On the road again...Pennsbury took to the highway to face the Upper Dublin Cardinals for their second road trip out of three games they will travel for during this jam-packed week. These two teams had not met in the six years Traci Curtis has been head coach so there was a ton of mystery surrounding the matchup. "We have done a lot of work on entering each game in isolation without focusing on an overload of information - whether we know the team or not. That can be distracting from staying true to ourselves. We are really proud of how the girls are intentional about preparing for each step as it comes and going into games playing our style of hockey," explained Curtis. Although the Falcons got off to a very sloppy start, they slowly but surely began to connect and fall into step as a united force. The Cardinals worked hard and did not allow PHS to finish on several opportunities early on. The first quarter ended locked 0-0 and both teams were fighting hard. The second quarter was much of the same with Pennsbury dominating offensively but continuing to struggle to get the ball in the cage. There were still two goose eggs on the scoreboard at halftime. "Our coaching staff was frustrated with the lack of finishing in the circle. We feel like we've done almost everything possible to prepare them for scoring, but ultimately it comes down to who wants it most, who can focus, and who can rise up, bring their team together and get the job done," said Curtis. The Falcons were still searching for the cage in the third quarter, but never found it during those fifteen minutes. Unfortunately, The Cardinals did as they took advantage of a major Pennsbury defensive breakdown and connected to go up 1-0 with 4 minutes left. "All it takes is one moment like that and you can find yourself clawing your way out of a hole," Curtis said. "Our defense is really strong and doing an incredible job, but in that one series they completely deteriorated and it led to the goal. "During the break before the final quarter we talked about having 15 minutes to walk away with a win and how that is really an eternity considering teams had scored on us in 9 seconds. We just needed to take a breath, relax, and understand what patient hockey looked like," said Curtis. Ten minutes into the final quarter the Falcons found a way to answer back and tie the game 1-1. Sophomore, Regan Rodriguez, did the work to earn a penalty corner and sophomore teammate, Cailyn Reilly, finished the job by slamming a solid shot straight into the back of the cage from the initial insert (sophomore, Ryan Burdette). With five minutes left in regulation, there was an eternity for one of the teams to strike again. Upper Dublin had a strong chance with 3 minutes left when they earned an offensive corner against the Falcons. The moment moved in slow motion as UD got a shot off to the right post and another UD player deflected the shot perfectly toward goal. The ball got behind Pennsbury's goalie, but sophomore, Payton Worth, who was playing the post position had an incredible defensive save to shut down the opportunity and save her team from going down 2-1. The Falcons did not have an answer before the final regulation buzzer forcing the game into overtime. This was the first overtime situation for Pennsbury. It was an exciting first 6 minutes as the the battle of the birds continued back and forth keeping each team on its toes. With 4 minutes left in overtime, Abby Iacona worked her magic to gain possession for the Falcons. She passed the ball to Ryan Burdette and it almost got intercepted, but Burdette was able to reach and win the 50/50 ball. Iacona almost got her own pass back, but stepped off so she did not interfere with her teammate's effort allowing Burdette to complete a pass left into the circle to Ava Jordan waiting on the left side of the cage. Jordan collected the ball, adjusted her feet and body, and was able to slam it right into an open cage after catching the goalie stepping out too far. "It was a united effort for sure. Iacona left her heart on the field creating and cultivating offense for her teammates. Burdette's reach to gain control of the ball was vital and her pass inside was spot on. Jordan was in the right place and settled the ball beautifully to get the shot off when she did," explained Curtis. "We were not happy with the start of the game, but we came around and ended in an amazing way. We saw their hearts today and the desire to win was palpable. That changes the game for us. We have turned a corner and refuse to go back." Outstanding play also by Angelina Kenney, Jacqueline Sullivan, and Avalee Shumski. The Falcons will travel on Friday to Springfield Township HS looking to finish out the week with another win in the books.