Whippets clinch second straight unbeaten Ches-Mont title

WESTTOWN—Rustin battled tough and hung right with Downingtown West for most of Wednesday’s crossover field hockey game, but in the end, suffered the same fate as all of the rest of the Whippets’ Ches-Mont opponents this season—defeat.

With the 3-0 shutout win over the Golden Knights (9-6-1, 6-6) the Whippets (14-4, 11-0) finished its league slate with an unbeaten record for the second year in a row, and earned head coach Steph Bullock her first league title since taking over at the helm this season.

“This is a very tough league,” said Bullock. “I’m not sure we get enough credit as a league, so it is always nice to see so many of our teams moving on to the post season. It means a lot to win this league and I couldn’t be more proud of these girls.”

The Whippets got on the board first, notching a goal at the 21-minute mark when Tatum Johnson passed to JJ Smythe, and Smythe slammed it home for a 1-0 lead.

“We had a great season last year, so we set our goals high for this year,” said Smythe. “First thing we want to do is win the Ches-Mont, and it is great to reach that goal. I think we’ve had our ups and downs this season, but once we focus and get our whole team on the field together, I think we’re ready to make another run.”

Thanks to some aggressive and stingy defense from both teams, the scored stayed 1-0 deep into the second half. Rustin goalie Meg Hadfield, in particular put together yet another great game in the cage for the Knights. The Hoftstra recruit is credited with 14 saves on the afternoon.

“Meg is always so solid,” said Rustin coach Susie Macciocca. “She made a couple of saves in situations that could have been really deflating for us, and really kept us in the game.”

The Whippets tacked on another pair of goals late in the second half, first when the Johnson-Smythe connection struck again, but in reverse with Smythe assisting on Johnson’s goal, then moments later when Celina Riccardo scored unassisted.

“We knew Rustin was a very aggressive team and would play hard,” said Johnson. “We’re going to run into aggressive teams in districts, so it’s good to play these kinds of games. It’s a great feeling to know that we’ve won back to back league championships. Now I think we’re all ready to get going in Districts and to get back to states.”

The Golden Knights season is far from over. Not only will Rustin qualify for the District 1, Class AAA tournament, chances are pretty strong they’ll be a high enough seed that they will host a first round game.

“We’ve made some adjustments defensively that seem to be working for us,” said Macciocca. “And today we played with a very even demeanor, without so many big ups and downs. We’re working on stretching things out offensively, and we’re looking forward to playing in the post season.”

D West 1 2 –3
Rustin 0 0 –0

Goals: Smythe, Johnson, Riccardo

Goalie saves: Ngyuen (DW) 3; Hadfield (WCR) 14