Chestnut Hill Local

by BRYAN ARMEN GRAHAM

Chestnut Hill Academy's bend-don't-break defense withstood a last-minute Springfield threat to edge the host Spartans, 6-2, in an Independence Football League tilt Friday night.

Despite never leading, the Spartans had an opportunity to win the game with 32 seconds remaining. But Chestnut Hill's Jon Salem broke up Mike Malizia's fourth-down pass play to Jon Wallace on the two-yard line, and the Blue Devils escaped Spartan Stadium with their fourth consecutive victory.

With the win, the Blue Devils (4-1, 2-0 IFL) are in the early driver's seat for a their third league championship in four years.

Staunch defensive play helped CHA overcome some dooming statistical discrepancies. Springfield had 16 first downs to Chestnut Hill's four, and gained 295 total yards to CHA's 99.

But the Blue Devils were able to stop the Spartans when it counted.

"Our defense has played great all year," said CHA head coach Jack Plunkett. "This is basically...

Springside racquetwomen break Inter-Ac drought

by TOM UTESCHER

Up until October 7 2004, the date of Springside School’s last Girls Inter-Ac League tennis victory was obscured by the mists of time. Grizzled veterans furrowed their brows trying to recall the occasion, a task made more difficult by the fact that the team has had five different coaches just since 1999.

It’s believed that the last time the Lions chiseled a “W” next to a league contest on their schedule was in 1997, when the locals knocked off Notre Dame and Shipley to finish at 2-5 in the Inter-Ac. Suffice it to say that the Springsiders of today were overjoyed when they came from behind last Thursday to defeat visiting Germantown Academy, 4-3.

The Lions (4-5 overall, 1-2 league), were actually on the verge of elimination fairly early in the encounter, as the first three matches to be completed all went into the Patriots’ column.

Germantown number one Elaine Mirabile topped Hadley Steel, 6-0, 6-2, and at third singles the visitors’ Lee Graf won 6-2, 6-3 over her Springside counterpart, Karen Rothschild. Ali Dollaway and Meera Shah, paired at third doubles for the Patriots, defeated Nell Sorenson and Karen Kesselring of the host team, 6-4, 6-2.

After that, however, Springside number three Emily Bilger delivered a 6-4, 6-4 victory...

Mount hockey goes by Gwynedd, 4-1

by TOM UTESCHER

Mount St. Joseph Academy’s sticksters over came a rocky start and a one-goal deficit to down visiting Gwynedd Mercy Academy last Wednesday, 4-1.

Sarah Reinprecht scored twice and Jacky Beebie deposited what would prove to be the gamewinning goal for the Magic, who improved their stock in the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies to 7-1 while climbing to 11-1 overall. The Monarchs, who dipped to 3-6, 6-7, were playing without two regular starters, including U.S. Under-19 team member Alex Malatesta.

Despite their personnel problems, the visitors kept pace with the locals throughout the first half, noticeably outhustling the Magic on a number of occasions. Around five minutes in, Gwynedd goalie Lauren Curci (eight saves total) stopped Mount shots by Reinprecht and Laura Iaccovetti, and the Monarchs were first on the scoreboard with 9:04 elapsed. From out on the left side of the circle, Cristy Almendrales fed the ball in to Christina Mastropaolo, who scored from a feet feet in front of the near post.

Gwynedd held the lead for more than a dozen minutes and the Magic called time-out with 7:38 to go in the half. The peptalk produced results about 90 seconds later, when Reinprecht penetrated towards the goal in...

Lions sticksters split in Inter-Ac action

by TOM UTESCHER

In last Thursday’s Girls Inter-Ac field hockey match in Chestnut Hill, the host Springside Lions (7-1-2, 1-1-1 league) and the visiting Germantown Academy Patriots (5-3-2, 0-1-1) battled to a 3-3 tie, and the teams had reasons to feel differently about the deadlock.

Two days before, Springside had suffered its first loss of the season, 2-0, at Penn Charter, and 20 minutes into the action on Thursday the Lions found themselves trailing GA by a 2-0 count. Over the course of the game, Springside would gain confidence by rallying back from that multi-goal deficit.

For the Pats, it was the second straight league outing in which they’d led during the second half, but had been unable to come away with a victory. Junior Caitlin McGovern’s goal had put Germantown ahead in Tuesday’s tilt against Notre Dame, but the visiting Irish scored twice late in the game to win 2-1.

On that same afternoon, Springside took a jaunt down to Penn Charter to tackle the defending Girls Inter-Ac co-champions. The only goal the Quakers would need for the victory came ten minutes and ten seconds into the match, in a melee following a PC corner. Springside goalie Sara Heinze (ten saves) blocked a shot by Margaretha...

GA booters get by Gwynedd, 4-3

by TOM UTESCHER

With 13 minutes remaining in a non-league soccer square-off at Gwynedd Mercy Academy on October 4, freshman Caroline Doty headed in junior Mary O’Brien’s corner kick to give visiting Germantown Academy a 4-3 victory over the Monarchs.

The lead changed hands several times during the contest, as Patriots senior Kris Guynn and Gwynedd junior Suzy Jaggers each chalked up two goals for their respective squads.

Germantown, which improved to 3-2-1 overall, would begin the defense of its Girls Inter-Ac League title the following day. Gwynedd, with a 9-4 mark against all opponents, was already in the thick of its Catholic Academies schedule, situated in second place with a 6-2 record.

The Monarchs, whose roster includes sophomore Britta McDonnell out of Norwood Fontbonne Academy, broke the ice in the GA game with just under 14 minutes elapsed. Junior Meg Bostwick served the ball into the box, where senior Courtney Hogan popped it up into the air and over the head of Germantown’s junior netminder, Taylor Test (six saves). Although GA’s sweeper, senior Danielle David, showed good anticipation in breaking up a number...

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