WYNCOTE, PA – Bishop McDevitt senior Suzanna Cantwell walked onto the field in an out of league match-up with Lower Moreland with one number on her mind:
Four.
With four goals in the game, Cantwell would be the first in Bishop McDevitt Girl’s Lacrosse history to record 200 career goals.
As time winded down in the first half, Cantwell stormed down the field and turned to the center and shot in number 200.
Bishop McDevitt's Suzanna Cantwell scores her 200th Goal:
The team rushed the field and celebrated with Cantwell as photographers came out to capture the moment. This was an occasion that coach Meg MacClain was honored to have experienced.
“I know I played here and I know my assistant coached me for two years and just stepped down last year and no one has even been close to 100, let alone 200,” MacClain said. “For McDevitt or any girl in this sport.”
Cantwell started the game off firing away, but received no luck as one shot bounced off the post.
But, she got her groove soon after and is thrilled to be etched in stone in the history books for eternity.
“It feels really good,” Cantwell, the Hartford commit said. “It’s a tough thing to do and I really have to thank a lot from my teammates for helping me do it. And just coming from a team where we have a lot of inexperienced girls that are playing a lot of hard teams, it’s really great seeing some different accomplishments you can have.”
And to do this in front of her home crowd and home field was something special to Cantwell.
“I’m really glad I got it here, the amount of games I had here is crazy,” Cantwell said. “It’s just really great, my nieces are here and everything. Just the home atmosphere just makes it more comforting.”
This is not something Cantwell pictured herself doing when she walked into the school as a freshman.
But once she got comfortable, things just clicked.
“My freshman year I started all the time on varsity, but I was still nervous just being a freshman,” Cantwell said. “By the time sophomore year came around, I scored my 100th at the end of the season. Then I was out 5 games last year, so I was getting a little nervous.”
Suzanna Cantwell humbly attributes her personal milestone to her teammates:
Not only has Cantwell seen her game progress over the years, but so has coach MacClain.
MacClain has seen Cantwell transform into a do it all player, on and off the field.
“She has grown tremendously,” MacClain said. “Very valuable player whether it’s playing, scoring, offense, defense. On offense she’s not always just scoring, she’s there looking to pass. Since freshman year, I think she has stepped up and realized that she can’t always just take it and that you have to be as a team.”
Suzanna celebrates scoring her 200th goal with her family after the game - PSD Photo by Chris Stewart
Having a player of Cantwell’s caliber is a potential program changer says coach MacClain. With Cantwell experiencing a lot of success in the sport, it brings more attention than usual to the girl’s lacrosse program. MacClain hopes this brings more girls out to play and give lacrosse a shot.
“I’m hoping people will see how popular this is becoming and just keep on building, especially our program here,” MacClain said.
With just a few games left in the season, MacClain and junior teammate Erin Coffey reflected on the times shared with Cantwell and how much she will be missed. They both agreed that Cantwell’s leadership qualities will be the toughest to replace.
“She’s a very strong leader,” Coffey said. “She’s not afraid to say what’s on her mind, she’ll tell you what you’re doing wrong in a helpful and good way.”
“Definitely just her attitude on the field, helping everyone and encouraging anyone on the field to better themselves as well,” MacClain said.
Cantwell currently stands at 203 goals after the nail-biting 11-10 loss to Lower Moreland.
She hopes the Lancers can reach the playoffs for the first time in her high school career before she says goodbye and starts new beginnings at the University of Hartford.
Although her remaining time is limited, her name will live on forever at the school due to her success as a person and as a player.
And with the track record for the school's program, Cantwell encourages all to give lacrosse a shot.
“It’s really tough at a school like here getting girls to come out," Cantwell said. "Just to see girls that want to try, even though they have never stepped on a field before and how much they grow in a couple games is really great.”
Looking Ahead: Bishop McDevitt has two more games left in the regular season, before a possible playoff stint. The Lancers will host Archbishop Ryan on May 4 at 3:45 PM in their last home game and will end the season on the road vs. Little Flower on Tuesday, May 8 at 3:45 PM.