All-Delco Field Hockey: O’Hara’s Ahearn provided formidable last line of defense

In addition to Player of the Year Quinn Maguire, the rest of the All-Delco field hockey team includes:

Jen Ahearn, Cardinal O’Hara: O’Hara’s offense received most of the headlines, but its defense was pretty good, too, and Ahearn was the last line in that unit. The senior goalie led a defense that posted 13 shutouts and had the best save percentage (94.0) of any goalkeeper in the area, according to philafieldhockey.com. Ahearn came up huge in the Catholic League championship game with 13 saves to help the Lions avenge their only loss in the regular season with a 1-0 victory over Archbishop Carroll. That was O’Hara’s second straight PCL title and third in four years. She went on to post another shutout as the Lions rolled over Northeast High School, 7-0, for their fifth-straight District 12 Class 3A title.

Riley Dolan, Bonner & Prendergast: The senior midfielder was the driving force behind the Panda’s run to the District 12 Class 2A title and a berth in the quarterfinal round of the PIAA Tournament. She was directly involved in 58 percent of the team’s offense with 20 goals and an area-leading 35 assists. It was her second straight year with 35 assists and she finished with over 100 helpers in her career, the first player in school history to do so. Dolan was the MVP of the Catholic League, a second-team Class 2A All-State selection and a three-time All-Delco. She will play at Delaware, which won the NCAA championship last season a few weeks ago.

Makayla Gallen, Cardinal O’Hara: The Virginia-bound senior earned All-Delco honors for the third straight year after leading the Lions to their second straight Catholic League title and third league championship in four seasons. She did everything for the Lions (20-2), but setting up the likes of Hanna Nihill and Sara Hayes was one of her many strengths. Gallen finished the season with 19 assists, which was tied for seventh best in the Philadelphia area. She had one goal and two assists as O’Hara downed Northeast High School, 7-0, for its fifth straight District 12 Class 3A title. She is a member of the Team USA U17 national squad.

READ: The full list of the All-Delco honorees

Hannah Nihill, Cardinal O’Hara: Scoring was Nihill’s thing, whether on the hockey field or the basketball court. The senior forward, who will attend Drexel on a basketball scholarship, poured in 42 goals in 2016 after finding the back of the cage 33 times as a senior. Nihill had the only goal as O’Hara avenged a 3-0 loss to Archbishop Carroll, its only setback in the regular season, with a 1-0 victory over the Patriots in the Catholic League championship game.

Colleen Kearney, Notre Dame: The senior sweeper led a defense that posted six shutouts and allowed just one goal in seven other games. Kearney came up with several defensive saves to help lead the Irish to the Inter-Ac League and PAISAA titles. She was a three-year starter and two-time first-team all-league selection. She also took over stroke responsibilities and was 3-for-3 in that category.

Mary Kate Neff, Notre Dame: Like Maguire, Neff was a four-year starter and part of a potent 1-2 punch that guided the Irish to their second Inter-Ac League title and PAISAA championship in the last four years. The two-time All-Delco midfielder scored 20 goals and handed out 19 assists as the Irish won 18 of their last 19 games. Neff finished her career with 68 goals and 42 assists and joined Tornetta and Zanolli on the NFHCA’s All-Region team and is a teammate of Gallen’s on the Team USA U17 national team. Neff will attend Princeton University.

Sam Swart, Archbishop Carroll: Swart’s speed and skill level enabled her to control the game from her midfield position. The Syracuse-bound senior was a key player on the attack with 28 goals and also critical to Carroll’s defense which helped the Patriots finish in a three-way tie for first place in the Catholic League with O’Hara and Bonner & Prendergast. Swart played a key role as the Patriots beat O’Hara, 3-0, to hand the Lions their only loss in the regular-season. She is a two-time All-Delco who will play both field hockey and lacrosse at Syracuse.

Julianna Tornetta, Agnes Irwin: Tornetta was slowed by injuries in her senior season, but that did not prevent the Princeton-bound midfielder from earning All-Delco honors for a fourth straight year or having another highly productive offensive season. She scored 24 goals and handed out eight assists. Tornetta became the leading goal scorer in school history with four goals in a season opening victory over Bishop Shanahan and finish her career with 133 goals. She teamed with her sister, Sophia, to lead Team USA to a second place finish at the Junior Pan-Am games over the summer and is a member of U21 national team.

Liz Tosto, Cardinal O’Hara: The senior was the backbone of an O’Hara defense that allowed one goal or less in 13 of 19 games and had the second-best goals against average in the Philadelphia area (0.63). She had 17 defensive saves in 22 games to help the Lions to their third Catholic League title in four years and their fifth straight PIAA District 12 Class 3A crown. She will attend Sacred Heart University.

Lea VanLuvender, Haverford: The senior led a defense that recorded four shutouts and allowed just one goal in five other games. VanLuvender was a first-team All-Central League selection who helped the Fords finish 12-8 overall and 10-1 in the Central League. The only loss was a 3-1 setback to perennial league champ Conestoga. Haverford reached the second round of the PIAA District 1 Class 3A playoffs where it fell to eventual runner-up C.B. West in the second round. VanLuvender will attend Longwood University.

Corinne Zanolli, Episcopal Academy: A natural forward, Zanolli was asked to play in the midfield out of necessity by EA coach Gina Buggy. All she did was produce 29 goals and 16 assists for 74 points. She also chipped in with five defensive saves to help the Churchwomen reach the PAISAA final for the fourth year in a row. Zanolli set the school record for assists in a season as a sophomore (22) and the school mark for goals in a season as a junior (32) and finished her career with 85 goals and 54 assists. The Stanford-bound senior earned All-Region honors from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association and is a member of Team USA’s U19 national team.