Boiling Springs blasts Midd-West in state field hockey opener
Midd-West didn't cross the center line for the first five minutes of their PIAA Class A first-round field hockey matchup on Tuesday evening, as Boiling Springs maintained possession in its offensive end. The Mustangs held their collective heads high, though, keeping the Bubblers off the scoreboard and without a penalty corner during the initial surge after the opening whistle.
But when Midd-West was called for a foul, Boiling Springs had a golden opportunity to take control of the match early.
Kendall Longenberger received a corner insert from Kate Yenser at the top of the circle. The freshman settled the pass, drew back, and rifled a shot that sped past the Mustangs' flyer and goalkeeper in the blink of an eye. The thump of the ball against the bottom board and accompanying cheers echoed throughout Ecker Field, and possibly the 58 miles to Midd-West High School.
It was a harbinger of what was to come for the Bubblers, as the floodgates opened after that and Boiling Springs cruised to a 10-0 victory behind Longenberger and Lexi Boyle hat tricks. Boiling Springs will face District 1 champion Faith Christian, a 7-0 winner over Palmerton, in the quarterfinal round on Saturday at a site and time to be determined.
"We knew it was going to be our last home game, so we wanted to go out with a bang on our turf," Boiling Springs head coach Bayley Leonard said. "Everybody's back to 0-0 to start states. It's win or go home, so we knew they'd have that mentality. We wanted to rise above that and do what we could to work the ball into the cage."
Boiling Springs (18-5) garnered seven penalty corners in the first half and netted scores on five. Boyle tallied back-to-back goals and assisted Longenberger on a give-and-go before Anna Lucido ended the second quarter with a flick from 16 yards out on an untimed corner.
"Once we get on one in the back of the net, we know we got this," Longenberger said. "We've got to keep going and get more. But anything can happen before that first goal."
In the second half, Avery Doyle, Kate Hovis, Molly Sowers, and Boyle recorded goals. Fittingly after she started the scoring, Longenberger ended it as well with a penalty stroke in the 53rd minute. Additionally, Boyle and Longenberger each tallied two assists.
Aleah Feltman nabbed four saves for District 4 runner-up Midd-West (12-8-1) but was subbed out halfway through the second quarter. The Mustangs failed to record a single shot on goal despite collecting four penalty corners.
"That was really good for us, especially after Saturday, where we didn't have as much pressure on our attacking," Leonard said. "We harp on team defense. If we did lose the ball, all 11 on the field were working to get it back, knowing where we needed to be, switching spots to recover."
This marked the fourth straight year Boiling Springs has come away victorious in the first round of the state tournament. Experience and familiarity have helped the Bubblers know what to expect and keep their focus on the task at hand.
"It's easy to lose sight that the next round isn't guaranteed when you've been used to getting to it," Leonard said. "I think not taking anything for granted with the amount of talented hockey we have in the area for districts and now into states. Everybody got here for a reason. It's really just one game at a time."
