September 14, 2006 Issue                                       

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©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

Local Sports

Chestnut Hill College men boot Blue Jays
by TOM UTESCHER

Chestnut Hill College’s John Wood, a sophomore, scored the fourth and final goal of the game on a penalty kick. For more photos visit www.chlocalphotos.com. (Photos by Jimmy J. Pack Jr.)

When an early goal by Chestnut Hill College’s men’s soccer team was answered by visiting Polytechnic University less than two minutes later, it looked as though last Saturday’s CHC home opener would be a close, high-scoring affair.

Poly’s Blue Jays wouldn’t ripple the Chestnut Hill net again, though, and in the middle of the period back-to-back scores by Griffins freshman Andrew Thorne would prove to be the gamewinner and the first insurance goal as CHC went on to win, 4-1. The match was the North Eastern Athletic Conference opener and the third match overall for both CHC (2-1) and for Polytechnic (1-2).

CHA wins opener but falls in final to Upper Darby
by Devon Grieb

CHA’s Ryan Duffy, a sophomore defense leader for CHA in the Puma Soccer Invitational Tournament.

Chestnut Hill Academy hosted its annual CHA Puma Soccer Invitational Tournament this past Friday and Saturday. The school joined the field with three other top soccer programs from the Mid-Atlantic region, Archbishop Curley High School, Baltimore, Maryland, The Hill School, Pottstown and Upper Darby High School, Drexel Hill.

Chestnut Hill Academy took the field at 3:00 pm Friday afternoon against The Hill School. After an early injury to the Hill’s goalkeeper, the Blue Devils capitalized with an unassisted goal by Taylor Ferry for a 1-0 advantage. Co-captain Brent Campman threatened Hill once again by driving to the net only to be tripped giving the Devils a free kick. With several Hill players standing in front of Campman, the crowd was hush in anticipation. Campman shot the ball over the defenders’ heads and against crossbar sending it just behind the goalkeeper. The Devils kept a 2-0 lead going into halftime.

Campbell breaks tackles, rushes, cuts his way to a CHA victory
by Ed Mahon

Rashad Campbell made it sound simple. When asked about his strengths, the Chestnut Hill Academy junior thought for a moment and said, “Strengths? I’m not the fastest guy, but I bring quickness, and like, desire. And also just reading the line, cause the blocks open up. The line gets thin, the blocks open up and everything works out from there.”

Germantown Friends School field hockey team inspired by new coach

Dana Griffin, the new field hockey coach for GFS, played Division I field hockey for Lehigh University.

The Germantown Friends School varsity field hockey team is ready for a strong season under their new head coach Dana Griffin. Griffin played Division I hockey at Lehigh University in the highly competitive Patriot League. She was a cornerstone of their defensive unit as a four-year starter. GFS girls’ athletic director Pam Lutz said, “Dana will make an immediate impact on the hockey program, drawing from her recent playing experiences and vast field hockey knowledge.”

Having worked with the Tigers through their pre-season practices and scrimmages, Griffin commented, “It’s a great group of athletes. They’re very perceptive. If I give them a small correction, I see the results immediately.” Of GFS, she said, “Everyone’s willing to give you what you need to make the program successful.”

Mount volleyball bows to Bears
by TOM UTESCHER

In the Athletic Association of Catholic Academies, volleyball matches involving Mount St. Joseph Academy, Merion Mercy and Villa Maria always have a bearing on the top spots in the league rankings, and the first two of these teams had their initial encounter last Thursday at the Mount.

GA booters get past Panthers
by TOM UTESCHER

Germantown Academy’s Cailyn Alferi, left, battes the ball away from Ashley Miller. For more photos visit www.chlocalphotos.com.

After the Germantown Academy girls soccer team saw a 2-0 lead evaporate during the second half of last Wednesday’s season opener, junior striker Caroline Doty deposited a third goal for the host Patriots with ten minutes remaining in the match. GA, which had led 1-0 at halftime and 2-0 early in the second period before letting visiting Strath Haven High School pull even, blanked the Panthers the rest of the way for a 3-2 victory.

“I thought we played really well for our first game,” commented Darci Borski, who’s now entering her second season as the Patriots’ head coach. “There were some breakdowns, but overall, I thought we had the better of the chances. In the first half, we had four or five quality chances for the game to be put out of reach, but we didn’t finish, and so we wound up in a 3-2 game.”

CHC women’s soccer pommels Polytechnic
by TOM UTESCHER

Anyone who observed last Saturday’s home opener for the Chestnut Hill College women’s soccer team could’ve made a good argument for the sport to adopt a version of the “mercy rule” which brings lopsided softball games to an early conclusion.

Springside soccer conquers Cougars
by TOM UTESCHER

Taking a 2-0 lead in the opening period and adding an extra insurance goal in the second half, Springside School won its home opener in soccer last Friday afternoon, blanking visiting George School, 3-0.