Finally finding their way into the opponent's net with regularity, the Abington High School field hockey team also discovered a much-needed win on yesterday.
Hanna Sjoholm and Max Malloy scored two goals apiece and Meredith Cox added one to lead the Galloping Ghosts to a 5-0 win over Harry S. Truman on a rainy Levittown afternoon.
Goals had been scarce for the Ghosts, who had dropped two straight league games after beating Central Bucks West 1-0 on Sept. 16. Friday's output pushed their total output to seven goals.
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"We've had a tough time scoring," head coach Amanda Deering said. "Today, it was nice to see us open up the scoring and see assists happening. We're starting to look for each other better and are improving every day. They're starting to put things together."
Recovering from being shut out by William Tennent on Wednesday, Cox began the scoring, taking a feed from Dana Heller. Sjoholm assisted on Malloy's goal, then, scored two more. The first came on a breakaway and the second came on an assist for Katherine Geating.
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Cox assisted Malloy on the Ghosts’ final score, while Faith Geating recorded a shutout.
According to Sjoholm, the key to Friday's win was in sticking together.
"It was definitely tough losing to Bensalem [on Monday] and Tennent, because we thought we could win both of those games," she said. "We jumped back this game and came together as a team. We focused on passing and getting the ball down the field and finding the open player."
The goal of making the playoffs remains for Abington, which moved to 3-4-1 overall. The win over Truman gave the team its first league SOL National win.
A big week awaits — games are pending against Upper Merion, Neshaminy and Council Rock North on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively. All three games are home.
"It's going to be a test for us," Deering said. "We'd like to win at least two out of three of those games. But we're going to have to stay together as a team."
Sjoholm holds one of the keys. She started slowly for Abington and logged some JV minutes after missing practices in the preseason. She's refocused and ready.
"I've been waiting for her to come out of her shell this year," Deering said. "She's been getting her feet around the ball much better and getting good crosses on the left side. She's also super-fast and aggressive by nature. She's done a great job lately. I'm expect her to create a dynamic offense for us."
The junior relishes the responsibility.
"Definitely," said Sjoholm, who also plays lacrosse. "When I finally got to play on varsity again, it was fun because I got to contribute and play my heart out. I want to keep doing that."
