It was a perfect weather day for field hockey. A complete 360 from the Falcons’ last game in the pouring rain against CR South almost a week ago. Coming off of that big loss to South, Pennsbury was looking to redeem themselves in some way and prove just how capable they are. That is exactly what they did. After a very productive week of practice fine-tuning and focusing on specific changes to their game play, Pennsbury earned an awesome win on their home field as they topped CR North 3-1. They were fired up and ready from the starting whistle, capitalizing on their first penalty corner early in the first quarter. Sophia Curtis inserted a nicely paced ball and Hannah Aker connected with a laser shot giving the Falcons a 1-0 lead. The PHS coaching staff was most impressed early into the game with the application of skills that were discussed throughout the week at practice each day. It was so refreshing to see the girls playing strong, skilled, field hockey as a cohesive unit - it validates the hard work and ignites the confidence that has been simmering for some time in this program. With about one minute left in the first quarter, Pennsbury connected again on heads up circle play from senior forward, Maddy Spratt. Starting with a long hit, the Falcons got the ball in front of the goal and after some battling, Spratt caught the goalie leaving a lot of space on one side and scored using a reverse stick dump. The score remained 2-0 for the entire second quarter. Pennsbury’s forwards and mids were passing beautifully, overlapping, and getting rid of the ball quickly, but just could not finish in the circle. North’s goalie played an outstanding game, making us work for every goal. North was pressuring and earning many corners, but the Falcons’ defense stopped every one and it was still 2-0 at the half. The Pennsbury halftime huddle was not a celebration, however, it was a more intense talk about how not to let this lead slip out of our hands. PHS knows that feeling all too well and made a pact to not let it happen on this day. Council Rock made their way onto the scoreboard toward the end of the third quarter on a goal by Brenna S. They never gave up the entire way. With the score 2-1 going in the final quarter, Pennsbury had to dig deep and play solid hockey for 15 minutes. We lost to North twice last season and a win today would show progress - there was intense determination to hold strong to that lead. With the incredible leadership of Sophia Hitchingham, PHS stayed composed and worked as a unit to keep control of the game. Olivia Graebner, Molly Murray, Meg McClure, Maddy Spratt, and Kayli Williams seem to be getting into a comfortable rhythm in the midfield and on the forward line and have become a very talented unit. Stopping about fifteen penalty corners, Goalie Jordan Vradenburgh, and her defensive team are a solid group in the back field. Sophia Curtis, Reilly Monach, Hitchingham, and Hannah Aker are a force to be reckoned with on the way to the goal. The Falcons added another goal in the fourth quarter, going up 3-1 with a free hit from senior, Sophia Hitchingham, to sophomore, Megan McClure. Coach Traci Curtis is most excited about the growth happening each day in everyone. We do not rely on one, singular player to do it all - the workload is shared and the responsibility is on every single girl to do their part well and if they can’t that day, then there is another teammate ready to pick up the slack. It’s a full team effort. It makes me proud to watch the girls take chances, step outside of their comfort zone, and build confidence in themselves as individuals and as a whole. Today we discovered what it feels like to believe in ourselves and one another. What is means to trust and what it feels like to propel a program forward with authority. Pennsbury will celebrate their seniors on Wednesday at home against Bensalem.