The only thing more amazing than the sunset that fell over the CB West stadium before the 7pm senior night game was the performance by Pennsbury goalie, Jordan Vradenburgh. Hold that thought as we sidestep for a moment and we will come back to it later. The final score of this game does not tell the story the way it should be told. Yes, the score lets us know who wins and loses, but it can be a sneaky foe, hiding the details that lie beneath the surface of those two numbers. The events leading up to game time included an hour delay in leaving for West, a shortened JV game and warm ups all around, senior athlete introductions for both teams (thanks to great hosting by the Bucks), a stunning sunset, and (due to technical difficulties) an a cappella performance of the National Anthem by all of the players. Yes, they broke out in song to make up for the music mishap and honored the flag together with a beautiful off-key compilation. Despite the haphazard pre-game routine, the Falcons came out strong and were ready to compete. Still fueled by their win over East Friday, the orange and black got on the scoreboard first and led 1-0 with seven minutes left in the 1st quarter. We got ourselves into the circle and put pressure on and the next thing we knew Angelina Kenney poked it over the line on an assist from Mia Popovich. It was scrappy and exactly what we needed to do, said head coach, Traci Curtis. We held the lead until West connected with 46 seconds left in the first quarter to tie it up. Those six plus minutes we had the lead were filled with great hockey on both sides, reflects Curtis. The energy was high, the pace super fast, and the intensity palpable. It was a great "win the moment" moment for us and for that period of time (in combination with our Friday win) we were able to experience what it means to truly BELIEVE. We knew that the Bucks would have an answer and answer they did. They scored two great goals within minutes of each other in the second quarter to go ahead 3-1 in a blink of an eye. The Falcons were not shaken and used the power generated from that belief to hold the Bucks to the two goal lead going into the half. We reminded the girls at halftime how quickly that score could turn around with a focus on fine tuning a few things in the midfield and offensive red zone. CB West began to completely dominate offensively in the third quarter spending a majority of the time knocking on our goalie's door, but Pennsbury refused to let up and dug in hard defensively to keep the entire third quarter scoreless. Curtis said, It was great that they didn't add to their lead, but at the same time we were having a hard time getting any offensive advantages. It was not for lack of effort. Molly Murray handled right mid really well tonight getting the ball where it needed to go and offensively, McClure, Graebner, Popovich, and Borgman fought a good fight. We can't say enough about our defensive unit - Gabby Darling, Reagan Ward, Riley Henderson, and Kaylin Flannery. Curtis went on to describe her backfield as, connected, gritty, smart, and hard working. The fourth quarter was a struggle for us, Curtis admits. Fatigue was a factor and CBW just kept getting faster as we were fading. They pulled away in the fourth scoring three more goals and put an exclamation point on their senior night victory. We did not have an answer to their energy surge and their level of play as they settled in and took control of the game and it is something we need to improve - continuously adjusting and being able to match the level of play as it changes. Let's now return to Jordan Vradenburgh in the goal for the Falcons. This is the part of the story the 6-1 final score does not reveal. Central Bucks West had 31 shots on goal and Vradenburgh saved 25 of them. West also hammered us by earning 21 penalty corners, yet only scored on one of them. This speaks volumes about the caliber of play from our goalie and her unit back there. Jordan is a great leader, communicator, guide, encourager, and best of all, her performance backs it all up. She denied shot after shot, keeping her team alive and making the Bucks work hard for every goal scored. The fact that they only scored six goals is a testament to what Vradenburgh brings to this team. It was an overall great night in West's stadium. This game will certainly help us as we prepare for our battle on Monday against CB South. We know what to work on and will continue to hone skills with each step we take. Congratulations to West on their senior night victory and many thanks for a great game! Pennsbury will host CB South on Monday and then face Neshaminy at home on Friday for their second meeting.