Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Friday. Pennridge/CR North photos courtesy of Tracy Valko. Check back for a gallery of photos. All SOS photo galleries for FIELD HOCKEY can be viewed by clicking HERE.
SOL Patriot/Colonial crossover
SOUDERTON 1, NESHAMINY 0
It wasn’t easy, but the Indians—thanks to a second-quarter goal by sophomore Ava Jones—eked out a 1-0 win in Friday’s battle of division leaders.
“It was a nice win,” Souderton coach Sue Casciato said. “We held on by our fingernails, especially in the fourth quarter. They had three or four corners in the last two or three minutes of the game.
“We tried to practice a little bit yesterday on grass. It’s a huge difference. If you’re not used to it, it does change your game.”
Jones turned a Lauren Frye pass during corner play into a goal three minutes into the second quarter. That turned out to be the difference.
“It was a scramble,” Casciato said. “It was kind of a broken corner. The ball ended up on the end line, and Ava connected on a reverse stick.”
The Indians lost Frye—a key player on both ends of the field—to an injury early in the third quarter, and Casciato was pleased with her team’s tenacity.
“We really did have a lot of possessions early in the game, but we weren’t aggressive enough in the circle,” the Indians’ coach said. “Both goalies only had three or four saves, but it felt like there was a lot more play in the circle than that. Neshaminy’s defense had a lot of clears. We had a presence in the circle and did not get shots when we needed to.”
Casciato made a change in her lineup that paid dividends.
“I moved Ang Borisow to center back for this game,” she said of her senior midfielder. “She didn’t want to go there, but when the game was over, I said, ‘You were the difference.’ She played really well.”
Neshaminy coach Jamie Pinto found positives in her squad’s efforts despite the final score.
“We played hard today,” Pinto said. “I’m proud of the girls. It’s not the outcome we wanted, we had our chances, but I can’t fault our effort.
“We knew coming in Souderton was going to be tough, we were prepared and ready and it showed today. We have had a good, tough week, we have played some great hockey this week. The girls are working hard, continually improving, and playing well together.”
Souderton (10-0, 9-0 SOL) is off until Thursday when the Indians will travel to Council Rock South. Neshaminy (9-2, 8-1) will host Central Bucks East on Thursday.
Souderton 0-1-0-0 1
Neshaminy 0-0-0-0 0
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 4, NORTH PENN 3 (OT)
Caroline Martin had herself a day, scoring three goals to ignite the Golden Hawks’ attack.
The senior forward capped it off with a goal less than 90 seconds into overtime, propelling the Golden Hawks to the dramatic win.
“We sent the ball down the right side, and Caroline Martin took it took it to goal, the goalie came out on her, and Caroline pushed it by her,” Council Rock South coach Kelly Mason said. “She was aggressive. She did her part. Caroline was definitely our offensive player of the game.”
Martin’s reward was a bloody lip, thanks to a collision with the goalie, but the Hawks were ecstatic to escape with the win.
Friday’s contest was the fifth overtime game for a Golden Hawks’ squad that dropped the first three but won the last two, most recently a 2-1 win over Central Bucks South on Wednesday.
“I said, ‘Guys, you just did this two days ago. You can do it again,’” Mason said. “I was so proud of them for competing from start to finish.
“They are finally starting to show up in big games, and it’s paying off. I’ve been waiting for this. I said this after Central Bucks South—we just needed one win to get back on our feet. They finally believe they can do it now.”
Two of the game’s unsung heros were Kylee Hager, who assisted on two of Martin’s goals, and Meghan Rafter, who assisted on the game-winner in OT.
“Kylee Hager and Meghan Rafter had a really big part in this game,” Mason said. “They did an amazing job taking the ball and redirecting it as needed.
“These wins were huge. Teams start to fade out halfway through the year, and we’re on the rise. They are on a roll now, and it feels really good. They’ve been working really hard, and they deserve this. This was a good confidence booster for us against a really good team.”
The Golden Hawks took a 2-0 lead in the first quarter, thanks to goals from Annagrace McKinney and Martin. McKinney turned a pass from Martin into a goal less than three minutes into the game, and 10 minutes later, Martin scored with a Hager assist. The Knights evened the score with two goals of their own in the second quarter. Laura Anthony scored with 4:01 remaining in the half, and Caleigh Sperling (Kylie Barwis assist) scored 90 seconds later to send the two teams into halftime deadlocked at 2-2.
“They scored two goals without my defender on the field,” Mason said. “It was a very physical game, and my players kept getting called for the cards. We had two green cards and one yellow.
“We played consistently well even through the adversity of being down players due to multiple cards. Our defense did a great job of holding off strong defensive drives by North Penn. Grace Franchini and Breanna Gable made excellent plays on the defensive end and Payton Wright played well in goal.”
Martin’s second goal with 9:35 remaining in the third quarter (Hager assist) gave the Golden Hawks a 3-2 lead, but with 3:33 remaining in regulation, Laura Anthony found the cage with the equalizer (Catherine McGeehan assist). The stage was set for overtime.
The Knights held a 15-4 advantage in corners but both teams collected 10 shots.
“Unfortunately, the Knights started slow and had to come from behind time and time again against a tough Council Rock South squad,” NP coach Shannon McCracken said. “Too many offensive opportunities were missed as we forced 15 penalty corners but were only able to convert on two. Overtime saw a quick goal as North Penn was playing down one player from a card in the previous quarter.
“I hope we can continue to grow as a team and recognize how valuable it is to play a full 60-minute game and start strong from the first whistle. We need to clean up some things on both sides of the ball in the circle. Capitalizing on offensive opportunities and managing our marks better are key moving forward.”
Council Rock South (6-4, 6-3 SOL) will host Pennridge on Thursday (7 p.m.), and North Penn (5-5, 5-4) will host Bensalem on Thursday.
Council Rock South 2-0-1-0-1 4
North Penn 0-2-0-1-0 3
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 7, BENSALEM 0
Megan Reilly and Rebecca Zakrzewski each picked up a hat trick to lead the Titans to the decisive win. Zakrzewski also had an assist.
“CB South played very well against a tenacious Bensalem team who did not give up,” South coach Pat Toner said.
Reilly put the Titans on the scoreboard one minute into the game, using an assist from Kaeli VanDerSluis. That 1-0 lead held until Reilly found the cage four-and-a-half minutes into the second quarter, this time turning a pass from Bella Schute into a goal. Three minutes later, Zakrzewski scored off an assist from VanDerSluis, and the Titans took that 3-0 lead into halftime.
South doubled its score with three more goals in the third quarter. Reilly completed her hat trick with an assist from Lily Haag. Zakrzewski (Avery Tyler assist) and Cassidy Taylor (Zakrzewski assist) each added a goal. For Taylor, it was her first varsity goal, and it put the Titans on top 6-0 heading into the final quarter.
Zakrzewski put the finishing touches on her big day with her third goal just over a minute into the fourth quarter to close out the scoring.
“While the entire team played well, captains Bella Schute and Lily Haag along with senior Marielle Mauri took control of the game,” Toner said. “Freshmen Kaeli VanDerSluis, Avery Tyler, and Tessa Wells contributed to the win and Sam Thomas, Ella Haag, and Maddie Orr kept Bensalem off the scoreboard. Congrats to both teams on a hard-fought game.”
The Titans held a 16-0 advantage in shots. South goalie Emma Kraft did not record a save in the shutout win.
Central Bucks South (4-5-1, 3-5-1 SOL) will host Harry S Truman on Thursday, and Bensalem (1-7) will host Jenkintown on Wednesday.
Central Bucks South 1-2-3-1 7
Bensalem 0-0-0-0 0
PENNRIDGE 3, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0
The Rams dominated play but couldn’t capitalize in a scoreless first half. They won it with three second-half goals.
“We had the advantage in all categories but could not find the results until the second half,” Pennridge coach Becky Spahr said. “Council Rock North’s defense and goalkeeper worked hard and challenged our offense.”
Hannah Capo put the Rams on the scoreboard in the third quarter. Her goal – with a Leah Verespy assist – turned out to be the game-winner. The Rams added a pair in the fourth quarter—Liz Frish scored off a Capo assist, and then it was Verespy finding the cage off a setup from Lindsey Campione.
The Rams held a decided advantage in shots (23-0) and corners (14-1).
Pennridge (3-6-1, 2-5-1 SOL) will travel to Council Rock South on Thursday (7 p.m.), and Council Rock North (4-6, 3-5) will host Souderton on Thursday.
Council Rock North 0-0-0-0 0
Pennridge 0-0-1-2 3
PENNSBURY 3, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 2
The Falcons snapped a four-game skid with a hard-fought win over the visiting Patriots.
Rylie Borgman spotted the Falcons a 1-0 lead, but the Patriots responded with a Paige Keller goal with four minutes remaining in the first quarter. The Falcons took a 2-1 lead midway through the second quarter when Meg McClure – who also had a pair of assists – found the cage, and the hosts took that one-goal lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, Olivia Graebner scored to put Pennsbury on top 3-1, but Aly McIsaac trimmed that lead to one with two minutes remaining in the frame. That 3-2 score held the rest of the way.
Pennsbury goalie Jordan Vradenburgh was credited with 13 saves.
“Our inability to adjust and connect really hurt us today,” East coach Emma Rosenthal said. “Pennsbury’s goalie did a great job, and the team did an excellent job supporting each other all over the field.”
(Submitted by Pennsbury field hockey)
We will always remember today’s game as FREAKY FRIDAY at Falcon Field – the day our players switched bodies with more confident versions of themselves and pulled off an upset against the visiting Central Bucks East Patriots.
This game catapulted us out of a four-game losing slump during which we only scored two goals and had nineteen scored against us.
“What we love most about the outcome today was the resilience our girls exhibited over the past ten days and how they found a way to come together and work for each other – it was a “WE” not “ME” performance from start to finish,” coach Traci Curtis said.
Our captains led the way today – there was a feeling in the air that something was about to change. Senior captain Meg McClure had her hand in all three goals today with one goal and two assists. She created opportunities, helped others succeed, and supported the team with encouragement and belief. Junior captain Olivia Graebner has taken on a new position with authority and made a huge difference for us in so many moments today including scoring the third goal to stretch our lead. Senior captain Reagan Ward took charge on the right side of the backfield, taking away critical scoring chances for the Patriots. Our final senior captain, Jordan Vradenburgh, had 13 saves in the cage while guiding her entire defense through red zone strategies and denying 8 penalty corners. The rest of the team followed suit and put an amazing game together.
Junior, Rylie Borgman, started off the scoring with a tip past the goalie, giving us our first lead since Sept. 9. East tied it up with four minutes left in the opening quarter to make it 1-1 going into the second quarter. McClure’s goal put us back in the lead (2-1) halfway through the second quarter and kept our Falcons on fire.
We knew that CB East would come out after halftime ready to pounce. They acclimated to the grass with ease, they were hungry, and very skilled. The third quarter was a tough battle, but our feisty Falcons did not back down. Graebner’s goal came with five minutes left in the third to put us up 3-1. The Patriots answered back three minutes later to keep themselves alive. It was a 3-2 game with the final fifteen minutes left to play. East was threatening for sure, and we knew if they tied the game it would feel like a defeat, and we did not want to know that feeling. They had a lot of shots on goal and opportunities, but our girls found a way to protect the lead as a united force.
Molly Murray handled the middle beautifully as she redirected the ball out where it needed to go and made so many smart plays. Angelina Kenney was super solid in the midfield and Kaylin Flannery took her game to the next level with great defensive stops, hits, and heads up decisions. Ava Jordan helped the offensive push as well with her speed and determination. Juniors Riley Henderson and Gabby Darling are a dynamic duo in the back who work so well together and just keep getting stronger, smarter, and more confident with every moment. They are so much fun to watch as they work like a well-oiled machine. It was a nail biter final quarter that ended with neither team scoring, leaving the game at 3-2 in our favor.
When the whistle blew, we rushed the field toward our goalie and shared the most joyous moment of our season thus far.
“The win today was a result of the work we have done off the field as a family just as much as the work we have done on the field in the sport,” Curtis said. “We are a beautiful #workinprogress, and we are not afraid to embrace the ups and downs progress demands. We know that we cannot go forward without setbacks, and today proved that we are worthy of competing and succeeding just as much as anyone else. Today the girls took all of the lessons from our defeats and combined them to create success. The holiday weekend will provide a much-needed rest period and will allow us time to saturate ourselves in this moment.”
Pennsbury (4-6, 2-6 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West on Thursday, and Central Bucks East (4-4) will take on Gleneig High School (11 a.m.) and Blair Academy (5 p.m.) at the Proving Grounds in Conshohocken as part of the 2022 MAX Field Hockey High School National Invitational.
Central Bucks East 1-0-1-0 2
Pennsbury 1-1-1-0 3
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 11, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
There’s something special going on when the Bucks and Tigers do battle in field hockey. The two teams have developed a mutual respect that is underscored by the social media posts—with a picture of the two teams together—put out by both sides after the game.
“There is a good and true fellowship between these two programs based on last year’s good will to each other,” West coach Dave DeAngelis said.
The visiting Bucks led 1-0 after one quarter and then erupted for five goals in the second quarter on their way to the win.
“The final outcome does not reflect or represent how hard Truman played throughout the entire match,” DeAngelis said. “Hats off as well to their goalkeeper (Stacy Couillard). Similar to last year, she played terrific.
“We truly enjoy playing at Truman—the turf alone is fantastic for a field hockey match. As such, we were able to reset after a sloppy first quarter and begin to play our brand of field hockey (attacking and fast). All of our student-athletes had an opportunity to gain varsity experience in addition to several members finding that back of the cage for the first time this season.”
Scoring goals for CB West were Nina Mayro, Mimi Duffy, Kendall Siegle, Calista Boos, Faith Tomlinson, Reagan Levant, Leah Feldman, and Bronwen Rouse.
Couillard was credited with 12 saves in a contest that saw the Bucks draw 12 penalty corners and take 21 shots.
Central Bucks West (9-1, 7-1 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks East on Wednesday (7 p.m.), and Harry S Truman (0-10, 0-9) will travel to Central Bucks South on Thursday.
Central Bucks West 1-5-2-3 11
Harry S Truman 0-0-0-0 0
SOL Liberty/Freedom crossover
HATBORO-HORSHAM 1, WILLIAM TENNENT 0 (OT)
A young Hatters’ squad has been showing steady improvement, and they reaped the benefits of their hard work by eking out their first win of the season when senior mid Emily Nelson scored midway through overtime, setting off a jubilant celebration.
“They all played well,” HH coach Marie Schmucker said. “It was a total team effort. It started with the goalie (Mia Fisher) all the way down the field. It was exciting. I was happy for the girls.
“We must have had the ball 95 percent of the time. We had at least 15 corners. We could have won at least 5-0. We were relentless, we just could not put the ball in the goal. We couldn’t get it in.”
The team showed signs of turning the corner earlier this week and played well in a 3-1 loss to Springfield Twp on Monday.
“I tell them, if you do all the little things, a big thing will happen, and the end result will be a win, and that’s what they did today,” Schmucker said. “Do the little things. They’re starting to get it.
“Today, they spread the field, made good passes, and played their hearts out.”
The Hatters were without senior Angelino Park—the team’s lone returning senior with varsity experience—in the fourth quarter and overtime, and Schmucker liked what she saw from her young players.
“One of our other kids got hit on the hand, and she was like, ‘Can you please put me back in?’” Schmucker said. “I wrapped her hand and put her back in. They all played hard.”
Hatboro-Horsham (1-9, 1-8 SOL) will host Upper Moreland on Thursday, and William Tennent (1-9, 1-8) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Thursday.
Hatboro-Horsham 0-0-0-0-1 1
William Tennent 0-0-0-0-0 0
WISSAHICKON 1, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 0
The Trojans—who won their three most recent games by a combined 31-0 score—have been racking up victories with relative ease. That changed when the undefeated Lions came to town on Friday.
“They’re a really good team, and it was good to play another really good team,” Wissahickon coach Lucy Gil said. “I think it was really, really good for us. It showed us some of the things we have to work on.
“You’re winning by 10 goals, and sometimes it’s not very helpful by your team. This was a really good game. It kept going back and forth, back and forth, and it showed us what we have to work on.”
Ella Hummel scored the game’s only goal with 9:13 remaining in the opening quarter, using an assist from Caroline Kirkpatrick.
“The goal was fantastic. It was off a corner,” Gil said. “We had a lot of chances, and we didn’t capitalize. That’s another area we have to work on a little bit. We were lucky to come away with the 1-0 just because they came at us pretty hard at times. They brought the ball all the way down the field at times, and exposed some of our weaknesses, but that’s good. That’s stuff we can work on.”
Gil credited the efforts of several players.
“I thought my left back, Faith Jampo, had a fantastic game,” the Trojans’ coach said. “She was just everywhere in the backfield. She did her job, and she did it well. She was strong, she carried the ball. She was a key to our defense.
“Caroline Kirkpatrick is our center back, and she always plays strong. Today, she pushed up when she had to, came back when she had to. She played really, really well.
“Ella Hummel was amazing in carrying the ball down the righthand side. She’s so quick and so fast, and it’s hard to stop her.”
Wissahickon goalie Meredith Walsh was credited with three saves in the shutout win.
Wissahickon (10-0, 9-0 SOL) will travel to Lower Moreland on Thursday, and New Hope-Solebury (9-1, 8-1) will host Upper Dublin on Thursday.
New Hope-Solebury 0-0-0-0 0
Wissahickon 1-0-0-0 1
ABINGTON 5, LOWER MORELAND 0
The Ghosts blew open a scoreless game with four third-quarter goals on their way to the big win in Friday’s crossover game.
“The girls really played like a team the second half and saw success based on that,” Abington coach Katie Small said. “I was proud of them for not giving up and falling back on their heels when the ball wasn’t finding the net.”
In the scoreless first half, the game, according to Small, was played between the Ghosts’ 50- and 25-yard lines. Things changed in the third quarter.
Skylar Beal’s unassisted goal opened the floodgates. It was 2-0 when Maddie Slavin scored with an assist from Olivia Dougherty. Erica Devlin turned a Beal pass into a goal, and the Ghosts led 4-0 when Devlin scored her second goal of the quarter, this one off an assist from Katie Dougherty.
Camryn Stewart closed out the scoring during a corner play, with Devlin and Slavin picking up the assists.
“Maddie Slavin and Emma Brown did a great job on the back line keeping the ball away from our net,” Small said. “And Camryn Stewart and Maura Calladanoto were able to move the ball up the field today to help put pressure on LM’s defense. We worked a lot on circle play this week and credit to Skylar Beal, Maeve Link, and Erica Devlin for executing in the circle.”
The Ghosts held an 8-1 advantage in penalty corners. Abington goalie Caitlin Murcur was forced to make just one save in the shutout.
Abington (6-5, 5-4 SOL) will travel to Springfield Township for a 5 p.m. game Thursday, and Lower Moreland (5-5, 4-5) will host Wissahickon on Thursday.
Lower Moreland 0-0-0-0 0
Abington 0-0-4-1 5
QUAKERTOWN 4, UPPER MORELAND 0
Katelyn Landis scored two fourth-quarter goals in a three-minute span to cap off a strong Quakertown effort in Friday’s 4-0 win over Upper Moreland, the Panthers’ sixth victory in a row.
“She dribbled into the circle saw the left post and put it right in,” Quakertown coach MacKenzie Kramer said of Landis’ first goal of the game, which came with 12 minutes left in the final quarter. “It was hard, it was accurate, and it was so pretty to see.
“Our fourth goal was received from Alex Bevan-Xenelis, who dribbled all the way around and dished to Landis. The combo of them together executed a nice pass and goal.”
Leah Schwalm had opened the scoring for the Panthers with 7:10 left in the second quarter off an assist from Kiera Gallagher. Kaitlin Calvello made it 2-0 early in the third quarter.
“Kaitlin received a dish from Kiera Gallagher and sent it hard to the far right post,” Kramer said. “It was a beautiful shot.”
Addi Hurley starred in the cage for Upper Moreland, turning aside a whopping 26 Quakertown shots and staring down 29 Panther penalty corners. The Golden Bears also received solid play from defenders Liz Santry, Kelly Bates, Haleigh Woodman, and Cambrie Richmond.
“Overall, we played well today,” said Upper Moreland coach Marissa Elizardo. “The girls came out with a lot of energy. Unfortunately, we had some trouble with corners today. Our defense hung tough and did a great job in the circle. Our communication broke down in the fourth quarter and it led to two quick goals.”
Quakertown (6-3-1, 6-2-1 SOL) will host Cheltenham on Thursday, and Upper Moreland (4-7, 2-7) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Thursday.
Quakertown 0-1-1-2 4
Upper Moreland 0-0-0-0 0
SPRINGFIELD TWP 1, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 1 (OT)
Jules Tulio scored at the 7:37 mark of the fourth quarter to knot the score, allowing the Colonials to escape with the tie in Friday’s Liberty-Freedom crossover game.
The host Spartans had taken a 1-0 lead in the second quarter when Natalie Rittler found the net off an assist from Bella Navo.
“This was a great game, very exciting all around,” said Springfield coach Anita Stum. “Springfield dominated play in the first half, but PW picked it up in the second half. Their fourth-quarter goal was a game changer. The remainder of the game and the OT were very close. Great job by both teams.”
The Spartans finished with 7 shots on goal and 8 penalty corners. Kennedy Braddock played three quarters in goal and recorded 8 saves; Grace Bell patrolled the cage in the second quarter.
The Colonials took 9 shots on goal with 3 penalty corners. The Colonials’ goalkeeper made 5 saves in the tie.
Springfield Twp (6-4-1, 6-2-1 SOL) will host Abington Thursday (5 p.m.), and Plymouth Whitemarsh (5-5-1, 5-3-1) will host William Tennent at 7 p.m.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0-0-0-1-0 1
Springfield Twp 0-1-0-0-0 1
UPPER DUBLIN 8, CHELTENHAM 0
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