Villa Maria advances with dominant win over Manheim Central

MALVERN>>The Hurricanes jumped out to a big early lead and never looked back, as Villa Maria (17-6) turned back visiting Manheim Central (15-7-1) by a score of 6-0 in the first round of the PIAA Class 2A state field hockey tournament on a brisk Tuesday afternoon at Maurene Polley Field.

With the win, Villa advances to Saturday’s quarterfinal round. The Hurricanes will face Hershey, a 3-0 winner over Radnor Tuesday, at a site and time to be determined.

“It feels really good to get the state tournament going like this,” said Villa coach Katie Evans. “We took some lumps early in the season, but following up our district championship with a game like this one is great. The girls are playing really well right now.”

Villa wasted no time setting the tone, getting pressure inside the circle before the fans had a chance to settle in their seats, and were awarded a penalty corner barely a minute in. Brynna Hill out the ball in play, sending it up to to Gia Whalen at the top of the circle. Whalen passed it forward, where Emma Maher, waiting on the post, tipped it in for the score.

“It’s always great to come out strong and take the lead the way we did,” said Maher. “It gives you a boost of confidence to carry that momentum the rest of the game.”

The Hurricanes continued to gather as the first period went on, and tacked on another pair of goals before the initial 15-minute stanza had elapsed, both credited to Whalen. The first of Whalen’s scores came on another penalty corner, with Caitlin Connell getting the assist, while Whalen scored unassisted to give Villa a 3-0 lead at the end of 1.

“Winning the district title game was a big stepping stone for us,” said Whalen. “But it didn’t take us long to put that in the past and refocus on this game and the state tournament. Getting ahead the way we did really puts all the pressure on them, and allowed us to relax somewhat and really just play our game.”

Connell took her turn next, bringing the ball up to the cage, and unleashing a barrage of shots n goal. Eventually, Connell grabbed a deflection, and slipped it between the goalie’s legs for the score, and it was 4-0 at the halftime break.

While it would be easy for complacency to set in with such a commanding lead, there was zero chance of that happening with the Hurricanes.

“Not team would be in the state tournament if they weren’t good,” said Whalen. “So you can’t just sit on any lead thinking it’s enough. You just have to keep your foot on the gas and keep trying to score, and play defense to keep them off the board.”

The early season struggles helped with that mindset.

“These girls learned early on that you can’t ever let up,” said Evans. “You have to play hard for a full sixty minutes. You have to play a complete game.”
The Hurricanes, who outshot the Barons 17-4, tacked on another two second half goals, with Hill tallying an an unassisted goal in the third, and Maher notching her second goal of the game in the fourth.

“Our upfield, forward ball movment has been really good lately,” said Maher. “We’re getting our two-touch passing down, and getting the ball in the circle to set up shots of get penalty corner opportunities. Getting off to this kind of start in states really helps calm the nerves, and will help us focus on the games coming up.”

Villa Maria 6 Manheim Central 0
Manheim Central 0 0 0 0–0
Villa Maria 3 1 1 1–6
Goals:
Villa Maria—Maher (2), Whalen (2), Connell, Hill
Goalie Saves: Nelson (MC) 12, Connolly (VM) 4