NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA-- It was a great day for a field hockey game as the Episcopal Academy Churchwomen hosted William Penn Charter on Tuesday. The young Quaker team was no match for the Churchwomen as they dominated in both offensive and defensive skills on the field.
Episcopal Academy (13-2) regular (6-1) league, started off with possession of the ball. EA's senior Katie Crager scored within the first 7 minutes of the game off a pass from senior MaryKate Chambers. EA maintained control offensively and scored four more times before the half. Senior forward Molly Giles scored off a pass from junior Maddie Rehak. Junior forward Gianna Pantaleo scored back to back goals within four minutes of each strike, thanks to assists by sophomore Melanie Lim and Giles.
Episcopal Academy vs. William Penn Charter
“What attributed to our offensive play today was everyone really working and creating depth on the field. As I ran through, many people created passes and cut behind to create space especially for me to get through and get a shot on goal,” said Pantaleo.
Junior Genevieve Becker then scored off of a corner pass from senior Ally Marino, giving the Churchwomen a 5-0 lead before going into the second half.
“Today we were trying to emphasize moving with and without the ball and we did a better job of that through the midfield and the backfield which created a lot of scoring opportunities,” said EA head coach Gina Buggy.
EA sophomore Laura Null scored two more unassisted goals before the buzzer sounded sealing the 7-0 shutout.
EA senior Molly Giles scores off an assist by junior Maddie Rehak
EA junior Gianna Pantaleo talks about team effort in todays win.
EA senior Molly Giles discusses the dynamics of her team.
This game proved to be a positive challenge for Penn Charter. Head coach Steve Wagner, who played goalie on the USA men’s 1996 Olympic Field Hockey Team, is focused on putting the fun factor back into his team.
“When we go into a game like this, we are trying to play Penn Charter hockey the international way, pass the ball around, lead and try to create space and to make sure they are looking and seeing where they need to be instead of just hitting the ball and hoping someone will be there,” said Wagner.
"If they can put together two, three, four or five passes then that is a lot of success in a game like this.”
PC senior defender Catherine McInerney talks about the take-aways from this game.
So far, EA’s field hockey team is one of the top contenders on the Inter-Ac leaderboard facing only one loss to the Academy of Notre Dame. The Churchwomen will once again face the Irish at an away game this coming Tuesday at 3:30 p.m..
“Notre Dame is a strong team. It’s always a great battle and we will have to play with a lot more energy get rid of the ball much more quickly and be sure to re-defend after losing the ball all over the field,” said Buggy.
Get your popcorn ready!