Unbeaten Mount St. Joseph dispatches Saint Basil

SPRINGFIELD >> The field hockey team of Mount Saint Joseph has set a goal for this season.

“We want to go undefeated,” said Grace Wallis. “We feel we have the talent to do that.”

You won’t get an argument from Tuesday’s victim, Saint Basil, after the Magic destroyed the Panthers, 12-0, Tuesday afternoon at the Mount.

Wallis scored four times and Ellie Maransky scored twice as the Magic built an 8-0 halftime lead and cruised to the easy victory.

“We just stuck to our game plan, which is to move the ball around,” Wallis said after the carnage had been completed. “We’re still undefeated (4-0-1), so we’re still doing that.”

The Mount wasted little time in the blowout victory, scoring four times before the contest was 7:00 old, as Wallis, Maransky (twice) and Julianna Kratz opened the scoring shortly after the contest began.

“We have very strong and skilled girls this season,” said co-head coach Jeannie Wallis, after the smoke cleared.

“Basil typically, struggles to field a strong team,” said Mount’s other coach, Mary Beth Stefanowicz. “Their coaches were telling us they have two girls who held a stick for the first time four weeks ago.”

After the early blitz the Magic shifted into second gear.

Rory Wllliamson, Wallis (twice) and Haley Cliggett finished off the first-half scoring, making the Panthers chase eight goals entering the second half.

“I watch and I watch,” said Panthers co-head coach Sue Johnson. “You know what you can do and what you can’t. You have to pick and choose your battles. You come in here and you know you’re not going to win.

“But the important thing is making sure the girls are playing hard, and I thought we did that today.”

The Mount took it easy on its foe in the second half, although Wallis got her fourth goal early and Nora Denton and Bridget Boyle polished off the scoring.

“You take the victories you feel you can win, and concentrate on those,” Johnson said. “The important thing is that the girls love it, that they enjoy themselves.”

“We have a wide range of talent, from the girls who have played since they were small to the ones who just took up the game a month ago.

“Neither of our goalies have held a stick their whole lives.

“But again, the important thing is having fun and learning the game. And I think we have a lot of good players in that regard,”

MOUNT ST. JOSEPH 12, ST. BASIL 0
St. Basil 0 0 — 0
Mount St. Joseph 8 4 — 12
First Half Scoring – Mount: 1. Grace Wallis; 2. Mount : 2. Ellie Maransky. 3. Julianna Kratz. 4. Maransky. 5. Rory Williamson. 6. Wallis (8:20). 7. Wallis. 8. Haley Cliggett.
Second Half Scoring- 9. Wallis. 10, Kratz. 11. Nora Denton. 12. Bridget Boyle.
Shots On Goal: St. Basil 0-0 – 0; Mount Saint Joseph 16-8 – 24.