(Photos/ Mark Zimmaro, Lennie Malmgren & James Williamson).
BY MARK ZIMMARO
PHILADELPHIA--The road back won’t be easy for Little Flower, but the girls on the 2022 field hockey team are taking the bumps for future years of the program.
The Sentinels rejoined Philadelphia Catholic League (PCL) field hockey after the program briefly dissolved for two years, largely influenced by the pandemic.
When they last appeared in 2019, the Sentinels ended the season with a respectable 4-5 record. This year, after a two-year break, wins have been much harder to come by.
Junior Allyssa Seifert has learned to roll with the punches while laying down the groundwork for next year.
“It’s been a lot of losses but good sportsmanship and cheering each other on,” Seifert said. “I really love it so much.”
Seifert’s motor doesn’t quit. In a game against Archbishop Ryan last week, the junior captain was quick on the ball and generated several scoring chances. Despite the 4-0 loss, the Sentinels played well after a slow start.
“It’s going well actually,” Seifert said. “Their team did awesome, we did awesome. I’m really proud of our goalie. She didn’t let any balls in during the second half. I’m so happy right now.”
Allyssa’s father Bill Seifert is the new coach and he said he’s beginning to see some positives as a crop of inexperienced players get their feet wet against some pretty tough competition.
“I’ve seen some positives through the whole season now,” he said. “We haven’t had a field hockey team at Little Flower for two years now. So, we just got our program jump started here and 95 percent of the girls never played field hockey before. But we are seeing progress through the season. Every girl is learning the game, the fundamentals, everything.”
Little Flower Junior Allyssa Seifert can't hide her excitement in talking about how proud she is of her team. (Video/ Mark Zimmaro for PSD)
Little Flower head coach Bill Seifert instructs team in game vs. Ryan. (Photo/ Mark Zimmaro for PSD)
Look no further than across the field at Archbishop Ryan. The Ragdolls have some experience on the back line, and are working hard across the field. They accepted some lopsided losses to Archbishop Carroll and Conwell-Egan to start PCL play, but since then, they’ve captured two wins and played well in tighter losses to Bonner-Prendergast and Lansdale Catholic.
“Everybody has been working hard all season and through the preseason,” said senior captain Natalie Dodd. “We’ve come such a long way since we’ve started off.”
Dodd started playing during her sophomore year but got the hang of things pretty quickly. The Ragdolls are hoping many more of the newer players follow suit.
“They all came onto the field, and they really wanted to learn how to play,” Dodd said. “It was hard at first, but they are all really getting the hang of it, and it’s been good.”
One of the more veteran players is junior Elizabeth Haney, who is in her thrift year of the sport and recorded a hat trick against Little Flower. All four goals in the game were scored in the first quarter. For Haney, it was fortunate she didn’t forget a main piece of equipment.
“It’s my lucky headband,” she said, pointing to the flowery powered blue fabric. “I wear it every game and I feel like I score every time I wear it.”
Ryan senior captain Natalie Dodd lauds her team's efforts and hard work. (video/ Mark Zimmaro for PSD)
Ryan junior Elizabeth Haney talks about her hat trick in game vs. Little Flower. (video/ Mark Zimmaro for PSD)
A little extra motivation was playing against Seifert, as the two are good friends off the field.
“I feel like I’m kind of used to (playing against Seifert),” Haney said. “We train together, and I feel like I got really close to her playing field hockey.”
Around the League
Philadelphia Sports Digest correspondent Dan McCarty checked in on Lansdale Catholic last week and wrote about the resiliency that the Crusaders have shown navigating a tough PCL schedule. A few days later, the Crusaders were back on track with a 2-0 win over Archbishop Wood.
That victory can be filed in the “quality wins” column as the Crusaders put themselves in contention for securing a first-round home playoff game. Caroline Alegado and Katie Dome each scored in the game with Anna Cusumano setting up both goals.
“I think we have a good group of girls this year,” Alegado told Philadelphia Sports Digest.com last week. “A lot of seniors graduated this year, but we have a good group and a lot of new people coming up. Our team dynamic has really improved as we’ve gone on this season.”
Now 4-3 in the PCL, Lansdale Catholic will face Bonner-Prendergast on Oct. 14 and it could decide which team gets to host a playoff game — possibly even against the loser of that game.
Bonner & Prendie is only halfway through its PCL schedule at 2-2 but has both Cardinal O’Hara and Archbishop Carroll already checked off the schedule. The Pandas are in control of their own destiny starting with Monday’s tilt at Conwell-Egan.
Bonner-Prendergast vs. Archbishop Ryan 10/5. (Photos/ Lennie Malmgren for PSD)
Last but certainly not least in this week’s roundup is a quick look back at the biggest regular season game in the PCL. Round one went to Cardinal O’Hara by the slimmest of margins as the Lions defeated defending PCL champ Archbishop Carroll, 1-0 in overtime on a goal by Sofia Brown.
O'Hara Senior Sofia Brown Talks about making winning goal. (Video/ James Williamson for PSD)
Game winning goal by senior Sofia Brown. (video/ James Williamson for PSD)
Cardinal O'Hara vs. Archbishop Carroll game day photos by James Williamson for PSD
O'Hara Senior Goalie Mackenzie Hand talks about the importance in win vs. Carroll. (video/ Mark Zimmaro for PSD)
Brown single-handedly ended the Patriots’ 18-game winning streak against PCL teams and gave O’Hara its first victory over Carroll since October 28, 2019, when the Lions defeated the Patriots 3-2 in overtime in the PCL championship game.
Carroll Senior Courtland Schumacher talks about the physicality of the game. (Video/ James Williamson for PSD)
Scoreless in regulation forces overtime decision in O'Hara vs. Carroll. (video/ James Williamson for PSD)
The unquestioned top two teams in the PCL seem on a destined collision course for a PCL title, which is currently scheduled for October 27 at 6 p.m. at Neumann University. Get your popcorn ready.