Cedar Crest rolls past E-town, 5-1

ELIZABETHTOWN - Intangibles like team chemistry and unselfishness don't come with corresponding numeric values.

But for the Cedar Crest field hockey team, those above qualities have been worth 12 plus 2 thus far. As in 12 goals in two games and a glittering 2-0 start to the 2016 season.

A Cedar Crest team that figured to be in transition after heavy graduation losses looks like world beaters in the early going, opening the season with a 7-1 rout of Cocalico on Friday, then following it up with a 5-1 drubbing of E-town under the lights at Elizabethtown Area High School on Tuesday night.

Hanna Lewis, Tasia Rutter and Emily Peters combined for three of the Falcons' five goals in a span of 6:19 late in the first half to send head coach Dana Risser's club on its way and into Wednesday's Section One opener with Conestoga Valley absolutely brimming with confidence.

And why not? It's hard to feel any other way than Cedar Crest does right now, given its play in these first two games.

"You couldn't ask for a better start," Risser said. "I don't want to say it's a pleasant surprise, because we always have high expectations, The kids put a lot of work in in the offseason, it's a special group of girls and they really support each other. If you've seen our two games so far, we've really played as a team. We have a lot of good individual players, but it takes a whole team to win."

And Cedar Crest definitely used the whole team on Tuesday night. Unsurprisingly, senior forward and St. Joe's recruit Peters was the catalyst with two goals and an assist, but she had plenty of help from, among others, Lewis, who added a goal and an assist of her own, and fellow goal scorers Rutter and Emily Hombach. In addition, Emma Holzman and Kathleen Steckbeck chipped in with assists, and Hannah Funk stopped eight shots to earn the win in goal.

E-town's lone goal came off the stick of Hannah Mink a little over a minute into the second half, but Peters quickly answered for Crest with 26:39 left off an assist from Holzman that all but put the game away.

"People don't really account for (team chemistry) sometimes," Risser said. "Yeah, Emily Peters is a great player, we have a lot of great players. But we're much more of a team, I think. It's 18 people working for the same cause. Sometimes it just takes the right chemistry of people and personalities to make things click."

Cedar Crest 5, Elizabethtown 1
Cedar Crest 3 2 - 5
Elizabethtown 0 1 - 1
Goals: CC: Emily Peters 2, Hanna Lewis, Tasia Rutter, Emily Hombach, E: Hannah Mink
Assists: CC: Peters, Lewis, Emma Holzman, Kathleen Steckbeck, E: Sherri Kambesis
Shots: Cedar Crest 12, Elizabethtown 9
Saves: CC: Hannah Funk (8 saves), E: Kaylani Hernandez (6 saves), Abba Aggrey (defensive save)
Corners: Cedar Crest 7, Elizabethtown 5
JV score: Cedar Crest 2, Elizabethtown 0