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FIELD HOCKEY: Cardinal O' Hara Playing for a Special Purpose and PCL Playoff Contention Starts to Take Shape

By Mark Zimmaro, 10/04/22, 8:30PM EDT

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By Mark Zimmaro

The Cardinal O’Hara High School field hockey team is 100-percent focused on competing for a Philadelphia Catholic League title this fall. But they are still finding some time to play for a cause that is near and dear to them.

On Sept. 27, the Lions wore green ribbons in their hair in a game against Springfield as a sign of solidarity to Haverford High School student Lily Walker, who is battling an inoperable brain tumor.

Cardinal O’Hara field hockey is in her corner.


Cardinal O'Hara Field Hockey Team wear green ribbons in show of support for friend and athlete Lily Walker

“We’re always cheering her on and we’re always there for her, and we want to win as bad as her,” O'Hara junior Caroline McManus said. “Every single run during preseason is for her. She used to be a cross country runner and unfortunately that was taken away from her when she was diagnosed but we do it for her. Everything we do is for Lily.”

Walker was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer in 2019 when she was 14 years old. She has received support from multiple areas and started a movement called “A Lily for the World” which is a joint effort to gather as many warriors to help Lily fight her battle.

“A lot of people in Havertown have green light bulbs on their porch lights to support her,” said O’Hara head coach Lea VanLuvender. “She’s recovering and fighting her battle and we are all in support of her and we hope that she keeps fighting.”

The Lions were ready to fight for Lily on the field as they defeated Springfield, 10-1, while honoring Walker.

O'Hara junior Caroline McManus talks about her team's support and playing for a special friend. (video/Mark Zimmaro for PSD)

“As soon as I walked over with the ribbons everyone was so excited,” said McManus, whose family is close friends with the Walkers. “I hope Lily feels it. We’re all excited for her and we want the miracle as bad as she does. We are here with her through it all.”

The Lions will have Walker on their minds as they inch closer to a meeting with Archbishop Carroll on Oct. 7. Both teams are undefeated and neither has allowed a goal in PCL play. The Patriots (5-0) have outscored their opponents, 63-0, while O’Hara (4-0) has outscored its opponents 41-0. It’s safe to say these are the unquestioned top two teams in the conference and this will likely be just one of two meetings as they will almost certainly meet again in the PCL playoffs.

“We’re looking forward to it a lot because I feel like we are two very even teams who are both having a great season,” O’Hara junior Samantha Connolly said. “I feel like it’s going to be a great matchup.”

Cardinal O'Hara junior Sam Connolly talks about her excitement and team strengths in anticipation of the playoffs. (video/Mark Zimmaro for PSD)

Last year, Carroll defeated O’Hara by a 2-1 score in both the regular season matchup as well as the PCL Championship, which was a double overtime game. Carroll has won the last four meetings, with O’Hara’s last victory coming in the PCL championship game in 2019, which was also in overtime. Carroll and O’Hara have met in the PCL championship game the last four years.

“I get butterflies every time I think about it,” McManus said of the upcoming meeting with Carroll. “It’s so exciting. It’s a big game but (the regular season game) doesn’t really matter. The only thing that matters is the PCL championship game. Win or lose, we’ll get back at it and hopefully see them at Neumann (University).”

If you’ve watched O’Hara you’ve been impressed by a pair of outstanding senior midfielders in Maeve Boston and Sofia Brown.

“They both connect really well together,” Connolly said. “They’ll send it in the circle to us forwards and we’ll score. They get so many assists. They might not always score but most of our goals are from their assists.”

The talent pipeline doesn’t stop there as freshman Megan Rullo has made a great impression in the early going.

“Somebody that really shocked me this year is Megan Rullo,” VanLuvender said. “She’s been playing a lot of minutes and getting a lot of goals. She’s one of the forwards that can really finish.”

Around the League

It was a slow week as only three PCL games were contested, and Carroll and O’Hara were two of them.

Elsewhere, Lansdale Catholic rallied back after a lopsided defeat to Carroll last week and rebounded with a 11-0 triumph over Little Flower on Sept. 28 to get back into the mix. The Crusaders also won an overtime thriller two days later in a 3-2 win over Country Day School of the Sacred Heart. Anna Cusumano scored twice, and Kate Fredrickson added a goal in the win.

Lansdale Catholic figures to be in the mix for the 3rd-through-6th seed of the PCL playoffs as they jostle positions with Archbishop Wood, Bonner-Prendergast, and Conwell-Egan. Wood and Lansdale Catholic meet on Oct. 7 which could have big standings implications. Bonner-Prendie and Conwell-Egan meet on Oct. 10, which will also determine the rankings.