Susquehannock field hockey ousted in District 3 tournament by Manheim Central
LITITZ >> Rain may have postponed the District 3 field hockey playoffs for a day, but it couldn't postpone an unceremonious end to Susquehannock's season after an 8-0 loss to Manheim Central in Thursday's Class AA first round match at Warwick High School.
Despite entering play with similar records, No. 13 Susquehannock (15-4) faced an uphill battle versus No. 4 Manheim (17-3) as the Barons played much of the game inside the Warriors' defensive circle.
"They're in a different league," said Susquehannock head coach Sharon McLaughlin. "They have the skills. They can stop the ball and get rid of it in a second."
Case in point is Manheim senior midfielder Jillian Wolgemuth (3G, 3A), a Duke recruit and U19 Junior National Team member who struck on Manheim's second penalty corner of the game at the 9:40 mark.
Wolgemuth assisted on Taylor Wiederrecht's tip-in one minute later and Hannah Barbush's similar goal with five minutes left in the half as the penalty corners began to pile-up for the Barons.
In all, Manheim out-cornered Susquehannock 20-3. Warriors' senior Camryn Burk took all three opportunities, her lone attempt in the first half blocked prior to reaching goal.
In the second half, her one-timer from the top of the circle was saved by Manheim goalkeeper Emma Beamesderfer. Then, with 16 minutes to play and the Barons ahead 5-0, a set play included a pass to Burk in the wing. But Burk couldn't quite time her swing as the Warriors' opportunities began to wane.
Susquehannock goaltender Kristi Langhans (12 saves) stood tall on the other end, but Manheim's offense was just too much.
"Kristi is a phenomenal goaltender and the thing is she only has played goalie for two years," McLaughlin explained. "She's really hard on herself. I don't how many saves she had but she was all over it."
Wolgemuth scored on a penalty stroke with 10 minutes left to play, later scoring on a sweet sweep from the left of the cage. Manheim Central, which will face No. 5 Greenwood in Saturday's quarterfinals, also got second-half goals from Sarah Ober, Maddie Hosler and B.J. Bollinger.
Despite the outcome, the playoff experience for the Warriors' senior class is "nothing to sneeze at," as McLaughlin claimed.
"It's great for them," said the coach. "It's the level of hockey that we all aspire to play to. If we want to be there we have to work hard; we have to get more kids more involved."
And not wait for a not-so-rainy day.
Susquehannock 0 0 — 0
Manheim Central 3 5 — 8
First half — 1. MC, J. Wolgemuth (S. Ober), 9:40. 2. MC, T. Wiederrecht (J. Wolgemuth), 10:46. 3. MC, H. Barbush (J. Wolgemuth), 24:29.
Second half — 4. MC, S. Ober (T. Wiederrecht) 2:30. 5. MC, M. Hosler (J. Wolgemuth) 11:09. 6. MC, J. Wolgemuth (stroke) 18:10. 7. MC, J. Wolgemuth (UA) 23:02. 8. MC, B.J. Bollinger (UA) 27:58.
Shots on goal — Sus 1, MC 20;