HAVERFORD — Erin Coyle has a personal milestone she would like to reach before her high school field hockey career ends.
Coyle, a senior co-captain for Haverford, would love to tie or set a career high in goals scored.
“My sophomore year I got 20 goals, so this is my last year and I want to at least tie 20 goals again,” Coyle said Tuesday. “After today we have five games left (in the regular season) to get nine goals, which is very much doable.”
Coyle pleaded with head coach Christa Taylor to keep her in the game until she got one in Tuesday’s Central League match with Marple Newtown. The Fords held a three-goal advantage at the break, but were in control the entire way. Coyle got her wish and was able to capitalize, scoring the Fords’ final goal in the third period. Haverford held on for a 4-1 win, its seventh in a row.
“I said please keep me in because I knew I could score on this team,” Coyle said. “I knew I would have the opportunities if (Taylor) gave me the chance. No, I didn’t need to score, but as the top forward it’s definitely helpful because you see all the hard work pay off. You see all the passes from the midfield and they see the hard work pay off, too, when there is a goal. It’s so nice because the whole team is proud of each other and that’s actually better than the goal itself. Everyone touched the ball and we succeeded, and that’s what makes me happy.”
The Fords (10-4) have lofty expectations for the remainder of the season, and Coyle’s impressive performance continues to be a driving force behind the team’s success. Next year she will play field hockey at Stevenson Institute of Technology in New Jersey, where she will major in chemical biology on a pre-med track.
“We are 10-4 right now, which is awesome,” Coyle said. “Last year we had a younger team with a lot of sophomores. So this year they have aged up and we filled in a lot of spots in varsity, but we are stronger and a lot more aggressive this season. And at least since I’ve been on varsity, we have been doing a lot better than in previous years.”
The Fords were the beneficiaries of several penalty corners in the fourth quarter. They pelted Marple Newtown goalie Maria Kaltsidis (18 saves) with nearly a dozen shots during the sequence, but were unable to capitalize. Although the Fords were unable to find the back of the cage, Taylor was not the least bit discouraged.
“They don’t come off frustrated,” she said. “I think they were excited that they were getting opportunities and they were passing and keeping that offensive pressure up.”
Coyle agreed.
“It’s really nice having possession and being able to pass the ball, even if we don’t always finish,” Coyle said. “We always get a lot of corners and it feels repetitive, but at the same time I felt today that we were really aggressive with it. We were forcing our own corners so we were making the other team make a mistake or we were forcing the ball to make a mistake on them, which is a skill that we’re really advanced at this year.”
Haverford held a 2-0 lead after the first period thanks to goals from juniors Lauren Cascarina, Brooke Parker and Riona O’Neill.
“Brooke Parker, who is our other captain, unfortunately got hurt and has a sprained ankle,” Taylor said. “Hopefully that won’t keep her out for too long because we will need her for our playoff run. She usually plays center back for us and I would say she is like the lynchpin for our defense. She keeps everything nice and calm and collected, and she’s a really talented player.”
The Fords are in a good place as the regular season begins to wind down. Their remaining schedule is favorable, which is good news for Coyle in her pursuit of setting a career high in goals scored.
Olivia Dreger accounted for the only Marple Newtown goal in the fourth quarter. Nina DeAngelis had the assist.
Elsewhere in the Central League:
Springfield 2, Strath Haven 0 >> Goalie Charlize Garrett was awesome for Cougars, stopping 11 shots en route to a shutout of the Panthers. Kara Clark played amazing defense in front of Garrett.
Leading the Springfield attack was Geena Augello, who scored off a penalty corner to break the tie. Kylie Adolph had the other goal.
In the Del Val League:
Chichester 3, Academy Park 1 >> Natalia Willoughby tallied a pair of goals and Mischo Weaton, off a Sydney Scarpato assist, scored once for the Eagles.
Vanessa Amalfitano, Alyssa Keeth and goalie Victoria Hanright excelled on defense.
In the Inter-Ac League:
Notre Dame 4, Agnes Irwin 1 >> Saylor Milone recorded two goals and one assist for the Irish. Maeve McGinley and Maeve Seeger notched one goal apiece. Goalie Alex Duff had six saves in the victory.
Charlotte Roe had the lone goal for the Owls.
Episcopal Academy 3, Springside Chestnut Hill Academy 0 >> Rebecca Block scored two goals and Kiley Gallagher had one for the Churchwomen. Goalie Isabel Andrews finished with four saves.
In nonleague action:
Villa Maria 7, Arch. Carroll 0 >> Caitlin Connell recorded a hat trick for Villa. The visiting Patriots (7-5) managed only one shot against Villa goalie Cate Connell.
Carroll goalie Fiona Conboy finished with 10 saves.
