With an adjusted lineup, the girls' tennis team wrapped up their Lancaster-Lebanon League Section Two season with a shutout victory over Garden Spot on Thursday, Sept. 29. They finish at 2-5 in league play.

"We made a few changes, and the girls made the necessary adjustments to end with a team win," said head coach Annie Hammel. "It was nice to see all of their hard work come together. Their first serves were going in, they were moving opponents around and playing a more offensive game and playing more consistently. We've had some tough section matches lately so this was a nice way to end the season," she continued. "We are still hoping to get a match in against Oxford, though."

Adrienne Dolan and Grace Pursel got things rolling with a shutout win at No. 1 doubles. Ava Peiffer and Caroline Lantz followed with an 8-5 victory while Kiara Chmielecki and Hailey Stanton won 8-2 at the third tandem.

Dolan, Destiny Langley, Pursel and Peiffer played 1 through 4 respectively in singles and all came away with straight set wins.

FIELD HOCKEY

After a 1-0 victory over Lebanon on Sept. 21, the field hockey team has struggled, dropping five straight, including a 2-1 overtime result against Octorara on the 29th.

In a pretty evenly matched outing against the Braves, Solanco drew first blood on a pileup in front of Octorara's cage. Sadie Cook was credited with the goal and Kaitlyn Fulton got the assist.

The Braves scored the equalizer at the 4:01 mark and then grabbed the win when Gianna Lambert notched her second goal in the extra period.

"Both teams were awarded penalty strokes in the game," recalled head coach Whitney Hawkins. "Super proud of Caitlin on the save. Kudos to Octorara's goalie also. It was a great confidence booster for both goalies.

Prior to the game, Solanco's Mini Mules (players from Solanco's summer camp) were announced and made their way to center field along with the starters.

"I believe it's a great way to get the younger kids involved and with the 'big kids' they looked up to as coaches at camp," Hawkins added.

Last Monday, Oct. 3, the team traveled to Garden Spot where the hosts remained undefeated in Section Three play with an 8-0 result. "Playing on turf makes a big difference," said Hawkins. "We lost to them 3-0 the first time. We played well but were always a step behind with the pace."

FOOTBALL

In a game that see-sawed back-and-forth, Solanco's defense got the stop that they needed and outlasted Twin Valley 32-25 in a key Section Three road game Friday, Sept. 30. The win keeps the Mules on pace with undefeated Elizabethtown.

"They are a very good team and gave Elizabethtown (47-42) a tough time," said head coach Tony Cox. "We scored when we needed to, and the defense got a big stop at the end. I felt we did a good job of managing the clock when we had the lead."

Brody Mellinger scored twice, capping Solanco's first drive of the game 7-yards to paydirt at the 7:47 mark in the first quarter. He scored later in the second quarter when Solanco put together a 12-play, 78-yard drive that resulted in Mellinger's 3-yard scamper. In between, TV settled for a 32-yard field goal.

Mellinger also found Elijah Cunningham (105 rushing yards, 2 receptions) for a 27-yard touchdown pass that pushed Solanco's lead to 19-3 at the half.

Down 16 at the half, TV actually outscored the visitors 22-13 in the second half. The Raiders opened the scoring with a 31-yard passing TD and a successful two-point run. Solanco countered with a Cunningham 8-yard jaunt to the endzone. A 7-yard run by Cole Harris (138 rushing yards) in the fourth quarter was sandwiched between a pair of TV scores. The Raiders turned the ball over on downs on their final possession, sealing Solanco's win.

CROSS COUNTRY

In their last home meet of the season, the harrier teams posted wins over Manheim Central but fell short in knocking off Elizabethtown.

Wyatt Tomison (18:27) and Anthony Solis-Morales (18:28) led the Mules to an 18-37 victory over the Barons by finishing first and second, respectively. Eight Elizabethtown runners crossed the line in front of Jimmy Hartigan (11th) and Isaac Esh (13th). Ian Althoff was the final counter, placing 23rd overall and ahead of Manheim's fourth and fifth runners. Thomas Houghton (26th), Dominic Arbogast (27th), and Rusty Armstrong (28th) also placed in the top 30.

The boys sit at 4-3 in Section Two

The girls' team placed four runners in the top ten and ahead of Manheim's top three in a 20-35 victory. The Bears earned five of the top six places to remain undefeated on the year.

Emma Baxter's 22:02 was good for second place overall. Gracie Hartigan (7th), Christine Wagner (8th) and Daria Neaves (9th) were within a minute of Baxter's pace while Anna Linde (20th) rounded out the top five.

The girls finish at 3-4 in Section Two.

GIRLS' SOCCER

After a 5-game losing streak, the girls' soccer team appears to have its mojo back. Their 3-1 win over L-S on Sept. 29 made it two straight with four games left on the schedule.

After a 0-0 first half, Solanco took control, scoring twice in a two-minute span, and never looked back. Meg Bailey assisted Josie Janssen in the 56th minute and then took a pass from Alanna Brown two minutes later for a solid lead.

L-S got one back in the 64th minute but Solanco iced the verdict when Alyssa Harpe made good on a corner kick served up by Sarah Landis.

"Meg had a great game," said head coach Matt Janssen. "She made dangerous runs and created chances. Alyssa, Alanna, Addison O'Donnell, and Misa Daniel-Morales played well to control the center of the field and give us a chance to keep up our offensive pressure."

Last Wednesday Solanco dropped a 2-0 final against Ephrata (9-0).

BOYS' SOCCER

The boys' soccer team went up against the second highest scoring team in Section Two on Saturday, Oct. 1. While a 5-0 result is a bit lopsided, the Mules held the second placed Pioneers to just two first half goals. The hosts, however, scored in the first minute of the second half and added two more goals on successful corner kick conversions.

VOLLEYBALL

The volleyball team opened the second half of L-L League Section Two play Thursday, Sept. 29 at home against Cocalico. Hoping to reverse the rolls and turn a 3-1 first half loss into a victory, Solanco opened with a hard-fought 26-24 first set. The Eagles, however, ran off the next three, including a 25-21 fourth set for the 'W'.

"It came down to who was going to make more attack errors," said head coach Dillon Costrello.

Solanco (1-8) rallied with a strong serving run in the first set to go up 25-24. "We fought hard for that last point and they errored out of bounds," noted Costrello. "In the next two sets we were hitting right at their players. In the last set, down 22-16, I told the team to focus on the shot in the middle and that's how we bounced back. It was an emotional game. I know they wanted to win."

Alaina Herr (3 aces, 8 kills) sparked the offense with Addison Boyd dishing 8 assists. Madison Boyle (2 blocks) and Marissa Cannizzaro (9 digs) were the defensive standouts.