Field Hockey: Palmyra Stays Perfect with Dominant Week Against National Competition

 

 

Written by Pete Steelman

 

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The Palmyra field hockey team has had a stellar start to the season, winning its first seven contests and soaring to the #1 seed in District 3 2A. Last week marked a key stretch in the Cougars’ season, as they wrapped up the first half of their Mid-Penn Keystone schedule while also testing themselves at the prestigious MAX national invitational tournament at the Proving Grounds complex.

The week began with a home matchup on Monday against the Polar Bears of Northern York, who at the time were 4-1 and near the top of the District power rankings. In what has been a common refrain thus far, the host Cougars jumped out to an insurmountable first-half lead.

Junior forward Kate Driscoll scored twice for Palmyra, the first coming on a highlight-reel attack up the left side when she wove through multiple defenders en route to the score. Six other Cougars scored in the 8-0 victory.

A 5-day layoff followed before the big weekend MAX Tournament, an elite national invitational featuring more than 60 teams, including 10 of the Top 12 ranked teams in the nation. Palmyra entered the weekend with a MAX national ranking of #11 in the U.S., and its first test came Saturday morning against New Jersey powerhouse Seneca, which finished last season with an 18-3 record.

Just over 3 minutes into the contest, the Cougars got on the board thanks to a score by 10th-grade phenom Allie Fink. Palmyra added to its lead with 32 seconds left in the quarter when junior forward Myka Lechleitner punched in a score. Not 3 minutes later, Lechleitner found the back of the cage a second time to stake the Cougars to a 3-0 halftime lead.

Ninth grader Haevyn Hoffsmith tallied the only score of the 2nd half as Palmyra completed the 4-0 shutout.

Palmyra was next in action on Sunday morning, playing another powerhouse, 2025 Group 1 State Champion Shore Regional High School from Monmouth County, NJ. The Blue Devils put together a sterling 24-1-1 record during their 2025 championship season and came into this matchup undefeated in 2026.

While these games are effectively exhibition matchups that do not impact season records or playoff power rankings, they do affect national rankings and, no doubt, bragging rights over which part of the country boasts the best hockey. In what felt very much like a statement of Pennsylvania pride, the Cougars prevailed 3-0, reminding their neighbors in the Garden State that some of the nation’s best hockey is still played in PA.

The Cougars got on the board twice in the first half, with both scores being notched by junior midfielder Ella Detwiler. After a scoreless 3rd frame, the 4th quarter saw perhaps the goal of the tournament for Palmyra.

After a Blue Devil infraction, junior defender Alivya Hepner restarted the ball deep in her own defensive territory. She lifted a powerful aerial that sailed well over Shore Regional’s midfield line, putting the ball into space deep up the right sideline, where senior speedster Maddy Waldron gracefully blew past the defenders to settle the ball to the turf and take it in for the score. The play looked quite a bit like a wide receiver running under a Hail Mary pass lofted by a quarterback.

Waldron’s blazing run-out goal was the exclamation point on a dominant showing at the MAX Tournament. Over two games, the defensive core of Alivya Hepner, senior captain Leigha Kane, and juniors Grace Frew and Katie Steelman held the two New Jersey schools to a mere 3 shots on goal, turning most attackers away well before they entered the penalty circle.

Emerging from the weekend tournament, Palmyra was tasked with immediately playing Hershey on Monday night. Playing 3 games in 3 days is never easy, so there might have been concerns about focus or mental preparation coming into Monday’s road contest against a cross-town rival.

Those concerns were quickly put to rest, as the visiting Cougars made quick work of the struggling Trojans in a lopsided 6-0 affair. Sophomore Allie Fink led the way with 2 goals, while 4 other Cougars scored in a game in which Palmyra outshot Hershey 12-1.

After 4 wins in 6 days, Palmyra has a well-earned rest coming its way, as the Cougars have a week off before a Red Land rematch on Monday, 9/28. That game begins the second half of their Keystone season, as they hope to build on their 9-0 record against Pennsylvania completion (11-0 overall) and fine-tune things before the end of the regular season.

Waiting near the end of the schedule are highly anticipated games against perennial powers Lower Dauphin and Mechanicsburg. Those matchups will provide a stiff challenge for Palmyra as the Cougars prepare for the start of what they hope is another October playoff run that extends deep into November.

 

 

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Palmyra 4, Seneca (NJ) 0

September 19, 2026 • MAX Field Hockey National Invitational, The Proving Grounds

Team	1Q	2Q	3Q	4Q	Final
Seneca	0	0	0	0	0
Palmyra	2	1	0	1	4

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

• 11:50 – Palmyra: Allie Fink, field goal
• 0:32 – Palmyra: Myka Lechleitner, field goal

2nd Quarter

• 12:45 – Palmyra: Myka Lechleitner, field goal

4th Quarter

• 13:30 – Palmyra: Haevyn Hoffsmith, field goal

Shots on Goal: Palmyra 6, Seneca 3
Corners: Palmyra 4, Seneca 5
Defensive Saves: Palmyra 0, Seneca 0
Saves: Palmyra – Sophie Kennelly 0, Sophie Cunningham 3; Seneca – Vivian Maimnur 2

 

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Palmyra 3, Shore Regional (NJ) 0

September 20, 2026 • MAX Field Hockey National Invitational, The Proving Grounds

Team	1Q	2Q	3Q	4Q	Final
Shore Regional	0	0	0	0	0
Palmyra	1	1	0	1	3

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

• 10:41 – Palmyra: Ella Detwiler, penalty corner (Allie Fink assist)

2nd Quarter

• 2:50 – Palmyra: Ella Detwiler, penalty corner

4th Quarter

• 5:04 – Palmyra: Maddy Waldron, field goal (Liv Hepner assist)

Shots on Goal: Palmyra 15, Shore Regional 0
Corners: Palmyra 15, Shore Regional 1
Defensive Saves: Palmyra 0, Shore Regional 0
Saves: Palmyra – Sophie Kennelly 0, Sophie Cunningham 0; Shore Regional – Lauren Baxter 12

 

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Palmyra 6, Hershey 0

September 21, 2026 • Hershey High School

Team	1Q	2Q	3Q	4Q	Final
Palmyra	3	0	1	2	6
Hershey	0	0	0	0	0

Scoring Summary

1st Quarter

• 8:54 – Palmyra: Addie Barger, penalty corner (Leigha Kane assist)
• 4:55 – Palmyra: Allie Fink, penalty corner (Addie Barger assist)
• 0:25 – Palmyra: Ella Detwiler, penalty corner

3rd Quarter

• 5:15 – Palmyra: Allie Fink, penalty corner (Leigha Kane assist)

4th Quarter

• 11:53 – Palmyra: Kate Driscoll, penalty corner
• 8:10 – Palmyra: Maddie Waldron, field goal (Allie Fink assist)

Shots on Goal: Palmyra 12, Hershey 1
Corners: Palmyra 10, Hershey 2
Defensive Saves: Palmyra – Leigha Kane 1; Hershey – Ella Zackovitch 1
Saves: Palmyra – Sophie Kennelly 0, Sophie Cunningham 0; Hershey – Abby Dart 5