'Tis the season for Senior Night celebrations. The last time the Falcons were on the pitch they were at home as they celebrated their 11 seniors and battled North to an intense 1-1 overtime tie. That was five days ago. This time it was Council Rock South honoring their seniors, setting the stage for an emotionally charged performance at night on their home field. After using the weekend to reset, PHSFH came back together on Monday to prepare to meet South for the second time, aware of the environment and the stakes. Their first meeting on September 11th resulted in a CR South victory and last night history repeated itself - and with the same exact score, 2-1. Pennsbury came out on fire and lit up the scoreboard 1-0 four minutes into the first quarter. Senior, Ava Jordan tallied the goal for the Falcons. "Ava, one of our captains, played her heart out," stated head coach, Traci Curtis. "Her effort level is something to be admired," added Curtis. The Falcons held that 1-0 lead until the Hawks found the back of the net with three minutes left in the first tying it up 1-1. That score held going into the second quarter. It was a tight back-and-forth battle throughout the second quarter with both teams displaying heart, strong sticks, speed, and overall skill. "We knew that senior nights always boost a team's emotional level and our girls were prepared to answer with extreme intensity and they did," said Curtis. "We were playing our game and doing the right things, but just could not capitalize in those important moments," Curtis said. The Hawks found a way to capitalize on their opportunities with two minutes left in the second quarter taking the lead 2-1, sending PHS into halftime brainstorming come-from-behind strategies. The Falcons started the second half battling hard and created some nice offensive pushes led by the incredible talent of Abby Iacona who worked tirelessly to get the ball where it needed to be. Ryan Burdette supported Iacona's IQ and Ava Pinto was laser focused on using her strengths to compliment her teammates. "We were passing well and moving the ball quickly, but could not get sticks on it in the circle. Our penalty corners weren't producing and we just ran out of time," explained Curtis. The black and orange held the Hawks defensively for the entire second half, keeping it a close game for the 30 minutes. Goalkeeper, Amelia Fernandes, made her varsity debut protecting the cage in the second half. "She came out and did an amazing job for us. She had a bunch of crucial saves and kept us in the game for sure," said Curtis. "Senior, Ayla Alon, played strong defense along with Cailyn Reilly in the backfield. Avalee Shumski held our middle well. Angelina Kenney is just a great force all over the field no matter where we put her. She comes to the ball with strength and purpose," said Curtis. Pennsbury had plenty of possessions to make something happen up until the final 15 seconds of the game, but South had a strong grip on their lead and was determined not to let go. South outshot PHS 13 to 6 and earned more offensive penalty corners as well, 6 versus Pennsbury's 3.
"It was a great game all around. The spirit of competition was high and the teams were evenly matched. Years ago we wouldn't have even been in this game and now we are at a level to make it an awesome fight. I love our progress and how far we have come in our program," said Curtis. "Congratulations to the South seniors - we wish you the best as you move forward," added Curtis. Pennsbury is set to play Notre Dame HS on Thursday at Falcon Field for their final regular season game of 2024.