SOL Field Hockey District Preview (10-25-17)

PW and CB East, who repeated as conference champions, are featured in a preview of Wednesday’s second round district action.

In a year that saw Pennsbury make history by winning its first solo conference championship in 25 years, Plymouth Whitemarsh and Central Bucks East repeated as champions – PW for the fifth straight season and CB East for the second time in as many years. All three received opening round byes in the District One 4A Tournament, and all three will be in action Wednesday.

Colonials roll through American Conference
Sophie Kolkka and her senior teammates have no idea what it feels like to not win a conference crown. Although the Colonials made it look easy, the senior captain insists it’s not as simple as it looks for a squad that hasn’t lost in conference play since falling to Wissahickon 4-0 on Sept. 16, 2015.

“There’s pressure because we have a target on our backs and everyone is looking to beat us,” Kolkka said. “It’s very nice for us to be able to compete with these teams and be able to win, and it’s nice to say we’ve been able to win all four years, but there’s definitely pressure.”

This year, the Colonials added a special touch to their fifth straight title run by not allowing a goal in 14 conference wins, outscoring their opponents 73-0 in that span.

“The longer we went, it was like, ‘Hey, this is another thing we can work towards,’” coach Charise Halteman said. “It’s not like it was make or break or something was hanging over our heads, but the closer we got to the end – hey, this would be really cool, and they just kind of grabbed onto that.”

Seniors Katherine Houghton and Caitlyn Miller were perfect in goal during conference play. While Houghton was the starter, Miller pulled her weight when she went into the game.

“They all played their role and did their job,” Halteman said. “It’s been a really nice group of seniors to work with.”

Interestingly, this year’s accomplishment was nothing new to the seniors, who were undefeated and not scored upon in eighth grade as well.

“It’s pretty cool,” said senior captain Gia Schweitzer. “I’ve been playing with these seniors since seventh grade. We have developed such a strong relationship together.

“Coming through freshmen and all the way up to being a senior  - winning four straight league titles, experiencing the hard losses, the long bus rides, these girls are the people I’ve experienced this with, and there’s no one I’d rather do it with.”

But it’s about more than just field hockey for the Colonials.

“We’ve done a lot of stuff together, especially this year off the field,” senior captain Michelle McGrath said. “We watched an Eagles game together.

“On Tuesday we had a pasta dinner at Sophie’s house. We do a varsity lunch at a local pub. We do a lot of things together with jayvee and varsity so everyone is included, so everybody really gets close to each other.”

The team also has a big sister/little sister program with upperclassmen paired with underclassmen.

“You get to know everybody on the team,” McGrath said. “Every away game we make a bag with snacks, and sometimes we’ll write a note telling them good luck.”

Like every team, the Colonials have their traditions.

“During the preseason, we have Fun Fridays - our teams split into two teams, and our coach has a bunch of different games and we compete against each other,” Kolkka said. “Our pasta dinners, our Eagles game dinner – those are going to be the most memorable for us, something we’ll remember forever.”

There’s also the music – every team has its music.

“For the past three years, we’ve been listening to the same warm-up mix,” junior captain Kennedy Reardon said. “But this year we really like to listen to the song “Kill the Lights.” We listen to it on the bus, pregame. It really hypes us up.”

Anchoring this year’s team are 10 seniors – Kolkka, Schweitzer, McGrath, Houghton, Miller, Julia Fiddler, Jessica Dixon, Emma Stanley, Jessica Bendl and Emily Trask. Some of them have been together since they began playing for the Colonial Field Hockey Club in fourth grade.

“A lot of them have played together for a long time, maybe not necessarily at the top programs in the area but they’ve been doing stuff in the summer or indoor leagues, and they’ve always worked really well together,” Halteman said. “I have some who have played on varsity since they’ve been freshmen and others who have worked their way through the jayvee.

“Keeping 10 seniors on the field from freshman year to senior year – it’s pretty impressive that they all stuck with it. They’re a committed group, they get along, and they just enjoy being part of something bigger than themselves. That’s been great.”

The program’s fifth conference title capped off a memorable regular season with the postseason about to begin for a Colonial squad that is seeded sixth in the District One 4A Tournament.

“I think we had high expectations coming into the season considering we’d been good all three years, but we didn’t want to come in just assuming we would win,” McGrath said. “We just worked really hard in the preseason, and we knew if we continued to put the hard work in during games for a full 60 minutes that we would continue to be successful.”

“There’s a lot of pride and honor being in this program,” Reardon added. “Just being able to step up and continue the success of the team for our school, for our community and all the alumni who have played here. It feels really good, and it’s really honorable to be able to represent them.”

Halteman credited the seniors for leading the way.

“Winning the league championship is something we were striving for,” the PW coach said. “This senior class kind of embraced that, but they also knew it didn’t just happen. You have to work for it, you have to show up each game, and they really committed to doing that.”

The Colonials will host North Penn in Wednesday’s second round of districts in a rematch of a regular season contest the Knights won 3-2. Whatever the outcome, this season has been about a whole lot more than winning games.

“We’ve won some big games and done really well this season, but what’s really important to everyone is – we’ve come together as a family.

“I’m part of a few other teams and clubs, and this is one of the best programs I’ve been a part of. We really work hard as a team and come together, and we make such good friendships. I know that I’ll always have these girls as part of my life. We consider ourselves sisters.”

Patriots repeat as Continental Conference champions
The Patriots have been a program on the rise under coach Michelle Finegan.

“When we were freshmen and sophomores, the program wasn’t as strong as it is now,” senior captain Isobel Mannino said. “I remember when I was a sophomore, we were still the underdog, we were still building up.”

Underdogs no longer, the Patriots got over the hump last year, capturing the program’s first conference crown since 2002. This year, they repeated as champions.

“This year we were able to beat (Central Bucks) West twice, not just once,” Mannino said. “It was really cool to see how we’ve grown since we were younger until now.”

Beating crosstown rival West is at the top of almost all of their wish lists.

“I’ll remember the West games – I think it’s the first time we beat West twice in a really long time,” senior captain Mackenzie Boyle said. “It was really fun.”

Many of the players have been together for a long time, and most have been playing hockey for a long time as well.

“We all know each other so well,” senior captain Riley Donnelly said. “Even though some of us have only been playing together three or four years in high school, we’ve been playing in clubs since we were younger together, and that carries over.

“I think we all just support each other so well, and we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses almost as good as we do our own. It just makes for something really unique.”

“I think we have a good blend of experience and new people coming in,” Boyle said. “We have a good amount of seniors that start and then some freshmen that came in and started, so we have experience and we have new energy, so it’s a good blend.”

A good blend of players who share a common goal.

“These kids have bonded, and they’re on a mission and they have a goal to achieve,” coach Michelle Finegan said. “They work hard, they believe in each other, they get along, and they work together.”

The Patriots lost just once en route to a conference crown, and that came at the hands of North Penn, 4-3 in overtime.

“When we lost to North Penn, I think it really hit us that we needed to work really hard to get to where we wanted to go,” Mannino said. “It was really scary our last couple of games. Our coach would tell us, ‘You need to win to be on top. You’re not there yet.’”

They are on top now, and while they’ll remember the wins and treasure the championships, they will also remember the lighter side of their field hockey experience as well.

“We have code words that sound like gibberish to others, but we know what they mean,” Donnelly said. “We have a different word each year.

“This year our word is STICKA, but people don’t know what it stands for. Calling that out on the field - being able to yell that and have no one else know what it means but it’s so meaningful to us – I’m going to miss that.”

“The group is so funny,” Boyle said. “We have so much fun together on the bus rides singing and also at practice. We’ll sing to anything.

“It’s really a great group of girls, and I’m going to miss them a lot next year.”

“It’s actually really sad,” Mannino said. “A lot of these girls, I’ve known them since DAA, and it’s going to be really weird not having preseason with them in August. This season is the end.”

Mannino had the unique opportunity to play her final season with her sister, freshman Phia Mannino, who was a major contributor to the varsity.

“I loved it,” Mannino said. “It’s her first year, and I got to play with her one year, which is really cool. We shared a lot. It was easier to talk to her, and not a lot of people get to play on the same field with their sister. And my mom (Meghan Spratt Mannino) is a coach, so it’s special that we can all share it together.”

On Wednesday, the second season begins for a Patriot squad seeded fifth in the District One 3A Tournament.

“I think we’re going into it with a little bit more confidence than last year, but at the same time, I think we’re feeling the pressure because we know we have the ability and we want to perform,” Donnelly said. “Any time it’s single elimination like this is a little nervewracking, but I think we’re feeling confident about it at the same time.”

Finegan had a simple message for her squad heading into the postseason.

I told them today at practice, ‘This is a time you’re going to remember for a lifetime. We’ve worked really hard to get here. Everything you’ve done to this point has built you into the team you are. Go out and have fun and play your best. Enjoy the moment,’” the Patriots’ coach said. “I told them, ‘You’ve achieved some amazing milestones, so enjoy them but continue to work hard.’

“When they play the way that they can, they’re good. I’m excited for them, and hopefully, they’ll play the best hockey they can.”

#12 PERKIOMEN VALLEY at #5 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST (Wednesday, 3:30 p.m.)
Central Bucks East

• 15-3 overall
• 11-1 SOL Continental Conference champions
• Second consecutive conference title
• Led offensively by Riley Donnelly (19 goals, 11 assists), Cailey Lever (18 goals, 11 assists and Phia Mannino (13 goals, 6 assists)
• Wins over #10 CB West (1-0, 5-2), #13 Neshaminy (1-0), #15 Central Bucks South (2-0, 1-0), #16 Council Rock South (3-1), #22 Souderton (3-1, 4-0) and #23 Abington (3-0).
• Split season series with #11 North Penn (4-2, 3-4).
• Two of East’s losses to first and second-seeded team, #1 Downingtown West (2-0) and #2 Methacton (3-2).
• Closed season with six-game winning streak, which included five shutouts.

PERKIOMEN VALLEY

• 13-6 overall
• 5-5 Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division third place
• Wins over #8 Pennsbury (5-1), #16 Council Rock South (5-0) and #21 Spring-Ford (4-3, 2-0, 4-2)
• Split season series with #24 Boyertown (6-0, 1-2)
• Vikings are 6-1 in last seven games.

How they got here:  In the opening round, PV defeated #21 Spring-Ford 4-2 for its first district win since 2014, using a pair of goals from Danielle Hamm and single goals from Ashley Elvidge and Cristine Dougherty.

#11 NORTH PENN at #6 PLYMOUTH WHITEMARSH (Wednesday, 3:30 p.m.)
Plymouth Whitemarsh

• 16-2 overall
• 14-0 SOL American Conference champions
• Fifth consecutive conference title
• Did not allow a goal in 14 conference wins, outscoring opponents 73-0
• Wins over #8 Pennsbury (1-0) and #18 Wissahickon (1-0, 4-0)
• Attack led by Ava Borkowski (23 goals, 2 assists), Kennedy Reardon (13 goals, 2 assists), Jess Dixon (11 goals, 7 assists), Sam Spera (9 goals, 5 assists) and Kaleigh Missimer (10-0)
• Only two losses to #4 Haverford (2-1) and #11 North Penn (3-2)

North Penn

• 13-5-1 overall
• 9-2-1 SOL Continental Conference second place behind Central Bucks East
• 1-3 after four games but 11-2-1 since then with those three early season losses to first, second and fifth-seeded district teams
• Led offensively by Bri O’Donnell (19 goals, 6 assists), Mikayla Barrow (13 goals, 5 assists) and Emily Crawford (9 goals, 7 assists)
• Wins over #6 Plymouth Whitemarsh (3-2) and #22 Souderton (3-2, 2-1). Defeated #15 Central Bucks South 2-0 in first meeting and tied the Titans 3-3 in second.
• Split season series with #5 Central Bucks East (2-4, 4-3) and #10 Central Bucks West (3-2, 2-3)

How they got here:  In Monday’s opening round, North Penn defeated #22 Souderton 5-2. Emily Crawford scored a pair of goals while Mikayla Barrow had a goal and two assists. Kristin Varilla and Madison Stotler each added a goal, Erica Kelly had a pair of assists, and Bri O’Donnell, one assist.

#9 UNIONVILLE at #8 PENNSBURY (Wednesday, 3:30 p.m.)
Pennsbury

• 15-3 overall
• 12-0 SOL National Conference champions
• First solo conference title since 1992
• Anchored by 12 seniors, which includes seven three-year starters
• Led offensively by Kate Chesney (15 goals, 9 assists), Olivia Mauro (13 goals, 2 assists), Sami Hackman (9 goals, 9 assists) and Nell Webber (9 goals, 6 assists)
• Wins over #13 Neshaminy (3-1, 3-1), #16 Council Rock South (3-0, 4-0), #22 Souderton (2-1) and #23 Abington (6-3, 3-2)
• Won 10 of 11 to close out season.

Unionville

• 14-5 overall
• 11-2 Ches-Mont American Division regular season champion
• Lost to #1 Downingtown West 5-3 in Ches-Mont title game that saw University of Delaware-bound goalie Lizzie Gaebel record 20 saves.
• Led offensively by Princeton University commit Claire Donovon and University of Michigan commit Katie Anderson.
• Wins over #7 Owen J Roberts (3-1), #14 Downingtown East (3-2), #20 Avon Grove and #21 Spring-Ford (2-1).

How they got here:  Unionville defeated #24 Boyertown 7-1 in Monday’s opening round. Claire Donovan scored four goals, Katie Anderson added two goals and two assists while Maddie McDonough had a single goal.

#10 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST at #7 OWEN J ROBERTS (Wednesday, 7 p.m.)
Central Bucks West

• 15-4 overall
• 9-3 SOL Continental Conference third place behind Central Bucks East & North Penn
• Attack led by Taylor Mason (27 goals, 18 assists), Eva Altadonna (10 goals, 7 assists), Liv Fitzgerald (9 goals, 12 assists) and Dani Dundas (190 goals, 3 assists)
• Wins over #15 Central Bucks South (2-1, 2-0), #21 Spring-Ford (4-0, 2-1) and #22 Souderton (2-1, 2-1)
• Split season series with #11 North Penn (2-3, 3-2)
• Won 10 of last 11 games.

How they got here:  In Monday’s opening round, Central Bucks West defeated #23 Abington 4-0. Senior Liv Fitzgerald had a hand in all four goals, scoring a pair and assisting on two others. Dani Dundas and Eva Altadonna each added a goal.

Owen J Roberts

• 14-6 overall
• 7-3 Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division second place behind Methacton
• The two-time defending champion Wildcats lost to Methacton 3-1 in the Pioneer Athletic Conference title game.
• Wins over #11 North Penn (2-0), #12 Perk Valley (1-0, 4-1), #13 Neshaminy (3-1) and #24 Boyertown (5-0, 2-0).
• Split season series with #21 Spring-Ford (1-0, 0-1).

#13 NESHAMINY at #4 HAVERFORD (Wednesday, 6 p.m.)
Neshaminy

• 13-6 overall
• 10-2 SOL National Conference second place behind Pennsbury
• Led offensively by sophomore Peyton Ritchey (15 goals, 16 assists) and senior Abby Geisler (15 goals, 11 assists)
• Wins over #16 Council Rock South (2-1, 1-0), Abington (5-0, 2-0) and Class 2A #2 Mount Saint Joseph (2-0)
• Won seven of last eight games.

How they got here:  In Monday’s opening round, Neshaminy opened up a 3-0 halftime lead on its way to a 4-0 win over #20 Avon Grove. Sophomore Jamie Pennington had a goal and two assists while Abby Geisler had one goal and one assist, and Kayla Connelly and Peyton Ritchey each had one goal.

Haverford

• 16-2 overall
• 10-1 Central League second place behind Conestoga
• Scored 74 goals and allowed 22 over 18 games
• Wins over #6 Plymouth Whitemarsh (2-1), #19 Garnet Valley (5-1), #20 Avon Grove (4-3) and #17 Lower Merion (8-0).
• Only losses came at the hands of #3 Conestoga (4-1) and Merion Mercy (3-1) in the opening game of the season.

#15 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH at #2 METHACTON (Wednesday, 3:30 p.m.)
Central Bucks South

• 11-7-1 overall
• 6-5-1 SOL Continental Conference fourth place
• Led offensively by Casey Reilly (15 goals, 6 assists), Kaitlyn Barnhart (10 goals, 5 assists) and Kasey Deitzel (6 goals, 10 assists)
• Wins over #22 Souderton (2-1, 3-1)
• Fell to North Penn 2-0 in first meeting but tied the Knights 3-3 in second.

How they got here:  In Monday’s opening round, Central Bucks South defeated #18 Wissahickon 2-0, using goals by Megan Weeks and Casey Reilly.

Methacton

• 20-0 overall
• 10-0 Pioneer Athletic Conference Liberty Division regular season champion
• Defeated two-time defending champion Owen J Roberts 3-1 to capture the program’s first conference title since 2008. Goalie Molly Frey recorded 13 saves in the win.
• Posted 10 shutouts in 18 regular season games
• Led by Pioneer Athletic Conference’s top two scorers, University of Pennsylvania commit Olivia Hover and Drexel recruit Emily Owens. Hoover led the PAC in the regular season with 22 goals and 16 assists while Owens had 26 goals and 6 assists.
• Regular season wins over #5 Central Bucks East (3-2), #7 Owen J Roberts (1-0, 2-1), #11 North Penn (6-1), #12 Perk Valley (2-0, 5-3), #21 Spring-Ford (3-0, 2-0), #22 Souderton (1-0) and #24 Boyertown (3-2, 5-0).

#15 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH at #1 DOWNINGTOWN WEST (Wednesday, 3:30 p.m.)
Council Rock South

• 11-8 overall
• 7-5 SOL National Conference third place behind Pennsbury & Neshaminy
• Led offensively by Tori Wright (13 goals, 10 assists), Katelyn Cocco (14 goals, 7 assists) and Caitlyn Thornton (10 goals, 8 assists)
• Win over #18 Wissahickon (2-1)
• Split season series with #23 Abington (0-1, 3-2)

How they got here:  Council Rock North upended #17 Lower Merion 5-0 in Monday’s opening round. Tori Wright and Katelyn Cocco each had a goal and assist. Adding single goals were Mikayla VanAken, Carissa Longmore and Shannon Lind.

Downingtown West

• 18-0 regular season
• 13-0 Ches-Mont National Division regular season champions
•  Captured the Ches-Mont title with a 5-3 win over Unionville. Claudia Jaszczak had a hat trick to lead the Whippets
• Nine shutouts in 18-game regular season.
• Scored 113 goals while allowing 12. The Whippets have allowed more than one goal just twice all season.
• Led by University of North Carolina commit Romea Riccardo and Michigan State commit Claudia Jaszczak.
• Regular season wins over #3 Conestoga (2-1), #5 Central Bucks East (2-0), #9 Unionville (5-3), #11 North Penn (5-1), #14 Downingtown East (8-1), #20 Avon Grove (11-0) and Class 2A #1 Villa Maria (4-3).

CLASS 1A
#4 SPRINGFIELD TOWNSHIP vs. NEW HOPE-SOLEBURY at Harry S Truman (Wednesday, 3:45 p.m.)
Springfield Township

• 14-4 overall
• 11-3 SOL American Conference second place behind Plymouth Whitemarsh
• Led offensively by Ellie Hamilton and Maddie Yoder
• Win over #6 Dock Mennonite (2-0)
• Split season series with Class 3A #18 Wissahickon (2-0, 1-2)

How they got here:  In Monday’s opening round, Springfield Township defeated #5 Jenkintown 2-1. Anya Kochanowicz and Ellie Hamilton each scored a goal as the Spartans opened up a 2-0 halftime lead.

New Hope-Solebury

• 16-0 overall
• 12-0 Bicentennial Athletic League champions
• Allowed just one goal all season and that came in the Lions’ final game, a 4-1 win over Jenkintown.
• Averaged 8.5 goals a game.
• Led by senior Sarah Wilson (52 goals) and sophomore Sarah Hayden (16 goals)
• Regular season wins over #2 Lower Moreland (3-0, 7-0), #5 Jenkintown (4-0, 4-1), #6 Dock Mennonite (8-0, 10-0) and Class 2A #19 Upper Moreland (8-0).