Faith Christian has been playing organized field hockey under the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association umbrella for three seasons.
The Lady Lions are classified as a 1A team. And, on Saturday, they put all that they had learned in a short time span into their competition against Boiling Springs.
The Bubblers, peaking at the perfect time, came back from a 1-0 deficit to win the 2024 PIAA Class 1A quarterfinals round at Exeter Township 4-1. Boiling Springs field hockey plays Wyoming Area at 6 p.m. today at Milton Area High School.
Boiling Springs is 19-5 on the season and Wyoming Area is 20-0. It’s a familiar contest that was played two years ago, except this time the Warriors are undefeated, and it was the 1A championship game.
The Bubblers claimed the title and maintained a pristine undefeated record the entire way. The rematch is taking place in the semifinals, meaning one team’s dream of claiming a title will end.
Being scored on first by Faith Christian over the weekend was a mixed blessing for the Bubblers, they said.
“This happened to us before, and I think we knew this game was really important,” freshman Kendall Longenberger said. “And, we just didn’t let it get to us. So, we kept our heads up, and soon after that, we came back and got a goal.”
Four minutes into the game, Gracie Longacre scored on a corner. It was the only goal the Bubblers defense allowed them.
Nearing the end of the first, Katie Pabis was in an advantageous position at post, where she also tapped the ball into the cage to tie it 1-1. Anna Lucido and Longenberger were credited with the assist.
During the second quarter, Boiling Springs picked up its momentum. They were getting caught being flat and were loose on passes, until they realized they were giving the Lady Lions an opportunity to control the game.
They were able to score on another corner in the second quarter. This time it was Longenberger assisted by Kate Yenser.
But, the halftime score of 2-1 still meant it could go either way.
“We just wanted it more,” Boiling Springs’ Kate Hovis said. “We just came back hungry.”
The junior center forward retained the halftime sideline chatter and took it to heart. She went out and scored two more goals in the third, both unassisted.
Boiling Springs has been working on its stick-t0-stick passing, which helped Hovis land a point for the Bubblers. She was where she needed to be after her team passed the ball into the circle.
“We knew that they could possibly score another goal and we wanted to make sure we had a big enough lead to make sure they couldn’t tie it,” Longenberger said.
There is a lot of contagious energy bubbling on the team, head coach Bayley Leonard said. When the girls release it, they raise their standards and play great hockey.
“Kate’s goal was beautiful,” Leonard said. “The ball got stuck in the goalie’s pads. She pulled it out and scored over the goalie.”
Leonard continued, “When we play with the energy and intensity we know we’re capable of, it’s hard for teams to match that. We showed that on Tuesday, we just came out with total domination. When we come out with that mindset we can control the game and we can play with anybody and everybody. I feel that, even though we did get scored on first, we’ve talked about responding and how we respond, we don’t need to panic. We just need to continue playing, versus panicking. And, trying to score right away with the mindset that we will score and we can score. To come back from a 1-0 deficit and put in four goals is great for us.”
There is a lot of respect among high school field hockey teams in Pennsylvania. Leonard said “hats off” to Faith Christian for quickly organizing and already making a name for themselves after only establishing a team three seasons ago.
The Lady Lions have four seniors, but most of the girls have never picked up a stick before the program launched.
The third quarter, when Hovis changed the game’s dynamic in favor of Boiling Springs, Faith Christian continued to try to rally back.
“We had some defensive, all over the field, break downs, especially on free hits,” the Lady Lions head coach Jayne Longacre said. “We weren’t able to keep the momentum. It’s just the little things that turned into big things. This is our third season as a program, so for us to make it to quarterfinals, that’s impressive. There’s so much to learn, even though we have four seniors, we’re still a very young team. We’re going to grind. We’re going to keep on grinding. We couldn’t be any prouder of this team.”
It takes all 11 athletes on the field to win a game. There are times when one line shines brighter than the others. And, in the quarterfinals, the offense had their moment.
“We opened the field up and used speed in the front,” Leonard said. “Stick to stick passing. There were moments when we lost some possession. The girls were able to recognize that and take control of that. They were able to collect themselves. Our defense did a great job but our offense did a really great job in that circle.”
Facing Wyoming Area is going to be tough. The Warriors are having a dream season, and are known for having one of the toughest high school defensive penalty corner units in the state. It’s something that has been growing from season to season.
“We’re going to keep to our game plan,” Leonard said.
Boiling Springs lost in the District 3 Class 1A championship game to West Perry.
Reflecting on the game, Leonard said, “That district championship game was not our last game but it easily could have been if we did not use that game to learn and grow from. Just super proud of the girls. They came back to practice and brought energy. Super proud of the girls to not let minor setbacks cause bigger setbacks.”
Boiling Springs had 13 corners, Faith Christian six. The Bubbler’s took 11 shots on goal, the Lady Lions had three. And, Boiling Springs’ goalie had three saves, and Faith Christian 11.
Wyoming Area is the No. 1 seed out of District 2. Boiling Springs is the No. 2 seed out of District 3.
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Photo: Faith Christian vs Boiling Springs, 2024 PIAA Class 1A quarterfinals, Bob Benscoter
