PAC Field Hockey: Hamm, PV come back to beat OJR in OT

PARKER FORD >> She didn’t need a scouting report on the opponent she faced Thursday.
Danielle Hamm had considerable knowledge about Julia Lamb, the Owen J. Roberts player with whom she was matched when Perkiomen Valley and the Wildcats faced off at The Training Center. The PV junior — who plays with Lamb for X-Calibur, based out of the 422 Sportsplex in Pottstown, ended up with the better part of the pairing, leading the Vikings to a 2-1 overtime victory over Owen J.
Hamm factored in both the Vikes’ goals in a matchup that went into overtime before Perk Valley got the game-winner 3-1/2 minutes into the OT frame, helping PV remain unbeaten in Pioneer Athletic Conference play and alone atop the Liberty Division standings.
Hamm fed Gabrielle Martina the ball off a corner, and the senior converted the setup. It was the joyous cap to a day that saw Owen J. (4-3 Liberty, 7-3 PAC) take an early lead less than 3 1/2 minutes in and maintain it until the Vikes (8-0, 10-0) got the equalizer little more than halfway into the second half.
“The ball was going to Bryn (Marcavage), but a girl was coming fast, so she gave it to me,” Hamm recalled. “Then I got it to Gabi.”
OJR pushed for the tiebreaker one minute into OT, Lamb taking a shot that missed. Roberts saw another shot miss the net, and a free-position try do the same at 13:02.
It proved a contrast to the early going, when Lamb converted off a free position at the 26:47 mark of the first. OJR outshot PV 4-1 in the first half, and its defense didn’t require goalie Cayden Jarvis to make any saves.
“It’s tough.” said OJR head coach Amy Hoffman. “We lost our focus in the second half. We didn’t play Owen J. Roberts hockey, and in the end that got us. We needed to keep our heads focused.”
Roberts got a pair of free-position shots around the 24-minute mark of the second half, both of which were stopped by PV. The Vikes were also stopped on a free position at 19:30.
But after an OJR timeout at the 16:56 mark, PV got on track. Hamm took a pass from Marcavage off a free position and ended OJR’s offensive domination to that point.
“At first, I thought it was a bad shot,” Hamm recalled. “It wasn’t going where I wanted it to. But I was happy it was kicked and went through the goalie’s legs.”
Perk Valley had three shots at a tiebreaker inside the final five minutes of regulation, two at the 4:41 mark and another around two minutes. Though none of the tries broke the deadlock, the Vikes’ response to their coach’s halftime session was obvious.
“I told them they needed to get back to the basics,” Erik Enters said. “It was instructional … more stick passing.”
PV took nine of its 16 corners in the second half. OJR finished with five.
“We weren’t making corners,” Enters said. “Cayden is one of the best. She stood tall in goal and made some nice saves.”
Conversely, the Wildcats weren’t believing their early lead would be enough to pull off the win.
“We’re very aware of the dangers PV poses,” Hoffman said. “In the second half, we weren’t getting the ball upfield. We were frantic.”
The win also keeps Perk Valley perfect for the season through 13 games. It also boasts a whopping 78-9 edge in goals.
“We have so many big players,” Enters said. “Martina was all over the field, and Danielle was, too.”
NOTES >> OJR finished with a 15-8 edge over PV in shots on goal. … Jarvis was credited with eight saves, and Derrick with six.