In East Rockhill, Anjali Verma and Molly Hawkins have something very special.
Both Verma and Hawkins play as goalkeepers for Pennridge’s girls’ lacrosse team. This position only allows one of them to be on the field at a time, which could have caused problems, but they have been supportive of each other even while sharing playing time.
Instead of competing, the goalies for Pennridge support each other while playing important roles as the defensive anchors for the SOL National Conference leaders.
Verma said they always understand each other well and work great together. She mentioned that they have a strong connection and care a lot for each other.
On Friday, the Rams continued their undefeated streak in the SOL with a 9-4 victory over Council Rock North. CR North’s Lucy Carney also made 14 saves.
Hawkins played the first half and Verma played the second. The two goalies didn’t have much to do thanks to a strong defense in front of them, although they made a few important saves. Verma wasn’t even sure if she would make the game due to being at a conference earlier in Washington D.C., but she had faith in Hawkins.
Hawkins also feels the same trust in Verma, but they believe their games are not the same without each other. They do everything to support each other, from warm-ups to sharing a special handshake.
The Pennridge coach, Karen Feher, praised the goalies for being each other's biggest supporters.
Hawkins picked up lacrosse in eighth grade after playing ice hockey, while Verma has played her whole life and also swims at Pennridge. Verma had to recover from a severe concussion last spring before returning this season.
Verma wears special protection on her neck and helmet due to her injury, and sharing playing time with Hawkins helps reduce her workload.
Hawkins mentioned their priority is to win and do what's best for the team.
When Feher suggested the goalies split their time, they didn’t object.
The Pennridge defense, led by Charles, Bailey, Herbst, and Keller, also works well with the goalies, who have different styles.
"It's all about talking, when the defense communicates, it's because we're communicating," Hawkins said. "We're shouting at them, but they're shouting at us. We keep it smooth."
"We're a family," Verma added. "Having that bond helps us excel in all aspects of our game."
If Verma is not playing, she's focused on what Hawkins is doing and vice-versa. During any break, the two goalies are talking about what they're observing, the opposing team's top players, and anything that might create an opportunity.
When the ball is in play, the one on the sideline is shouting to the one in the game or to the defenders if the communication is not up to par. They want each other to succeed and they'll do whatever they can to assist one another.
"We're intertwined," Hawkins said. "We always discuss what the other person is seeing, what kind of shots we're going to have."
"We motivate each other," Verma said. "We're best friends."
The two juniors have also started mentoring the freshman goalies on the JV team. Hawkins confessed to being superstitious, so it's not surprising the two have established a consistent routine.
"During warm-ups, we're always tapping sticks when one of us switches in and the other switches out, we do a little jump when we make the change," Verma said. "We have our tennis ball and shooting drills every game."
Verma chuckled, saying some of Hawkins’ habits have influenced her as well. Their handshake was born of the same idea, another way to strengthen their support for each other, no matter who is on the field.
"It all energizes us," Hawkins said.
"We like it," Verma added.
"We love it, really," Hawkins concluded.
POSEY ACHIEVES MILESTONE
Scoring goals was challenging for Pennridge (12-3, 8-0 SOL National) on Friday, due to the outstanding efforts of Carney in the CR North (9-3, 6-2 SOL National) goal.
The Rams have some skilled scorers, so it was only a matter of time before they'd start to find the back of the net. They also had Kendall Posey, so there were going to be opportunities.
Posey reached the 200th point of her career in the win, the senior attacker scoring a goal and appropriately achieving the milestone on an assist.
"It feels really good," Posey said. "I've worked really hard these past four years and it makes me feel really validated because I know the work I'm putting in outside the field is paying off on it."
Posey scored the go-ahead goal off a pass from Taylor Burkett with 6:46 left in the opening quarter. The Rams extended their lead to 4-1 but only held a 4-2 advantage at halftime.
Things started to open up in the third, Pennridge scoring two goals to start the half before Posey found Burkett for a score to make it 7-2. The pass was Posey’s 200th point and it seemed appropriate that Burkett was on the receiving end of it.
"I run cross country with Taylor, so we get a lot of time together in the fall and again in the spring," Posey said. "We're really close, I know I can trust that Taylor's going to make it."
Ava Fantaskey scored three goals to lead Pennridge, Burkett ended with two goals and two assists, Madigan Posey had one goal and a assist, and Cayla Wurz and Kate Unzicker completed the Rams’ scoring. Cat McBride was a strong presence for CR North, scoring all four goals, and also getting four draw controls and three ground balls.
Kendall Posey has already exceeded 100 career assists and, while the senior mentioned she’s nearing 100 goals, she takes the most pride in getting others involved. Feher also mentioned that the senior attacker is the one who helps everyone else on the attacking side due to her unselfish play.
When a team has weapons like the Rams do, it needs someone to prepare them. Posey takes care of that part.
“We’ve really connected well this year,” Posey said. “We have a lot of talent, we know any one player on offense can score, which gives us a big advantage over other teams. We trust each other to make those passes and receptions because we know we’re all capable.”
Pennridge 9, Council Rock North 4
Pennridge 3 1 4 1 – 9
Council Rock North 1 1 1 1 – 4
Goals-Assists: P – Ava Fantaskey 3-0, Taylor Burkett 2-2, Madigan Posey 1-1, Kendall Posey 1-1, Cayla Wurz 1-0; Kate Unzicker 1-0; CRN – Cat McBride 4-0, Maddy Mela 0-2.
Saves: P – Molly Hawkins 5, Anjali Verma 5; CRN – Lucy Carney 14.
