All-Delco Field Hockey: Notre Dame’s Maguire maintained level of excellence
RADNOR >> There was something about Quinn Maguire that caught Adele Williams’ eye the first time she saw Maguire as a seventh-grader at St. Mary Magdalen School in Upper Providence.
It was during Notre Dame’s annual Shamrock Tournament, an event Williams runs every fall for area elementary and middle school players. The more Williams saw of Maguire that day the more she liked.
“She played exactly the same way in games that she did in practice,” Williams said. “There was no difference. You don’t see that very often.”
Maguire still has that quality, Williams said. Some things never change.
“I believe that what you put into practice is what you’re going to get out in the games,” Maguire said. “If you slack off in practice you can’t just turn on a switch and play well in the game. You have to constantly develop yourself as a player. That’s something that has always been in me.”
That strong worth ethic paid dividends as Maguire earned a starting spot for the Irish as a freshman and has carried her well during her career at Notre Dame. She went on to score 109 goals and hand out 69 assists in her career to lead the Irish to a pair of Inter-Ac League and PAISAA championships.
Along the way, Maguire was named All-Delco three times and capped her career by being named as the 2016 Player of the Year in field hockey by the Daily Times.
Joining Maguire on the first team, which was selected by the Daily Times sports staff after consultation with county coaches, are Notre Dame teammates Mary Kate Neff and Colleen Kearney; Makayla Gallen, Hannah Nihill, Liz Tosto and Jen Ahearn from Cardinal O’Hara; Riley Dolan of Monsignor Bonner & Archbishop Prendergast; Julianna Tornetta of Agnes Irwin; Corinne Zanolli from Episcopal Academy; Archbishop Carroll’s Sam Swart; and Lea VanLuvender from Haverford High School.
Maguire, Neff, Gallen, Dolan, Tornetta, Zanolli and Swart are repeat selections. Tornetta is a four-time, first-team All-Delco selection. Maguire, Gallen, Dolan and Zanolli are three-time picks. Neff and Swart are two-time choices.
READ: The All-Delco first-team capsules
Maguire is the sixth Player of the Year from Notre Dame. She follows in the footsteps of Moira Putsch (2012, 2013), Emily Fuss (2011), Katie Gerzabek (2009, 2010), Meghan McCullough (2008) and Shannon McKenna (2004).
The choice of Player of the Year was not an easy one. Dolan, Gallen, Tornetta and Zanolli were all worthy candidates. All made their teams and teammates better, and all will play at high-level field hockey programs in college.
Maguire’s body of work, especially as the Irish reeled off 17 wins in their last 18 games, gave her the edge. Maguire ranked eighth in the area in goals per game (1.68), and second in assists (1.23) and points per game (4.59) by philafieldhockey.com. She finished her season with 37 goals and 27 assists, and capped her career with 109 goals and 69 assists.
Maguire was at her best in the biggest games. Maguire scored the winning goal as Notre Dame edged Episcopal Academy in overtime, 3-2, to claim the PAISAA championship for the second time in four years. She tallied four goals, including No. 100 of her career, as the Irish knocked off Penn Charter to complete an undefeated run through the Inter-Ac League.
And it was her will to win that helped the Irish overcome a 1-2 start to finish 18-2-1. The only blemish in the final 18 games was a 2-2 tie with Merion Mercy, which went on to finish second in the PIAA Class 2A tournament. Notre Dame closed out the season with 11 straight wins.
“Quinn hates to lose more than she loves to win,” Williams said.
“To me, a win is when everyone works hard and gives it their all,” Maguire said. “If you don’t win, but gave it everything you had, then there was nothing else you could do in that game. But I also feel like if we do give it our all, how can you lose?”
READ: The full list of field hockey All-Delco honorees
Notre Dame did not lose much during Maguire’s career. The Irish went 67-15-2 during her career. She hopes to parlay that success in college at Saint Joseph’s. Maguire was recruited by reigning national champion Delaware, Boston College and Penn State, among others, but chose the Hawks because she feels it is an up-and-coming program and she wanted to stay close to home.
Maguire comes from a large family. She is the oldest of five children. She has two younger brothers who are a sophomore and freshman at Malvern Prep, and twin sisters in the sixth grade at St. Mary Magdalen. Her dad, Keith, played football at St. James. Her mom, Janine (Naselli) was a three-sport athlete at Ridley (basketball, track and volleyball).
“I’m a homebody,” Maguire said. “I want them to be able to see me play.”
It was more than that, though.
“At the end of the day I wanted to pick a school that would suit me even if field hockey wasn’t in the picture at some point,” Maguire said. “And I can see myself at Saint Joe’s playing field hockey and also being a student.”
That’s just like her, thinking ahead, looking at the big picture. That was one of the many qualities Williams saw in Maguire six years ago.
“What you see is what you get,” Williams said.
