Villa Maria blanks Germantown Academy in field hockey opener

MALVERN—Despite a plethora of new faces in the line-up, the Villa Maria Hurricanes (1-0) field hockey team is already playing as a cohesive unit, converting on penalty corners for three of their four goals in a 4-0 shutout win over visiting Germantown Academy Friday morning at Maurene Polley Field.

“Converting corners the way we did this early in the season is definitely nice to see,” said Villa coach Katie Evans. “There’s always work you can do on corners, but it was nice to see the girls do what they did today.”

A little over three minutes in, the Hurricanes forced a corner, the first of the game for either team. Maia Dechiario put the ball in play on the insert, sending it in to Caroline O’Brien at the top of the circle. O’Brien collected the insert, moved back inside the circle, and unleashed a bullet into the back of the cage for a 1-0 Villa lead.

“It is always important to get out to an early lead,” said O’Brien. “It helps you build momentum.”

With the Patriots’ backs playing as tough as they were, Villa’s ability to force and convert corners took on added importance.

“It was really important for us to stay strong in the midfield,” said O’Brien, a sophomore who came to Villa from Conestoga. “If their backs were getting the ball, we need to get immediate pressure and find space to attack the goal.”

The Hurricanes bumped the lead to 2-0 midway through the first half. Annie Shaw grabbed a ball in a crowd, drawing out Patriot goalie Olivia McMichael, then passed over to Maura O’Hare. O’Hare worked her way around a diving McMichael, and tapped in the easy score behind her.

Though the Patriot defense stiffened even more in the second half, Villa tacked on another couple goals late, with freshman Gia Whalen converting a pair of corners inside the seven-minute mark. O’Brien gets credit for an assist on the first, while O’Hare assisted on the second.

Villa’s early schedule is brutal, with league rivals Gwynedd Mercy and Mt St Joes coming early, as well as non-league tilts with perennial powerhouses Notre Dame, Oak Noll (NJ) and Hershey all coming in the first three weeks.

“We made a conscious effort to get a tougher schedule this year, which only helps prepare you for the big games late in the year,” said Evans. “With the transfers and new players we have this season, it is great to see they have the talent to learn to play with each other this early. Our transfers—Caroline (O’Brien), Lyndsey (Roberts) and Maia Dechiario—all played really well today, and our freshmen like Gia (Whalen) stepped up as well.”

Germantown Academy 0 0 –0
Villa Maria Academy 2 2 –4

Goals: Whalen (2), O’Brien, O’Hare

Goalie Saves: McMichael (GA) 4, Stringer (VMA) 4