When the Pennsbury coaches had the opportunity to add Wissahickon to their schedule, they took advantage of it immediately knowing that it would be a great challenge to put before their team.  The Falcons met the challenge with grit, heart, and awesome field hockey. Playing on turf as a grass team puts PHS at a disadvantage from the start, but the girls came out ready to battle and adapted quickly to the fast pace of the game against a very strong Trojan team.  Last year PHS fell 6-0 in a preseason scrimmage against Wissahickon. Today’s game ended with a loss as well, but with a score of 3-0 and a story that is not told well in the outcome. Wiss scored first early in the first quarter, but the Falcons made them earn it for sure. The defensive power of Sophia Curtis, Reilly Monach, Hannah Aker, Sophia Hitchingham, and goalie, Jordan Vradenburgh did not make it easy for Wiss to get on the scoreboard.  Vradenburgh, with over 15 saves, had an outstanding game using her agility  to dive, slide, clear, and strongly deny a few one on one breakaways. The score remained 1-0 after the first quarter. Pennsbury came out in the second quarter more determined than ever - sophomore forward, Meg McClure, played smart hockey connecting with senior forward, Kayli Williams to create many give and go offensive pushes and scoring opportunities.  After some great passing sequences the Falcons did put the ball in the cage in the second quarter, which would have tied the score 1-1, however the goal was called back as ruled on the field during the play in the circle.  After the gut punch goal reversal, Pennsbury simply dug deeper and entered half time holding the score at 1-0.  When the third quarter began, it was evident that the battle intensified - the speed and physicality of the game was at its peak.  Wissahickon is a very skilled, fast team and the Falcons were right at their heels answering back  with the same level of play.  The Trojans did score two more goals, one in the third quarter and one in the fourth resulting in the 3-0 loss, but the PHS coaches are nothing but proud of the effort and heart put on the field for sixty minutes.  The story of the game reveals progress in field hockey skill, but more importantly in believing in our abilities as players and a program as a whole.  It is games like this that catapult us forward as we build from the inside out and embrace our progress as a true reflection of our success and achievements this season. We are grateful for the chances to be challenged and forced to raise our caliber of play and we are grateful for the ability to play field hockey this fall.  The Falcons will travel to Council Rock North for their last regular season game on Wednesday, Oct. 28th.