Forbes Road wins 4th straight district championship

STATE COLLEGE >> Forbes Road earned its fourth consecutive District 6 Class AA field hockey title Thursday afternoon with a 3-0 shutout against Belleville Mennonite to punch its ticket to states.

After heavy rain delayed the game to Thursday, the Cardinals were ready to play.

"We were excited to be there, of course," coach Carol Cline said. "The kids were so ready yesterday, but it was the smart thing."

After the 24-hour delay, it took Forbes Road 29 minutes to tally its first goal – a breakaway by McKenzie Gelvin that led to a one-on-one battle with Belleville goalie Mollie Morgan in which Gelvin came out victorious.

Kiersten Cline notched the second goal for the Cardinals (16-3) in the first minute of the second half, off a penalty corner play that the team was hesitant to use because of Belleville's defensive position, but the play worked perfectly.

Malea Truax finished the scoring with 10 minutes left. Kristina Parsons had an assist and Mina Wilt had a pair of helpers.

Olivia Hall had two saves and multiple clears to earn the shutout.

"They did a good job keeping possession of the ball," Cline said. "There seemed to be a lot of whistles and interruptions, so it was hard to get into the flow but they worked hard."

Forbes Road will play in the first round PIAA Class AA state tournament on Nov. 10 against the District 7 winner, either Shady Side or Ellis School.

Forbes Road 3

Belleville Mennonite 0

Belleville Mennonite00—0

Forbes Road12—0

First half — (FR) McKenzie Gelvin, 29th min.

Second half — (FR) Kiersten Cline, asst. Kristina Parsons, Mina Wilt, 31st, (FR) Malea Traux, asst. Wilt, 50th.

Shots — BM 3, FR 17; Corner kicks — BM 3, FR 14; Saves — BM12 (Mollie Morgan), FR 2 (Olivia Hall).