Check out the recaps for SOL field hockey teams in action Thursday. Neshaminy/CR North photos provided courtesy of John Gleeson. Check back for a gallery of photos.
SOL Patriot
COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH 3, PENNSBURY 1
Caroline Martin scored a pair of first-quarter goals to give the Golden Hawks an early advantage on their way to the division win.
“The team came out strong today, scoring within the first minute of the game and then playing solid defense for the rest of the time,” Rock South coach Kelly Mason said.
Megan Rafter assisted Martin on her goal in the opening minute, and Amanda Green assisted on her second later in the first quarter. The Golden Hawks took that 2-0 lead into halftime.
Kylee Hager’s unassisted goal gave the Golden Hawks a 3-0 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Rylie Borgman broke up the Golden Hawks’ shutout bid when she scored in the fourth quarter, using a Mia Popovich assist.
Mason was pleased with her team’s effort in the win.
“Grace Franchini and Clare Morgan played great defense in the back for us, shutting down their main forward,” the Golden Hawks’ coach said. “Our goalie, Peyton Wright, had some nice saves in the net.
“Kylee Hager carried the ball nicely down the field for us and worked well with Sarah Freeman to distribute the ball. Amanda Green and Megan Rafter played aggressively both on offense and defense. As a whole, each player did their part, and it was a good team effort for the win.”
(Article submitted by Pennsbury field hockey)
(Thursday) was a picture perfect day for field hockey, and before the Falcons started their pregame warmup, they captured the perfect picture. Once the team photos for the yearbook were snapped, the black and orange readied themselves for another home battle, this time against the Hawks of Council Rock South.
“This was a big game for us,” said coach Traci Curtis. “Each contest carries with it a fresh focus, a new set of goals, and a different challenge, and today we had specific things we were expecting (and hoping) as coaches. Unfortunately, we did not achieve at the level we wanted and will, once again, gather up the lessons learned and work even harder to put the pieces back together.”
Curtis admits that her team came out flat and a little too carefree at the start of the game.
“We are not asking the girls to be nervous or tense, but it would have been nice to see some more of them laser focused on the task at hand,” the Falcons’ coach said. “The Hawks came down and scored in the first minute of the game, jolting our defense from their sleep and setting the tone right away. It shouldn’t take something like that happening for our players to realize it’s time to compete.
“Once the whistle blows it’s too late to decide to actually work hard – that thought needs to happen like back in August, or even earlier. Now that we have a few games under our belt, we are starting to see how our lineup is shaking out and who made that committed decision way back and is willing to fight for the greater good.”
CR South’s second goal came later in the first quarter on a great lifted shot to make it 2-0 going into the second quarter. After some adjustments, the Falcons came out a little stronger and held the Hawks scoreless in the second keeping the score 2-0 going into halftime.
“We had some moments of greatness and sparks that just couldn’t ignite the way we wanted,” said Curtis. “My assistant, Britt Sheenan, and I were working double time during the break to figure out the best formula for the third quarter. Some things were working really well, but success doesn’t come when it’s ‘some’, it has to be more than that.
“Weaknesses are magnified against teams like South, and we struggled with finishing or just being strong enough in too many places.”
Despite outstanding dives, saves, and winning circle scrambles from senior goalie Jordan Vradenburgh, who denied 14 shots, the Hawks notched another goal in the third to take a 3-0 lead. In combination with Vradenburgh’s stellar agility in the cage and leadership, junior Falcon defender, Riley Henderson added a defensive save to the books, keeping South out of the goal for the remainder of the game.
“Henderson has been solid for us on D and is settling into her role so well,” Curtis said. “She is tough and skilled and able to help us get out of the backfield. Being down 3-0 did not feel good as we began the fourth quarter, but I have to say we came out for the final 15 minutes with some fire.
“We caught South on their heels a little bit and had a couple of really great opportunities on crosses from Meg McClure, but we were seconds behind the connection, missing by inches. If we connect on those cross passes, we are looking at a tie game in the fourth – a completely different game. Woulda, coulda, shoulda…”
Curtis and Sheenan were pained watching those balls go by the cage. Pennsbury did not give up, and with 11 minutes remaining in the game, Rylie Borgman scored a lone goal on a beautiful breakaway set up with the help of Mia Popovich.
“Borgman has speed, smarts, and is a hard worker,” Curtis said. “She finished that breakaway so well and gave us the first spark of hope in the game that was far from over. However, it proved to be too little, too late. The game ended with the Hawks winning 3-1 and Pennsbury wishing there was more time to play.”
As Curtis reflects, she believes that her girls are way more capable than they showed Thursday.
“We have much more fight in us than that – it is just a matter of who decides to come out ready on any given day,” the Falcons’ coach said. “In addition to those already mentioned, the following Falcons battled hard and made a difference for us – Chelsea Todd, Liv Greabner, Ava Jordan, Molly Murray, Gabby Darling, and Angelina Kenney.”
Pennsbury (2-2, 1-2 SOL will host Conwell Friday for a non-league contest before hitting the road next week, and Council Rock South (3-2, 3-1) will host Harry S Truman on Tuesday.
Council Rock South 2-0-1-0 3
Pennsbury 0-0-0-1 1
NESHAMINY 4, COUNCIL ROCK NORTH 0
Four different players scored one goal each for the Redskins, who upped their record to 4-0.
“Today we played well,” coach Jamie Pinto said. “We have been doing a nice job finishing, and multiple players have had a hand in scoring.”
Molly Courtney scored a goal that turned out to be the game-winner with five minutes remaining in the first quarter. Ava Arbakov had the assist. In the second quarter, Kasey Rieger connected on an unassisted goal just over four minutes into the frame. Midway through the quarter, Mia Sermarini scored with an Olivia Roscoe assist. Caitlyn Colyar scored with a Roscoe assist in the opening minute of the fourth quarter to close out the scoring.
Pinto credited the performances of several players in the win.
“Kasey Rieger did a nice job generating offense, and Avery McGinty and Olivia Roscoe did a nice job in the center,” the Redskins’ coach said. “We are going to continue to work hard, play together as a team, and take one game at a time.”
Neshaminy (4-0 SOL) will host Plymouth Whitemarsh in a non-league game Friday.
Neshaminy 1-2-0-1 4
Council Rock North 0-0-0-0 0
BENSALEM 4, HARRY S TRUMAN 0
SOL Colonial
CENTRAL BUCKS WEST 4, PENNRIDGE 2
In a spirited contest between the division rivals, the two teams combined for six first-half goals and then neither team scored in the second half as the Bucks notched their fourth win of the young season.
“This was a full 60-minute, hard-nosed, clean battle the entire time,” West coach Dave DeAngelis said. “We talk about the sister schools – East and South. Pennridge has a unique relationship because so many of these student-athletes play on the same club team together (FSC). Because of the close proximity of the student-athletes to each other, I think that competitive spirit rose to the top.
“This game did not disappoint. It was punch, counterpunch, punch, counterpunch. Becky (Spahr) and Melissa (Herd) and the staff – their record is not indicative of how hard-nosed and how well they play. Like every team, a little breakdown here and a little breakdown there – that’s where the scores start separating.”
Two days after a pair of freshmen combined for all three of West’s goals in a 3-0 win over CB South, the Bucks’ attack was led by a trio of upperclassmen. Senior Kendall Siegle and junior Mimi Duffy each scored a pair of goals while junior Nina Mayro assisted on two goals.
“We don’t have a super stud, but our front seven – they attack and they continue to keep coming,” DeAngelis said. “They all have really good stick skills, and I know they put defenses under pressure. You’re not going to be able to focus in on one student-athlete.
“It is such a pleasure to watch their growth. When you’re there day in and day out and you see what goes on behind the curtain – when you see the willingness and dedication, the wanting to be coached, the wanting to learn, the wanting to try, that is what makes this so rewarding.”
CB West held an advantage in shots on goal (21-10) and penalty corners (9-1), an advantage that was negated in part by the 17-save effort of Pennridge goalie Maia Machada. West keeper Kendra Pitts, a freshman, was credited with eight saves.
“Even though we had more opportunities on goal, their defense and their goalkeeper – they played phenomenal,” DeAngelis said. “Even though we had 21 shots and their sweeper was credited with 17, everyone was battling.
“While Kendra didn’t have a ton of saves, there were several times because of a few defensive miscues that she bailed us out. She rose to the challenge again because they were quality shots against us.”
Hannah Capo scored a pair of goals – one with a Payton Muth assist and the other with an assist from Leah Verespy.
DeAngelis credited Pennridge for turning in a strong outing.
“Yes, we had some unforced errors that were uncharacteristic of what we’ve done so far, but Pennridge played a very solid match,” the Bucks’ coach said. “I credit the coaching staff because, like everyone, you have new people coming in, some people don’t come out, you’ve got to figure out what you have and what you go with. You can see they’ve got a good nucleus they’re building off of.”
Central Bucks West (4-0, 3-0 SOL) will travel to Perkiomen Valley for a non-league game Saturday (2 pm). Pennridge (1-5, 0-4) will host Central Bucks South on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
Pennridge 1-1-0-0 2
Central Bucks West 2-2-0-0 4
SOUDERTON 3, CENTRAL BUCKS EAST 0
Ava Jones connected on a pair of goals to lead the Indians to their third win in as many outings.
“Our passing was really nice today, especially in the second half,” Souderton coach Sue Casciato said. “We had a lot of connections down the right side. A lot of people were involved in the offense.
“We were getting a lot of nice chances – we’re just not quite able to complete it. We have to be more efficient, but you have to give credit to East’s defense and their goalie for that too. They played us tough on the goal line, but we had a lot of opportunities.”
After a scoreless first quarter, the Indians got on the scoreboard with five minutes remaining in the second quarter when sophomore Tatum Andrews scored during corner play with an assist from Lauren Frye. Less than three minutes later, Jones scored with assists from Ava Shaw and Ange Borisow.
The Indians closed out the scoring in the third quarter when – with 8:47 remaining in the frame – Jones scored with assists from Andrews and Julia Blair. For Jones, it was her seventh goal in just three games.
“She’s getting a lot of nice touches in close, a lot of deflections,” Casciato said of her sophomore forward. “She likes to mix it up in tight.”
The Indians’ coach also credited the efforts of several players.
“Tatum Andrews did a nice job tonight,” Casciato said. “She had a couple of nice touches on the ball that helped set up goals. It was definitely her breakthrough game.
“We were strong in the middle again – Ange Borisow and Julia Blair really controlled the middle very nicely. Our right forward, Ava Shaw, is playing really well too. She’s setting up a lot of scoring opportunities for us.”
The Indians held an 11-4 advantage in corners and also had an advantage in shots. East goalie Audra Szymborski was credited with 14 saves.
“Souderton is a very skilled, tough team, and we were definitely tested,” East coach Emma Rosenthal said. “The score definitely doesn’t reflect the intensity of the game. Our young defense showed tonight – we just have some things to clean up and learn from. Audra Szymborski shined in goal.”
Souderton (3-0, 2-0 SOL) will host Central Bucks South on Friday at 3:30 p.m., and Central Bucks East (1-2) will host North Penn on Tuesday.
Central Bucks East 0-0-0-0 0
Souderton 0-2-1-0 3
NORTH PENN 5, CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH 0
The Knights took a tenuous 1-0 lead into halftime and then erupted for four second-half goals on their way to the shutout win. Laura Albert was the offensive catalyst, connecting for a hat trick.
“I was just extremely happy with the way my kids came out to play today,” NP coach Shannon McCracken said. “We were playing around with the ball a little bit at the start of the game, making some nice passes and some nice cuts but not really capitalizing on those opportunities.
“In the second half, the first 45 seconds of the third quarter is when we scored, and I feel that just opened the floodgates. We possessed the ball really well today. The girls played as a team, passing and moving well off of each other and communicating on the field. We scored on two penalty corners, so they were well executed today. The defense did a really nice job of shutting down CB South’s attack, outletting the ball and just doing a really nice job of taking care of the ball in the backfield and recording the first shutout of the season.”
Albert scored the lone goal of the first half with 10 minutes remaining in the second quarter, using a Caleigh Sperling assist.
Erika Pickford turned a Grace McGeehan pass into a goal in the opening minute of the third quarter, and midway through the frame, Albert connected for her second goal that put the Knights on top 3-0, this time using an assist from Catherine McGeehan.
With 6:08 remaining in regulation, Sperling scored with a Grace McGeehan assist, and Albert’s goal in the closing seconds put an exclamation mark on a big day for the Knights’ offense.
“Grace McGeehan had some fantastic passing today to set up two of our goals,” McCracken said. “Laura Albert had the hat trick, and she just had a great game. She was on fire in the circle today, being aggressive.
“It was a team effort today with excellent passing and well-executed corners.”
The Knights held an 11-5 advantage in corners. North Penn goalie Kiera Holt was credited with nine saves, and West goalie Emma Kraft had 10 saves.
“I know we are all disappointed at the outcome of today’s game, and although we worked hard, we didn’t work together,” South coach Pat Toner said. “We will keep working on fundamentals and keep plugging away.
“I love this group of girls and our coaching staff will do everything we can to help them feel success both on and off the field. Congrats to North Penn on a well-played game.”
North Penn (2-1 SOL) will travel to Methacton for Saturday for a non-league game at 10 a.m. Central Bucks South (1-2) will be on the road at Souderton on Friday at 3:30 p.m.
Central Bucks South 0-0-0-0 0
North Penn 0-1-2-2 5
SOL Liberty
UPPER DUBLIN 2, PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH 0
The Flying Cardinals had reason to celebrate Thursday, defeating the Colonials for the first time in a decade. UD’s last win over PW – a 2-1 victory on Oct. 15, 2012 – was actually halted with 20:43 remaining in the second half due to inclement weather but was a legal game.
Thursday’s win went the distance, and it was sweet indeed.
“Honestly, if you asked me who deserved recognition, it would be hard for me not to rattle off the entire list of names,” UD coach Emily Town said. “Even some of my subs did such a good job. A lot of them impressed me and played the best field hockey I’ve ever seen them play. Some of them pulled out skills that I didn’t even know they had.
“It was really beautiful hockey, and we had two really good refs today. It was a really clean hockey game, and it was played just beautifully on both sides. We had a little attitude adjustment between our last game and this game, and we came out with way more energy, playing together more than we ever have – more as a team and less as individuals, which was an issue for us at the start of our season. Seeing the score on the scoreboard, no matter who it was against, showed them the value of that energy and playing together.”
Thursday’s big win came on the heels of back-to-back losses to Abington (3-0) and Wissahickon (9-1). Freshman goalie Camryn Muth notched her first varsity shutout.
“Our last two games were pretty rough,” Town said. “We had to do a lot of adjusting in practice of attitude and playing. I have a very small group – all of my subs play jayvee, so my starters are the only ones I have a chance to talk to before the game.
“I told them all – ‘We know PW has these big, fancy shots. Camryn might not have seen shots like that before, so we need to protect Camryn by keeping the ball out of the circle.’ I always have my girls set three goals before the game – I have them set a personal and a team goal, and we combine them and have three goals for everyone as a team.
“The one goal was to get a corner in the first two minutes of the game. I think our first corner was within one minute. I said, ‘If you catch them on their heels – they’re not going to expect you to beat them today.’ They listened, they executed, and that’s exactly what happened.”
The Flying Cardinals didn’t just draw an early corner, they got on the scoreboard with two minutes remaining in the first quarter when senior Aviva Kuznits turned a pass from sophomore Olivia Burdo into a goal that sent UD into halftime with a 1-0.
“I gave them a couple of incentives,” Town said. “I asked for three goals from them because the more goals we score, the less gray hair coach Em gets.
“We’re getting towards the end of the fourth quarter – it’s still 1-0, and I’m getting very excited and very nervous.”
UD’s version of sister act combined to score an insurance goal with 3:38 remaining in regulation. Senior Drew Malivia found the cage with an assist from sister Tess Malivia, a sophomore, during corner play.
“We redid our corners today before we started – I knew we needed something new and fresh to come out against PW,” Town said. “We almost scored on one of the new corners in the third quarter, but it got called back for our foot.
“We tried a similar corner that I chose to tweak in practice beforehand – we had a shot that was deflected and hit in by a post player. Drew Maliva passed it off to her sister, and Tess scored for us.”
The Cardinals’ coach acknowledged the contributions of several players whose name don’t show up in the box score.
“Ella Lyon, a junior, is my left back – she was so aggressive today, stepping up to the ball,” Town said. “She really helped to not let the ball come back past the 15 on our defensive, and I think that was a game-changer, and if the ball did come back, she was the first person to replace back in the circle almost every time. It was the best game I’ve ever seen her play.
“Olivia Vitella is my defensive center mid, and she really is the person the ball goes through the most. She’s our big hitter on the field, and she’s the one that took the shot on the corner that led to the goal, so it was imperative she got that shot off.”
Upper Dublin (2-3-1, 1-2-1 SOL) will travel to Hatboro-Horsham on Tuesday, and Plymouth Whitemarsh (3-2, 3-1) will travel to Neshaminy on Friday for a non-league game.
Plymouth Whitemarsh 0-0-0-0 0
Upper Dublin 1-0-0-1 2
WISSAHICKON 6, ABINGTON 1
The Trojans jumped out to a 3-0 lead after one quarter on their way to a win that upped their record to 5-0 two weeks into the season.
Riley Ball – whose hat trick led the Trojans – turned a Sophia Havrilla pass into a goal just over three minutes into the contest. Five minutes later, Caroline Kirkpatrick scored with an assist from Avery Mullin, and with two minutes remaining in the frame, Kendall Crowley scored with a Kirkpatrick assist.
Ball (Havrilla assist) added a goal late in the second quarter. With 45 seconds remaining, Abington’s Camryn Stewart scored with a Maddie Salvini assist, and the Trojans took a 4-1 lead into halftime.
In the third quarter, it was Havrilla connecting with Ball for her third goal, and in the fourth quarter, Kirkpatrick found the cage with an assist from Kayla Pak for the 6-1 final.
In addition to Ball’s hat trick, Kirkpatrick contributed a goal and two assists, and Havrilla had three assists.
Wissahickon’s Meredith Walsh (4 saves) and Ava Fell (4 saves) split duties in goal in the win. Abington’s Caitlin Murcur had eight saves.
Wissahickon (5-0, 4-0 SOL) will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh on Tuesday, and Abington (3-3, 2-2) will be on the road at Quakertown on Tuesday.
Wissahickon 3-1-1-1 6
Abington 0-1-0-0 1
QUAKERTOWN 1, HATBORO-HORSHAM 0 (OT)
The Panthers notched their first SOL win of the season, eking out the exciting victory in overtime on a goal by Katelyn Moyer.
“We had the opportunity to score many times, with 12 corners throughout the 60-minute game, we just couldn’t capitalize like we should have,” Quakertown coach MacKenzie Kramer said. “We had multiple passes across the circle, from multiple different players and spent most of the game on their end of the field just couldn’t get that final touch into the cage.”
Moyer connected for the game-winner on a strong individual effort two minutes into overtime, using an assist from Kiera Gallagher.
“We went into 7v7 and we came out hard,” Kramer said. “As a team, we worked together moving the ball around to get it down to Hatboro-Horsham’s side of the field.
“Our left midfielder Kiera Gallagher had the ball, she dished a solid pass right into the circle where Katelyn Landis was there to receive it. Katelyn Landis gained control, turned and swept the ball around the goalkeeper right into the corner of the cage, leading the team to a victory.”
The Hatters, according to coach Marie Schmucker, are improving every game.
“Today was a tough loss to a talented team, but the girls hung in there,” the Hatters’ coach said. “We’re getting better with each game.
“It’s a slow process, but we are happy with the progress.”
Freshman Mia Fisher – a first-year hockey player – was solid in goal for the Hatters.
Quakertown (1-3-1, 1-2-1 SOL) will host Abington on Tuesday, and Hatboro-Horsham (0-5, 0-4) will host Upper Dublin on Tuesday.
SOL Freedom
SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP 1, LOWER MORELAND 0
The Spartans had plenty of chances but didn’t get on the scoreboard until the third quarter when Angela Eder found the back the cage.
“Springfield Township was on fire today,” Springfield coach Anita Stum said. “We came to play. Emily Jackson and Emma Yoder carried the team with their desire and play today.”
Keeping the Lions in the game was goalie Sarah Rosala.
“The Lower Moreland goalkeeper and defense did a great job keeping us out of the cage,” Stum said.
“Sarah kept us in it until the second half with 22 saves,” LM coach Janet Lutter said. “It was a tough day for Lower Moreland, but kudos to Springfield, who took us out of the game almost from the start.
“We will get back to practice tomorrow and prepare to wrap up the first half of our division schedule on a positive note Tuesday when we take on William Tennent.”
The Spartans held a 15-1 advantage in penalty corners. Grace Bell and Kennedy Braddock combined for the shutout in goal. Neither was forced to make a save in the win.
Springfield Township (2-2, 2-1 SOL) will host Upper Moreland on Monday, and Lower Moreland (3-2, 2-2) will travel to William Tennent on Tuesday.
Lower Moreland 0-0-0-0 0
Springfield Township 0-0-1-0 1
UPPER MORELAND 5, CHELTENHAM 0
The Golden Bears scored a pair of first-half goals and erupted for three more in the second half. Jenna Piantieri had a hand in four of the five goals, setting up three goals with assists and also scoring a second-half goal.
“The team came into today’s game with a lot of energy,” UM coach Marissa Elizardo said. “We spent a lot of time at practice this week working on goal scoring and finishing in the circle. It was nice to see this work pay off in today’s game. All of our goals today were scored by different players.”
Piantieri found Zoe Longstreth for the game’s first goal with 8:23 remaining in the first quarter, and then it was Alexa Marczak turning a Piantieri pass into a goal, spotting the Golden Bears a 2-0 lead after one quarter that held until midway through the third quarter when Piantieri scored with an Alexa Marczak assist. With 32 seconds remaining in the quarter, Eowyn Stainback scored with an assist from Cambrie Richmond to put the Golden Bears on top 4-0.
Kelly Bates closed out the scoring five minutes into the fourth quarter with a Piantieri assist.
“Kelly Bates and Eowyn Stainback both scored their first varsity goals today,” Elizardo said. “Jenna Piantieri had a great game with one goal and three assists. Defensively, Liz Santry and Haleigh Woodman both played well. Izzy Duncan did a nice job in the midfield.”
UM goalie Addi Hurley was not forced to make a save in the shutout win. Cheltenham’s Ryan Fillmore (10 saves) and Lillian Conwell (12 saves) both had a busy day in goal in a contest that saw UM hold a 9-1 edge in corners.
Upper Moreland (3-1, 2-1 SOL) will travel to Bristol for a non-league game on Friday, and Cheltenham (0-3) will host William Tennent on Friday.
Cheltenham 0-0-0-0 0
Upper Moreland 2-0-2-1 4
NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY 4, WILLIAM TENNENT 1
The Lions notched their fifth win without a loss, opening up a 2-0 lead in the first quarter and never looking back. Sophia Cozza had a hand in all four of her team’s goals.
In the opening quarter, Cozza scored the game’s first goal with an assist from Avery Mendola. Then it was Cozza setting up Maddie Thistelwaite for a goal that put the Lions on top 2-0. Mia Patino found the cage in the second quarter, also with a Cozza assist. The Lions took a 3-0 lead into halftime.
Tennent got on the scoreboard in the third quarter, but Cozza scored with an assist from Mendola for the 4-1 final. Cozza finished with two goals and two assists.
New Hope-Solebury (5-0, 4-0 SOL) will travel to Upper Moreland on Tuesday, and William Tennent (0-4, 0-3) will host Lower Moreland on Tuesday.
New Hope-Solebury 2-1-0-1 4
William Tennent 0-0-1-0 1
Tuesday, Sept. 6
WISSAHICKON 6, QUAKERTOWN 2
Sophia Havrilla had a hand in four goals, scoring three and assisting on another, to lead the Trojans to the win. Riley Ball, Avery Mullin and Kayla Mullin each added one goal, and contributing assists were Ella Hummel with two and Faith Jampo and Kayla Pak with one each.
About the Author
