Penn Manor: District Championships
Saturday November 7th, 2009 brought Hempfield and Penn Manor to Milton Hershey High School to determine the winner of the District III Playoffs. This is the third time the teams have met during the season. Hempfield’s focus was right on when the whistle blew. They did not allow Penn Manor in their defensive end for a solid 5 minutes as they pounded the cage and gained possession. As the Comets found connections they were able to work the ball up the field. Penn Manor had a 4 corners during the half but Hempfield’s defense denied any possibility of of a goal. In fact the defense worked so well as a unit, their keeper Joanna Youssef only had to make one solid save. Opportunities passed for Hempfield’s offense to put the ball in the cage but the Knight’s kept the pressure on in their offensive end. Hempfield earned two corners in the half. On Hempfield’s second corner Katy Fuhrman inserted the ball to Laken Gehris who rocked the ball past Penn Manor’s goalie to put the Knights in the lead. The half ended with the score 1-0.
Into the second half the Knights knew they needed to play with the same intensity level and score another goal. However, Penn Manor had the same thing in mind as they stepped out on the field. Penn Manor picked up their level of play in the second half but the Knights did not lose their momentum. With only 8 minutes into the half the Comets earned another corner. Jill Witmer received the ball at the top, dribbled past defenders and reverse flicked it into the cage. This goal evened up the game 1-1. The Knights responded with confidence in each other as they continued to control the ball. They had a few close opportunities to take the lead but were not capitalized. Penn Manor had 9 total corners and 3 shots in this half which highlights the defensive strength and commends Kayla Denlinger who had 3 saves respectively. With just 4 minutes left in the game, a questionable call was made. The Comets were rewarded a penalty stroke. Witmer took a well placed stroke past Hempfield’s keeper to take the lead. The team knew that somethings you cannot control and it is how you respond to unfortunate situations is what counts. Hempfield returned to play their hearts out but time expired before another scoring opportunity was created.
Coach Bojanics remarks highly of the team effort and successful season by saying, “The girls have really stepped it up at the end of the season and have peaked to their best level of play when it counts the most. They played their hardest today and should be proud of how far they’ve come as a team”.
HEMPFIELD TAKES SILVER MEDAL WITH PRIDE FOR THEIR HARD WORK.