It was definitely not the way they wanted to end the hockey portion of this crazy season, but the Falcons walked away with clear eyes and full hearts nonetheless. Council Rock North came out ready to fight and kept an intense momentum that was tough for Pennsbury to crack. It was another strong turf battle with some great hockey on both sides of the ball. The Indians scored first on a beautiful, fast-paced ball sent across the circle and tipped passed the goalie. The score remained 1-0 until Pennsbury connected on a great deflection set up by Maddy Spratt to Jaclyn Gorgo in the second quarter. With the game still tied at halftime, PHS coaches focused on building on momentum and encouraging players to take intensity to the next level. We had many opportunities in the attacking 25 and just needed to finish. It's been something we have needed to improve on all season. Not having starting senior right wing, Kayli Williams on the field forced us to make some line up adjustments and it took a little bit for the forwards to get into a groove. Once they did, Spratt, Gorgo, and sophomore, Meg McClure created a lot of offense, but the circle is where it ended. North notched another goal in the third quarter putting them up 2-1 and the Falcons kept fighting back with corner opportunities and breakaways. Once again, the Pennsbury defense came up strong as senior, Hannah Aker, stepped up, broke through and broke up a lot of plays in the defensive end. Reilly Monach, Sophia Hitchingham, and goalie, Jordan Vradenburgh added to the stops and kept CRN from accumulating many goals. Junior Jenna Outcalt stepped in and rose to the occasion on defense with a strong stick and great channeling down the sideline. Marissa MacAinsh was solid in the midfield along with starting sophomore center mid, Olivia Graebner. Despite efforts, the Falcons fell behind 3-1 when the Indians scored again and that is how the game ended. We know that North had a tough couple of weeks trying to get back to playing after the shut down and it was nice for them to end with such great playing. They outplayed us for sure with some big hits and just solid connections up field. The Falcons will look back on this season with joy, pride, and knowing that they became better versions of themselves along the way as a united group during a very difficult time. It will be remembered as a time when we escaped together, bonded together, and played great hockey set against a backdrop of sheer gratitude for it all. Best wishes to our seniors, who were amazing leaders along the way - Captains Sophia Hitchingham and Hannah Aker, Maddy Spratt, Kayli Williams, Aditi Luitel, Reilly Monach, and Marissa MacAinsh. Congratulations to all of the teams in the SOL for the seasons they had and good luck to all who will continue into playoffs. #noexcuses