Council Rock North field hockey still making adjustments in the back
NEWTOWN – After losing four seniors who played on the defensive side of the ball, Council Rock North entered the season needing an overhaul of its backfield.
While the Lady Indians emerged with a hard-fought 3-2 triumph in their opening battle Sept. 2 at Wissahickon, the Rock’s defense is still experiencing some growing pains. That much was evident in Tuesday’s battle at home against Ches-Mont rival West Chester Henderson (2-0).
Trailing 1-0 at the half on an opening goal by Lexi Dunleavy, North (1-1) allowed two more goals into the back of the cage by the junior forward for the Warriors before putting one on the scoreboard themselves in the second half. The end result was a 4-1 loss to the team from West Chester that evened the Rock’s record at 1-1.
“We switched our scheme up six times during this game,” said Indians head coach Heather Whalin. “We just have to find something that clicks and works.”
In CR North’s season opening win Sept. 2 at Wissahickon, the Rock rebounded from an early 1-0 deficit to take a 2-1 lead into halftime after goals by Anna Lehman and Danielle Nelson.
“We beat Wissahickon and it was a good game; we played well,” added Whalin. “We did not play well today; we played as individuals.”
While the Trojans tied the season opener five minutes into the second half, the Indians netted the game-winner when Bridget Thompson found the back of the cage with 11 and 1/2 minutes remaining in regulation.
The Indians’ season opener Sept 6 on the turf at Walt Snyder Stadium took on a whole different aura, however.
“We took a while to really get into it and really play as a whole unit,” explained CR North senior midfielder Julianne Mangano. “People were playing in spurts – one person would play really well and then someone else would. We weren’t really connecting.”
“We were having a hard time getting all the way back on defense and getting into the right positions
While North enters the season with a slew of seniors, the coach says a lot of the 12th-graders don’t have a lot of experience starting on the varsity field. Players missing from a 2015 campaign that saw the Rock go 14-6 including a district playoff win over Spring-Ford include midfielder Jennica Kojonovitch (Ohio State) Rachel Pomerantz (Wesleyan), Devon Mela, Hannah Stalker and Kristin McNamara.
“Most of them played defense so we have a completely new line in the back,” explained Mangano. “None of the (new defenders) have ever started so it’s very new for everyone.”
The new players on defense include outside backers Marykate Dugan and Olivia Musto as well as defensive midfielders Hannah Sullivan and Hannah Barsky. The only returning starter in the back is center-backfielder Gabby Shepherd.
“I think our defense is very strong,” explained Mangano. “It’s just that they don’t have the support of everyone getting back to help them.”
“When we’re set up, they do very well but when the other team has a fast break, not everyone is getting back to help.”
“We’re missing that connection between the backs and the forwards,” added Whalin. “Our mids are very strong but we’re missing that connection between the two of them.”
For her part, Dunleavy, who also netted a hat trick in her team’s 2015 district playoff win over nearby rival West Chester East, took full advantage, scoring both her first and third goals of the game on end-to-end rushes that took place before the Indians were able to drop back on defense.
Dunleavy caged her first goal of the game on a length-of-the-field rush that put her team on top 1-0 with 8:15 remaining in the first half. The West Chester Eagles product scored goal number two on a penalty corner, slapping an insert from classmate Isabel Harkins into the back of the cage less than 10 minutes into the second half. She tripled her output for the season when she took another ball from one end to the other, lost it then got it back before scoring on a backhand 12:19 into the second half.
“She definitely has a nose for the goal and she’s not afraid to go and she’s really good on that left side,” said Warriors head coach Jen O’Donnell. “And Lexi has a motor that doesn’t stop. She keeps right on going.”
North finally got on the board with 11:27 to go. That’s when Lehman tipped Thompson’s slapshot behind WCH junior goalkeeper Emily Franco. Six minutes later, the Warriors answered back with a goal by Emma Betrando, a slapper that came on a penalty corner shot.
Goals scored on penalty corners aside, Mangano believes her team just needs to transition better. That she said is a mental part of the Indians’ game that needs to be fixed.
“People need to not be afraid – just go out and don’t think,” she said.
“Our coach thinks that we think way too much and then we get inside our own heads,” said Mangano.
“This is the first time where we’ve had a home opener where we got scored on first so it’s definitely a wakeup call.
“It’s just a matter of playing with passion and really trying your hardest.”
As one of 11 seniors on the team, Mangano, who is headed to Cornell, just wants to make the most of her final campaign at the Rock.
“Me as a senior, I want to do my best this season and I know that everyone else does,” said Mangano. “We have a large class and we want to make the most of our last year here.”
The Indians don’t have too much time to lament this loss. North travels to Truman for a road matchup at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. The Lady Tigers are 0-1 after a Sept. 2 season-opening 3-0 shutout suffered at the hands of Catholic Academies (AACA) rival Villa Joseph Marie.
Contact Steve Sherman at ssherman@21st-Centurymedia.com or @BucksLocalSport on Twitter
West Chester Henderson 4, Council Rock North 1
(Sept. 6 at CR North)
WC HENDERSON 1 3 – 4
CR NORTH 0 1 – 1
FIRST-HALF GOALS: WCH – Lexi Dunleavy (WCH) 31:45; CRN – none.
SECOND- HALF GOALS: WCH – Dunleavy 39:19, Dunleavy 42:19, Emma Betrando 52:25; CRN – Anna Lehman 48:33.
RECORDS: WCH – 2-0; CRN – 1-1.
