KENNETT SQUARE — For the first time since Madonna was topping the charts and Ferris Bueller was taking his day off, the Kennett field hockey team is headed to a District 1 final.
On a brisk Tuesday night, the fourth-seeded Blue Demons squared off in the semifinals against No. 8 Harriton. The Rams were coming in hot, riding high after knocking off top-seeded Springfield (Delco) in the quarterfinals. The night belonged to Kennett, as they put together a complete game, with crisp passing and ball movement, plus a stifling defense to turn back the Rams by a 3-0 score to advance to their fist district tile game since the 1980s.
The Blue Demons (17-4) will take on No. 3 Mount St. Joseph in the Class 2A championship game Saturday afternoon at Methacton High School.
“This is uncharted territory for all of us,” said Kennett coach Meghan Shumway. “We’ve all been coaching here since the early 2000s, and this is all a first for us. It’s really the result of years of hard work. It’s not just this season. We started a feeder program 12-15 years ago and we’re seeing the results of that, with girls playing club year round and dedicating themselves to the sport.”
Harriton will visit another Ches-Mont League American Division team, Unionville, in the third-place game on Thursday.
The two teams spent the first period feeling each other out over the course of a mostly evenly played 15-minutes. Each team had a penalty corner opportunity in the quarter, but never really threatened.
That changed quickly in the second. Thirty seconds in, the Blue Demons worked the ball inside the circle and attacked the cage. Margo Schwarz sent a ball towards goal where Kylie Bradley got a hold of it and slammed it home for the opening score.
“I saw Margo with the ball and just made sure I was ready for it,” said Bradley. “Once I got it, I knew I had to put it in. It’s always important to get the early lead.”
The remainder of the half was just about dead even, with each team finishing the half with two penalty corners and a similar amount of shots on goal.
“I’m proud of the way this team played, and the way we’ve played all year,” said Harriton coach Jess Hoh. “We’re just taking things one game at a time, and treating each opponent as just another game. This team has never gotten this far before and to know that we’re still heading to states is an incredible feeling.”
Kennett began to pull away in the second half, controlling possessions and moving the ball effectively to keep the action mostly in the offensive end. They also began to own the statistical battle. By game’s end, the Blue Demons had forced 13 corners to just the two in the first half for the Rams and held an 8-2 advantage in shots.
“We passed the ball well all game, working the ball up the outside of the field,” said Shumway. “This was a really great, all-around team effort. We need to work on executing corners a little bit. We had 13 and only converted one or two of them.”
Kennett added goals in the third and fourth to round out the scoring. The first came from Schwarz, who unleashed a rocket from the top of the circle that banged off the back of the cage. Next, as time was beginning to run down, Kennett grabbed a little insurance when Stella Houghton sent a ball forward to the front of the cage. The ball bounced in off the crowd and Bradley was given credit for her second.
“We knew how much was on the line tonight, being this close to a district final,” said Houghton. “Since no Kennett team has been there since the 80s, to get there as a senior, with this team, is just amazing.”
Mount is making its second consecutive appearance in the finals, falling to Gwynedd Mercy, 3-2, in 2024. The Blue Demons, however, relish playing the role of the underdog.
“First of all, I just love being the underdog,” said Shumway. “But, while we may not have experience in a district finals, this is our fourth straight year qualifying for states, so we know what it takes to play at this level. I think we’ll be confident coming in and we’re ready to play.”
Kennett 3, Harriton 0Harriton 0 0 0 0 — 0Kennett 0 1 1 1 — 3Kennett goals: Bradley 2, Schwarz.Goalie saves: Garvin (H) 5; Mack (K) 2.
Source: Berkshire mont