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Henderson and Shanahan field hockey teams battle to a draw

Bishop Shanahan's Stella D'Ambro takes a shot against West Chester Henderson defender Avery Reitnour. Photo by Bill Rudick.
Bishop Shanahan’s Stella D’Ambro takes a shot against West Chester Henderson defender Avery Reitnour. Photo by Bill Rudick.
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Henderson and Shanahan play to 2-2 tie

By Bill Rudick

brudick55@gmail.com

DOWNINGTOWN — When the final whistle blew, West Chester Henderson and Bishop Shanahan were as close as two field hockey squads could be in shots on goal, goalie saves, and penalty corners. And they were dead even in the only statistic that really matters: goals scored. After an hour of regulation and a ten-minute, seven-one-seven overtime, the Warriors (3-3-2 overall, 1-0-2 Ches-Mont National) and Eagles (5-2-1, 0-0-1) had played to a 2-2 tie.

“This was two very evenly matched teams,” said Shanahan coach Jeff Riccardo. “Honestly, they were better than I was expecting. (Kendall Brandon) in the midfield is a very good player for them. (Lindsey Huffman) had great speed and moved the ball well.”

Shanahan's Evy Encarnacion (left) and Elaina Bressi (right) surround Henderson's Kendall Brandon on Monday. Photo by Bill Rudick.
Shanahan’s Evy Encarnacion (left) and Elaina Bressi (right) surround Henderson’s Kendall Brandon on Monday. (BILL RUDICK for MediaNews Group)

The Warriors struck first, when Logan Sherrer found the back of the cage seven minutes into the game to give the Warriors a 1-0 advantage, a lead that would hold for the remainder of the first period.

“We have a pretty young team,” said Henderson coach Lauren VanLouvender. “We’ve got some girls new to field hockey, and getting into competitive games like this really helps us learn and grow. And they are getting better and better each game.”

Henderson's McKenna McGee passes past a leaping Amaeile Hangey from Bishop Shanahan (BILL RUDICK for MediaNews Group)
Henderson’s McKenna McGee passes past a leaping Amaeile Hangey from Bishop Shanahan (BILL RUDICK for MediaNews Group)

Shanahan came up with the equalizer late in the second, when Stella D’Ambro fed Elaina Bressi with a pass in front of the cage, and Bressi slammed it home to make it 1-1 at the half.

After a scoreless third, the Eagles grabbed the lead midway through the fourth, when Olivia Civera took a shot on goal, which was turned away by Henderson goalie Grace Rongaus. But Haliegh Lynn was right there to grab the rebound, and slip it past Kongaus for the score.

Shanahan barely had time to enjoy the lead, though, as it took the Warriors less than a minute to answer.  When play resumed, Henderson quickly moved the ball up into the circle, and knotted the score at two apiece when Avery Fulling got a hold of a ball in a crowd and made the shot.

Shanahan's Stell D'Ambro and Henderon's Avery Reitnour battle for the ball (BILL RUDICK for MediaNews Group)
Shanahan’s Stell D’Ambro and Henderon’s Avery Reitnour battle for the ball (BILL RUDICK for MediaNews Group)

“From the start of the season, we set a pretty high standard as far as positivity and body language goes,” said VanLouvender. “If we have a setback, we can’t let it get to us. We can’t get down and think, ‘oh, there went our shot’ and just get ourselves back on track.”

There was no further scoring in regulation, sending the game to overtime, which still offered no resolution, and the game finished in a 2-2 tie.

“We had our opportunities, but just didn’t take advantage,” said Riccardo. “We had some times where we needed to step up and didn’t. They scored that second goal because we were down a player, and our other girls didn’t step up to fill the hole.”

In the end, the Eagles held slight advantages in penalty corners, 10-8, and shots on goal, 9-7.

“The girls played hard,” said Riccardo. “That is one area where I know I will never have an issue. The girls are always going to give a great effort and play hard. We have a good team, and we played well. We just didn’t quite get it done. But getting in these kinds of games early can only help in the long run.”

West Chester Henderson 2, Bishop Shanahan 2 (OT)

W.C. Henderson                             1 0 0 1 – 2

Bishop Shanahan                            0 1 0 1 – 2

W.C. Henderson goals: Sherrer, Fulling.

Bishop Shanahan goals: Bressi, Lynn.

Goalie saves: Kongaus (WCH) 7; Rhuno (BS) 4.

 

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