Parkland field hockey pounces on final attack penalty corner to beat Methacton 2-1 in first round of PIAA Class 3A tournament
The Parkland field hockey team celebrates winning 2-1 in the first round of the PIAA Class 3A state championship with no time left in regulation. Photo: Bob Benscoter
Sophomore Audrina Stewart could hardly find the right words to express how she was feeling at the end of the first round of the 2025 PIAA Class 3A high school field hockey tournament.
“I think our defense played great,” she said. “I think we really worked together and we connected. We did a great job of getting the ball out as quickly as we could, as efficiently as we could.”
Parkland beat Methacton 2-1 Tuesday in regulation after time had expired on the clock. The Trojans advance to the quarterfinals on Saturday, Nov. 8. They will face Penn Manor, the District 3 Class 3A champions, at 4 p.m. at Exeter Township High School.
Methacton played an organized game, forcing the Trojans to make continuous tactical adjustments.
Methacton struck first in the opening quarter in a pass from senior Olivia Feliciani to junior Ceci Rehak, who was hanging out at the far post. She tapped it in to take a 1-0 lead.
Parkland trailed until the second quarter.
The Trojans tied the game following Stewart’s two blocked shots and the Trojan's quick defensive transition, which earned the team a penalty corner.
Sophomore Kamryn Karrat executed a practice-perfect aerial ball that dropped into the back of the cage.
Karrat said she had been working on the shot all week, motivated by encouragement from her mother, coach, and teammates after narrowly missing a similar shot in the prior game against Emmaus.
“I felt a lot of pressure during it, because I knew that we were down, and I knew the last time I missed it, so I had like a lot of pressure to make it,” Karrat said. “But with the confidence of my team, like even before the corner, they were like, you got this, just like you got it, you got it. I was like, okay, I can do this. And when I executed it, it was just amazing.”
The second half was a fight to the finish.
Methacton’s Adriana Hopple, a Shippensburg field hockey commit, was crucial in generating ball movement, constantly running from the left seam to the right and successfully finding through-balls.
The Warriors effectively utilized two-player runs, resulting in several impactful give-and-go passes.
Stewart said the Warriors’ persistence was so intense that she focused on transforming her anxiety into enthusiasm. She gave direction to her defensive unit throughout the entire 60 minutes.
Methacton had 11 shots on goal and 11 penalty corners. Parkland had 11 penalty corners and 10 shots on goal with a majority of them in the second half.
“I had faith in my team,” she said. “We were definitely trying to mark, especially on our posts. That's something we've been trying to do, I think, the whole season, just making sure our posts and definitely our stroke marks, and whoever has the ball has pressure on them.”
She continued: “I think one thing we can improve upon is just starting off a little stronger and just making sure we can get that connection a little sooner in the game. But I'm just really excited to keep going with this team.”
Prior to the final attack penalty corner being called, there was confusion from the sideline in terms of what was happening on the field.
With approximately two minutes remaining, an extra ball was tossed onto the field, while a Parkland player had already put another ball into motion.
A whistle was blown, but from the sideline, it was unclear if all players understood what was happening. The Methacton coaches strongly defended their team's position.
Ultimately, the play continued, resulting in Parkland earning an attack penalty corner.
The clock subsequently elapsed, and a goal was scored from the corner that ended the game.
Sophomore Leah Frew found the ball on her stick and finished her shot to make it 2-1 Parkland.
“I think we were really chaotic going into it,” she said. “We didn't know what to expect. We'd never seen this team before. But then we settled into the game and grew momentum. We’re a young team, so we're just working to grow and keep it together.”
The game was comparable to a “ping pong” match, but with physicality, she said. When the Trojans were given warning cards, she said they were trying to “let it go.”
“We felt like they were bodying us,” Frew said. “We were a little frustrated. But, we’re really excited to continue. We put a lot of work into where we started this season, and I really feel that we've grown a lot to get it to where we are today.”
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