| GAME DATE | SPORTS | GAME TYPE | OVERTIME |
|---|---|---|---|
| September 29th 2025 | Field Hockey - Girls | League Game | No |
Pennsbury Comments
The Pennsbury Falcons came into game day Monday hot off of a huge win against Unionville Friday afternoon, but as we all know in sports - big wins can sometimes be followed by big losses...emphasis on 'sometimes'. The PHSFH coaching staff was approaching the match up against Bensalem with a message of caution to their players. Coach Traci Curtis explains, "We know how hard Bensalem is working and the growth they have had as a program over the years. This is the strongest they have ever been and it's intimidating. Their goalie is stellar and their players are smart. They were going to come at us full force and take advantage of a home game knowing that we have not played on a grass field since the last time we traveled to them a year ago. We could not assume anything based on our first game against them on turf (PHS won 5-0 a month ago). This was a whole different situation."
Despite earning a penalty corner in the first minute of play and possessing the ball for a majority of the first quarter, PHS found themselves struggling to get into the groove and play their game early on. "We were passing and moving well, but it was difficult to connect and Bensalem had strong sticks, continuously stopping our momentum," said Curtis.
Both teams were scoreless in the first quarter and the orange and black knew they were going to be forced to work double time for every success within the game.
Curtis' prediction was spot on. The second quarter was back and forth with a very evenly matched battle between the 25s. Bensalem was the first to connect and finish in the circle at the seven minute mark. On a long pass from outside the circle, the blue and white got a touch, Pennsbury's goalie, Abby McCole made an initial save, but the Bensalem attacker had a quick stick rebound off of pads and deflected it to her teammate who was able to tally the goal. The Owls were once again proving their strength, power, and fight and Pennsbury found themselves a goal behind, clawing their way out of moments all over the field. Bensalem held the 1-0 lead going into half time.
It was a tale of two halves as Pennsbury dominated possession and opportunities in the third, but was still struggling to finish and get on the scoreboard. "We had chances with attacking penalty corners, shots on goal, and breakaways, but we just were not capitalizing on those moments," said Coach Curtis. "We knew it would be tough to get past their keeper. We needed to get more hungry, creative, and stay low in the circle."
The Falcons finally found their tying goal when a penalty stroke was awarded with four minutes left in the quarter. Junior, Cailyn Reilly stepped up and nailed it into the backboard with precision and strength. But the game was far from over and the clock kept ticking away the minutes in this tight conference contest.
With 35 seconds left in the quarter, Cailyn Reilly made a great defensive clear out wide to begin a well executed passing series up the right side. Abby Iacona worked her magic to get the ball into the red zone and put it on cage. Bensalem's goalie misplayed the save and PHS junior midfielder, Ryan Burdette was on the stroke to pick up the rebound and make it count. Pennsbury went up 2-1 with 16 seconds left in the third. "I could feel us settling in finally and playing our style of hockey. It was nerve wracking to watch us fumble around the field for the first half, but once we got our feet under us, it was a much more smooth performance," said Curtis.
The Falcons continued to attack in the fourth with determination. Abby Iacona earned a corner around the ten minute mark and PHS executed it beautifully from start to finish. After the initial shot, Ava Pinto collected the rebound off of pads and slammed it home to put the Falcons up 3-1.
"Our defense was solid once again and continued to deny the Owls any chances. Senior, Abby Hicks had a defensive save and really stepped to the ball with laser focus and patience today," That coupled with us capitalizing on possessions allowed us to go up two goals and hold them to their one."
Bensalem never let down and with two minutes left in the game they were awarded a penalty stroke - the second of the day with each team having one. The ball was put wide of the cage and Pennsbury held onto their lead until the final buzzer, taking home the win. "Kudos to Gary and his staff for how far he is taking this program. His team put up quite a fight and challenged us all over the field. I'm glad we can add this to our win column and take the next step - they certainly did not make it easy. We are seeing a lot of heart and at this point in the season and that is what we need to carry us through. We need our hearts to lead the way," said Curtis. Later this week, Pennsbury will travel to Souderton for a game under the Friday Night Lights.
Despite earning a penalty corner in the first minute of play and possessing the ball for a majority of the first quarter, PHS found themselves struggling to get into the groove and play their game early on. "We were passing and moving well, but it was difficult to connect and Bensalem had strong sticks, continuously stopping our momentum," said Curtis.
Both teams were scoreless in the first quarter and the orange and black knew they were going to be forced to work double time for every success within the game.
Curtis' prediction was spot on. The second quarter was back and forth with a very evenly matched battle between the 25s. Bensalem was the first to connect and finish in the circle at the seven minute mark. On a long pass from outside the circle, the blue and white got a touch, Pennsbury's goalie, Abby McCole made an initial save, but the Bensalem attacker had a quick stick rebound off of pads and deflected it to her teammate who was able to tally the goal. The Owls were once again proving their strength, power, and fight and Pennsbury found themselves a goal behind, clawing their way out of moments all over the field. Bensalem held the 1-0 lead going into half time.
It was a tale of two halves as Pennsbury dominated possession and opportunities in the third, but was still struggling to finish and get on the scoreboard. "We had chances with attacking penalty corners, shots on goal, and breakaways, but we just were not capitalizing on those moments," said Coach Curtis. "We knew it would be tough to get past their keeper. We needed to get more hungry, creative, and stay low in the circle."
The Falcons finally found their tying goal when a penalty stroke was awarded with four minutes left in the quarter. Junior, Cailyn Reilly stepped up and nailed it into the backboard with precision and strength. But the game was far from over and the clock kept ticking away the minutes in this tight conference contest.
With 35 seconds left in the quarter, Cailyn Reilly made a great defensive clear out wide to begin a well executed passing series up the right side. Abby Iacona worked her magic to get the ball into the red zone and put it on cage. Bensalem's goalie misplayed the save and PHS junior midfielder, Ryan Burdette was on the stroke to pick up the rebound and make it count. Pennsbury went up 2-1 with 16 seconds left in the third. "I could feel us settling in finally and playing our style of hockey. It was nerve wracking to watch us fumble around the field for the first half, but once we got our feet under us, it was a much more smooth performance," said Curtis.
The Falcons continued to attack in the fourth with determination. Abby Iacona earned a corner around the ten minute mark and PHS executed it beautifully from start to finish. After the initial shot, Ava Pinto collected the rebound off of pads and slammed it home to put the Falcons up 3-1.
"Our defense was solid once again and continued to deny the Owls any chances. Senior, Abby Hicks had a defensive save and really stepped to the ball with laser focus and patience today," That coupled with us capitalizing on possessions allowed us to go up two goals and hold them to their one."
Bensalem never let down and with two minutes left in the game they were awarded a penalty stroke - the second of the day with each team having one. The ball was put wide of the cage and Pennsbury held onto their lead until the final buzzer, taking home the win. "Kudos to Gary and his staff for how far he is taking this program. His team put up quite a fight and challenged us all over the field. I'm glad we can add this to our win column and take the next step - they certainly did not make it easy. We are seeing a lot of heart and at this point in the season and that is what we need to carry us through. We need our hearts to lead the way," said Curtis. Later this week, Pennsbury will travel to Souderton for a game under the Friday Night Lights.
Pennsbury's a great team and we not only held our own, but took the lead into halftime today. I'm very pleased with the way our team played today, it's been a long time since we even scored against them , so to have a lead through more than half a game was something to build on. Shoutout to all of the forwards that were putting pressure on the Falcons defense, especially in the first half. There was a great finish by sophomore Lily Lendzinski. The midfield did a great job of sealing the circle, and the defense were pressing at the halfway line forcing the ball back into the Falcons end early on. Great games today by forward Mollie Reilly, mdfielders Paige Dando, Anjali Guda, Tierney Sayers, and Veronica Lennon, and defenders Lucciana Krecko and Abby Cheung. Goalkeeper Hailey Fricke continues to shine making some very important saves at some crucial times.