Tea Burns is about to shoot after receiving a pass from Lackawanna Trail teammate Nora Evans (6) in a win over Lake-Lehman.
Tom Robinson | For Abington Journal
CLINTON TWP. – Lackawanna Trail took a step away from a competitive season in Wyoming Valley Conference Division 1 and District 2 Class A field hockey to test itself against top competition from outside Pennsylvania.
The Lady Lions took an overnight, weekend trip to the Philadelphia suburbs for the National High School Invitational at the Proving Grounds.
Heavy rain disrupted the Sept. 22-24 event, which had a 62-team field from 12 states, including 14 of the top 25 in the nation for the final 2022 maxfieldhockey.com rankings.
Lackawanna Trail wound up receiving a forfeit Sept. 23 when The Hun School from New Jersey pulled out of the event. The Lady Lions lost, 2-1, the next day on a late goal to Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake, one of New York State’s top-ranked big schools.
“We were a little disappointed,” Lady Lions head coach Laura Evans said of the forfeit, “but Maxfieldhockey hooked the girls up with some free shirts and they let us play a 7-v-7 with officials, so they at least got to go through the motions of playing.
“And, for us, really it was a team-building experience. It was the first time our team ever had gone overnight and prioritized field hockey. Our school supported us in paying for those games and giving us transportation and we fund-raised for the hotel. So, it was more about the experience for these girls and showing them they do matter and people care.”
The Lady Lions showed they could compete with the caliber of teams at the event.
“It was a 2-1 loss right at the bitter end,” Evans said. “We had two injuries in the pouring rain and we need to preserve our season, so we stayed a little conservative on that and pulled those players out.”
There is a lot to preserve in the season.
Lackawanna Trail is 2-1-1 as one of five teams packed within a half-game of each other between third and seventh place out of 11 teams in WVC Division 1. It is 5-3-2 overall and second in the seven-team ratings race for seeds in the district tournament.
Eight of the team’s 10 games have ended in ties or one-goal decisions.
Lackawanna Trail 5, Lake-Lehman 4
Greta Krimmel scored the tying and winning goals Sept. 19 when the host Lady Lions rallied from two goals down in the fourth quarter to pull out the overtime victory.
The tying goal came with 1:10 left in regulation and the winner was scored midway through the 10-minute, sudden-death period.
Lena Ryon gave Lackawanna Trail its only other lead when she scored by finishing off a give-and-go with Krimmel just 1:11 into the game.
Once down 3-1, the Lady Lions dominated with statistical advantages of 12-3 in shots and 10-3 in penalty corners.
Ryon scored on a Nora Evans assist to begin the comeback.
“Sometimes, we can be our own worst enemy,” coach Evans said, praising her team for not slowing down when it was behind or when its first comeback efforts did not produce goals. “When we get down, we get in our heads and prevent ourselves from moving forward, so we’ve been focusing on our body language and our communication on the field.”
Sisters Megan and Lauren Fahey assisted Krimmel’s goals.
Megan Fahey dribbled through traffic into the top of the circle where she zipped a diagonal pass to Krimmel wide open to the left of the goal for the score with 1:10 left.
“I saw an opening and I was there just in case,” Krimmel said. “ … We’re all playing smart and doing our part as a team.”
Lauren Fahey’s pass got Krimmel open on the left wing, inside the circle. Krimmel took her time before ripping the winner with 5:05 left.
HIGHLIGHTS
Ryon had a hat trick while Emma Thomas added two goals and an assist Sept. 25 in a 6-0 shutout of Wallenpaupack. … The Lady Lions limited WVC Division 1 leader and 2022 state Class A finalist Wyoming Area to five shots and three penalty corners while falling at home, 2-1, Sept. 27. Ryon tied the game in the second quarter on an assist from Krimmel.
