If we adapt the old saying 'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all' to the Manheim Central field hockey team it would go something like this...'Tis better to have qualified, played and lost then to never have qualified.'

That would be a fancy way to say that the Central field hockey team qualified for the PIAA-2A Championship but dropped out with a 6-0 first-round loss to Villa Maria, a top 25 state ranked team on MaxPreps, on November 8th. The loss ends Manheim's season at 16-8-1.

"The girls played hard in this state playoff game but unfortunately were outmatched by a faster pace of game and a team with a very high skill level," said head coach Morgan Briggs, "We are proud of the team and all they accomplished this season."

Manheim went down fighting, nearly doubling the Lady Hurricanes in corners, 11-6, but Villa Maria held the edge in shots, 15-4, leading to nine Laci Nelson saves.

"It was encouraging to see us earn many corners, but we could not convert," said Briggs.

The Lady Barons found themselves in the PIAA-2A bracket opposite Villa Maria, the winner of the District One Championship, courtesy of a 4-1 loss to Northern York in their final consolation game of the District 3-2A Championship. That November 5th loss left Manheim as the sixth seed out of District 3.

"We played a great first and fourth quarter," stated Briggs. "We struggled with our possession in the second and third quarters and got beat with their strong hits and passing through the middle of the field."

Despite the 4-1 final, Central posted a 15-13 shot advantage while finishing one off in the corner department where Northern held a 10-9 edge. Nelson posted another nine save game while Libby Urban accounted for Manheim's lone score with help from Mikayla Appel.