Mount field hockey takes to the turf

by Tom Utescher
Posted 9/30/20

Even with equipment sanitization, temperature checks, and other COVID-related measures, things seemed relatively normal as Mount St. Joseph Academy athletes returned to the field hockey turf last …

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Mount field hockey takes to the turf

Posted

Even with equipment sanitization, temperature checks, and other COVID-related measures, things seemed relatively normal as Mount St. Joseph Academy athletes returned to the field hockey turf last week.

The first three days served to divide the players into varsity and Junior varsity squads, then the sticksters moved forward in their preparations for a double round of games with fellow members of the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies.

Not officially affiliated with the Archdiocesan schools in the Philadelphia Catholic League, the AACA institutions had always planned to proceed with a modified fall sports season. The PCL suspended athletic activities back in August, but the league announced last Friday that it would proceed with a truncated fall season after all.

The Mount St. Joseph Magic are coming off of a 2019 season in which they posted an overall record of 14-9 after ending their campaign in the first round of the PIAA state tournament. Palmyra would finish as the state runner-up in Class AA.

The Mounties finished 8-4 within the AACA, where the championship was claimed by a Merion Mercy team coached by Wyndmoor native and Penn Charter graduate Margaretha Ehret.

While the Magic graduated three players from their 2019 squad, the 2020 team is being led by seven talented seniors. The tri-captains are Megan Maransky, Meghan McGinley, and Katie McCallum, who will go on to play for Duke University, the University of Pennsylvania, and Brown University, respectively.

McGinley's twin sister Erin has decided to go with Fairfield University, and classmate Kelly Moore has picked Catholic University. The other two 12th-graders, Sophia Ferraro and Maggie Woolley, have not yet finalized their college plans.

Seven juniors and one sophomore round out the experienced MSJ varsity roster. The sophomore is goalie Nora Haney, who will share the cage with 11th-grader Alyssa Brachelli. The other juniors are Katie Convey, Mackenzie Craig, Campbell Donovan, Devon Lasky, Lauren O'Malley, and Ashley Timby.

Sue Wentzel returns for her third season as MSJ head coach, with a familiar staff that includes Susan McGinley and 2014 MSJ grad Christina Black. The Magic will launch their season on Monday, October 12, with a home match against Villa Joseph Marie.