‘We knew Warwick coming to our house was a big deal,’ Crestwood field hockey coach Amanda Tredinnick on 2-0 upset

Crestwood field hockey are on a roll beating both Wyoming Area and Warwick in the 2025 Fall season. Photo: Dizzy Penguin

Motivation isn't found in a specific place or through a simple formula.

It often emerges at a turning point in life, leading to the manifestation of dreams and a renewed sense of trust in self and teammates.

When a community demonstrates respect for its guests, umpires, and fans, sport transcends its ordinary definition. Over the weekend a team in Luzerne County graciously hosted a Lancaster County team to measure their own progress.

The Crestwood field hockey team, eager to challenge Warwick, the reigning 2024 Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association Class 2A champions, welcomed the Warriors on Saturday and achieved a remarkable 2-0 shutout victory.

"All last night I was like, I think I’m still dreaming, did that really just happen," Crestwood field hockey head coach Amanda Tredinnick shared in a phone interview on Sunday with Female Athlete News.

This was Warwick's first shutout loss since Oct. 17, 2024, when they fell 0-1 to Manheim Township. Last season, Warwick suffered only two losses in total, leaving most of their competitors in the dust.

"We knew that they are a really good team," Tredinnick said. "We were excited to get them on our schedule. We knew we needed to play our best game. We studied what they are good at doing and we tried to be just a little bit better. We capitalized on the few opportunities that we were given and our defense was out of this world."

The Comets' first goal was scored halfway through the second quarter by sophomore Kasey Obes. Obes, who has been playing field hockey since age seven, let her composure and ball placement bank the shot.

“We got the ball on the 25-yard line, our left midfield,” Obes said in a phone interview with FAN. “She took the ball, passed just outside the circle, and I got the ball. Then I started rolling around the circle, to the top, created a foul outside. I self-started, rolled out and took a shot.”

The team’s energy swelled after the goal was scored, Obes said.

“It was a very exciting moment,” the starting forward shared. “It was a very fun moment. We were all so excited. We went in with a lot of confidence. Scoring that goal was a very exciting moment for all of us. In between quarters, we said we have to keep our composure, we can’t get frantic. We knew we had to play good defense, attack, keep the energy up and try to get more. My thought process, once we have one, we just have to keep hoping to have more. We can’t think we won the game. We have to keep the possession up and not let them get a goal.”

She continued: “The fans were very loud. The ball was going from one half to the other half every couple minutes. I think it was a fair game, high intensity, competitive. Everyone wanted to win. My team just came together. We knew we had to win. Communicating, passing, dropping back, taking advantage of breakaways, and we took advantage of those gaps. We did the most we could and it paid off.”

The 2025 Crestwood field hockey team, top-heavy with nine seniors, is driven by the memory of a 2-1 overtime loss to Palmyra in the first round of the 2024 PIAA state tournament.

"I have eight forwards to work with, to get the right gel, the right mix,” Tredinnick said. “Some have more experience than others. Two are non-club players. They play both field hockey and lacrosse. They bought into something, brought toughness and focus on fundamental hockey skills."

She added, "We knew Warwick coming to our house was a big deal. We know they are a powerhouse. We lost in a 2-1 heartbreaker in the opening round of states last year to Palmyra. We know the caliber of field hockey down there. We knew we needed to have a prepared game plan. We did exactly what we had laid out on the table, and we were able to get the job done."

Despite boasting five state titles, the Crestwood program hasn't been to states since 2012 until last season.

"There was kind of a lull there for quite some time," Tredinnick said.

She has led the coaching staff for six years, with her two assistant coaches joining for the past two years. Haley Gayoski and Mel Leo focus on midfielders and defense, while Tredinnick, a former player at Myers High School and Wilkes-Barre College, works with the offense.

"It’s anybody’s game on any given day," Tredinnick said. "I think everyone in the crowd knows how big of a game that was. And, I think everyone knows how hard we’ve worked to get Crestwood back on the map."

Senior Ally George, who scored the second goal late in the fourth quarter off a penalty corner, expressed increased self-confidence after the win.

"They passed to me and I got the corner,” George said. “We were lining up, and the coaches gave us the play. I knew I had to be on post. The shot was taken, and the goalie kind of kicked the ball onto my stick. I rolled around, and I thought I’d shoot it."

This thought led to the final 2-0 score.

"I’ve scored on this play,” George said. “We beat Wyoming Area. That was a really big game. We haven’t beat them in the past six years, and then this season, we went to their home field. They play on grass, which is an advantage to them. In the last 50 seconds, we got a corner and we won."

Having played field hockey since sixth grade, George credits her coaches for holding the team to a higher standard and for their belief in the team, and a lot of her motivation comes from watching her older sister play college field hockey at Wingate.

"Honestly, our team works so hard in practice," George said. "Our coaches push us. We never go easy on each other. We have really good competition and good teams to play that will help us with states or districts. Our coaches are amazing."

On the defensive side, senior goalkeeper Madi Geiger, who, along with her twin sister, is committed to playing Division I field hockey at Hofstra, was a key player. Warwick earned 15 attack penalty corners, and Geiger made 14 saves.

"Our team came together," Geiger said. "We knew this was going to be a tough game. We were looking forward to it all year. We all played 110 percent. We worked hard and got it done."

Crestwood was well-prepared for Warwick’s aerial shots. Geiger, who handled "all kinds of shots," praised her defense and midfield.

"I was ready for anything," she said. "That’s what makes it fun. They were doing corners, flicks, drives, reverses. There was really no same shot. We watched the film. There was a lot of communication on defense. I was really communicating, where to mark, who to mark. That’s thanks to the Goalie Trainer Emily Snowden. She’s an amazing goalie coach. She has me ready, really ready for anything."

Geiger is enthusiastic about being co-captain with her twin, Alex, a decision she didn't anticipate.

"This is my favorite team by far," Geiger said. "This is the best team we’ve had, the most competitive and the closest. We’re really like a family. The main thing is there were always upperclassmen, who wouldn’t talk to the underclassmen when they were seniors. We wanted to see that change, and we did that. And, now it feels like a family."

Geiger's sister, Alex, serves as the flyer on corners, and Geiger makes a point to share the spotlight with all her teammates, noting that Alex "does a great job every time" and the midline "doesn’t get enough credit."

She said her sister and Stella Janosczyk are the "core of the team," explaining, "they play both offense and defense.”

“And they hustle their butts off the whole game,” Geiger said. “I think that was also a big part of how we beat Warwick. My one defender, she had a defensive save. It was a perfect aerial. It was about to go in, and (Mackenzie Kovalski) got the touch on it."

Geiger and her twin are headed to college to play field hockey, as are George (Mercyhurst) and Allie Myers (Fairfield). For them, this season is more than just games; it's a test of growth.

"Every game, I want to have a shutout," Geiger said. "That’s my expectation. If something happens, it happens. I still have to push through. I don’t let it affect how I play or how I talk. Every game, I want to have a shutout."

Her mental approach aligns with her coach’s philosophy.

"I think now, I told them yesterday, we reached a new expectation when you go out and play a team like that," Tredinnick said. "That’s our new expectation. We know that they can play at that level. They now need to maintain at that level."

She continued: "We’ll keep reminding them, and where we just were is where we need to stay. That is the most energy I’ve seen in a group of our group of ladies in a long time after that final buzzer rang. Kudos to Warwick, they are a great team. We’ll possibly meet them again in the state tournament."

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