Wilson senior and MSU commit Caroline Horace
Oley Valley is a perennial power in field hockey. The Lynx have won three state championships and eleven District 3 titles. They defeated Wilson 3-1 last year for their 19th BCIAA championship. The Bulldogs used that loss as a major source of motivation. "I think it's what really drove us this year because we had a lot of unfinished business. We wanted to prove ourselves. We wanted to show them how good we really are," Caroline Horace told Paul Roberts of SV Sports. Wilson took care of business on Saturday night with a 3-0 victory over Oley Valley in the Berks County Final. The top-seeded Bulldogs finished with twelve shots and a dozen corners, while holding the second-seeded Lynx to three shots. It didn't take long for Wilson to seize control. Olivia Reinhart scored just 46 seconds into the game off an assist by freshman Sydney Adams. Horace made it 2-0 early in the second quarter. "I knew once the rebound came off the goalie's pads that it was mine. I had to put it in," she said. The Bulldogs scored off another corner with just under five minutes remaining before halftime. Sophomore Sidni Templeton hit a blast from the top of the circle which was set up by Lehigh commit Evelyn Melograna. Three goals was plenty of support for senior goalkeeper Catherine Wolf. Horace and Wolf are committed to Michigan State. They were both All-State selections last fall. They are two of the seven seniors on this year's squad. "Our team is so positive. We all have put so much trust in each other because we're all so close. It feels so good...We've been friends for a very long time," noted Horace. She had two goals in a 9-0 rout of Twin Valley in the BCIAA semifinals. Wilson is now preparing for the District 3-3A playoffs. The (16-4-1) Bulldogs are the #6 seed in the tournament. They host #11 Ephrata on Wednesday at 7pm. Wilson fell to Lower Dauphin 2-0 in the quarterfinals a season ago. Horace has high expectations for this year's team. "I'm hoping for a District Final," she replied.