Field Hockey: Palmyra Captures Cougar Cup Classic with Pair of Impressive Wins

 

 

Written by Pete Steelman

 

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Palmyra Captures Cougar Cup Classic with Pair of Impressive Wins

The Palmyra field hockey squad hosted its annual Cougar Cup Classic tournament on Saturday, bringing in strong non-league competition to prime itself for the start of Mid-Penn action next week. The Cougars have looked sharp in their first two games of the season, especially in their opening win against District 3A champ Penn Manor, and that trend continued in their opener Saturday against the Warriors of Susquehannock.

Susquehannock has been the dominant team in the York-Adams League, last year posting a 17-0 record before losing to Hershey in the District playoffs. Saturday proved that the Mid-Penn Keystone might be the Warriors’ Achilles heel, as Palmyra dispatched them 9-0.

The Cougars got on the board quickly in the first quarter, scoring on a blast from the top of the circle by sophomore Allie Fink. After a goal by junior defender Grace Frew extended the lead to 2-0, junior Addie Barger had a highlight-reel goal, deflecting a cross in mid-air to find the back of the cage, her first of three goals in the game. Also scoring for Palmyra were senior Leigha Kane, juniors Liv Hepner and Kate Driscoll, and ninth grader Lindsay Brandt, who notched the first goal of her career. Sophomore keeper Sophie Cunningham saved the Warriors’ only shot on goal in the contest, as the ball was in Susquehannock’s defensive end for the vast majority of the game.

In the championship game later in the afternoon, Palmyra faced what was sure to be a tougher test as the Cougars drew the Bubblers from Boiling Springs, who had beaten Selinsgrove in their semifinal game. The Bubblers are coming off a historic 2025 season, one in which they finished 22-4 and advanced all the way to the PIAA 1A state championship game. They also feature one of the area’s best players, junior and North Carolina commit Kendall Longenberger. The game did indeed live up to the hype, as the Cougars prevailed 4-2 in a game that was perhaps closer than the final score might have indicated.

Palmyra got on the board first on a score by Amelia Valle, its tireless sophomore who always has a knack for lingering by the weak-side post, which is precisely where her put-back shot struck gold. Later in the first quarter, the Cougars expanded their lead on a beautiful sequence where three crisp passes inside the circle had the Bubblers off balance and junior Ella Detwiler punched in the score. With just over two minutes left in the quarter, the Bubblers got on the board on a penalty corner, with Anna Lucido finding paydirt to cut Palmyra’s lead to 2-1.

Boiling Springs kept up the momentum in the second quarter, as a Longenberger blast from the top of the circle was deflected in by Ainsley Carver to tie the game at 2-2. The Bubblers kept up their aggression in a second half that became extremely physical, as the officials were content to let both sides bump and shove during numerous testy sequences. Neither team was able to score in the third quarter, so the score remained 2-2 heading into the final frame.

Palmyra had a number of second-half penalty corners that were turned back by the Bubblers’ aggressive flyers, and it wasn’t until 6:30 remained in the game that the tie was broken on a timely goal by Barger. The Cougars went with a more defensive-minded personnel lineup after taking the lead, turning away multiple attacks up the center of the field before notching an insurance goal off the stick of Fink with 1:03 left to seal the victory.

The Cougars had four players named to the All-Tournament Team: Fink, Detwiler, and midfielders Barger and Kane, who more than matched the speed of Longenberger in patrolling the middle of the field. This game was the biggest challenge of the season so far for Palmyra, and the Cougars won’t have to wait long for their next test, a Monday morning matchup against undefeated Red Land. This will be the Cougars’ first road game of the season and also the beginning of Mid-Penn Keystone play, as the 4-0 Cougars look to continue their march back to District and State gold.

 

 

 

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Cougar Cup Semifinal

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
Susquehannock	0	0	0	0	0
Palmyra	3	2	3	1	9

Palmyra Scoring

• Q1, 12:53 — Allie Fink (Leigha Kane)
• Q1, 7:21 — Grace Frew (Allie Fink)
• Q1, 0:30 — Addie Barger (Leigha Kane)
• Q2, 9:58 — Barger (Ella Detwiler)
• Q2, 9:22 — Lindsay Brandt (Maddy Waldron)
• Q3, 8:37 — Kane (Penalty Stroke)
• Q3, 4:32 — Liv Hepner (Penalty Stroke)
• Q3, 2:42 — Barger
• Q4, 14:25 — Kate Driscoll

Shots on Goal: Palmyra 21, Susquehannock 1
Corners: Palmyra 18, Susquehannock 0
Saves: Palmyra — Sophie Kennelly 1; Susquehannock — Mia Wetzel 12

Cougar Cup Championship

Palmyra 4, Boiling Springs 2

Team	Q1	Q2	Q3	Q4	Final
Boiling Springs	1	1	0	0	2
Palmyra	2	0	0	2	4

Scoring

• Q1, 13:32 — Amelia Valle (Leigha Kane)
• Q1, 9:54 — Ella Detwiler (Addie Barger)
• Q1, 2:21 — Anna Lucido, Boiling Springs (Libby Scherer)
• Q2, 6:58 — Ainsley Carver, Boiling Springs (Kendall Longenberger)
• Q4, 6:30 — Barger (Detwiler)
• Q4, 1:03 — Allie Fink (Haevyn Hoffsmith)

Shots on Goal: Palmyra 8, Boiling Springs 3
Corners: Palmyra 14, Boiling Springs 3
Saves: Palmyra — Sophie Kennelly 1; Boiling Springs — Olivia Wickard 4