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Cameron Forgash and Valley West score victory in PIAA field hockey opener

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WRIGHT TWP. &#8212; A light snow covered the field as Wyoming Seminary warmed up.By the end of the game, small chunks of ice littered the turf while a finger-freezing cold became nastier with each breeze.But freezing slush and frigid temperatures didn&#8217;t do much to cool off the unbeaten Blue Knights.Aubrey Mytych had a hat trick, Kelsey Reznick scored twice with two assists Tuesday and District 2 champion Sem stormed the state playoffs with a 10-1 victory over Tulpehocken in a PIAA Class A field hockey first-round game at snowy Crestwood High School.&#8220;We all agreed before the game started, we were not going to talk about the weather,&#8221; Mytych said. &#8220;We brought enough gear so that we stayed warm.&#8221;Make that red-hot.A Blue Knights team ravaged the District 2 playoffs by outscoring its opponents 27-2 over three games came out swinging again.Julia Christian slid home the game&#8217;s first goal just under five minutes in, Mytych scored two goals less than a minute apart and Reznick and Alex Wesneski added goals as the Blue Knights built a 5-0 lead and had the clock running under the sportsmanship rule 1:52 before halftime.&#8220;We were ready to play,&#8221; an impressed Sem coach Karen Klassner said. &#8220;We needed a game badly. We played very well.&#8221;The onslaught sent the 18-0 Blue Knights into Saturday&#8217;s state quarterfinals against New Hope-Solebury, which defeated Lehighton 3-0 in another state opener Tuesday.The offensive outburst was even more eye-opening on a night where the field became slick enough to the point where some of Sem&#8217;s goals, including the first one by Mytych, were guided into the cage rather than slammed.&#8220;But once the slush got off the field, it was great,&#8221; Mytych said.Not so much for Tulpehocken, which broke the shutout when Olivia Klopp scored with 7:17 remaining.&#8220;Our worry was we wouldn&#8217;t be able to score much,&#8221; Klassner said. &#8220;We told them (the Blue Knights) to pack cleats. I don&#8217;t think their team did, they were slipping and sliding all over the place. Who would have thought it would snow?&#8220;But we&#8217;ve played in snow, rain, sleet.&#8221;By the second half, it was raining goals for Sem.Mytych scored her third goal 3:43 after intermission, then Reznick, Grace Parsons and Dani Reiser all scored within a four-minute stretch to bury any remaining doubt about the outcome.That gave Sem its first state playoff win since the school&#8217;s 2013 team won the PIAA Class 2A state title.&#8220;I have not made it this far yet in my high school career,&#8221; Mytych, a junior, said. &#8220;Our mentality is just to play hard. We really wanted to work on playing for the entire game, from start to finish. I thought we did a great job of playing 60 minutes. &#8220;Newport 1, Lake-Lehman 0Rachel Bohn scored 4:16 into the game and Newport&#8217;s defense made it stand up as the returning state semifinalist Black Knights dropped a heartbreaker in a Class A state opener at Milton-Hershey High School.&#8220;I&#8217;m always disappointed when we don&#8217;t go farther,&#8221; Lake-Lehman coach Jean Lipski said. &#8220;It&#8217;s hard, because unless you win the state championship, your season is going to end with a loss in the state tournament. I&#8217;d rather we end on a loss and be here than not make it.&#8221;Lehman made it interesting, creating numerous opportunities throughout the game, including nine penalty corners. But Newport&#8217;s gifted defense kept thwarting potential rushes for the Black Knights and goalie Tristan Britcher made seven saves while completing the shutout.&#8220;I thought we had chances,&#8221; Lipski said. &#8220;They have a very good defense. We tried some of our corners that usually work. We just didn&#8217;t get the ball in. That&#8217;s how it goes sometimes.&#8220;Just didn&#8217;t go in tonight.&#8221;The game was played under snowy and soggy conditions that forced an earlier-scheduled Class 3A state game at the sight between Lower Dauphin and North Allegheny to be moved to a different facility.&#8220;It was a mess the whole time,&#8221; Lipski said. &#8220;The teams that were supposed to play before us refused to play on the field, they actually moved the game inside to Spooky Nook. It was just unsettling, a tough day.&#8221;The Black Knights, who went 12-2 during the WVC season and played for a fourth straight District 2 championship before making a fourth consecutive trip to the state tourney, finished at 14-4.&#8220;This team accomplished some wonderful goals,&#8221; said Lipski, who earned her 500th career victory when the Black Knights upended Holy Redeemer to reach the District 2 title game. &#8220;The seniors went to the district finals and to the state playoffs all four years. Losing so many kids from last year&#8217;s team, a lot of people felt this would not be one of Lehman&#8217;s better years. These kids worked so hard and proved that not to be true.&#8220;This team reached incredible goals.&#8221;PIAA CLASS A FIRST ROUNDWyoming Seminary 10, Tulpehocken 1Tulpehocken`0`1`&#8212;`1Wyoming Sem`5`5`&#8212;`10First half &#8212; 1. SEM, Julia Christian (Alex Wesneski), 25:04; 2. SEM, Aubrey Mytych (Kelsey Reznick), 18:18; 3. SEM, Mytych (Bari Lefkowitz), 17:21; 4. SEM, Reznick, 16:47; 5. SEM, Wesneski (Cameron Litjens), 1:52. Second half &#8212; 6. SEM, Mytych, 26:17; 7. SEM, Reznick, 13:30; 8. SEM, Grace Parsons (Mytych), 11:08; 9. SEM, Dani Reiser, 9:42; 10. TUL, Olivia Klopp, 7:17; 11. SEM, Hannah Maxwell (Reznick), 6:28.Shots &#8212; TUL 4; SEM 18. Saves &#8212; TUL 8 (Lydia Bednarczyk); SEM 3 (Mia Magnotta, Jaryah Patterson). Penalty corners &#8212; TUL 8; SEM 11.Newport 1, Lake-Lehman 0Lake-Lehman`0`0`&#8212;`0Newport`1`0`&#8212;`1First half &#8212; 2. NEW, Rachel Bohn, 25:44.Shots &#8212; LL 7; NEW 3. Saves &#8212; LL 2 (Alicia Galasso); NEW 7 (Tristan Britcher). Penalty corners &#8212; LL 9; NEW 2.<style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta>By Paul Sokoloskipsokoloski@www.timesleader.com</bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><factboxMeta></factboxMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta>Reach Paul Sokoloski at 570-991-6392 or on Twitter @TLPaulSokoloski</shirttailMeta></div>

Wyoming Seminary trounces Tulpehocken in PIAA Class A field hockey opener