Palmyra's close-knit crew is excited, prepared for Villa Maria in the 2023 PIAA Class 2A high school field hockey championship
Hershey lit the fire between them and Palmyra Tuesday in the 2023 PIAA Class 2A semifinals.
Trojan junior Taylor Valoczki fired off a straight shot from the top of the circle in just under three minutes into the game to plant the first point in the 3-1 contest. It turned out to be fuel for Palmyra, which went on to score three effectively shutting down the Trojan's offense.
Palmyra plays Villa Maria Academy at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Cumberland Valley High School for the 2023 PIAA Class 2A high school field hockey championship.
The Tuesday semi meeting was the fourth this season between the two District 3 Class 2A Mid-Penn Conference Keystone Division crosstown rivals. While Hershey had one of its most successful postseason runs in recent years, the Trojans lost all four contests to Palmyra.
Once Valoczki scored, the mental toughness of the Cougars was immediately visible.
Hershey scored on its first corner of the game in the first quarter. Palmyra piled up seven corners in the first, but couldn't find the equalizer until about 2 minutes remaining in the first half.
Palmyra earned a corner on a technicality. Hadley Hoffsmith, who has done a lot of playmaking work for the Cougars all season, intercepted a ball and tore off on a breakaway.
As she approached Hershey's goalie Kylie Mullen, there was no one else in sight. It was a 1 v 1 situation that tempted Mullen enough to draw her all the way out of her cage to outside the circle, where she played the ball with her kickers.
Mullen would have been fine had she only used her stick. Palmyra was awarded a corner and they used it to the Cougars' advantage. The ball was inserted to the top, where Hoffsmith dumped the ball to Jovie Weaver.
Weaver hit the ball toward the far post, where Keely Bowers got ahold of it for a shot.
Hershey's Avery Weaber was standing on post and earned a defensive save. But, Bowers was quick to rebound and lift it above the backboard to break the Cougars scoring silence.
"We're really excited," Bowers said after the game. "I'm just excited that we are having the longest season that we can have. I love all the girls that I play with and I'm gonna be really sad when it's over. Hershey's a really good team, good competition. Obviously, the team we play at states is going to be really good, too. I think once we get into the flow, we're moving and finding people, and building confidence. We just keep building on each other; it's all positive, all good. We just have to keep working together and positive things are going to happen."
The next two goals were just as fun to watch. Palmyra became hyper-focused in the second half and that focus included making sure they were working together.
The second goal emphasized that connection. Hoffsmith had another shining moment of brilliance.
She remained patient and moving as a passing sequence unfolded 25 yards up the field heading toward the Cougars attack circle.
"There was a really good passing sequence from Jovie (Weaver) to Keely, Mallory (Hudson), and Mallory saw me at the post," Hoffsmith said. "It was definitely a team effort. Our passing game was really good and that's what led to the goal."
Palmyra's stick-to-stick passing, from small balls to long, made it look effortless, as the athletes also moved with the flow of the play. Hoffsmith's goal sent a sense of relief throughout the Cougars squad.
"I think it threw us off a little bit when Hershey scored first," Hoffsmith said. "Then we got our momentum. We started to play our game. And, we did really well in the second half. In practice, all the time, we're focusing on two touch. You can have skilled players on a team, pass around them, but we don't have to defend our passes. We were getting them off really quick. We knew where everyone was."
The final goal came in the fourth quarter with 4 minutes remaining. In between that time, Hershey battled for every ball and staved off Palmyra's unrelenting corner attack. Addie Sholly smacked a hot shot from inside the circle after receiving it outside, taking one step, and sending a rocket into the cage.
"I'm just so excited that we get to go back to another state championship game, and we're going as team," Sholly said. "We get up for Hershey. I think we were a little nervous but not over the top. We definitely talked about passing up the field together and going as a team. I think we're really focused on finding each other and you get that ball and you give it right away."
Hershey, which ended its season 15-6, of which four of those losses were to Palmyra, played valiantly. The Trojans defeated Radnor in double overtime at Exeter Twp. High School the previous Saturday, showing that they have resilience.
"Our team this year is tenacious and I think wins like this really prove it," Hershey head coach Savanna Lenker said after the Radnor game. "Our senior leadership was instrumental in this win. Their drive for success and strong work ethic is evident. Some of these players were on the field for 75 minutes, giving everything they had to pull out the win. I think our tough division and hard non-division games really prepared us for States. We learned from our losses during the regular season and are now playing more cohesively. We still feel like we have more to prove and are excited that we have the opportunity to do that."
One of those seniors was Riley Welsch. Welsch fired off two of Hershey's goals in the 3-2 victory against Radnor.
"As we were getting closer to time expiring in the fourth there was pressure to score to keep our season going," she said after the Radnor game. "Anne Gardner sent me a pass into the circle and I was able to finish it for my team. This gave us momentum going into overtime and we had the mindset that we weren’t going lose this game. Scoring the game winner felt amazing in that moment and also knowing that this win would send us to the Semifinals. We are ready to play Palmyra, a team we have a lot of respect for. Our pervious match ups I don’t feel we had our best foot forward or the right mindset. Tuesday the stakes are high and we are ready to step up to the challenge."
There's no doubt that Hershey had what it takes to beat Palmyra. But, Palmyra's connectedness this year seems to have been all the magic they needed to pull off the come from behind win.
"I think we're really all close both on and off the field," Hoffsmith said. "We all support each other. I think we're also a really competitive group. We don't like to lose. Every time we go out on the field, we want to win. We always put in a lot of effort. After each game, we're all really tired and we know we left everything out there."
Palmyra head coach Kent Harshman said Hoffsmith deserved credit Tuesday. Quiet playmakers like Hoffsmith don't always get noticed, he said.
"Hadley works as hard as she can work," Harshman said. "Hadley does a lot of work through the middle of the field, but why is that. And, you lose sight as to who that is, who's creating these plays."
Hershey's straight shot wasn't a fun fact for Harshman. He said he wasn't surprised to be paired against the Trojans in the state tournament, and he added he kind of expected it.
But, regardless of the goal, he said his 2023 squad, like many before them, are special to him and his coaching staff.
"What stands out to me about this group is how tight the senior class is," he said. "We have eight seniors and they do everything together. They are as close as any group that we've had. That doesn't mean we've had groups that don't get along. This group is incredibly tight...And, we're extremely proud of them. They're confident. Who knows what will happen Saturday. There's been a good vibe with this group all year long. Not that there wasn't last year. They just, when they see the endline in sight, it's just like, they're just on a whole other level, so confident."
Villa Maria is 21-4 on the season and has outpaced its opponents in scoring throughout both their District 1 tournament run and state championship campaign. Villa claimed the District 1 Class 2A title.
They dropped its semi contest to Mechanicsburg last season.
Photo: Palmyra vs Northern at the 2023 District 3 Class 2A championship (Bob Benscoter, November 2023)