FIELD HOCKEY'S BEST FANS

Men's Lacrosse showing their support during the CSAC Semi Final win vs. Keystone College

 

 

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

GOING TO THE SHIP!!!!

Gwynedd-Mercy used a goal from sophomore Erin Gorenflo(Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Plymouth-Whitemarsh) and stellar defense led by goalie Christa Breidenstein (Reading, Pa./Muhlenburg) as the second-seeded Griffins posted a 1-0 win over third-seeded Keystone in a semifinal game of the 2010 CSAC Field Hockey Tournament.

The Griffins will play in the league championship game for the first time in 11 years when they play at top-seeded Cabrini on Saturday at a time to be announced.

Gorenflo scored just her fourth goal on the season as she was able to redirect a pass from Kelsey Deveney (Dalton, Pa./Lackawanna Trail) with under a minute in the first half.

Breidenstein made the goal stand up as she posted her second shutout of the season making six saves on the night. Her biggest came with eight minutes in the game as she was able to get enough to push a redirected shot wide of the cage to keep the Giants (10-9) off the scoreboard.

Keystone's Melinda Moore did her part, also registering six saves.

The teams met just eight days ago in the regular season finale where the Griffins also won a close 3-2 decision to help secure the second seed in the league playoffs.

Gwynedd (13-6) last reached and won the conference championship back 1999 when they defeated Wesley, 2-1, in overtime.

October is for Offense

October proved to be an excited month here in Gwynedd Valley. Our overall record for the month was 7-2. The losses coming against # 8 Eastern University (0-4) and conference rival Cabrini College (1-4). We scored 40 goals for the month, and the team only allowed 17, not a bad 31 days of work. The hard work payed off; we ended tied with Cabrini for 1st place and with the tie breaker ended up with the 2nd seed and a first round bye in the CSAC Playoffs.

October in Photos

Yellow Game Update

Our YELLOW GAME a wonderful success!    With the help of friends, family and the York College of PA fans we were able to make a $1200 donation to the Helen F. Graham Cancer Center.   A huge thank you to all who attended and made a donation.
GMC was able to pull out quite an exciting 4-3OT win.    With 1:00 to go in the game it was looking like a win was not going to happen; however the team refused to give up!    Nicolle Tourdot '12 fed the ball to Maria Karidas '14 who banged home a shot with 0.4 seconds remaining on the clock.     Karidas connected with fellow freshmen Sarah Jackson 15 seconds into the extra session.   The pair used 4 passes to enter the circle where Jackson drilled home the game winner!
What an afternoon for the Griffins!

TEAM PLAYING 4 YELLOW

This year the Gwynedd-Mercy College Field Hockey team will be PLAYING 4 YELLOW in support of the father of one of our own.    Ed Kelleher, proud father of #14 Kristy was diagnosed with testicular cancer in June of this year.     He is doing well and is continuing to fight the good fight against this terrible disease.     We will be collecting donations for The Helen F. Graham Cancer Center in Newark, DE.     Ed has been receiving his treatments there since being diagnosed.    The center was one of the first National Cancer Institute Community Cancer Center program sites in the USA.   It has become a  national model for health care systems to follow.   More cancer patients are enrolled in clinical trials here than most other programs in the country.

We thank you for your kindness and support.   Any donation will gladly be accepted, in turn we plan to set up a wall of yellow support for our game on Saturday October 23^rd.   Your name or that of a loved one will be written on a sign then placed inside the stadium.   Please help us to show our support for the Kelleher family!    Come out to the game and wear yellow!

Please contact Coach Laura-Ann Lane at Lane.L@gmc.edu or 215-646-7300 X8019 or further information or to make a donation.

GUEST COACHES HELP OUT IN WIN OVER ROSEMONT

   On Saturday we asked two players who attended our summer clinic series, and play for Viper Field Hockey Club (LA and Matt are on staff there too!) to come and help us out on the sideline.    Emily Myeck and Olivia Hoover spent the entire morning with the team.   They were involved in our pre-game locker room chat, received the team headband for the day and went through warm  up with us.     Not only did they greet both teams prior to the game, but our gracious umpires had them escort the game ball out to the 50 to start the game.    The day ended with the team signing the t-shirts and game balls for the girls and our usual tail gate.    The weather was perfect, we got a conference win and a good time was had by all!   

SEPTEMBER RECAP

It is hard to believe that we are already a week into October. Currently we have a 6-5 overall record; not exactly where we wanted to be, but the coaching staff and I are pleased with the progress that is being made. All but 1 of our losses was by 1 goal, 2 were in OT, and did I mention 2 were on grass!

We are 4-0 in the conference and are in 1st place. That is exactly where we wanted to be at this point in the season. Keystone College at 3-0 is in 2nd, and Cabrini (2-1) and Marywood (2-2) round out the top. Needless to say October is going to be quite exciting! The big dates for us will all be on the road: 10/6 at Cabrini (11:00a), 10/19 at Neumann (7:00p) and the final conference match 10/26 at Keystone (4:00).

The team has been working very hard at adapting to a new style of play and also to the 10 new freshmen on our roster. They all have made the commitment to working hard to attain the goals that were set back in August. The biggest move forward that I can see so far this season is our attention to total team play on the field. We are playing a team attacking style of defense which has proven to be tough for teams to adapt to. We are forcing lots of turnovers and are creating counter attacks in the middle of the field. This style of play makes for exciting, fast paced field hockey. In our 11 games we have provided our fans with lots of action and things to cheer about. So overall it has been a wonderful start to 2010 and the coaching staff and I are ready for the thrills that October and November will most definitely provide.

September in Photos

Jackson Nets 2nd Player of the Week

Jackson named CSAC Field Hockey Player of the Week
Freshman nabs third weekly honor

ASTON, PA. -- Freshman Sarah Jackson (Sewell, N.J//Washington Twp.) was named The Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Field Hockey Player of the Week for the week ending September 26th. This is the second occasion the rookie has been honored by the league.

Jackson scored three goals in two CSAC wins last week. The freshman notched two goals, including the overtime game-winner at Marywood on Tuesday. She followed that up with a tally against conference opponent Cedar Crest on Saturday.

She currently leads the league in scoring (10 goals/2 assists) and has registered a point in all but one game this season.

2nd Week of Conference Play

It's been an exciting for the Griffins this week. We began the week with an exciting 3-2OT win in Scranton against Marywood University and ended with a well played 3-0 win against Cedar Crest College at home this afternoon. We are now 5-3 OA and a perfect 3-0 in CSAC play. Even though it is very early in the season and we still have some tough conference games ahead of us we are all very happy and excited to be in 1st place.

GMC FH is represented on the NCAA statistical report for the week ending 9/19/2010 (NB. Stats are updated every Tuesday and can be found by going to NFHCA.ORG) Sarah Jackson and Ali Gurko are ranked in scoring and defensive saves respectively. Sarah is tied for 27th in points per game (2.67) and t-29th in goals per game (1.17). She has scored in 7 out of 8 games so far this season. Ali is t-14th in defensive saves (3). Both players are ranked above all conference opponents in their respective categories.

Everyone will enjoy a well deserved and earned day off tomorrow, then we will be back on the field to prepare for our next game where we hope to close out September with a win at Widener University on Tuesday night. Our next home game will be Saturday October 2nd against conference opponent Rosemont College, where I will be helped on the sideline by 2 guest coaches. Two of our campers from this summer will be getting an up close and personal view of GMC FH!

Hammitt Named CSAC Player of the Week

HAMMITT NAMED CSAC PLAYER OF THE WEEK 9/19/10

GMC’s Second Player named in Three Weeks

Gwynedd-Mercy College’s Christine Hammitt (Jr., Delran, NJ/Delran) was named The Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Field Hockey Player of the Week for the week ending September 19. Hammitt notched three goals and an assist in a 2-0 week. She had a score and a helper in a 5-2 win over Richard Stockton. The junior then followed that up with a pair of goals in a 5-0 CSAC victory over Immaculata.

Jackson Chosen For Weekly Honor Roll

Second time this season the freshman is honored

ASTON, PA. -- Freshman Sarah Jackson (Sewell, NJ/Washington Twp.) was named to The Colonial States Athletic Conference Field Hockey Honor Roll for the week ending September 12th.

Jackson had two goals and an assist in a tough 0-3 week that featured three one-goal defeats, and two games that were decided in overtime [DeSales University (2-3), Delaware Valley College (1-2 OT), and Alvernia University (2-3 2OT)].

The Griffins (1-3) host Richard Stockton College here on Wednesday night starting at 7 p.m.

Sarah Jackson Named 1st CSAC Player of the Week for the 2010 Season

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September 7, 2010
Jackson named CSAC Field Hockey Player of the WeekFreshman makes mark in first collegiate game
ASTON, PA. -- Freshman Sarah Jackson (Sewell N.J./Washington Twp.) was named The Colonial States Athletic Conference (CSAC) Field Hockey Player of the Week for the week ending September 5, 2010.
Jackson made an immediate impact in her first collegiate game, scoring two goals, including the eventual game-winner with 28 seconds in regulation, helping Gwynedd-Mercy to a season-opening 4-3 win at Misericordia last Wednesday.
The Griffins will get back at today when they travel to DeSales in a non-league matchup at 4 p.m.

Teamwork Gets It Done

It was a crazy game at Misericordia today. We started off a bit rocky in the first half, but our determination and a 4-corners in a row series towards the end of the 1st half resulted in a momentum change, and a 2-2 draw after 35 minutes. Sarah Jackson was able to collect the ball in front and slip it by the GK. And the combination of Erin Gorenflo, Casey Dellostretto and Kelsey Deveney exectued a perfect penalty corner. With Deveney slamming the ball home. The coaches made adjustments at the half and the players put those changes into action. It was an exciting finish, we called a timeout with about 1:30 to go, the ball was going to be put back into play from the left side on a long hit. One minute later the defense made a great stop and turned the play around in a counter attack. We had 2 first year players connected for the game winner with :28.5 seconds left on the clock. Charlsie Moore set up Sarah Jackson who was able to send the ball between the GK's legs for the game winner.
Junior Christine Hammitt added a huge 2nd half goal.
Defensively GK Kaylin Bassitt had great game, and sophomore Katie Blankenstein had 3 defensive saves on the afternoon.
As if our day was not exciting enough, we had a bit of bus issues and had to wait 2 1/2 hours for a mechanic to change a tire! Great bonding time for the team.
Check www.gmc.edu/athletics for a full write up and box score tomorrow morning.
Our next game is Tuesday Sept. 7th at DeSales.

It all begins today

Our 2010 season begins today! We are loading up the bus as I am writing this. On our way to play Misericordia University. Everyone is excited to play and to put into action what we have learned since practice began on August 19th. Game time is set for 4:00, check back tonight for the recap

Our Amazing Race

Wednesday was an exciting day for us; we spent the morning playing at Haverford, then returned to campus for the 1st Annual GMC FH Amazing Race. The team was split into 7 teams of either 2 or 3 and had to run around campus. There were 10 pit stops at which 1 member or all participated in a challenge in order to receive the next clue. Teams were asked to along with other things; complete a crossword puzzle, create a tower from note cards, piece together a puzzle made from the team photo, find gummy worms in a bowl of whip cream. The final challenge required a player to move an Oreo cookie from their forehead to their mouth only using their facial muscles.

After 90 minutes of fast paced competition the trio of Katie Blankenstein '13, Brianne Kline '14 and Charlsie Moore '14 came out victorious. They are pictured above in the Office of Student Services putting together the team puzzle. The staff and team could not have done this without the help of some amazing people on campus: thank you to Ginny Mintzer (Student Services), Jeanne McGowan (Counseling), Meredith Hoch-Oescher (ARC), Donna Smyrl (PR), Donna Ferguson (Health Center), and Becky Signor (First Year Experience)... could not have done this without your help! Check back for more photos from the teams.

Standout Defender Becomes an RN

Captain Ali Gurko '12 (Folsom, PA/Ridley) joins the list of field hockey nursing majors by passing her NCLEX nursing exam, officially making her an RN. Ali is a busy person on campus, along with field hockey, Ali plays softball in the Spring and is an RA.

In 2009 Ali started and played in all 20 games, had 1 goal from the defensive backfield and had a record 8 defensive saves, which lead the conference. She also spent time in the Top 10 Nationally for her defensive skills. This hard work was recognized with a 2nd Team All Conference Selection. She was also a member of the confernece and National All Academic Teams.

CONGRATS ALI!

PRE SEASON WARM UP CLINIC

We had so much fun in June that we decided to do it again. The dates will be August 10th and 11th from 5:30-8:30. Cost is still the same; $20 for 1 night or the bargain price of $30 for both!! The focus this time around will be "getting ready for the 2010 season". This will include more game play situations like penalty corners, self starts and penalty strokes.
Contact Coach Laura-Ann Lane (Lane.L@gmc.edu or 215-646-7300 X 8019) for further information or to sign up.

Fitness Training in Italy

Got word today from Christine Hammitt '12 that she is taking time to work on her fitness level while traveling in Italy on a GMC sponsored trip. She walked over 1300 steps on this day, not including the sprint needed to make it to the train in time. In the photo with Chritine is women's soccer player Gwen Conte '12, sprinting up some seriously steep stairs. Great work ladies!

Farewell to the Class of 2010! Photo (Tina Kane, Coach Lane, Olivia Wilson) from the annual GMC Senior Athlete Recognition evening. Thanks for all of your heart and dedication to the program and "leaving the program better than when you arrived!" You will be missed.

Summer Kick Off Clinic

The coaching staff and players of the 2010 team are holding 2 skills clinics. The dates are June 15 and 17, from 5:45 to 8:00. Cost is $20 per session, or a bargain price of $30 for both nights. Players will need to have their own equipment: stick, shin guards, mouth guard, and all GK equipment. GOAL KEEPING INSTRUCTION WILL BE AVAILABLE. All ages accepted, walk up registration will be available. Contact Coach Lane at
Lane.L@gmc.edu for further information and a sign up form.