For the third straight year, Oley Valley is headed to the Berks Field Hockey League final.
Behind three goals from senior midfielder Morgan Snyder, the top-seeded Lynx beat fourth-seeded Twin Valley 4-0 in a semifinal on Wednesday night at Oley.
“It means so much to us,” Snyder said. “All we want is to come out Saturday with that county title, especially after losing last year.”
Oley Valley (18-1-1) will take on second-seeded Wilson (14-6) in the championship game on Saturday at 6 p.m. at Alvernia. The Bulldogs defeated sixth-seeded Daniel Boone 4-0 on Wednesday night.
“They’re an excellent opponent,” Lynx coach Tiffany Cappellano said. “Knowing that it’s Wilson, it’s a little bit of redemption for us.”
Oley Valley fell to the Bulldogs 2-1 in last year’s county final. The Lynx also lost the 2021 championship game to Twin Valley.
“That’s not settling well with us,” Cappellano said about the past two county finals. “Getting back there was the first step to attaining our goal.”
Oley took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter on Wednesday and remained in control the rest of the way. The Lynx outshot the Raiders 22-3.
“They really followed the game plan tonight,” Cappellano said. “That was the key for us. That’s when we feel most comfortable, that’s when we can really be aggressive and take calculated risks.”
Snyder opened the scoring with a goal midway through the first quarter off of a corner. Senior Olivia Scatamacchia had the assist.
“She’s a very composed player,” Cappellano said about Snyder. “She’s a leader out there on the field.”
Oley Valley made it 2-0 less than five minutes later on a goal by senior Mia Woodard off an assist from sophomore Julia Wagner.
Snyder scored her second goal of the game with 20 seconds left in the first quarter off an assist from senior Taylor Vaccaro. Snyder completed the hat trick with a penalty-stroke goal early in the fourth quarter to make it 4-0.
“She handed me the ball on a silver platter,” Snyder said about Vaccaro’s assist. “All I had to do was swing.”
Goalie Maddie Stevens recorded 18 saves for the Raiders (10-9), while Lynx goalie Megan Schaeffer had three saves. Wednesday marked Oley Valley’s 11th shutout win of the season.
“We came out with an offensive goal and a defensive goal,” Snyder said. “We executed and followed the game plan and that’s why we played so well.”
With their semifinal win behind them and the memories of the last two Berks finals in their minds, the Lynx head into Saturday’s championship game hungry for more.
“Those two losses just fuel our fire,” Snyder said. “We’re ready to come out and play as well as we can.”
Source: Berkshire mont