Springfield-Montco rallies from 2 goals down, edges Pennridge in overtime

SPRINGFIELD >> Maddie Yoder knew the Springfield-Montco field hockey team had the endurance to chase down Pennridge.

“When we came back on in the second half we started to hustle more,” the Spartans junior said. “We run the mile every single practice so we were in shape. We wanted it bad.”

The visiting Rams took a 2-0 lead with just 12:17 remaining in the second half of the Suburban One League nonconference matchup but less than seven minutes later Springfield pulled even to force overtime. And in the extra period Brigid Roy put a rebound into the back of the net, giving the Spartans a 3-2 comeback victory Monday afternoon.

“They have a very nice team and they certainly played us very tough,” said Springfield coach Linda Nixon of Pennridge. “I thought it was almost a game of two halves where they were really more dominant in the first half and we couldn’t get it off the right side and then in the second half we started to play better.”

Ella Marino finished a long run with a goal to get the Spartans within 2-1 with 8:59 left while Yoder tallied the equalizer on Springfield’s second penalty corner of the contest at 5:58.

Yoder then had a hand in Roy’s winner on a corner in the 7-on-7 overtime. Anya Kochanowicz took the insertion pass at the top of the circle and slid a pass to Kate Wojeck, who hit a ball that found Yoder in the circle. Yoder’s shot was denied due to a diving stop by Rams goalkeeper Mia Machado, but Roy got to the rebound and knocked it over a defender’s stick and into the cage at 5:15, giving Springfield (13-4-0, 9-4-0 SOL American) a fourth win in a row.

“I tapped it and then it was right out front of Brigid,” Yoder said. And it was on my reverse side so Brigid was in perfect position, she just lifted it right in and the goalie was a little off because I was in front of her, I was blocking her.”

Pennridge (8-7-1, 5-5-0 SOL Continental) felt it has scored in overtime decider during a mad scramble right in front of the Springfield net, but the contest continued and Roy’s goal sent the Rams to a fourth straight loss.

“We thought we had won but calls didn’t go our way for that but we should of regrouped,” Pennridge coach Becky Spahr said. “That was really hard mentally and then causing corners in overtime is never a good thing defensively because it even more outnumbers. So we did pretty well on the corners that we did cause but just had some trouble outletting them.”

Emily Amsden scored the first goal then assisted on the second for the Rams, who sit 19th in the District 1-3A power rankings with 24 teams qualifying for the district playoffs.

“It’s definitely nerve wracking,” Spahr said. “But we know that we’re playing well. We just lost twice, two in a row in overtime to two teams with good records, so it kind of bodes well for us. We’re playing good hockey now, we just got to kind of finish things up.”

Pennridge ends its regular season with conference road games the next two days — at North Penn 7 p.m. Tuesday then a visit to Souderton 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. Springfield’s final regular-season game is at Upper Dublin 3;30 p.m. Tuesday. The Spartans, who locked up a third-place finish in the SOL American behind winner Plymouth Whitemarsh and Wissahickon — the only teams Springfield has lost to so far in 2019 — are No. 2 in the District 1-1A power rankings.

“I think tuning ourselves up and stepping up,” said Nixon of what she is looking for heading into the postseason. “Every time you go into playoffs you really have to go in with a mindset of putting your best hockey on the field.”

Amsden gave Pennridge the early advantage at 8:42 in the first half on the game’s first penalty corner. Amsden received the insertion pass at the top of the circle then sent a pass to her right to Griffin. A shot by Griffin was deflected but the ball went right to Amsden, who ripped a one-timer into the net.

The Rams doubled their lead in the second half when Amsden slide a pass forward to Macy Price, who knocked it in a shot at 12:17.

“She’s been playing really well,” said Spahr of Amsden. “But I think what’s really helped is we’ve had Macy Price has moved into Emily’s old position which allows Emily to be a lot more offensive.”

Marino cut the margin to 2-1 with a superb run, getting past a pair of Ram defender as she charged upfield before depositing a shot in at 8:59.

“I think that really picked us up and it was a such a nice goal,” Nixon said.

Yoder made it a tie game second of the Spartans’ second corner, corralled a loose ball in front of Machado and with her back turned away from goal whipped a shot in with 5:38 left in the second half.

“I was in front of the pad so I touched it and then it rolled out in front of me and I did a little reverse like lift,” Yoder said.

Springfield earned a corner in the final minute but did not get off a shot, allowing the game to go to overtime.