Two players come up big for Octorara

It isn't often that a field hockey team finds itself playing shorthanded, but that was the case for Octorara on Tuesday.

When an Octorara player received a red card from the officials for throwing her stick, the Braves were forced to play the final 25 minutes of their game against West Chester East with just 10 players on the field.

Octorara received key efforts from two players, defensive midfielder Amanda Billig and goalkeeper Ryan Morlando, in beating the Vikings, 2-1.

Billig, a sophomore defensive midfielder, scored the winning goal with a little more than nine minutes to play. Morlando, a converted boys' roller hockey goalie who was asked to come out last season when the field hockey team needed a goalie, made 21 stops.

Several of the stops were spectacular, including one in which he swept the ball away with his stick because he ended up on the ground after making a pad save at the opposite end of the goal cage.

"Knowing I play roller hockey, some of the girls asked me to come out when they needed a goalie," said Morlando, a junior. "I have good stick skills, so I like to use the stick when I can to make a save."

Billig's first career goal provided the winning margin.

She found herself in the right spot after East goalie Lauren Rollman got her pad on a shot by Missy Stefanosky.

"I got the rebound and tapped it into the righthand corner," Billig said.

"They weren't completely aware of what was going on after the red card was issued," Octorara coach Jen Watson said. "Some players asked if I could insert a sub. I called a time-out, and we modified our plans as to how we would have to play in the midfield."

The Braves obviously handled the adjustments well.

Looking for payback. North Penn coach Carrie Jankowski hoped her team learned some lessons last season to prepare for Wednesday's big Suburban One League Continental Conference matchup with Central Bucks South, the No. 1 team in The Inquirer's weekly top 10.

The unbeaten Titans (6-0), who reached the PIAA Class AAA semifinals in 2009, beat the Maidens twice in overtime by 2-1.

North Penn, ranked fourth by The Inquirer, is off to its best start since 2007, Jankowski's first season as coach. The Maidens opened 7-0 that year.

"The game will probably be decided in the midfield," the coach said. "Our midfield is very good. We're solid there."

Solid is right, with seniors Liz Fedele and Macie Hauck leading the way. Fedele is a member of the U.S. under-17 squad. Hauck is headed to Temple, where she plans to play lacrosse.

Quiet thief. Field hockey backs may not get much publicity, but Wissahickon's Zoe Kale makes it hard to overlook her. The Trojans' junior defender is a master of thievery.

In Wissahickon's 2-1 overtime loss to Central Bucks South on Tuesday, Kale showed why.

Although takeaway statistics are not usually kept by high schools, even a novice field hockey spectator could appreciate the subtle Kale at work. She had more than a half-dozen takeaways in the loss to the Titans, and she wasn't whistled once for obstruction.

A starter since she was a freshman, Kale has her own approach to an opponent with the ball.

"I wait patiently for them to come to me," she said. "I want them to feel my pressure. I want them to make the move. Then I go after the ball."

"Zoe has a knack," Wissahickon coach Lucy Gil said.