TOWAMENCIN – One can always learn from the past, and even more so from experiences that resulted in rather ill-fated endings. In fact, that’s the best way to learn in my opinion; directly from your shortcomings. That’s exactly what the Maidens field hockey team kept in mind as they played last night. In their matchup against Central Bucks West, they kept fresh in their minds the lead they lost in an early September game against the Bucks. The Maidens redirected those negative experiences into strengths, taking away a 2-1 victory and handing the CB West powerhouse their second loss of the season in the process.

“We changed our formation on the field. Since they had speed forward, our plan was to put us heavy on the attack and midfield to stop them before they even reached our defense,” Coach Shannon McCracken said, satisfied in her players’ efforts to carry out the new and improved strategy.

The Maidens showed immediate efficiency as they exploded onto the field with an aura of intensity at the start of the first half. This carried over to freshman Brianna O’Donnell, who planted the ball in the back of the goal in the first 5 minutes of the game and took the lead 1-0.

The bar set, the Bucks tried to rebound with a goal of their own, but to no avail. Goalkeeper Marissa Elizardo made sure nothing got past her, blocking six well placed shots from the pressing West offense.

Gaining insurance goals was the next objective for North Penn. With a defense relatively acclimated to the Buck’s attacks, it was time for the Maidens to break away from the mere one goal lead they had held the entire first half.

“It was important that we really stepped out and showed them that we were still there, since I thought we really controlled the first half,” McCracken mentioned.

This aggressive mentality paid off, allowing Brianna O’Donnell’s sister, Senior Casey O’Donnell, to score in the first 3 minutes of the second half.

“We knew we were up by one, but we also knew that this isn’t a team that lets up, so we needed to bring even more to the next half. We used quick passes,” Casey O’Donnell said.

Although with the lead now at 2-0, the Bucks were knocked to their senses and moments later returned the goal disparity to one as they quickly scored.

It was now a battle to the finish, one that the Maidens had raw in their minds from less than a month ago. However, North Penn managed to stick it out and defend against any attempt at a comeback goal by the Bucks, keeping the scoreboard reading 2-1. Elizardo would have 4 more saves from opposing shots. It came down to two corner shots with no time on the clock in order to decide which team would walk away with the win. As the Buck’s corner attempt failed, a subtle sigh of relief was released from the fans.

Those fans were also made up of middle school field hockey players; it was the night dedicated to getting the younger players involved and excited about the sport. They all watched on with eager eyes as most witnessed their first high school field hockey game.

In addition, the victory aids the team’s campaign for the upcoming playoffs.

“We are contenders, absolutely. We’re excited. That was a big win for us because we gave [Central Bucks West] some paybacks and it really showed the girls that we can hang with some top teams,” said coach McCracken proudly.

The Maidens look for another win on Thursday against Pennridge to extend their streak and in the long run, seal their playoff hopes.