Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Wednesday. Wissahickon/PW photos provided courtesy of Kim Supko Photography. Check back for a gallery of photos. (Pennsbury photo provided by Pennsbury field hockey)
SOL Patriot
PENNSBURY 1, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0
(Submitted by Pennsbury field hockey)
As the clouds rolled in and the winds of change cautioned a coming rainstorm, the Pennsbury Falcons and CR North took to the field at Walter Snyder Stadium for an incredible field hockey showdown. It was like today’s game was pulled from the script of a (low budget) sports movie – Pennsbury returning to the turf where they were hammered by CR South not long ago. Both PHS and North had beaten and lost to the same SOL opponents, and the Falcons players and staff filled with anxious energy about the crossroads of this moment in time. It was a great cinematic ending with a dramatic 1-0 victory for the Falcons and that score reflected the great contest that played out for 60 minutes.
Coaches, Curtis, Sheenan, Mallon, and Aker had been pumping their girls full of inspirational stories, quotes, and analogies for days leading up to this game, as they searched for every way possible to encourage their team to rise to the challenge of playing at a higher level.
“We knew today would be a defining moment for us in believing we are worthy of competing and capable of being, not just good, but great,” said coach Traci Curtis. “But honestly, that doesn’t just apply to the kids, it applies to us as coaches as well.
“Sometimes it is difficult to be confident in coaching skills when you are not getting the results you think you should. It was really tough for us to bounce back from those two big shutout losses – they really stung. It takes a lot of effort to not let that seed of doubt take root. Our coaching staff never stops studying, researching, learning, questioning, and working together to do what we think is best for our entire group. We arranged to practice on turf on Tuesday, and I think that made a big difference for us in our preparation. We also took some chances and made some big changes in our setup that sparked momentum across the field.”
Rock came out strong, forcing corners right away and creating many offensive opportunities, but the PHS defense came up big. The score remained 0-0 into halftime despite Rock’s numerous corners (15 documented) and shots (14) and Pennsbury’s multiple breakaway opportunities. It was a very evenly matched game with strong performances on both sides of the ball, but Curtis had a feeling that the game would follow this script. North was dominating a little more in the first half solidifying the fact that nothing would not be easy.
Curtis cannot recall exactly what she said at halftime, but she is sure it was some sort of inspirational concoction from Rocky, Rudy, Miracle, and Hoosiers – a rant about believing, digging deep, rising to the challenge, destiny, and how this all applies to life itself. Whatever it was, it worked.
About halfway through the third quarter with the score still tied at zeros, Pennsbury was on attack, penetrating the circle. As the ball was about to go over the end line right next to the cage, junior forward Reagan Ward completely dove to keep the ball in play. She swept it up to Jaclyn Gorgo, who tapped it past the goalie for what would be the only score of the game. Add to that standout play and a defensive save for sophomore defender Gabby Darling and an absolutely stellar performance by goalie Jordan Vradenburgh, and the movie played out with the Falcons riding off (on a very delayed bus) into the sunset.
“The moment when Ward dove was transformative for us all,” Curtis said. “The assist was as powerful, if not more, than the goal. Her decision in that moment sent a strong message to all of us about what needed to happen – she sent a shockwave through our team that carried us to the final buzzer.
“Every single player stepped up today and rose to the occasion and now that we did this, we can continue to grow sparked by a bit of confidence. Cheers to North for an awesome game in every way. Their girls are always stacked with talent, grit, IQ, and strength. It makes us proud knowing that we held our own against a team like that.”
Other impressive Falcon contributions were displayed by Meg McClure, EB Rafferty, Rylie Borgman, Olivia Graebner, and Sophia Curtis.
Pennsbury (4-2, 3-2 SOL) will close out a three-game week when the Falcons host North Penn in a crossover game on Friday. Council Rock North (3-4, 2-3) will travel to Souderton on Friday.
Pennsbury 0-0-1-0 1
Council Rock North 0-0-0-0 0
NESHAMINY 8, BENSALEM 0
Six different players scored goals in the Redskins’ convincing win over the Owls.
With 6:32 remaining in the opening quarter, Olivia Roscoe (Mia Martin assist) found the cage with a goal that turned out to be the game-winner. Kasey Rieger (Colette Schardt assist) scored just over a minute later to give the ‘Skins a 2-0 lead after one quarter. In the second quarter, Schardt scored with a Martin assist, and then it was Emily Papeo turning a Roscoe pass into a goal that sent the Redskins into halftime with a 4-0 lead.
In the final 8:51 of the third quarter, the Redskins reeled off four straight goals. First it was Ava Arbakov scoring with an assist from Avery McGinty. Then Roscoe connected on an unassisted goal. Mia Martin and Schardt closed out the scoring with back-to-back unassisted goals in the final minutes of the quarter.
Neshaminy (4-1 SOL) will host Central Bucks West in a crossover game on Friday, and Bensalem (1-4) will be on the road at Central Bucks South on Friday.
Bensalem 0-0-0-0 0
Neshaminy 2-2-4-0 8
SOL Colonial
PENNRIDGE 2, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 1
The Titans were on a roll, the Rams were not, but when the dust had settled on Wednesday’s division battle, it was the Rams – thanks to Olivia Hangey’s first varsity goal midway through the fourth quarter – winning their first conference game in five outings while the Titans saw their modest three-game winning streak snapped.
“It’s not a secret that we’ve been struggling,” Pennridge coach Becky Spahr said. “This was our first really complete game for all four quarters. We’ve been moving people around and trying different things out, so I feel like we’ve figured out some roles a lot better than we have in the past.
“Honestly, the biggest thing is they all played hard the entire time, and they played completely as a unit. When we were on offense, everyone was up on offense. When we were on defense, everyone was back on defense, and they just stuck with the game plan, and we won. I think the biggest takeaway is this was a huge team win for us. Everybody played hard and played well the whole time.”
There were heroes galore in Wednesday’s win but few stood out more than Maia Machado who was credited with 11 saves in a stellar outing in goal for the Rams.
“She is gaining some confidence,” Spahr said of her junior goalie. “She’s playing really well. She trusts her defense around her, and they trust her and just play as a unit.
“Maia is at a whole different level this year, which is really cool to see. She’s been starting for us for three years. She’s just owning the cage this year. Because she’s confident, it makes our defense confident.”
The Titans got on the scoreboard when Anna Shirley tipped home a perfectly placed Erin Smith pass. They took that 1-0 lead into halftime.
“They scored, and within a couple of minutes, we scored and the goal was disallowed,” Spahr said. “Instead of letting that really impact them, they came into halftime saying, ‘We can score, we know we can score. We just have to make it count,’ and they just pushed for it.”
With 1:50 remaining in the third quarter, the Rams capitalized on a corner when Hannah Cape slammed home a shot from the top of the circle. Liz Frisch delivered the insert pass that set up the equalizer. The two teams were deadlocked 1-1 heading into the final quarter, and it was Hangey scoring during corner play with 7:53 remaining to give the Rams a 2-1 lead that held until the final whistle.
“We kind of looked each other at the end of the game and said, ‘This is our turning point. Now we know what we can do when we work together,’ so they’re ready to go,” Spahr said.
For the Titans, the loss came on the heels of back-to-back-to-back wins over CB West, CB East and North Penn.
“After winning three intense games, I was concerned that we might have a letdown, and we did,” South coach Pat Toner said. “It does not matter what your record is as anyone is capable of beating anyone else.
“Pennridge played very strong defense, especially on corners and did a good job of beating us to 50/50 balls.”
Pennridge’s corner unit was impressive, fighting off 19 South corners. Comprising the unit are Lindsey Campione, Brynn Wenger, Olivia Hangey and Hayley Borneman.
“Hayley Borneman is our fly, and she just shut them down,” Spahr said. “Hayley had a phenomenal game for us. Not just on defensive corners, she just worked the whole time.
“They had 19 corners and only had 12 shots total, so our defensive corner unit was really good. Defensively, Katie Loughran had a great game too. She’s played really well for us this whole year. Brynn Wenger also had a really good game for us.”
The Rams drew only four corners but converted two of them into goals.
“Our corners were not productive tonight due to a combination of our own miscues and Pennridge’s nice job defending,” Toner said. “Any loss can show your weaknesses, and I think we will learn from our mistakes tonight. Congrats to Pennridge on a hard-fought win.”
Pennridge (2-5, 1-4 SOL) will host Harry S Truman in a crossover game on Friday, and Central Bucks South (3-2) will host Bensalem on Friday.
Pennridge 0-0-1-1 2
Central Bucks South 0-1-0-0 1
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 3, NORTH PENN 2 (OT)
The Patriots won an overtime thriller when Caroline Suko turned a pass from Paige Keller into a goal with 8:45 remaining in overtime. The win came on the heels of a shutout win over archrival Central Bucks West 24 hours earlier as the Patriots have responded quite nicely after suffering back-to-back losses to Souderton and CB South last week.
“This was an exciting one,” East coach Emma Rosenthal said. “Running off our win from yesterday, we just had to keep it moving, keep morale high and go off of that momentum. I’m really proud of them.”
The Knights had the early advantage, opening up a 2-1 halftime lead. Riley O’Donnell (Maddie Waldspurger assist) scored just over three minutes into the game, and that lead grew to 2-0 when Caleigh Sperling – also with a Waldspurger assist- found the cage with nine minutes remaining in the half. The Knights cut that lead in half just over a minute later when Amelia Wheelan scored an unassisted goal.
“North Penn came right out of the gate and caught us on our heels a little bit,” Rosenthal said. “Against South this past weekend – when South got up, we got down on ourselves, but there was no down on ourselves this game. We knew that we could do it. The heart was there. They played with so much heart tonight. Everybody left everything out on the field.”
With 1:37 remaining in the third quarter, Sophia Parker’s goal with a Suko assist knotted the score. Neither team scored until Suko’s game-winner in OT.
“Paige Keller started the play with a long 80-yard carry and then a cross into Caroline Suko, who buried the ball in the back of the cage,” Rosenthal said.
Saving the day for the Patriots – literally – was the team’s stout defense.
“North Penn is relentless, they really are,” Rosenthal said. “Applause to our entire defensive unit because they were slamming it down our throats the entire fourth quarter, and we did not let up. They were in our defensive 25 that entire 15 minutes, and our girls knew we just had to get it to overtime.
“At that point, we were trying to get balls up the field, and their midfield held so strong. They were not letting anything by, but our defensive unit was incredible tonight. We played as a team. Unity has been our big thing lately, and the chemistry was there today.”
The Patriots’ first-year coach handed out praise to her team’s stingy defense comprised of Grace Manion, Kiera Lamb, Anna Daly and Paige Hussie as well as senior goalie Grace Gidwani, who was credited with 13 saves in a strong outing.
“Our defensive unit, led by senior Kiera Lamb, held incredibly strong through all four quarters,” Rosenthal said. “Grace Gidwani in the cage was an absolute wall. Grace Manion had a few defensive saves that kept us in the game.”
The Knights held an 11-3 advantage in corners and an even more lopsided advantage in shots.
“(We) held the lead but didn’t capitalize on our opportunities,” North Penn coach Shannon McCracken said. “CB East was able to make the most of their opportunities in the second half.
“The CB East goalie (Gidwani) had a great night, turning away many North Penn shots.”
Central Bucks East (3-2 SOL) will travel to Council Rock South for a crossover game Friday, and North Penn (3-3, 2-3) will be on the road at Pennsbury on Friday.
Central Bucks East 0-1-1-0-1 3
North Penn 1-1-0-0-0 2
SOL Liberty
WISSAHICKON 4, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 0
The Trojans had reason to celebrate after Wednesday’s win, a win that snapped a dazzling 81-game winning streak in SOL play for the Colonials.
“This was a win in the making,” Wissahickon coach Lucy Gil said. “Two years ago, we lost to them 5-1 and 5-1, and the following year, we lost by one goal both times, once in overtime, so we were getting there.
“I think they did have some major losses (to graduation), so it’s been coming. We’ve been getting closer and closer, and it just felt really good to seal the deal. I think the second game against them is going to be a really good, strong game. Both teams are strong.”
Ella Hummel turned a Sophia Havrilla pass into a goal midway through the second quarter to break a scoreless tie. Five minutes later, Kendall Crowley found the cage, using a Julia Schools assist. The Trojans took that 2-0 advantage into halftime.
A pair of late goals in the third quarter closed out the scoring. Brynne Miller (Hummel assist) connected with 1:17 remaining in the frame, and Riley Ball scored with a Hummel assist just as the whistle ending the quarter sounded. Neither team scored the rest of the way.
Goalie Alli Wood was credited with nine saves in the shutout win for the Trojans, and Julia Schools was credited with a defensive save.
“The ball went by the goalie, and Julia Schools stopped it in the mouth of the goal, which was wonderful,” Gil said. “She had a great game. Brynne Miller had a really, really good game.
“Ella Hummel, our right winger, had one goal and two assists. She is really, really fast and just controlled that entire area and was dribbling through people and did a great job.”
The Trojans scored on four of six shots.
We didn’t have a lot of shots on goal,” said Gil. “It had to be a team effort to beat them – they have a nice team. They’re strong, and the first quarter they had us pinned. We couldn’t get out of our circle area, not just our half. They had a bunch of corners all in a row. I turned to my assistant, and I was said, ‘I don’t know if this is going to go well.’
“They adjusted well and really, really played well and frustrated them. We held onto the ball, we were able to move the ball really well with short, small passes. They couldn’t defend against that.”
Wissahickon (6-0, 5-0 SOL) will travel to William Tennent for a crossover game Friday, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-2, 4-1) will host Cheltenham on Friday.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0-0-0-0 0
Wissahickon 0-2-2-0 4
ABINGTON 1, QUAKERTOWN 0 (OT)
Maddie Slavin connected on the game-winner during corner play with 6:58 remaining in overtime, capping a play that was set up by Camryn Stewart and Devan D’Maria.
“We snuck away with a win today,” Abington coach Katie Small said. “This definitely was not our best hockey. The first half looked more like a soccer match for us.
“Tara Hughes and Marilynn Capps did a great job making sure Quakertown did not get a goal today. The second half was much better, but we struggled to connect in the circle for a goal. Kudos to Quakertown who had a great game. Their passing sequences down the field were fantastic and Alex Bevan-Xenelis in the center really put pressure on us. We were fortunate to receive a corner in OT that we were able to execute for the only goal of the game.”
Quakertown goalie Kylie Lerch was credited with eight saves.
“This was a really exciting game with a lot of back-and-forth play,” Quakertown coach Kate Kemp said. “We played well, but unfortunately, Abington was able to capitalize on a corner during overtime. We had opportunities to score but just couldn’t put it in the back of the cage. We’ll learn from this and move to our next game on Friday.”
Abington (4-2, 3-2 SOL) will travel to Lower Moreland for a crossover game Thursday, and Quakertown (1-5, 1-4) will host New Hope-Solebury on Friday.
Abington 0-0-1 1
Quakertown 0-0-0 0
UPPER DUBLIN 3, HATBORO-HORSHAM 0
SOL Freedom
LOWER MORELAND 6, WILLIAM TENNENT 1
The Lions bounced back from a loss 24 hours earlier to earn the division win, scoring three goals in the second quarter to take command of the contest.
“We came out very flat to start the game but rebounded in the second quarter, scoring three goals,” LM coach Janet Lutter said. “We kept the momentum going and got two more goals in the third and then the final goal in the fourth.
“What makes this team special is that we play as a team and have valuable contributors all over the field. The camaraderie and trust this group has makes them easy to coach.”
Kylie Hopkins led the Lions with a pair of goals. Liz Neeld, Isabella Gioia, Jess Pachman and Reagan Hopkins had one goal each.
Lower Moreland (5-2, 3-2 SOL) will host Abington in crossover game Thursday, and William Tennent (1-3) will host Wissahickon on Friday.
William Tennent 0-1-0-0 1
Lower Moreland 0-3-2-1 6
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 8, UPPER MORELAND 0
Avery Mendola and Sophia Cozza both had a hand in four goals to lead the Lions. Mendola scored twice and assisted on a pair while Cozza found the cage once and assisted on three goals.
A goal by Madie Thistlewaite (Mendola assist) with 5:30 remaining in the opening quarter gave the Lions a 1-0 lead after one frame. Mendola scored with a Cozza assist, upping that advantage to 2-0 less than two minutes into the second quarter. A pair of late goals within a one-minute span late in the quarter sent the Lions into halftime with a 4-0 lead. Sophia Cozza scored with an Ava Cozza assist, and then it was Ava Cozza connecting with an assist from Mendola.
In the third quarter, Mia Patino (Ava Cozza assist), Kat Thistlewaite (Sophia Cozza assist) and Mendola (Laura Genovay assist) each added a goal, and Thistlewaite’s second goal – this one with a Sophia Cozza assist – was the lone score of the fourth quarter.
Upper Moreland goalie Emma Hurley was credited with 10 saves, and Cayeden Weist delivered a defensive save for the Golden Bears
New Hope-Solebury (6-0, 5-0 SOL) will be on the road at Quakertown on Friday, and Upper Moreland (2-6, 1-5) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Friday.
Upper Moreland 0-0-0-0 0
New Hope-Solebury 1-3-3-1 8
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 4, CHELTENHAM 0
The Spartans erupted for three second-quarter goals and took a 4-0 lead into halftime on their way to the shutout win.
Norah Conlin spotted the Spartans a 1-0 lead in the first quarter, using an assist from Annie Coll. In the second quarter, Hailey Lesniak scored with an Abby Congdon assist, and then it was Anna Joblokov turning a Coll pass into a goal. Coll – who had a hand in three of her team’s four goals – connected on an unassisted goal for a 4-0 lead that held until the final whistle.
Springfield goalie Erin Roy was credited with four saves in the shutout win.
The Spartans held an advantage in shots (21-4) and corners (15-3).
Springfield Township (4-1 SOL) will travel to Upper Dublin on Friday, and Cheltenham (0-4) will be on the road at Plymouth Whitemarsh on Friday.
Springfield Township 1-3-0-0 4
Cheltenham 0-0-0-0 0
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