September is off to a great start for Pennsbury field hockey. Today's home opener against Hatboro-Horsham made it two wins in a row since the calendar flipped to the new month. The game ended with the Falcons on the winning side of the 5-1 final score in contrast to when they played Neshaminy. If felt so good to play on our home field today, said head coach, Traci Curtis. Both of our scrimmages in addition to our first two games were away for us so it was a relief to come home and settle into our space. We tried some new things today as we work through trial and error and the girls just clicked and looked great out there. The passing was quick, sharp, and accurate, which resulted in great connections from end to end. It took us a little time to get on the board, but finally put one in at the end of the first quarter as Mia Popovich cleaned up during a penalty corner opportunity. In the second quarter Rachel Stein added a goal off of an assist from Meg McClure and Popovich notched another on a rebound off of the pads. McClure is so solid for us. She is selfless and is a difference maker. She creates, encourages, leads, and helps others succeed out there. Rachel Stein came back to us the strongest she's ever been. She is contributing strongly on our offense and working so well with seasoned varsity players. Popovich is improving at warp speed and seems to master something new in every game. The Falcons led 3-0 going into the half. Our coaching staff was so excited to see the players applying all of the things we had worked on and talked about at practice. They really listen and work hard to implement the skills and strategies. That's what we love about moving through the season - the growth is happening in real time and it brings us joy to feel that give and take within our field hockey family. The Hatters held Pennsbury scoreless in the third quarter. Curtis gave props to Hatboro's goalie who had many great saves throughout the game. She made it difficult for our third quarter line up to score. She played really well the entire game. Early in the fourth the black and orange made it 4-0 on a beautiful cross from Siya Patel to Chelsea Todd who one-timed it right into the cage. That was a specific drill we had done at practice and we could not contain ourselves when Todd connected on that so perfectly. Sweeper, Gabby Darling closed out the scoring on a corner at the end of the fourth quarter. She flubbed the initial shot, but then recovered it, took a few dribbles, and sent it reverse stick into the corner of the cage. We loved seeing her navigate the mistake and making something happen without flinching. Darling is a threat in so many ways and still has so much more inside of her. It's exciting to watch her play. The Hatters did not give up even as the game clock ticked towards it's final second. They earned a penalty corner and slammed one in on a great shot with 23 seconds left in the game to make it a 5-1 final. They walked away denying a shut out, which is a victory in itself. They made us work hard for our goals in every layer. Other stand out performances came from Molly Murray, Isabelle Vazapphilly, Rylie Borgman, Riley Henderson, Reagan Ward, and Ava Jordan. We will carry today with us into the weekend and enjoy where we are at the moment. It is temporary. Monday starts a new week with different challenges and we will do all we can to prepare for the games that lie ahead. #WORKINPROGRESS