4-0 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh in a key division battle on Wednesday (7 p.m.). Upper Dublin (1-3) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Wednesday.
Wissahickon 1-0-1-0 2
Upper Dublin 0-0-0-0 0
Monday, Sept. 20
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.
“The game against Upper Moreland was overall a great game of hockey,” Tennent coach Julia Cummiskey said. “William Tennent’s girls put everything that we talked about in pregame practice into place and showed that they are true competitors this year. Their intensity and their team chemistry shined throughout the entire game. Overall, it was a great game, and we are excited to keep putting in the hard work to improve our skills.”
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 Chebruch (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. Tennent’s Emily Witter was credited with one save.
William Tennent (1-2 SOL) will travel to Lower Moreland on Wednesday, and Upper Moreland (2-5, 1-4) will be on the road at New Hope-Solebury on Wednesday.
William Tennent 0-1-2-0 3
Upper Moreland 1-0-0-1 2
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