Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Tuesday. CB East/Pennsbury photos provided courtesy of Tracy Valko. To view a gallery of the game, please visit the photo gallery: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f435525856
SOL Patriot/Colonial crossover games
CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 3, PENNSBURY 1
The Patriots scored a pair of second-half goals to earn the win in Tuesday’s Senior Night contest that honored seniors Ella Mirarchi, Kaite Spillane, Sienna Valenti, Paige Keller, Riley Schmidt and Audra Szymborski.
“It was a great Senior Night win with every senior contributing,” East coach Emma Rosenthal said. “We had a great offensive push to start the game with just really great energy all over the field.”
Six minutes into the contest, the Patriots got on the scoreboard when senior Riley Schmidt scored with an assist from Paige Keller. The Falcons evened the score with four minutes remaining in the first half when Riley Borgman took a free hit and crossed the ball into the circle where Riley Askey – on the far post – deflected it into the cage.
Midway through the third quarter Morgan Volans scored an unassisted goal to put the Patriots on top 2-1, and Keller scored with time winding down in the fourth quarter for the 3-1 final.
“Paige Keller was all over the field tonight,” Rosenthal said. “She took so many shots on goal – it was a matter of time before one went in.
“Credit to Pennsbury’s defense and goalie for keeping us out of the back of the cage, but I’m proud of us for continuing to push forward. Anna Daly also had a great game tonight in the midfield, and Morgan Volans came into the game off the sideline and was really just such a spark on the forward line.”
Central Bucks East (8-2, 7-2 SOL) will host Neshaminy on Thursday, and Pennsbury (3-7, 2-7) will host Central Bucks West on Thursday.
(Article submitted by Pennsbury field hockey)
As the remnants of hurricane Ophelia blanketed the area, the Pennsbury Falcons bundled up and boarded the bus for their battle against Central Bucks East. The two teams had already faced one another during a preseason scrimmage, but there was no doubt that the Falcons and the Patriots would come out as different versions of themselves on this day a little over a month later.
“We have come a long way since August,” said head coach Traci Curtis. “There has been positive growth across all facets of the field in skill, technique, tactics, strategy, and confidence, and we are very proud of that growth. Today’s game, despite the loss, was one of our best performances all season because we sustained awesome intensity and skill for a full 60 minutes.”
The Patriots, fueled by the excitement of their Senior Night celebrations, found the back of the net six minutes into the first quarter and went ahead 1-0. PHS didn’t get rattled. That lead stood through the rest of the quarter as the Falcons tough defense held the Patriots off with authority.
“One of our focuses after watching film was adjusting some defensive strategies, and it paid off tremendously today,” Curtis said. “The girls truly listened, learned, and applied. In addition, our goalie, Kayla Shaffer, really worked in tandem with our defensive unit to keep us successful.”
While Pennsbury held the Patriots to one goal, they used their theme of RAISE THE BAR to tie it up with four minutes left in the second quarter. Riley Borgman took control of a free hit opportunity and crossed the ball beautifully into the circle. Riley Askey was in a great spot on the far post for a picture-perfect deflection, and the Falcons found themselves neck and neck with CBE. The orange and black went into halftime excited and ready to continue fighting with force and they did exactly that until halfway into the third quarter when East got one by the PHS goalie during a scuffle in front of the cage to take the lead again 2-1.
“The opportunities were there for us to take the lead and tie it up again after going down, but we were just coming up a tiny bit short,” Curtis said. “Our girls were passing beautifully, connecting and working so well together, using the outsides, and getting breakaways, but we just couldn’t make it happen. Our defense was keeping us in the game – Riley Henderson had an amazing defensive save that perfectly reflected how much heart she was playing with. Gabby Darling had a defensive save as well – they both are senior captains and set the tone for everyone else stepping up for the entire game.”
It remained a 2-1 game through the rest of the third quarter and almost through the entire fourth. The Patriots squeaked one final goal in on a beautiful outside shot to the corner with only 27 seconds left in the game. The final score was 3-1, but the game as a whole was a much closer battle for 60 minutes. Pennsbury even earned a penalty corner with a couple minutes left in the game but unfortunately did not execute and lost the opportunity to even the score. CB East earned 14 penalty corners and had 16 shots on goal.
“The fact that three were what made it onto the scoreboard makes us really happy and proud,” Curtis said. “We walked away from this one with our heads up and our hearts full. So many pieces worked today, and many players rose to the occasion and proved to themselves that they are capable of achieving – Abby Iacona, Ryan Burdette, Mia Popovich, Avalee Shumski, Angelina Kenney, Cailyn Reilly – Confidence is the key for us and tonight helped us in so many ways. Congratulations to the CB East seniors on a great night.”
Pennsbury will move to the other side of the compass rose and host CB West on Thursday.
Pennsbury 0-1-0-0 1
Central Bucks East 1-0-1-1 3
SOUDERTON 2, NESHAMINY 1
Talk about a dramatic change of fortunes.
The Indians – winless in their first five games of the season – won their fourth straight game on Tuesday night. Junior Julia Blair scored both of Souderton’s goals after connecting for a hat trick in Friday’s win over Pennsbury.
“There were definitely games early on in the season that we should have won and didn’t,” Souderton coach Sue Casciato said. “I was thinking about it today – they’re not all starting, but I’m playing five freshmen.
“I don’t know if it’s a change in confidence, but we’re just much more aggressive, and that was missing. We’re not experienced, we’re not overly skilled, but sometimes if you just play harder, things go better.”
The turning point, according to the Indians’ coach, might well have been the second half of Souderton’s 8-2 loss to Central Bucks West that saw the Bucks open up a 6-0 halftime lead.
“We let them have their way with us in the first half, and the second half when we started doubling the ball and making them work a little harder, sometimes people make mistakes,” Casciato said. “This win was huge, and I really hope that the second half at West turned us around.”
Six minutes into the second quarter, Blair scored on a reverse sweep from the top of the circle, and the Indians took that 1-0 lead into halftime. The Indians upped their led to 2-0 two minutes into the second half when Blair scored from the top of the circle on a corner shot, using an Ashley Paturzo assist.
“Julia Blair had a really good night,” Casciato said of her right inside mid. “She’s a super hard worker.”
The Redskins made things very interesting when Kasey Rieger scored 20 seconds into the fourth quarter to pull to within one.
“It was a huge transition game – they definitely had the ball in the circle, but then we’d go the other direction,” Casciato said. “There were a lot of breakaway opportunities on both sides.”
Underscoring the fact that the game was played between the 20s was the fact that the Indians held a 4-3 edge in shots while both teams had only four corners.
“It was a very physical game,” Casciato said. “There was a lot of action, but the defenses for both teams came up big in the circle.
“Ashley Patruzo and Olivia Nogami played well on defense. I felt their back three (Morgan Shaltens, Maddy Shtino and Alayna Roscoe) was very solid also. They were stopping our efforts, and we were stopping theirs. It looked like sure breakaways, and you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, the defense came up with the ball.’”
For the SOL Patriot Division leading Redskins, Tuesday’s loss was just their second of the league season in eight games.
“Tonight was not the outcome we were looking for against an aggressive Souderton team,” Neshaminy coach Jamie Pinto said. “We had our moments, but we were not able to get the ball in the circle enough.
“We have been playing well as a team and will continue to learn and build from our mistakes tonight.”
Souderton (4-5-1, 4-3-1 SOL) will host Council Rock North on Thursday at 6:30 p.m., and Neshaminy (7-3, 6-2) will host Harry S Truman on Wednesday.
Souderton 0-1-1-0 2
Neshaminy 0-0-0-1 1
PENNRIDGE 6, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 1
The Rams found their offense in Tuesday night’s win over the visiting Indians, opening up a 4-0 halftime lead on their way to the convincing victory.
“Today we played a strong offensive game, scoring on six of nine shots on goal,” Pennridge coach Becky Spahr said. “It was great to see six goals with six assists. It’s a credit to our passing game.”
Ryleigh Lilly turned a Keira Horensky pass into a goal to spot the Rams a 1-0 lead in the first quarter.
“I’m super happy for Ryleigh Lilly, who scored her first varsity goal,” Spahr said.
In the second quarter, the Rams erupted for three unanswered goals. Leah Verespy scored with an assist from Alyssa Gobretch, and then it was Lindsey Campione connecting with Horensky’s second assist of the night. Elsa Parson scored to make it a 4-0 game, using a Liz Frisch pass.
Megan Reichenbach broke up the Rams shutout bid with a third-quarter goal, but Frisch got that back with a goal assisted by Campione.
In the fourth quarter, Campione (Audrey Frentzen assist) scored her second goal of the game to close out the scoring for both sides.
“Defensively, we caused too many corners, but our defensive penalty corner unit – Lindsey Campione, Keira Horensky, Maura Kulp, Alyssa Gobretch, Liz Frisch – and goalkeeper Molly Bross were able to limit shots and goals.”
Pennridge (4-6, 3-5 SOL) will host Council Rock South on Thursday, and Council Rock North (5-4, 3-4) will be on the road at Souderton on Thursday for a 6:30 p.m. contest.
Council Rock North 0-0-1-0 1
Pennridge 1-3-1-1 6
NORTH PENN 8, COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 1
The visiting Knights took a 3-1 lead into halftime and then blew the game open with five unanswered goals in the second half.
“It was a team effort,” NP coach Shannon McCracken said. “Possession passing and fast restarts were the key to victory today.”
Five minutes into the game, Ashleigh Barwis scored an unassisted goal, and five minutes later, Paige Shearer scored with an assist from Grace McGeehan. Laura Albert (Kylie Barwis assist) connected for a goal to put the Knights on top 3-0 after one quarter.
Rock South’s Sarah Freeman scored the only goal in the second quarter to make it a 3-1 game at the half.
The second half belonged to the Knights. McGeehan (Kylie Barwis assist) scored three minutes into the second half, and then Caleigh Sperling scored back-to-back goals in less than a minute. McGeehan (Albert assist) scored with 4:30 remaining in the third quarter to put the Knights on top 7-1.
Melissa Sessler scored the only goal of the fourth quarter, using an Ashleigh Barwis assist.
“Midfielders Laura Albert and Caleigh Sperling made a lot of stops and key passes in the transition in the middle today,” McCracken said. “The sister duo of Ashleigh and Kylie Barwis led the way on the attack.”
The Knights held an advantage in shots (16-1) and penalty corners (18-4).
North Penn (7-2-1, 6-2-1 SOL) will travel to Bensalem on Thursday, and Council Rock South (3-6, 2-5) will travel to Pennridge on Thursday.
North Penn 3-0-4-1 8
Council Rock South 0-1-0-0 1
CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 4, BENSALEM 0
Kaeli VanDerSluis scored back-to-back goals to put the Titans on top 2-0 early in the second quarter on their way to the shutout win.
VandDerSluis put the Titans on the scoreboard with just over a minute remaining in the first quarter, using an assist from Tessa Walls. Her second goal – just over four minutes into the second quarter – was unassisted. Ella Haag scored an unassisted goal with five minutes remaining in the quarter to send the Titans into halftime with a 3-0 lead.
Erin Kelly (Walls assist) scored the only goal of the second half early in the fourth quarter.
The Titans took 16 shots on goal and had nine corners.
Central Bucks South (5-3, 5-3 SOL) will travel to Central Bucks West for a 5 p.m. game on Wednesday, and Bensalem (2-7, 1-7) will host North Penn on Thursday.
Bensalem 0-0-0-0 0
Central Bucks South 1-2-0-1 4
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 13, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
Forget the final score.
This night was about a whole lot more than the Bucks’ decisive win. For starters, it was Community Youth Night.
“It was a cool and misty evening at War Memorial Field, but that did not dampen our community youth night celebration,” West coach David DeAngelis said. “Many of our student-athletes grew up through the DAA field hockey program, and they continue to give back through coaching various age group teams.”
The night also underscored the connection between the two squads.
“There is a camaraderie that began three years ago between the programs that remains intact to this day,” DeAngelis said. “At the end of the day, the core focus is about the student-athletes. The final score is not reflective of the full game effort from Truman.”
Mimi Duffy connected on back-to-back goals to open the scoring, the first one with an Aide Ierubino assist. Then it was Ierubino scoring with an Eve Damsker assist. Goals by Damsker and Calista Boos (Ierubino assist) gave the Bucks a 5-0 lead after one quarter.
Lily Cosner scored the only goal of the second quarter.
In the third quarter, Nina Mayro opened the scoring with consecutive goals, using assists from Laney Hall and Ella Dougherty. Dougherty scored with a Cosner assist, and then it was Emily Taylor (Hall assist) and Lauren Quinn (Ierubino assist) scoring to close out the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Lucy Damsker and Kiersten Boos each had a goal.
“We were able to pass and transition the ball quickly tonight,” DeAngelis said. “Our team continues to support and play for each other throughout the match. Members of the team had extended playing time and were able to score their first varsity goals.”
Central Bucks West (9-0, 8-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks South on Wednesday (5 p.m.), and Harry S Truman (0-10, 0-8) will be on the road at Neshaminy on Wednesday.
Harry S Truman 0-0-0-0 0
Central Bucks West 5-1-5-2 13
SOL Liberty/Patriot Division crossover games
WISSAHICKON 3, NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 0
After winning their last three games by a combined 32-0 score, the Trojans found themselves in a battle in Tuesday’s crossover game at New Hope-Solebury. Sparked by play of Faith Jampo and Audrey Walsh – who both had a hand in all three goals, the Trojans picked up the impressive road win.
“It was a good game for us – it was evenly matched,” Wissahickon coach Lucy Gil said. “We were able to capitalize on a couple of really good corners, but it kept going back and forth, back and forth. We need that. We need to be tested.”
Jampo scored the game’s first goal with 90 seconds remaining in the first quarter, using a Walsh assist, and midway through the second quarter, Jampo assisted on a Walsh goal to send the Trojans into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
That score stood until the fourth quarter when Jampo scored – again with a Walsh assist. All three Wissahickon goals were scored on corners.
“Faith Jampo and Audrey Walsh have taken over the battery at the top on corners,” Gil said. “They look over once in while to ask me what I think, but most of the time, they call their own corners.
“They’re just so good with reading the field and just reading the flyers that come out, so I just let them, and they are super successful. They’ve really gotten the hang of it, so we’re happy with that part.”
Gil was pleased with her team’s strong showing.
“I was very pleasantly surprised with how they moved the ball,” the Trojans’ coach said. “We’ve been practicing a lot with small passes right to each other’s sticks.
“We have the benefit of having a very fast field, so we’re able to do that. When we go to a different field – New Hope’s field is pretty new, we know it’s going to slow down a little bit, but they responded really well. They hit the ball hard, it went right to their sticks. I was very, very happy with how they played.”
Wissahickon (8-1, 8-0 SOL) will host Lower Moreland on Thursday, and New Hope-Solebury (7-3, 6-3 SOL) will travel to Upper Dublin on Thursday.
Wissahickon 1-1-0-1 3
New Hope-Solebury 0-0-0-0 0
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 3, SPRINGFIELD TWP 0
The Colonials broke a scoreless halftime tie with three unanswered goals in the second half to earn the crossover win.
“PW and Springfield played a tightly contested first half,” PW coach Charise Halteman said. “We came out in the third quarter with increased intensity.”
That intensity translated into a goal less than two minutes in the third quarter when Emily Dobrowolski carried the ball from the 50-yard line and into the circle, finessing the ball past the goalkeeper for a 1-0 lead.
“Ella McCarthy added another goal in the third quarter after the ball hit the post and she finished,” Halteman said. “Gracie Kerns rounded out the scoring in the fourth quarter with a beautiful reverse chip to the upper left corner of the cage.
“I feel like we were the better team, but we struggled to finish in the first half. Springfield packs it in defensively, so we had to work to stretch the field to create more space. Emily’s early goal in the second half was the confidence boost we needed.”
In addition to the goal scorers, the PW coach lauded the play of right back Kate Dobrowolski, who played a strong game.
The Spartans took five shots on goal and had four penalty corners.
For the Colonials, Carly Spinner and Claire Carrington combined for the shutout win in goal.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (4-5, 4-3 SOL) will travel to William Tennent on Thursday, and Springfield Twp (7-3-1, 5-3-1) will be on the road at Abington on Thursday.
Springfield Twp 0-0-0-0 0
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0-0-2-1 3
ABINGTON 5, LOWER MORELAND 2
The Ghosts exploded for four goals in the second quarter, turning a 1-0 lead after one quarter into a 5-0 halftime lead. They never looked back.
“It was a great team win today for Abington,” Abington coach Janine Larr said. “I was really proud of how everyone contributed to this win today. The girls are really coming together as a team and have been playing really great hockey, these past few games.”
Sophomore forward Maeve Link got the ball rolling with a goal late in the first quarter. Then came a second quarter that saw the Ghosts’ offense come alive.
Senior midfielder Oliva Dougherty scored on a corner at the 9:23 mark, converting the goal from a series of passes between sophomore midfielder Carly Hughes to Maeve Link. Less than two minutes later, Hughes connected on an unassisted goal.
Senior Skylar Beal added a spark on the offensive end, scoring with an assist from senior forward Sharon Griffin with 5:30 remaining in the half. Beal then added an assist on Link’s second goal of the game to put the Ghosts on top 5-0.
Lower Moreland senior Reagan Hopkins notched her 11th goal of the season in the third quarter, and in the fourth quarter, freshman Maddie Broderick scored the first goal of her high school career with an assist from Jess Pachman.
“Lower Moreland came out in the second half and continued to play us very well and kept the pressure on,” Larr said. “They were able to score two goals and made us work to maintain our lead.”
The Ghosts’ coach acknowledged the strong efforts of several players.
“Senior mid-fielder Oliva Dougherty was key throughout the entire game in helping control the tempo of the game for Abington,” Larr said. “She was instrumental on the offensive end in helping create scoring opportunities as well as on the defensive end in preventing goals for Lower Moreland. Maeve Link also had an exceptional offensive game, in both creating scoring opportunities and converting on goals.
“Junior goalie Caitlin Murcar played well in goal and recorded seven saves for the win.”
Goalie Meg Halpern had 16 saves for the Lions.
“We lost a tough one,” LM coach Janet Lutter said. “We came out strong but fell flat in the second quarter, allowing four goals to be scored.
“We regrouped at halftime and were able to pick ourselves up and be proud of our second half of the game. We held the Ghosts scoreless in the second half. If we could just stop digging holes for ourselves and get consistent in our play, we will have a successful rest of the season.”
Abington (4-4, 3-4 SOL) will host Springfield Twp on Thursday, and Lower Moreland (5-5, 4-5) will travel to Wissahickon on Thursday.
Abington 1-4-0-0 5
Lower Moreland 1-0-0-1 2
QUAKERTOWN 8, UPPER MORELAND 0
Katelyn Landis and Sunny Draper each scored a goal in the opening quarter, and the Panthers took that 2-0 lead into halftime but blew the game open with six second-half goals.
“We kept the ball in their circle, making lots of nice crosses in front of their cage and keeping pressure on their goalie,” Quakertown coach MacKenzie Moser said. “Passes were there today, and that really showed our ball handling and ball movement skills.”
In the third quarter, both Landis and Draper scored their second goals while Leah Schwalm and Ella Schubert each had a goal to put the Panthers on top 6-0. Draper scored in the fourth quarter to complete her hat trick, and Kiera Gallagher also had a goal.
The final score, according to UM coach Pam Remmey, did not reflect the Golden Bears’ grit, effort and level of play.
“Quakertown was a very tough and physical team, and they received several penalty cards, including a yellow 5-minute card. “The evenness of play was illustrated by the number of penalty corners with Quakertown only awarded five and UM getting two. Most of the play was between the 25s, but Upper Moreland remained resilient.”
The UM coach lauded the strong showings of several players.
“Addi Hurley played amazing in goal with 23 saves,” Remmey said. “Kelly Bates was our MVP today – KB was our anchor at defense, making many skilled tackles and sending the ball up to the attack.
“Forwards Olivia Meakim, Ava Bailey and Maggie Morrow played remarkably well at forward, coming back for the ball all game. Cambrie Richmond played aggressively at center middie, marking some very skilled Quakertown players. Eowyn Stainback also did a great job with connecting on massive free hits up the field.”
Quakertown (9-1, 8-0 SOL) will travel to Cheltenham on Thursday, and Upper Moreland (4-5, 2-5) will host Hatboro-Horsham on Thursday.
Upper Moreland 0-0-0-0 0
Quakertown 2-0-4-2 8
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