Field Hockey: Loughery's Magic Propels Phantoms to Win in League Opener

The new turf on Washington Field is already starting to pay dividends for the Phantoms.

The turf does more than provide a surface that is what coach John Tornetta’s squad will see in the post-season. On a day where most of the area games were scrubbed largely due to water-logged fields, Phoenixville was afforded the opportunity to play their Pioneer Athletic league opener thanks to the brand new digs at Washington Field.

Even though the game at times was played through several heavy downpours, Mother Nature’s fury could not mach the deluge of shots directed at the Golden Panthers' net.

The Phantoms won their second game in a row, defeating Pope John Paul II High School by a tally of 4-2.

Phoenixville jumped out to an early lead on highlight-reel goal by Shannan McErlean, taking a feed from senior Chandler DiFebbo (2 assists) and depositing the ball into the Golden Panthers net 12 minutes into the game.

Phoenixville (2-0, 1-0 league), coming of a 3-0 blanking of Great Valley on Saturday, controlled play early on with two goals off of the stick of Megan Loughery (4 goals, 2 assists on the season) to post the home squad to a 2-1 lead before the heavy rain slowed down play as the first half came to a close.

As the Frontier division tilt resumed after the intermission, it was Loughery again doing the damage for the Phantoms as she completed the hat trick, recording her third goal of the game and increasing the Phantoms' lead to 4-1.

“The biggest advantage to the turf is that we get to play every day. Unless there is lightning we know that we are pretty much assured of playing,” said Tornetta. “Of course it’s great we get to practice on a fast surface, but the fact that we don’t have to constantly change our schedule or one of those weeks with three make-up games will be huge as the season rolls on.”

Golden Panthers forward Shannon Mooney knotted the game momentarily, with her first goal of the season, before Loughery’s second goal with under two minutes to play in the opening frame put the Phantoms in front for good.

“I am so excited about this season,” said DiFebbo at a recent practice. “This senior group is the tightest I have ever been around and we are all so close as a team that we will be able to overcome a lot on the field because we play so well together.”

Getting out of the gate quickly was one of the top priorities of Tornetta and his staff as the grueling PAC-10 schedule gets underway.

With match-ups with division foes Pottsgrove and Pottstown coming up next week before back-to-back non-league games with Fox Chapel and Upper Merion, for the Phantoms who are on a mission to claim a final four spot, it is all systems go thus far.

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