Field Hockey: Phantoms Ready to Hit the Turf Running

Phoenixville head field hockey coach John Tornetta has seen his share of talent wearing the purple and black in his 13 years at the helm of the Phantoms program, but as he watched his squad compete in a four-team, round-robin scrimmage on the newly laid turf on Monday, the look of pride on the coach's face was obvious.

“We have a lot of speed on this team,” said Tornetta. “We are a big team, which is awesome. In all we will have 58 girls out for the team. That should give us great depth.”

Led by senior captains Chandler DiFebbo and Sarah Hammaker, the Phantoms laid waste to Upper Darby and Marple Newtown in the first two of three games played, before battling Great Valley to a scoreless tie finishing the morning with a 2-0-1 mark and outscoring opponents 5-1.

“We are looking forward to our senior season,” said Hammaker. “We love having so many girls on the team. We all may hang out with different social groups at school, but when we get on the field we are like a family. Our chemistry is unbelievable.”

The ability to play together as one cohesive unit was the mantra for the day. That's what could lead the team to a Pioneer Athletic Conference final appearance and district playoff berth, boosting the Phantoms' chance to qualify for states.

“Even though we have a big senior class, we are still a young group,” added Tornetta. “A lot of our girls have played together since [Phoenixville Marian Youth Club], so we should hit the ground running.”

When Phoenixville takes the field on opening day against Great Valley, it will be the first official game played on the new all-purpose turf surface at Washington Stadium.

The senior group of Melissa Rutherford, Ali Sierzega, Bridget McLoud, Lexi Nesspor, Maria Flores, Caitlyn McCarthy and Sam Paul will provide stable leadership on the field along with captains Hammaker and DiFebbo. That leadership will help the young players like Rachel Boone, who will surely have their impact felt as the rigors of the Pioneer Athletic Conference schedule carry play into the cold weather.

McKenzie Welsh and Julia Tamara, also members of this year’s graduating class, will also be assisting the team throughout the 2011 campaign.

“I am so excited to play my senior year,” said DiFebbo. “We get to be the first ones to play on the turf, which is cool, but it will also help us all year as everything is faster. We have worked hard all summer to get ready.

“I think last year in districts the fact they we had grass was our downfall," DiFebbo continued. "We had a tough time adjusting to the speed and we were used to practicing and playing on grass. When we played teams that were used to turf, it didn’t turn out well.”

The Phantoms will no doubt miss the contributions of Lindsay McEvoy and Maggie Cherneski and will look to improve on a second place finish in their division and one district win. They'll rely heavily on team speed and that magical word “chemistry.”

“We had a couple of outstanding players graduate last year,” said Tornetta. “From what I have seen so far, I think the girls have really dedicated themselves to being a cohesive unit and have done a lot of work to get ready for camp. It should be a great year.”

“I have waited for this for a long time,” added Tornetta, when asked about the new turf. “Having a turf field will be such a great asset. When you get to the post-season everything is on turf and in years past I think that hurt us a bit. We will not have the weather dictate practice schedules and game cancellations.”