The Manheim Township field hockey team was knocked out of contention for the 2024 PIAA Class 3A championship after dropping its quarterfinals contest to Villa Maria Academy on Saturday.
Villa won 2-0. They now move on to the semifinals and are scheduled to play Emmaus, the reigning Class 3A champions. They’ll play at 6 p.m. at Exeter Township High School on Tuesday, Nov. 12.
A huge part of Villa’s success was its defense.
“Catie Connolly was a total rock for us back there,” Villa head coach Katie Evans said. “Honestly, the only thing we were focused on was playing our game. Nothing changes from us going from 2A to 3A. We’re focused on being really disciplined. The girls did a great job executing.”
Villa is the reigning PIAA Class 2A high school field hockey champions. They won the title last year, but were moved into Class 3A during the 2024 Fall season.
Connolly, Villa’s goalie and University of Connecticut commit, was under intense pressure for the final minutes of the game. Manheim Township tallied 14 corners, of which six of them were awarded in the final six to seven minutes of the game.
“Our team did an amazing job,” Connolly said. “We were able to stop 14 corners and keep persevering. They had something different going on every single time, and our defense was able to step up, and beat them. I’m just so proud of my team’s defense. It was absolutely outstanding.”
The Blue Streaks did their homework on Villa. They were hoping to shut down Caitlin Connell, a University of Virginia commit, when she was floating near the cage, but Connell was still able to evade her markers. That ability to keep the game flowing is what Connolly said she’s most proud of.
“We’re ready for anything,” the junior goalkeeper said. “We expect the unexpected. Just be ready for all that comes to us. New league, new challenges, and we never know what we’re going to get. We never give up. I’m so proud of everyone.”
Despite the score reflecting a shutout, the Blue Streaks fired off nine shots. Their goalie Emma Drolet, who rallied back after a recent injury, had two saves. Drolet also played in the team’s Downingtown West first round game.
Lauren Kurek, who was a big part in securing Villa’s gold medal last year at states, also gave her team the insurance victory again, being the last to score with only seconds remaining in the first half. No goals were scored in the second half. Connell, a junior, assisted Kurek with the goal and also scored the first point in the game.
“I think they had a lot of possession in the beginning of the game,” Connell said of Manheim Township. “We took our opportunities to the fullest in the first half. I think they did a really great job of keeping possession in the second half as well. But, our defense played phenomenal clearing the ball really well. Georgi Kondrath with her aerials out of the back field. Phenomenal to watch.”
Villa is a private school and has a smaller population than most public schools, which made the victory to her more meaningful for several reasons.
“I think it’s really important to us, from moving from 2A to 3A, we have something to prove,” she said. “We were moved here for a reason. We’re a really small private school compared to all the public schools; it’s really important to us. We have a lot of pride in Villa. It’s really special to be part of such an awesome group.”
The game at times was physical. Township received two green and one yellow warning cards, and Villa received two green.
Manheim Township played along the right sideline throughout the fourth quarter, pushing up into the attack 25, searching for a goal. Villa used consistent aerials and pushed the ball into the center and then out wide seeking an outlet pass.
“We work on 2v1s and 3v2s during practice a lot,” Connell said. “Our outside mids do very well finding us in the middle and splitting through the midfield. Other than that, I think we do really well, just finding ins and outs, Jack Shaw, passing to get up to the forward line. I’m really excited. I feel so lucky to part of such an awesome program that values their athletes.”
Villa had four penalty corners, four shots, and Connolly had nine saves.
Among notable players who pushed Township until the end was Cami Schwartz. Schwartz, surprisingly, is more known for being a swimmer, head coach Jess Shellenberger said.
“Cami Schwartz is the absolute epitome of heart,” she said. “She will play anywhere we ask her to play. She’ll do anything we ask her to do. And, ya know, when we had her at right back when we were pushing our numbers forward, she made a couple of great tackles.”
Five out of the six seniors started for Manheim Township this fall. Shellenberger said she will miss them and described them as “just great kids; really good humans.”
“The kids want to obviously keep playing, but they also just like to be together,” she said. “They just give you everything you got. We don’t have these career field hockey players who have been playing since they were two. I try to keep that in perspective. Four or five years ago, a lot of these kids didn’t even know what field hockey is, and we played these perennial powerhouses. It’s pride. I’m just really proud.”
One thing she said she wishes she could change is being able to mark Connell on the first goal.
“Connell is a special player,” Shellenberger said. “We left her alone on that first goal. She obviously has a knack to get open.”
Manheim Township ends the season 17-4. Villa is 23-1 and Emmaus is 25-1.
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Photo: Manheim Twp. vs Villa Maria Academy, 2024 PIAA Class 3A quarterfinals, Bob Benscoter
