CONSHOCKEN, PA- Defending Champions No. 3 Seed Cardinal O’Hara is once again in familiar territory, the Lady Lions defeated No. 2 Seed Monsignor Bonner and Archbishop Prendergast 2-0 yesterday at the Proving Grounds for a spot to compete for the PCL title.
Teammates Sara Hayes (St. Joseph's University commit) scored in the first half with an assist by Annemarie Banes. Meghan Shallow (Catholic University commit) followed with a second goal, which sealed the 2-0 victory.
O’Hara won the title in a 4-0 shutout last year against Bonner-Prendie.
Final seconds of play for O'Hara & MBAP
“The team is very determined and focused on a common goal of PCL champs. They really support each other and know how to keep each other motivated. We attribute our successes to each other from starters to subs. Everyone has a role on our team and we make sure that isn't overlooked,” said O’Hara head coach Marie Murphy Paolucci.
“The regular season loss to Carroll was a big disappointment for us. We know we have a tough game ahead of us but we are up for the challenge. We are going to focus on our strengths and keeping our heads clear”.
For, O’Hara senior captain and last year’s MVP Makayla Gallen ( University of Virginia commit), getting a spot to play in the finals again signifies the dedication and team effort that was displayed by her team all season long.
“We work hard. We want this. For Carroll, we will just play our game,” said Gallen.
The Lady Lions are going for their third title in four years and have made it to the final round every year since 2009.
O'Hara vs MBAP semi photos by Kevin Murphy
Head coach Joanne Dolan has been at the helm of this B&P squad for the past 3 years.
“I am very proud of my team. We finished the season 12-4 overall and 8-1 in the PCL tied for first place with Carroll & O'Hara. We got better with each game and we gelled nicely at the end of the season with two very big wins against Carroll (5-0) and Episcopal Academy (3-0),” said Dolan.
The win against Carroll gives Bonner & Prendie a bid to States for the first time since 2009.
Dolan praised her seniors for a great season.
“Our seniors are strong, competitive, talented, skilled and team players. Collectively they all wanted the team to get to the PCL championship and for some they knew they were helping the team get better and stronger at practice even though they were not varsity starters.”
Senior midfielder and Bonner-Prendie standout Riley Dolan, (Univ. Of Delaware commit), set her school’s history and record this year by achieving 107 career assists.
"I am so proud of my teammates. My teammates are like my family. I've made lifelong friends and memories and there is nothing like being a part of this team. When others thought we "couldn't", we believed we could and we did! I always say to my teammates after a big win when we might not be expected to win "come in unknown - leave unforgotten", said Dolan.
Dolan offered this advice to her returning teammates.
"Train hard, be committed, focus on “team” and not "me", listen to our coach (she knows what she's talking about) and play with heart. Treasure the good games, shake off the bad ones, and always play like it’s your last chance to play for Bonner & Prendie field hockey,” said Dolan.
Looking towards next year's season, coach Dolan remains positive.
“I am excited to have my goalie back as she is a sophomore this year. I am also excited to have four juniors back as starters. It will be a re-building year for us but with effort and commitment I believe the team will be very successful.”
At 4PM, Archbishop Carroll and St. Hubert’s took the field to compete for a spot in the PCL final at Cardinal O’Hara High School.
The Lady Patriots came out on fire, with Jess Hewitt, Sam Swart, Megan Foster and Maddie Sutter adding in four first half goals.
“They came out today, they had the momentum and they are so excited to go [to the final],” said Carroll's head coach Christina Elisio. “Last year they didn’t make it past the second round of the playoffs so they really wanted it this year and have been working really hard as a team since then.”
Megan Foster scores Carroll's 3rd goal
Maddie Sutter scores 1 of her 3 goals for Carroll
With 20:22 to go in the second half, Maddie Sutter scored her second goal of the game to put Carroll up 5-0 over the Bambies. Eight minutes later, Sutter added another for a hat-trick on the afternoon. Carroll secured their spot in the finale by a score of 6-0 over St. Hubert’s.
Coach Elisio stated that her team’s momentum has been off the charts since the Lady Patriots defeated their soon to be PCL final foe on Oct. 21st.
“So we won against O’Hara 3-0 on Friday night a couple weeks ago, and I think it got my team really revved up. Then we got the first place seed and they’ve just been super pumped up since then and feel they are unstoppable at this point,” said Elisio.
Madeline Sutter explains what attributed to their win & their preparation for O’Hara
Hubert’s senior Ashley Wallace addresses how proud she is of her teammates & the way they competed this year
Sam Swart leaves a piece of advice for her returning Carroll teammates for next season
Hubert’s senior Mackenzie Wolstenholme leaves her words of advice for her returning teammates
Although St. Hubert’s PCL season has come to an end, the feeling of once again having a winning season will endure until next fall. Last year, the Bambies did not tally a single win. Making it to the PCL semifinals this year was a feat worth bragging about in itself.
“I couldn’t be more proud of these kids, I told them that as the season was going along, they progressed. They had a couple of bad games, but they came back from those bad games and they kind of did that on their own,” said Hubert’s head coach Theresa Gorman.
“After we lost the Lansdale game…I talked to them and said ‘You’re now 4-5 instead of 5-4. And I believe that a 5-4 record is playoff worthy. I don’t believe that 4-5 is. People are going to be like ‘Ugh you don’t really belong here, you’re only here because this season was tough for other teams'... But the thing was, they were better than their record. We came back from that game and worked really hard in practice for Wood…It’s just the hard work and effort they put in and they compliment each other when the need to be complimented,” added Gorman.
One of many saves made by Hubert's goalie Liz Siravo
Coach Gorman also attributed her team’s success to her talented senior class, which encompasses: Gianna Labovitz, Kasey Hawe, Ashley Wallace, Meg Vogler, Kayla O’Hare, Aly Bee and Mackenzie Wolstenholm.
Carroll vs. Hubert's (38 Photos)
“I haven’t had a group of seniors this tight in awhile and I would say that is definitely the major contribution to the success this season. What a nice balance they brought this year,” said Gorman.
Next year, the Bambies will be returning starting goalie, Liz Siravo, who has been considered a human wall for her team this season.
“I’m so happy to have Liz back next year. She plays well on turf, I’m surprised because we play on grass,” said Gorman. “We normally have strong goalies, but they normally get blown out on turf. Liz is just a little maniac so she was up for the challenge.”
Tomorrow evening, the PCL Championship will take place at 7:15PM at Neumann University between Cardinal O’Hara and Archbishop Carroll.