The stage has been set for what promises to be a very competitive and fascinating District One Tournament.
Fourteen SOL teams have earned post-season berths, but perhaps no squad is more excited to be going to the big dance than Upper Moreland.
The Golden Bears boast a state title in their storied history, but they have not been in the district tournament for a long, long time. Coach Karen Grossi can attest to that.
“I don’t know the last time they made it to the playoffs,” the first-year head coach said. “We haven’t made it since I’ve been coaching.”
This is Grossi’s ninth year with the program.
The Golden Bears, seeded fifth in the Class AA tournament, closed out the regular season with a 9-5 record in league play (12-6 overall), and they finished on a high note, downing American Conference champion Wissahickon on its Senior Night.
“That was very exciting,” Grossi said. “It was huge. After they won, one of the girls turned to me and said, ‘This week has been amazing. We beat Springfield and Wissahickon. I don’t think we’ve ever done that before,’ and we haven’t. Not in a long, long time.”
The Golden Bears’ success has been caught even Grossi by surprise.
“I knew we had some talented kids, but if somebody had told me at the beginning of the year we would beat Wissahickon, I would have laughed in their face,” she said. “The first time we played them we lost 1-0 at home with 20 seconds left, and at that point, I knew we did have a shot if we played our best.”
Joining the Golden Bears in the 12-team AAA field is Springfield (Montco). The Spartans are seeded seventh.
Three of the top four teams in the Class AAA bracket are SOL schools with the fourth – Methacton – a former member of the league. Neshaminy, which has not lost this season, is the number one seed, followed by Methacton, Continental Conference champion Central Bucks South and American Conference champ Wissahickon.
Once again, the SOL is well represented.
The National Conference will be sending four schools, including eighth seeded Council Rock North, 10th seeded Council Rock South and 27th seeded Pennsbury.
The Continental Conference once again had the most representatives in the Class AAA Tournament with five. In addition to Central Bucks South, North Penn (11th seed), Hatboro-Horsham (15th), Central Bucks West (17th) and Souderton (24th) were also given berths.
Joining Wissahickon from the American Conference is Upper Dublin, the 12th seed, and 16th seeded Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Titan tough – It seemed as though Central Bucks South might be in for a long season after the Titans dropped two of their first three games this season. South fell to Council Rock South (2-1) and also Pennridge (3-2). They followed their loss to Pennridge with a 4-2 win over Hatboro.
The Titans haven’t lost since, rolling to a Continental Conference title.
“You have one of those talks after the game, and then you leave them alone, and they have to sort it out themselves,” coach Meg Hutchinson said. “We were watching them warm up at that Hatboro game, and we (the coaches) were all looking at each other like, ‘Whoa, what happened to this team?’
“It’s been like that ever since. They’re very focused. If things go bad, they catch themselves. They let it go and move on. It’s great.”
Five seniors - Sarah Hasson, Julia Goldsworthy, Gretchen Kempf, Ally Bradley and Kelsey Lang – are the heart and soul of the team.
“They’re a good core, and they lead the team by what they do on the field,” Hutchinson said. “How well we would do this season really had everything to do with the younger players and how much they would be able to step up. We have a very strong group of five seniors and three juniors, and we have a handful of sophomores, and they came through.”
Topping the list of underclassmen to come up big is super soph Maddie Harding, a starter as a freshman who was forced to sit out the final two thirds of the season with a knee injury. Harding is the Titans’ last line of defense at sweeper.
“She has a tremendous amount of power, and she’s excellent for our transition game,” Hutchinson said. “She works very hard and is very committed.”
The Titans’ coach also acknowledged a pair of juniors – Kate Schneider and Sarah Hughes – who played midfield last year but are playing defensive back this season.
“They really have grown,” Hutchinson said. “They had to learn very quickly.”
A pair of sophomores – Colleen Kempf and Casey Haegle – as well as junior Kiera Kenney rotate into two positions, teaming with Kempf to form a dangerous forward line.
“They have really blossomed throughout the season,” Hutchinson said. “In the beginning of the season, it was just a matter of hoping they could contribute by passing to Gretchen (Kempf), but they have been tremendous in their scoring ability.”
Goaltending duties are split between Liz Lewallen and Lydia Keener.
“The thing that’s really great about this team is they never say die,” Hutchinson said. “They get their backs up against the wall, and they push back. That’s that intangible you really need in the post-season.”
Super seniors – Coaches routinely talk about the value of senior leadership. The Upper Moreland field hockey team gives new meaning to the phrase. There are 12 seniors on this year’s roster – 11 are starters.
It wasn’t exactly the way coach Karen Grossi scripted it when she took over the helm this year, but the rookie coach couldn’t be happier with the way things turned out.
“I started the season thinking, ‘They’re ready. I’ll give them a couple of starts, but then I’ll have other girls who will probably take the starting positions away from some of them,’” she said of her senior class. “They played their game, and they claimed their positions.
“I had warned them ahead of time, ‘There’s no way you’re all starting.’ They were like, ‘Yeah, we know.’”
That special group of seniors includes Alyssa Levy, Alisha Pagano, Meredith Rohrbaugh, Kristen Robinson, Stephanie DeCarolis, Karen Illulminati, Jill Wasson, Caitlynn Engle, Lauren Yager, Jenny Swiski, Sarah Baumgardner and Christi Torres.
“They just know each other so well on and off the field – they have the skills to do well, but they can also read each other and do things without always communicating it,” Grossi said. “I think they want it. Any kid does too, but they probably want it more than some others.”
Grossi credits points to her defense as a key to her team’s success.
“Stephanie DeCarolis, my left back, has saved us many, many times,” the Golden Bears’ coach said. “I would say she has had at least one save of a sure goal in each game.
“I’m proud of my goalie (Baumgardner) too. This was her first year, and she’s really stepped up.”
For Grossi, who was an assistant under Megan Fortunato, the transition to head coach was an easy one.
“Obviously, I missed Megan Fortunato,” she said. “I was hoping she would stay on longer, but at least she left me with a good group of kids. My assistant, Melanie Rowland, stayed with me, so that definitely helped.
“It’s different. You feel bad for the girls that are seniors because their head coach left – someone they had been through three years with, but they made it, and I think by the end really enjoyed the year.”
While the Golden Bears will be hit hard by graduation, they have reason for optimism – they have 11 freshmen waiting in the wings.
A special night – Bensalem celebrated Senior Night in style on Monday when the Owls played their first ever game under the lights in the football stadium when they faced Neshaminy.
“It was amazing,” senior captain Jessica Stauring said. “It was so exciting because a lot of my friends are on the football team, and for years we were like, ‘Why can’t we play in the stadium? The soccer team does.’ They’d say, ‘Field hockey – you’ll ruin our field, our field.’”
Athletic director Val Ridge decided to change that mentality and gave the hockey players what they had been asking for this year.
“A lot of my friends came to watch,” Stauring said. “They didn’t believe me when I told them we would be playing in the stadium.”
According to coach Amanda Tu, the night game made the hockey team feel special.
“Finally, after all these years, something good happened for them,” she said. “We have new uniforms, new goals. Things are really turning around, and it’s good for the girls to see.”
The Owls lost to the National Conference champion Redskins 3-0, but they were not hanging their heads.
“A loss is obviously never good, but it was almost a gratifying loss,” Stauring said, acknowledging the thrill of playing under the lights. “It was an adrenaline rush. We went out there and gave 100 percent and played with a lot of heart.
“Playing Neshaminy was a boost. I was nervous to play against them, but everyone came out their hardest.”
Making the night even more special was the fact that it was designated ‘Corner for a Cure.’
“We know it’s Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but we wanted to acknowledge all types of cancer,” coach Amanda Tu said.
Each player wore a ribbon in their hair and on their shoes designating a different form of cancer.
“I was so excited,” sophomore Amanda Morton said. “I think last night was my best game. Just supporting cancer and our first night game - it was such an honor to be in the varsity game. I was so excited.”
Morton believes that hockey is on the rise at Bensalem.
“This season with these girls – I feel like we’re really moving up in the school and getting noticed,” she said. “In school, some people didn’t even know what field hockey was. It’s just really exciting to see how many more fans are coming out this year.
“I really love my girls. We’re a great team together.”
Tu, who has been involved with the program for five years, acknowledges that this is the most talented team she has coached.
“The girls care,” she said. “They don’t just come out here to be here. They want to improve. They want to get better. They’re always asking questions.
“It’s definitely a better mindset, and when they have a night game and start getting fans, they see that people care and people see what we’re doing.”
Buck nemesis – Take Central Bucks South and North Penn off of Central Bucks West’s schedule, and the Bucks would have had a near-perfect season. As it was, the Bucks suffered four of their five league losses at the hands of those two squads. They dropped their league finale to Hatboro 1-0 in OT.
“The girls know we have individual talent on the field, but sometimes when we get in hard situations, they default to allowing those players to play,” coach Alison Stone said. “When someone else gains possession, they are just so eager to get rid of it and give it back to the people they think should be holding the ball, and it’s completely readable to the other team.
“It happens when we’re in a tight situation, when we’re not scoring and not dominating the game. For some of the girls who are not standouts but are still very good players, it’s just a matter of trusting in themselves. They need to trust themselves instead of giving it away immediately.
“When they’re confident, they play so well together, and when they lose that confidence, the way they pass just falls apart.”
The Bucks, seeded 17th in districts, will travel to Plymouth Whitemarsh to face the 16th seeded Colonials in what promises to be an interesting game.
“I like the fact that we’re playing teams we haven’t played before,” coach Alison Stone said. “I think we needed that because I think we have a little bit of a mental block. I hope the girls are up for the game.”
SuburbanOneSports.com’s Top Five
- Neshaminy
- Central Bucks South
- Wissahickon
- Council Rock North
- Council Rock South/North Penn
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