Sports

State High school field hockey tournament

JAMIE A. RAUB jraub@timesleader.com

EMMAUS -- On what should have been a joyous occasion for the Crestwood field hockey team, the players walked off the field sulking.

The Comets’ ticket into the semifinal round of the PIAA Class 2A playoffs seemed to come at too high a price for the members of the winning team, possibly losing a key member of the squad in the process.

“We’re really happy to be moving on,” said Crestwood coach Elvetta Gemski after the Comets posted their 2-1 win over Villa Maria Academy in Saturday’s quarterfinal. “They were a little out of sync, but were able to put the ball in the cage…The offense worked extremely well with a great defense.”

Holding a confident 2-0 lead with three seconds left in the game, a Villa Maria player was struck by a Crestwood player’s stick near the Villa Maria cage.

After a referee conference, a red card was given to Crestwood’s Melissa Kuhns, who wears No. 17. After the game, though, the referees again held a conference and decided the penalty was called on the wrong player, amending the red card to name Jenna DiSabatino, No. 70 on the Comets’ roster, instead of Kuhns.

“That’s not the way the game is supposed to be played,” said an incensed Villa Maria coach Maurene Polly following the game. “They are a good team, but they could be good without all the pushing and shoving.”

The red card penalty resulted in a penalty stroke, giving Villa Maria’s Laura Whalen a one-on-one shot on Kylie Licata, which she put in easily. That wasn’t the only by-product of the red card, however. Pending the judgment of the PIAA, DiSabatino may have to sit out for Crestwood’s semifinal game versus Mifflinburg at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Emmaus. Mifflinburg defeated Bellville Mennonite 6-0 on Saturday.

Gemski did not comment on the red card penalty handed down to DiSabatino following a particularly rough final 15 minutes of play.

The Comets’ defense had already turned away several Villa Maria attacks in the second half. Careless play took over early on in the second period and intensified from players on both sides.

Three minutes into the half, Crestwood’s Alisha Moran was taken down with a slight injury to her knee or ankle. Later on, Villa Maria’s Mary Liva took a stick to the face. The incidents in the game that preceded the red card were dealt with by referee warnings.

But beyond all the rough play, there was a good matchup between the two state qualifiers.

Crestwood got on the board just five minutes into a back-and-forth affair when DiSabatino fired a long shot from just inside the right side of the circle to score unassisted. That would be one of only two shots Crestwood filed in the first half.

On the other side of the field, Crestwood keeper Licata was turning away shot after shot from a quick Villa Maria offense.

Working the ball from the outside in, Villa Maria’s Sera Berlacher was free down the right side of the field countless times during the game. Once inside the circle, Berlacher tipped the ball to either Beth Young or Molly Murphy waiting in scoring position. It was only luck and a particularly strong effort from Licata that kept Villa Maria off the board early.

“We definitely had a lot of pressure from Villa Maria,” said Gemski. “The defense played an exceptional game, though, including Kylie in goal. I can’t say enough about her.”

Licata stopped 14 shots in the game, including a challenge from Villa Maria forward and leading scorer Katie Briglia with three minutes left in the first half. On a breakaway, Briglia was in the open field and heading into the circle when Licata stepped out to challenge her.

Sliding out to meet the ball at Briglia’s stick, Licata blocked the ball, upending Briglia in the process.

With 2:00 left, Licata put her pads in front of a charging Berlacher to stop a dangerous shot. With less than 1:00 left in the first half, Licata made a jump save to stop a high ball from entering the top left of the cage. The keeper made her presence felt in nearly every defensive play for the Comets.