SINGING IN THE RAIN
SOUTH CENTRE TWP. — Bloomsburg coach Chuck Baker began Thursday frustrated, but after the Panthers’ 5-0 win, he left Blue Jay Stadium with a sense of relief.
The second-seeded Panthers not only dominated Line Mountain in the District 4 Class A field hockey quarterfinals but more importantly, nobody got seriously hurt while playing in less than ideal conditions.
Bloomsburg advances to Tuesday’s semifinals where it will take on Muncy at Selinsgrove.
“I personally don’t know why we played today since states aren’t until the 14th of November,” he said of playing in consistent rainfall. “This should be an experience that everybody enjoys, not one that we survive.
“I was a little worried because bad weather is a great equalizer — somebody could slip, somebody could take a shot and lose a stick. I’m definitely shocked that we played today, but glad we got through it.”
Fortunately for Baker and the Panthers, they got to enjoy themselves a lot, too. It showed at halftime, as with the Panthers leading 3-0, their meeting was far more boisterous than Line Mountain’s.
Led by the offensive efforts of Morgan Millard and Aydan McFarland, the Panthers kept the Eagles’ defense busy all afternoon.
Millard accounted for the contest’s first two goals — scoring them 2 1/2 minutes apart.
Her first was unassisted late in the first quarter, and then less than a minute into the second quarter, she turned a McFarland assist into a quick two-goal lead.
“When they’re on — and they were on today —those two a force to be reckoned with on that side,” Baker said. “Their goals are beautiful, and I’m just so happy that we’re clicking now as opposed to the beginning of the season.”
The duo continued to make the afternoon long for the Eagles, this time with McFarland getting in on the scoring nearly 10 minutes later on an assist from Millard.
McFarland also made a nice move with the ball, having Line Mountain’s Paige Zerbe and Alana Martz collide as they both reached for the ball. It was the only injury scare of the game with Zerbe leaving with apparent knee pain on her own terms. She did re-enter later.
The seniors teamed up one last time as McFarland got a line drive past Eagles goalkeeper Taylor Deiter.
The Eagles, who play their home games on a grass field, seemingly couldn’t keep up with Bloomsburg’s pace. They only got one shot on goal, and that came in the game’s final seconds.
The effort shown left Baker feeling confident, especially since Bloomsburg has two starters, Courtney Shuman and Bella Luxardo, in concussion protocol.
“I had to move Gracie Brosious from defense, where she would rather play, up to midfield for need,” Baker said. “She can play both positions well, and she just took over today.”
Brosious scored the Panthers’ final goal, returning the ball where it came from after a line drive shot from Milard deflected off Deiter.
All told, the Panthers outshot the Eagles, 23-0, and had 16 corners. Hailey Leisering accounted for their only save.
Line Mtn. 0 0 0 0 — 0
Bloomsburg 1 2 1 1 — 5
First quarter: 1. Bloomsburg, Morgan Millard, 14:05. Second quarter: 2. Bloomsburg, Millard (Aydan McFarland); 3. Bloomsburg, McFarland (Millard), 5:52. Third quarter: 4. Bloomsburg, McFarland (Millard). Fourth quarter: 5. Bloomsburg, Gracie Brosius, 4:40.
Shots: Line Mtn. 1, Bloomsburg 23. Penalty corners: Line Mtn. 0, Bloomsburg 16. Saves: Line Mtn. 15 (Taylor Deiter), Bloomsburg 1 (Nadja Hartmann, Hailey Leisering).
Link to story: https://www.pressenterpriseonl...
