It was a gorgeous Saturday morning at Falcon Field - a great day to play field hockey. Pennsbury arrived ready to continue their four game winning streak and put an exclamation point on the week, but unfortunately they fell short to an equally talented Quakertown team in a hard fought battle to the bitter end. The first quarter was back and forth with much of the game happening between the 25s. The stats were neck and neck with each team earning penalty corners and getting a couple of shots on goal. The score was 0-0 going into the second quarter. The second quarter was more of the same high intensity battle. Each team had opportunities in the circle, but the score was deadlocked at 0-0. "I feel like our teams played a very similar style hockey and it was just talent against talent all over the field. We were playing really well using our passing combos, playing really strong defense, and working the ball up the field, but we were not completing the final steps on goal," said PHS coach, Traci Curtis. "It was great hockey on both sides and a really evenly matched game, but there were definitely moments when we could have capitalized on the situation and just fell one step short," Curtis said. The five minute half time was a much needed breather for the Falcons and the Panthers. The goose eggs on the scoreboard told the story of the first half and those double zeros continued to speak all through the third. Neither team was able to get the ball across the white line for 45 minutes - the fans were certainly getting their monies worth (although it was free admission) from the performance on the field. It was quite a show! The final 15 minutes were met with temperatures rising and a game that could go either way in a moment. And that moment came for Quakertown with less than five minutes in the game. Fifty five scoreless minutes into the game, after a stellar series of stops from Pennsbury goalie, Abby McCole, the Panthers earned a corner. "They used a slip pass that got by our flyer and second step defender. Quakertown stuck a stick in for a tip to redirect and it slipped through McCole's legs and they finished with power to get the goal," explained Coach Curtis. "They got the touch they needed in the moment. We played it to the best of our ability and it just wasn't enough to deny them." There was plenty of time left for the Falcons as they reset with confidence. PHS came down and pressured multiple times in the final minutes even earning a penalty corner with the clock ticking away. "We could taste the tying goal and were pounding on the doorstep until the very end. It just didn't go our way today," said Curtis. "Games like that are heartbreakers, but still awesome learning opportunities with such value for the future. It was an excellent field hockey game and that is what we want from our players," said Curtis. "You could see the hearts strewn all over the field and that's the feeling that makes us who we are. We are taking one step at a time and keeping our eyes looking ahead." Pennsbury will put one foot in front of the other and travel to Upper Moreland on Monday.