Backup goalie kept Council Rock North's field hockey team going strong

Molly Doyle was in goal when Council Rock North opened the field hockey season with a big, 4-3 win over defending District 1 Class AAA champion Wissahickon, but when her doctor said she was not recovering sufficiently from an anterior cruciate ligament injury, he ordered her to stop playing.

So North coach Heather Whalin needed a goalie.

With her junior-varsity goalies relatively inexperienced, Whalin decided to turn to Katie O'Neill, a field player, and the team's first sub off the bench.

"She's very athletic and nuts," Whalin said. "When we were at preseason camp, she's the one who stormed the castle in a game of paintball. We needed someone like that."

O'Neill, normally a forward, turned out to be a good choice. Although the Indians lost, 3-2, to Central Bucks South in her first start, she then began a string of five straight shutouts.

"I was upset when our goalkeeper [Doyle] couldn't play, and I didn't want us to lose because we didn't have someone," said O'Neill of her response when Whalin asked her to step in. "I'd never been in goal before, not even in practice. This team has been amazing playing in front of me."

Doyle has returned to the goal cage, and O'Neill has gone back to her regular field role, but the shutouts haven't stopped. Doyle has added a pair, including a 1-0 win over Suburban One League National Conference rival Neshaminy in the Indians' last outing.

The Indians are 7-1-1 overall, 6-0 in the conference. They are scheduled to play Abington Monday.

High scoring Cats. Although defending PIAA Class AAA champion Emmaus handed Owen J. Roberts its first loss, 7-1, on Saturday, the Wildcats (10-1) still remain the area's top-scoring team.

Including the Emmaus game, Roberts has outscored the opposition, 67-13. According to coach Clarence Jennelle, the Wildcats are averaging 17-18 shots a game.

Heather Morris is the Wildcats' leading scorer with 23 goals and 12 assists. Helping to make the team's goal total so high are Amanda Fuertsch and Corinne Mattia, with eight goals each, and Jen Schweppe, with seven. Schweppe scored the loan goal against Emmaus.

The Wildcats have scored in double figures in two games and yielded more than one goal twice - against Emmaus and Spring-Ford (a 6-4 win).

"We're hoping to make states, where we might get another chance at Emmaus," Jennelle said.

Winning streaks. While Owen J. Roberts lost its winning streak - the longest one in the area so far this season - several other teams added to theirs last week.

After going 1-1-1 in its first three games, Conestoga (10-1-1) has run off nine straight wins. West Chester Henderson (10-0-1) and Souderton (10-2) have also won nine in a row. Wissahickon (8-1) and unbeaten Mount St. Joseph have won eight in a row. The Magic yielded their first goal of the season when they beat Villa Maria Academy, 3-1, on Friday.

Playoffs coming. The District 1 playoffs will open on Oct. 24 for Class AAA and Oct. 25 for Class AA. The district finals in both classes are scheduled for Nov. 5.

Six teams from Class AAA will advance to the state playoffs, which begin Nov. 8. Three teams will advance to the Class AA state playoffs, which also start Nov. 8. The state final in both classes will be Nov. 19.