Whenever Council Rock North and Council Rock South meet, it’s always a big event.
CR South got the better of Tuesday night’s edition of the rivalry, topping the Indians, 4-0, in a Suburban One League Patriot Division field hockey game under the lights at CR South.
The Golden Hawks got on the board quickly, netting the first goal of the evening just 59 seconds into play. Megan Rafter scored on a corner off a ball from Amanda Green.
With 6:01 to go in the first quarter, Maria Freeman scored with a Caroline Martin assist to make it 2-0, which it remained as the teams headed into halftime.
The Golden Hawks got their final two goals of the game in the third quarter, both off corners. Kylee Hager scored with an assist by Rafter and Elise Lindros rounded out the night with a goal assisted by Hager.
Peyton Wright and Lizzie Agnella combined for the shutout in the cage for CR South.
“Scoring two in the first quarter was a big confidence boost for us, especially because we only scored once against Neshaminy,” said Amanda Green, a senior captain who is the center midfielder. “So far this season, we’ve really been struggling to finish so at practice we’ve really been working on shooting and finishing. Once we got those first two goals, we saw that we could do it. It just took us a couple of games to get here but now we see what we’re capable of.”
CR South held a 13-2 edge in penalty corners.
“It was definitely a big success for us to start scoring on corners,” said Rafter, a junior captain. “Kylee and I came to practice early on Saturday just to practice shooting and I think it really paid off. We work really hard together and we have good chemistry, and I think that’s starting to show.”
The Golden Hawks were coming off a stinging 4-1 loss to SOL Patriot foe Neshaminy.
“This is a big rivalry game so we were definitely fired up,” said Hager, a junior captain who plays forward. “We were confident coming into this game. We had a tough loss to Neshaminy but we were ready for this one. We learned a lot from the Neshaminy game. We needed to do a better job of connecting on passes and finishing on goal, getting the ball out wide and clearing the ball out of our circle and we did all those things in this game.”
CR South has a new head coach in Kelly Mason.
“That didn’t change much for us,” said Rafter, a defender. We were already familiar with her so it was a pretty easy switch.”
The Golden Hawks are now 2-1 SOL Patriot, 2-2 overall.
It was the first league loss of the season for CR North, which falls to 2-1 in the SOL Patriot, 2-2 overall.
“We just wanted to play with a positive mindset and not let the goals that they scored get us down,” said senior center midfielder Aubrey Williams, a captain. “I think we played really well, better than what the score showed. We really worked hard and the season is still new. With each game we’re getting better so I think we’re going to continue to improve.”
Williams also runs the 800 meters for CR North’s winter and spring track teams.
Jules Singer is now at the helm for CR North. A 2015 CR North alumna, she was previously the goaltenders coach for the program before stepping into the head coaching position. At North, Singer was a four-year varsity starting goaltender who set a school record for shutouts in a season with 15 her senior year, and went on to play at Ursinus.
“Jules stepping up was probably one of the best things to happen to our team,” said senior captain Paige Matthews. “She’s a great coach and brings out the best in all of us.”
There are only three seniors on CR North’s team.
“This is definitely not an upper class heavy team,” said Matthews, who also plays right field for CR North’s softball team. “We do have a lot of amazing freshmen and sophomores and I see a lot of talent on JV so I see a good future.
“We play well together as a team and I can see us getting stronger as the season goes on and getting some more wins.”
Despite the loss, the Indians remain optimistic.
“There is still a lot of time left this year,” said Leah Abbe, a senior captain who plays left back. “I think we’ve done a lot of team bonding and we have a good connection, and I think we can go far with that.
“This loss isn’t the end of our season. This is South, it’s a big rivalry and it’s been a while since we’ve beaten them, but it’s a healthy rivalry. I think it brings out the best in both of us. There’s nothing negative about it. We both played really hard.”
Both teams return to SOL Patriot play on Thursday, with CR North hosting Neshaminy at 3:30 p.m. and CR South traveling to Pennsbury at 3:30 p.m.
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