After falling to Wilson in last year’s Berks Field Hockey League championship game, Oley Valley senior Morgan Snyder and her teammates had one thing on their minds heading into a crossover matchup with the Bulldogs: Revenge.
“It feels really, really good,” Snyder said after the Lynx defeated Wilson 4-1 Thursday at West Lawn. “We were all really excited because this was like our revenge game since they beat us in the county championship last year. So to come out here, play like we did, fight to the very last second and come out on top is just a great feeling.”
Snyder scored two goals and had an assist and the Lynx (4-0 Berks II, 8-0) — who lost 2-1 in last year’s county final — limited the Bulldogs (2-2 Berks I, 4-5) to just two shots on goal, one in each half.
The game was tied 1-1 at the half before Oley scored three goals in the third quarter and the Lynx’s defense stifled Wilson in the fourth quarter by not allowing a shot.
“We know from Wilson that we’re always going to get an extremely fast-paced, athletic, great game of field hockey,” Oley Valley coach Tiffany Cappellano said. “We always know that it’s going to be a good night of field hockey in Berks County when we get the opportunity to play them.
“I think that they really came out with a lot of good energy and we had trouble kind of matching it and exceeding it at first. Once we kind of settled into the third quarter, we were able to start to chip away at the scoreboard. I think that gave us a little bit of more momentum and it allowed us to gain a little bit of confidence and say, ‘Hey, we got this; we can do this.’ ”
Snyder scored the game’s first goal on a penalty stroke with 39 seconds remaining in the first quarter before junior Caroline Horace scored off an assist from junior Cameran Huyett to tie it for Wilson with 6:51 left in the second quarter.
A senior captain, Snyder gave the Lynx the lead for good with 10:22 remaining in the third quarter when she scored using her backhand in front of goal.
Freshman Kadyn Rhoads provided insurance as she scored Oley Valley’s third goal on a hard-hit shot from deep with 2:40 left in the third. Rhoads was assisted by Snyder on the play, then scored the Lynx’s final goal two minutes later.
“Morgan is a senior captain, she anchors our backfield very well but we definitely give her the green light to go when she has the opportunity,” Cappellano said. “She’s extremely skilled and does a good job of reading defenders, and I think in that moment (her second goal), she just really read that defense very well and she loves her backhand; it’s getting stronger and stronger each year. So it was really nice to see her be very simple and disciplined in her pulls and to finish it.
“Kadyn is a freshman, which is very impressive. She’s been able to come in and earn her time on the frontline, understanding her role and where she needs to be, and she’s really been working on her backhand as well. So I think it was really confidence boosting for her to come in and crack those two. Just the decision making as a freshman right in front where you don’t have a lot of time to think, was really good on her behalf tonight.”
For Wilson coach Kim Underwood, the game was a learning experience for a younger team that is still working on finding its stride.
“I think that this team needs to learn that they can play with high-level teams in the state, and I believe they can,” Underwood said. “I think we have a team that doesn’t have a lot of varsity experience. We graduated 17 seniors, so we have four girls back that have even a minute of varsity experience. So I think they’re continuing to learn and grow and understand the game, and we’re proud of them for continuing to trust us as we continue to try and teach them how to play at that next level.”
Oley finished with 14 shots on goal and seven corners, while the Bulldogs also had seven corners. Junior goalie Catherine Wolf made nine saves for Wilson and sophomore Megan Schaeffer made one save for the Lynx. Sophie Wilchek had a defensive save for the Bulldogs.
With its undefeated record intact, dependable chemistry has been driving Oley Valley’s strong season, according to Snyder.
“I think we’re a very close team and we’re all very driven,” Snyder said. “We always keep each other accountable, but (we’re) keeping it positive, and we always are pushing each other to get better. I think that’s why we’re being successful right now and I think that leads to a lot of our great play on the field.”
Source: Berkshire mont
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