Field Hockey: Archbishop Carroll Wins 5th Consecutive PCL Title

Maggie O'Neill and Lucy Sedgwick celebrate a goal in the PCL championship game at Neumann University. Photo by Mark Zimmaro

BY MARK ZIMMARO

(Photos and Video by Mark Zimmaro For PSD)

ASTON, PA - Pressure makes diamonds.

For Astrid Davis, scoring on a penalty stroke in the Philadelphia Catholic League field hockey championship game possibly became her crown jewel.

When the Archbishop Carroll senior walked to the line to attempt to break a scoreless tie with six minutes left in the second quarter against rival Cardinal O’Hara, Davis was more than happy to shoulder the pressure in a tense moment.

Archbishop Carroll's Astrid Davis reacts to scoring on a penalty stroke in the PCL championship game. Photo by Mark Zimmaro

“Crazy. It was such an incredible feeling to have that pressure, but it’s so fun to get the game started and get the first goal and get the team rallied up,” Davis said. It’s better than any feeling and it really got our team elite about it and ready to keep scoring and win the game.”

Davis made no mistake in burying the penalty stroke and providing what would become the game-winning goal in a 6-0 rout of O’Hara at Neumann University on Saturday. But the final score was a little deceiving considering the Lions came within inches of tying the game right before halftime.

O’Hara had a pair of penalty corners with the second quarter clock showing zeros. The Lions had a couple whacks at a loose ball in tight but junior Fiona Conboy made the saves.

“It was kind of chaotic because we didn’t know whether to step to the ball or not,” said Carroll senior defender Emma Grant, who received PCL co-MVP honors. “But then Fiona did her diving save, which was really good and once we got it out of the cage and the defensive circle, it was really nice.”

Carroll's Morgan Wood and O'Hara's Maddie Fagioli battle for a loose ball. Photo by Mark Zimmaro

A few feet or a fortunate bounce might have made the difference for an O’Hara team that fought extremely hard in the first half but still trailed by a goal heading into the break.

“I don’t think the score reflects how hard we played,” O’Hara coach Hailie Fosbenner said. “I know how bad they wanted it and I wanted it for them.”

O’Hara goalie Aubrey Rivet made several key saves in the first half, but the bubble finally burst in the third quarter as senior Lucy Sedgwick scored just 2:38 into the third quarter and sparked a three-goal scoring burst in the quarter.

“We just hyped each other up (at halftime),” Sedgwick said. “Like what are we doing? Lock in. We’re better than this. And we played as a team more than in that second quarter.”

Freshman Scarlett Golden tallied at the midway point of the third quarter and Mia Schultz tapped in the fourth goal of the game with 3:22 left in the quarter off a great feed from Morgan Wood.

“We were ready,” Sedgwick said. “It was a weight off our shoulders.”

Carroll vs. O'Hara 2025 PCL championship game

Archbishop Carroll defeated Cardinal O'Hara 6-0 to win its fifth straight field hockey PCL title. Photos by Mark Zimmaro

Golden scored again in the fourth quarter and Wood capped off the scoring with her fifth career PCL championship game goal. The Patriots, who went undefeated during their regular season PCL schedule this year, won their fifth straight title, which means it was the second straight senior class to go 4-for-4.

It feels really rewarding to keep everything going throughout all four years here,” said senior Maggie O’Neill. “It’s been really incredible.”

The Name on the Front

Archbishop Carroll seniors took a lot of pride in winning the PCL championship all four years. They were happy to do it for themselves. They were more happy to do it for their teammates and the Carroll community.

“It’s not just playing for yourself, it’s playing for everyone and playing for your school,” O’Neill said. “It’s all about the name on the front.”

Grant echoed those thoughts.

“We represent the name on the shirt,” Grant said. “I think that’s really important. We represent Carroll as a whole and our winning program is really cool.”

For Sedgwick, it means family.

“It’s really special,” Sedgwick said. “My mom played for it so it’s another legacy thing. Everyone is super close and it’s like a family.”

Carroll Senior Maggie O'Neill

Carroll Senior Emma Grant

Conboy secures back-to-back shutouts

Another impressive feat is Carroll goalie Fiona Conboy’s growing legacy. Conboy, a junior, has backstopped the Patriots to three straight titles with back-to-back shutouts and a total of one goal allowed in those three championship games. The last time a team won back-to-back PCL titles via shutout was Cardinal O’Hara in the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

Conboy is an extremely talented and instinctive goalie that probably doesn’t get enough credit because the team in front of her is so strong and limits the action on her side of the field. But if she wins again next year, it will be pretty tough to find a more accomplished goalie in the history of the Philadelphia Catholic League. It might already be.

Wood makes history

In the process of digging up old scores and stats, we can safely say that junior Morgan Wood is the only player to score a goal in the three straight PCL championship games in at least a decade.

Wood made history two years ago when she became the first player to record a hat trick in the PCL championship game. Last year, she scored the game-winner in a 2-0 win over Bonner & Prendie. This year she scored the team’s sixth and final goal on her final touch of the game. Wood’s teammate Lucy Sedgwick joined an exclusive club of players to score in back-to-back championship games as Sedgwick scored the other goal in the 2024 title game as well as one this year. Other players who have accomplished that feat over the last 10 years is Archbishop Carroll’s Katie Labella, who scored in the 2017 and 2018 championships.

Morgan Wood gets high fives after scoring in the PCL championship for the third straight year. Photo by Mark Zimmaro

Lion’s Share of Respect

The championship game loss marked the fourth straight time Cardinal O’Hara was on the wrong end of the scoreboard in the PCL title game. All four losses were to Archbishop Carroll.

But unlike in 2022 and 2023 when O’Hara entered the game as the No. 1 seed, the 2025 team knew it was fighting an uphill battle against an undefeated opponent.

The Lions scratched and clawed during the first half and only yielded one goal that came on a penalty stroke.

After staying within striking distance, the second half got away from them. But it was nothing to hand their heads about.

“I’m really proud of everyone individually and as a team today,” said Cardinal O’Hara senior Juliana DiPietro. “Our goalie made amazing saves and overall I think we did really well. I know the score was not what we wanted but we did really well.”

O’Hara’s only regular season loss was a 4-1 defeat to Carroll. The Class of 2026 pieced together a 28-3 regular season record over the last four years and three trips to the championship game.

“I’m so proud of them that words can’t even describe,” Fosbenner said. “I think we’ll be back next year and we’ll give them hell again.”

O'Hara senior Juliana DiPietro

O'Hara sophomore Victoria Pagliotti gets ready to play during player introductions at the PCL championship game. Photo by Mark Zimmaro

Mother and Child Reunion

Two years ago, Archbishop Carroll coach Deanna Golden was able to win a PCL championship with her daughter Sienna Golden, who was the PCL MVP that year before heading off to Ohio State University. This year, Coach Golden was able to win one with her younger daughter Scarlett, who scored a pair of goals in the championship game.

Only a freshman, the youngest Golden is quickly showing she is up to the task with outstanding stick skills and a nose for the net. There’s a ways to go, but it’ll be fun to watch Scarlett attempt to hunt down her sister’s scoring record over the next three years at Carroll.

What Number Do you Wear and why?

This is a repeat from two years ago, when this crazy project started, but we asked our field hockey athletes what number they wear and why.

It’s funny, but I ask this question a lot during interviews. Whether it's for Philly Sports Digest, or the South Philly Review or the Catholic Star Herald, it has yielded great results in the form of feature stories.

Sometimes the most simple questions produce the most interesting answers.

As we wrap this up for the season, I'd like to thank all the great sports that answered these questions. It helps showcase the great personalities of the players that we see playing their hearts out on the field each game.

Ask Me Anything

All Catholic Team Announced

The First, Second and Third Team All-Catholics were announced at the championship game. But if you weren't there, we got ya covered. Congrats to all the great athletes reeling in these honors.