Wissahickon stays unbeaten in field hockey

Unbeaten Wissahickon scored one goal in the first 53 minutes, 23 seconds of its hockey game with Plymouth-Whitemarsh Wednesday then shoved the offense into overdrive late in the game for three more goals enroute to a 4-0 win.

It was the 12th straight of the season for the Trojans.

Lauren Becker and sisters Ashley and Aubrey Bossert took care of all the scoring for the Suburban One League American Conference leaders.

Aubrey Bossert got the Trojans' lone first-half goal about midway through the period. Becker began the late second- half charge with a beautiful lift that sent the ball over Plymouth Whitemarsh goalie Becky Stitler's head.

Ashley Bossert scored the final two goals, her first one on a classic assist from Decker. Decker also assisted on the last goal.

"When we're making good communication and connections, we can do a lot of scoring. After we got up, 1-0, we hit a spot where we were not connecting as well," said Ashley Bossert, explaining the lack scoring after her sister's opening goal until the closing minutes.

Ashley Bossert has eight goals for the season.

"We have our connections down pretty well," said Becker. "We anticipate our connections well."

That was quite evident in the final 19 minutes of the game. In that time, the Trojans had 10 offensive penalty corners on which they came up empty. They ended the game with 14-0 edge in corners.

As for her goal, Becker said she went to the lift to make sure she didn't hit anyone with her stick since she was so near the goal cage.

"We've been practicing that, but that's the first one I've ever gotten in a high school game," she said,

Wissahickon, No. 2 in The Inquirer's weekly rankings, is one of two area Class AAA teams that remain unbeaten and untied. Great Valley, ranked No. 2, is the other.

"This club can do some amazing things," said Wissahickon coach Lucy Gil. "We were OK in the beginning, flat in the second half then picked it up and played field hockey again."

Gil knows that one knock against the Trojans may be the strength of the American Conference. Only Upper Dublin (7-2) and Springfield (Montco) (7-3) have winning records besides Wissahickon.

The young Plymouth Whitemarsh Colonials - they start two seniors, five or six sophomores and the rest juniors - are 5-4 in the conference but 5-8 overall.

"We're not [physiclly] big, but we're working on gettering mentally stronger," said coach Marianne Paparone.

Paparone had praise for Stitler (10 saves) and Katie Biddle, a midfielder who moved to sweeper Wednesday.

Gil said her team is looking forward to a non-league meeting with National Conference leader Pennsbury next week. The Falcons are No. 7 in The Inquirer rankings.

"That should give us an idea of what's out there," Gil said.

Plymoputh-Whitemarsh    0 0 - 0

Wissahickon     1 3 - 4

Goals: W-Ashley Bossert 2, Aubrey Bossert, Lauren Becker.

Saves: PW-Becky Stitler 10. W-Jess Scannapieco 1.