Shutout sends C.R. North to state tournament
Council Rock North coach Heather Whalin knows something her field hockey players don't. They're good. And at this point in the season, they're really good. The athletes on her squad, she said, aren't aware.
Council Rock North coach Heather Whalin knows something her field hockey players don't.
They're good. And at this point in the season, they're really good. The athletes on her squad, she said, aren't aware.
"That's what gets them to play harder and harder and harder," Whalin said. "Sometimes you'll have a team that knows they're good. They won't fight, because they think they should win."
On Friday afternoon, the Indians did fight. In the District 1 Class AAA quarterfinals at Joe Neuber Field in Spring City, sixth-seeded Council Rock North defeated third-seeded Perkiomen Valley, 1-0, to earn its first trip to the state tournament since 2010.
The lone goal came on a rebounded shot four minutes into the first half, when Indians midfielder Gigi Tutoni fired the ball into the net.
"The goalie had a great clear, but I was able to get my stick barely onto it," Tutoni said without breaking her smile after the win. "I just saw the opportunity. . . . And by some miracle it worked."
After that goal, however, Council Rock North struggled to build its lead as Perkiomen Valley maintained possession for much of the second half. The squads became more physical, which resulted in an incident near the game's conclusion in which two players crashed into each other and fell to the ground.
With 6 minutes, 1 second left in the game, the referees penalized both for five minutes.
"They are a physical team, and I don't think we backed down at all," Perkiomen Valley coach Erik Enters said. "We can bang bodies with the best of them."
The Vikings had several chances to even the score in their final push, but Indians goalkeeper Julia Singer stymied them. She recorded nine saves and registered her team's 15th shutout of the season after making a few difficult saves in the contest's final minutes.
"Their goalie was lights out, fantastic," Enters said.
When Singer was a freshman, Whalin switched her to goalie. On Friday, the coach called her a "superstar." When the game ended, players ran straight for Singer. They screamed and celebrated while swarming around her.
"We were told a lot that we were the underdogs, but we had a lot of support," said Singer, a senior who will attend Ursinus College. "We rose to the occasion. It was amazing."
The Indians will continue their playoff run at No. 2-seeded Central Bucks South. C.R. North players said they're excited about what's ahead for them. Their coach, who is in her seventh year with the school, is excited, too.
"I knew they were going to be good coming into the season," Whalin said.
"I did not expect this."
Council Rock North 1 0 – 1
Perkiomen Valley 0 0 – 0
Goal: CRN-Gigi Tutoni.
Saves: CRN-Julia Singer 9; PV-Kerri Hanshaw 4.