The Patriots are pretty darn good at keeping the ball out of their net on defense, but they were going to need someone to step in there and take a few shots for the team.

Ninety degrees and all that heavy goalie gear, rock-hard field hockey balls targeted for your body at ungodly speeds. Hall’s arm couldn’t go up fast enough when the distress call went out.

“I never goalied before but we needed someone to do it, so I figured I’d take one for the team I guess,” Hall said. “The coaches encouraged everyone to give it a try. I tried it, and it was fun so I’m happy I did it.”

Hall played defense prior to slapping on the extra padding. She could have just stayed with the status quo and contributed on the back line during her senior year. But her coaches needed something more.

“She’s really been working hard at it,” said Carroll head coach Christina Elisio. “We owe a lot to her for taking that position and stepping up.”

Not only does Carroll compete in the PCL, but the Patriots play a very demanding non-conference schedule that includes games against teams from other states. Some of those players can really hammer a shot. Hall doesn’t seem to mind.

The Patriots won their first 4 league games by a combined score of 49-0. A lot of that damage is being done by Sienna Golden, who had 10 PCL goals just last week, blasting seven goals past Little Flower on Wednesday and followed with a hat trick against Lansdale Catholic on Friday.

“It’s more of a team effort,” said Golden, a junior. “We all help each other out and find a way to get the ball to the back of the cage by working together. It feels good (scoring goals), but it doesn’t have an affect on me personally. I get help from everybody. It’s not individual.”

Archbishop Wood also banked a win against St. Hubert last week. The Vikings have yet to play in a game where both teams scored a goal, but they have now been on the correct side of the result two out of three times. Angela Cavallaro, Molly Waltrich, Dylan Miller, Brynn Trepper, Kaelyn Ricchini, and Megan McCann all scored in their latest PCL win.

With playoff seedings already starting to round into shape and with Carroll and O’Hara gunning for the top two spots, there’s a good race for the final four spots. Conwell-Egan sat idle last week after its game with Bonner-Prendergast was canceled. It could prove advantageous for the Pandas who have a talented team but have started the season reeling a bit from losing a large group of seniors. Head coach Joanne Dolan says the team could be finding its way soon.

“I don’t think I have to worry about the girls’ camaraderie, which is a huge bonus for us,” Dolan said. “We just need to start connecting. We’re one step late. And we’re just not connecting on the ball.”

Bonner-Prendie already has its O’Hara and Carroll games behind them so the Pandas can take a breath and recalibrate with upcoming games against Wood, Lansdale Catholic and a make-up match with Conwell-Egan. Dolan said she's seeing evidence of her team turning a corner.

“They’ve gotten a lot more aggressive,” Dolan said. “They were a little shy against Carroll and played back on their heels. But (against O’Hara), we didn’t play back on our heels, which was great.”

“It was a little tough to handle but it’s OK,” Dowd said. “We’re keeping our heads high, and we just need a little more confidence. My team sometimes doesn’t have the confidence that I have in them. We just need to know that we can do this. We can play with the big guns.”

A lot of the coach’s confidence centers on junior defender Anna Cusumano who was named second-team All Catholic last season.

“I came in last year and saw Anna play and saw her excel,” Dowd said. “Her skill work is top notch.”