Strikers Win Inaugural Central Adult RCC, Three Women’s Teams & One Men’s Team Advance to USFHL Adult NCC

Images courtesy of Maddie Rogers

COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. - The inaugural Central Adult Regional Club Championship (RCC) took place at Ursinus College in Collegeville, Pa. this past weekend. Six women’s teams representing three different areas in the region competed – Strikers and Red Rubies from Lancaster, Pa.; Running on Empty, Buxmont, and Cougars from Philadelphia, Pa.; and Steel Styx from Pittsburg, Pa. These six teams competed for three spots to the United States Field Hockey League (USFHL) Adult National Club Championship (NCC) that will take place this summer, July 19 through 21, in Newark, Del. 

With a first-place finish, Strikers secured their spot at the Adult NCC, and will be joined in July by runner-up Running on Empty and third-place Steel Styx. On the men’s side, Philly Premier will represent the Central Region at the Adult NCC.

The women’s competition commenced on Saturday with pool play, seeing Strikers come out on top of Pool A after defeating Buxmont and Cougars. Running on Empty won Pool B with wins against Red Rubies and Steel Styx. Having claimed the top spots in pool play, Strikers and Running on Empty moved on to the semifinal, while the other four teams entered crossover games to earn the other two spots in the semifinal round and keep their qualification hopes alive. In the first crossover match, Buxmont edged Red Rubies in a great battle that featured several solid scoring opportunities for both teams. In the second crossover matchup between Steel Styx and Cougars, it was Steel Styx who ultimately came out on top to claim the other semifinal spot.

On Sunday morning, the first semifinal matchup between Strikers and Steel Styx ended with a 4-0 win for the Strikers, who earned their spot in the gold medal match and a qualifying bid to the Adult NCC. The second semifinal also saw a commanding win with Running on Empty beating Buxmont 7-1 to qualify for Adult NCC and meet up with Strikers in the championship game later that afternoon.

In an exciting and very competitive championship game, Strikers scored early on a penalty corner to take the 1-0 lead in the first quarter. Running on Empty answered back, quickly tying the score at 1-1. The score remained even as the match entered the fourth quarter, before the  Strikers found the back of the net to finish the game with a 2-1 win. In the final match of the tournament, Steel Styx put on an amazing performance through the heat to beat Buxmont, 2-0, and claim the third and final spot to qualify for the Adult NCC.

The weekend events also included three friendly men’s matches between Philly Premier and DC Dragons. Philly Premier will represent the Central Region at this summer’s Adult NCC, while DC Dragons will look to qualify in the Region C Adult RCC next month. Philly Premier and DC Dragons put on an amazing show of talent, with beautiful goals scored and exciting passing sequences. DC Dragons won all three games with scores of 5-1, 4-1, and 3-0.

For more information on the Adult NCC, visit the event page.