Girls await district play
Catasauqua's recent reservation for a field hockey district playoff spot was accomplished with an exclamation point.
The Roughies clinched a spot during their final home game of the season as they shutout Salisbury, 4-0. It marked the third consecutive season they have secured a district berth.
Catty followed with an impressive 3-0 shutout over Lehighton.
"It is relaxing knowing that we will be back in the playoffs," said head coach Carrie Saul, who has led the team to the postseason in each of her first three seasons at the helm. "This was one of our preseason goals."
At this point of the season, Saul sees her club in the right mode.
"We're right where we should be," stated Saul. "We have been playing a lot better and we're playing together well. We're passing and moving the ball well, and we have been coming together. We also have had some girls who have been steady for us all season."
Saul cited the play of senior center back Shiloh Sziy, who has been finding the net lately. Fellow senior Tiffany Murawski was learning on the fly during her first varsity season earlier, but she has developed into a steady netminder. Murawski recorded both of the team's latest shutouts.
"Shiloh (Sziy) has played well all season for us," said Saul. "Lately, she has been scoring for us and she has been a leader for us all season. Tiffany (Murawski) has been awesome. She had some big shoes to fill behind (former four-year starter) Janae (Matos) and she struggled a bit at the start.
"But she (Murawski) began playing better and gained more confidence. She spent a lot of time on JV her first three years and this was something new for her. She has made a lot of big saves for us lately and has really made the transition well."
Sziy, who has been a mainstay with the program for four years, sees some similarities and differences with the team over the last two years. Despite a 4-1 loss, she believes her team's season took an upswing for the rest of the season.
"This year we are more offensive than last year when we were more defensive," she said. "We lost a game (at Moravian Academy), but we played well and really came together. We have been working really well together and have a good chemistry on this club."
The Roughies barely missed making the Colonial League playoffs, and now they will wait a few weeks before the district playoffs begin. But Saul is confident her team is ready to avoid a first-round exit that has plagued them in the past.
"I feel very good about our chances," said Saul. "We seem to have some good chemistry with this team and some of our younger players have stepped up. We'll go into the postseason with some momentum and we'll go from there."