Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Saturday.
SOL Continental
SOUDERTON 3, NORTH PENN 2
A word of advice to fans of Souderton field hockey: never leave a game early.
With less than 10 minutes remaining in regulation, the Indians – who fell behind 2-0 in the first half – still found themselves staring at a two-goal deficit.
That apparently was no reason to panic for an Indian squad that had spent the second half on the attack but had nothing to show for its efforts on the scoreboard.
“We were nervous, but I wouldn’t say we were frustrated,” senior Randi Hess said. “I would say we were nervous but definitely motivated.
“That showed us we could get the ball in the (circle) where we wanted it to be, and we just had to keep pushing for it.”
With 3:03 remaining, it was Hess – in a textbook sequence – slamming an Anna Gwiazdzinski crossing pass into the cage, capping a remarkable comeback with a goal that turned out to be the game winner.
“Anna had the ball going down, and I’m like, ‘Anna, give it to me,’” Hess said. “She gave me the perfect cross. You couldn’t ask for a better ball.
“I think this builds a lot of confidence for our younger players and new players who haven’t played on our team before. They see what we can do, and one of our chants is ‘we’re good this year,’ and we’re really trying to live up to that game by game.”
With the win, the Indians – who having not finished above .500 in league play since 2011 – upped their record to 3-0 on the young season. And if Saturday’s comeback seemed remarkable – and scoring three goals in just over five minutes down the stretch certainly qualifies, the Indians had shown glimpses of their resiliency in a preseason scrimmage, rallying from a 4-1 deficit to earn a 6-4 win against Great Valley.
“A lot of it is – we had to focus on getting that first goal,” Gwiazdzinski said. “We can’t look at winning the game and coming back from 2-0 down.
“It’s a lot of finding that first goal and working as a team, getting back to the basics of passing, working together and being there for one another. Once we get that first goal, we really build off that energy and we find a way to connect better.”
Gwiazdzinski scored that first goal and gave her team the shot of confidence it needed when – on the far post with 8:35 remaining during corner play – she deflected a Jenna Hunsicker shot into the cage that make it a 2-1 game.
“That’s a confidence builder,” coach Sue Casciato said. “We’d been knocking at the door.
“We were down 4-1 at Great Valley earlier this year, and we scored six goals in the second half, so we’re like, ‘We know we can do this.’ They have confidence and our conditioning is good – we used one sub.”
Less than a minute later, the Indians knotted the score when Lauren Shaughnessy turned a Courtney Kenah pass into a goal, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.
Earlier, the Knights had all the first-half highlights, connecting on a pair of goals during corner play.
The first came just over six minutes into the game when Emily Crawford found the cage, and the Knights led 2-0 after Kristin Varilla turned a Madison Stotler pass into a goal with 8:55 remaining in the first half.
The Indians acknowledged that the Knights may have caught them by surprise after back-to-back double-digit wins.
“It definitely was our first difficult game,” Gwiazdzinski said. “We had played teams where we could over-pressure them and be okay maybe missing a ball here and there.
“This game was a lot of figuring out how to be behind the ball and making sure no matter what they don’t get past us.”
“We were a little slow the first half,” said Casciato, herself a former hockey standout at North Penn. “I said to the girls afterwards, ‘These are the kind of games we need.’
“We’re not going to get better winning 10-0, and North Penn came out ready to play. We were a little flat. They were taking their free hits, we weren’t ready.”
The win was the first for the Indians over North Penn since Oct. 16, 2015, when they edged the Knights 4-3.
“We always have been intimidated to go against North Penn because every time they come out they always come out on top,” Hess said. “In the second half when we came out, we saw the scoreboard, we saw what had happened, and we were tired of it, and we wanted the ball in the net.
“Everybody this year is working together as a team and really selfless play.”
The Knights suffered a major loss when Varilla, a senior captain and key midfielder, left the game with a foot injury with under 10 minutes remaining.
“That was a key loss at a crucial part of the game,” coach Shannon McCracken said. “As a young team, we are looking to grow from this loss and look forward to seeing Souderton again.”
Souderton (3-0, 2-0 SOL) will be on the road at Central Bucks South on Wednesday, and North Penn (1-2, 0-1) will host Central Bucks East on Wednesday.
North Penn 2-0 2
Souderton 0-3 3
Non-league
QUAKERTOWN 7, BENSALEM 5
The Panthers erupted for seven goals, and after enduring back-to-back shutouts, the offensive explosion was welcome indeed.
“Today was an exciting game with a lot of back and forth goals,” coach Kelly Driscoll said. “The team rebounded from a major loss to Pennridge yesterday (10-0) and came out to play with a spark.
“I hope that we can use that spark to create more of a fire in them to fight for the full 60 minutes in all games.”
Three minutes into the game, sophomore Lauren Junker set the tone, putting the Panthers – who led 4-3 at halftime – on the scoreboard with her second goal of the season. Junior captain Makenzie Adamson collected a hat trick, scoring one goal in the first half and two more in the second. She also was credited with a pair of assists.
“Makenzie was a presence on the field with her cohort and co-captain Halle Frederick,” Driscoll said. “Those two have a connection on the field that is remarkable.
“They are able to create forward momentum on the field and make the impossible possible.”
Frederick finished the game with one goal and three assists. Also contributing goals were Emma Mitchell and Fallon Grandinetti.
Quakertown (2-2, 0-2 SOL) will be on the road at Upper Moreland Tuesday for a non-league contest, and Bensalem (0-2, 0-1) is off until Friday when the Owls will host Council Rock South.
Bensalem 4-3 7
Bensalem 3-2 5
PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 7, LOWER MERION 0
Anna Borkowski turned in a stellar four-goal effort to lead the Colonials to the non-league rout over the Aces.
The sophomore forward scored a pair of first-half goals to send the Colonials into halftime with a 2-0 lead. She completed her hat trick with the first goal of the second half to give her team a three-goal advantage, and she wasn’t finished yet, adding her fourth later in the half.
Sophomore Kaleigh Missimer added two goals in the second half – her first tallies of the season. She also had an assist. Kennedy Reardon contributed a single goal, and Hailey Copestick added an assist.
“Sam Spera and Kennedy Reardon controlled the pace of the game and created many attacking opportunities,” coach Charise Halteman said of her senior midfielders.
Goalkeeper Sarah Trask earned her second shut-out in as many games.
Plymouth Whitemarsh (2-0, 1-0 SOL) will host Wissahickon on Tuesday in a key conference battle.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 2-5 7
Lower Merion 0-0 0
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