The field hockey team at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy got in one game before Labor Day weekend, travelling to the Academy of the New Church last Thursday afternoon and defeating the 2023 Friends Schools League champions, 5-0.

In their own 2023 campaign, the SCH Blue Devils finished with an overall record of 9-8-1 and came in fourth in the Inter-Ac League at 4-5-1. The Devils ended their season with a loss in the quarterfinal round of the Pa. Independent Schools tournament.

SCH graduated seven players from that squad, including twins Kerry and Riley O'Donnell, now both playing at Penn State. This year's set of senior twins, Colleen (a goalie) and Devyn (a field player) Conlan, committed to the University of Massachusetts late last summer.

SCH won't be left twinless when the Conlans move on; freshmen Grace and Sarah Konow are new students at the school this year and their mother, Jen, will help coach.

In her sixth year as head coach is Emilee Ehret Mahon, and assistant Natalia Purchiaroni has come back for her second season with the Blue Devils.

In last Thursday's opener at ANC both sets of twins started for the visitors, along with the Conlans' senior classmates Taylor Foley, Veronica Goettner, and Kira Vakil. Goettner will continue her career at Quinnipiac University, and Foley recently committed to Gettysburg College.

Joining them in the starting line-up were junior Nadia Gross (who has been involved in the U.S. junior national team program) and sophomores Linnea Klas, Molly McGinn, and Amelia Clements. Klas and McGinn are returning members of the SCH varsity, while Clements has just transferred in from Perkiomen Valley High School.

Among the first players off the bench for the Devils was senior Haley Hamsher, a primary lacrosse player who has returned to field hockey after a hiatus. She'll play lacrosse for Florida's Flagler College.

Also among the first subs sent into the game were junior Neeve Doherty, sophomore Talia Stowe, and freshmen Penny Boyle and Devon Donato. In addition, the varsity roster includes junior Izzie Ford, sophomores Cece Pressman, Kaitlynn Scollin, and Reagan Snyderman, and freshmen Katherine Busenbark, Ansley Caliendo, Evelyn Cantlin, Ella McShane, and Veronica Vinovich.

Although the Blue Devils attacked early in last Thursday's match, it took a while for them to get on the board against the ANC Lions. The first goal, the eventual game-winner, came from Devyn Conlan, who scored directly off of a penalty corner insertion from Gross.

A transition sequence involving Clements and Grace Konow led to SCH's second goal, deposited by Goettner. On a more drawn-out corner play, Gross inserted and Conlan and Goettner got touches on the ball before Clements shot it in. A second goal by Goettner came off of a pass from McGinn, and the 5-0 final score was locked in by Boyle, who converted off of a pass from Clements.

ANC performed fairly well in the midfield but had trouble getting things to click inside the circle. The Devils' Colleen Conlan faced a few challenges in goal but kept a clean sheet, logging four saves to earn the shutout.