Mount hockey hopes high, with good reason

by TOM UTESCHER

Finishing third in District I and making it to the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class AAA state tournament, the 2003 Magic produced the best results of any team in Mount St. Joseph Academy field hockey history. Although the team graduated its starting goalie and six other players from last year (four who saw action regularly), the Mount was a very deep squad and returns a host of talented players for the 2004 campaign.

The Magic also feel they have some unfinished business on their docket. Ending up 16-7 overall in 2003, they lost in overtime, on penalty strokes, in their Catholic Academies championship match against Villa Maria. In the PIAA postseason, Wissahickon High School proved to be MSJ’s nemesis, ending the locals’ run in both the district and state tournaments. The Trojans will definitely be a force to be reckoned with again this year.

Mount St. Joe will be led by two highly-regarded senior co-captains who play primarily in the midfield. Sarah Reinprecht is a First Team All-American (only 16 players in the U.S. received this honor) and a member of the national Under-19 team, and Nina Ferrier, whose tenacity going after the ball makes a Pit Bull seem laid-back.

Defender Sydney Slater is the only other senior who’s a returning starter, but a number of current juniors saw extensive action last year, with the key players being forwards Casey Pollock and Jess Mulhern, and midfielders Jacky Beebie and Katie Burke. Forward Meg Maginnis was coming on strong at the end of the 2003 season, and other 11th graders in the mix are Ali Bono, Liz Roberts, and Kate Mooney, who is one of the candidates for goaltender. Middie Mollie Flynn, now a sophomore, also began to see playing time late last fall, and Carly Gardner, Megan Longacre, and Megan Sabia are other 10th graders in the varsity player pool.

Perusing the list of freshman newcomers who could contribute on varsity, one name immediately catches the eye. Stay tuned for “Reinprecht: The Next Generation,” as Sarah’s younger sister Katie tries to help her new team boldly go where no Mount sticksters have gone before. A forward out of Gwynedd Mercy Elementary School, Katie is a member of the U-16 national squad.
Other ninth graders who are getting a look are Carolyn Cabrey, Laura Iacovetti, Amanda Jones, Colleen McGowan and a pair of goalies, Kieran Sweeney and Caitlin O’Donnell.

Coach Lois Weber is entering her third season at the helm of the MSJ team, and her co-coach for a second year is Tina Reinprecht, operator of the Mystx hockey camps and mother of Sarah and Katie.