PSU commit and Oley Valley captain Morgan Snyder
Oley Valley has been one of the elite field hockey programs in Pennsylvania for many years. The Lynx have captured two state titles, ten District 3 championships, and 18 Berks County titles. On Thursday, they reached another milestone with a 6-0 victory at Gov. Mifflin. Oley Valley extended its unbeaten streak in regular season league games to 100. The incredible run of success dates back to 2011. The Lynx improved to (11-0) this season after shutting out the Mustangs in Shillington. "We take a lot of pride in our defense. Usually if someone scores on us or there's a fast break, we take it very personally," said senior captain Morgan Snyder. Oley Valley has outscored its opponents 60-8 this year. Snyder, who has nine goals and seven assists, is one of eight seniors on the squad. "We're really really close. The majority of us have been playing together since kindergarten up to third grade. We have such good chemistry on and off the field," she told Paul Roberts of SV Sports. Delaware commit Taylor Vaccaro and junior Izzy Buehler are tied for the team lead with a dozen goals. Buehler scored twice against Gov. Mifflin. Ithaca commit Mia Woodard added one goal and an assist. Snyder gave the Lynx a 3-0 advantage early in the second quarter. She will continue her career at Penn State. "There's really nothing to not like. The coaching staff is so great and all the girls that are playing there are so amazing," replied Snyder. One of those girls is former Oley Valley star Sophia Gladieux. After piling up a staggering 206 goals in high school, Gladieux has gone on to become a two-time first team All-American for the Nittany Lions. She was named the Big Ten Player of the Year in 2022 and Penn State's Female Athlete of the Year. Snyder has followed Gladieux's career very closely. "She's just phenomenal," emphasized Snyder. The Lynx were the Berks County and District 3-A runner-up a season ago. They lost in the state semifinals 3-2 to Wyoming Area. "There's a lot of motivation. I think we're all kind of tired of coming up just short," acknowledged Snyder.