Central Ohio-area field hockey teams look to young goalies to shine
Wednesday, August 16, 2023
By Michael Rich
mrich@cbussports.com
Thomas Worthington goalie Mae Conroy warms up before a scrimmage with host Watterson on Aug. 14. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Caroline Spangenberg wanted the opportunity to make an immediate impact as a freshman on the New Albany field hockey team. So, when coach Marissa Weldon approached the team during summer workouts looking for a goalie to replace graduate Noa Kauffman, Spangenberg and classmate Kellie Thompson volunteered.
“I played a little bit in the seventh grade, but not a ton of experience,” Spangenberg said. “I’m just trying to have a positive attitude trying something new and I’ll grow from each game. It is a big change and it is a lot of pressure, but I have a lot of upper classmen welcoming me and encouraging me for taking on a new role.”
Spangenberg will start the season as the primary goalie for the Eagles and Thompson will swing between varsity and junior varsity.
“They stepped up and (volunteered),” Weldon said. “We started working with them over the summer and they’ve been doing really well in goal. They have great attitudes. Obviously trying new positions is tough, especially coming in as freshmen. But they have exceeded our expectations so far.”
Thomas, Watterson and Upper Arlington are in a similar situation with new goalies. But that doesn’t necessarily mean there will be an uptick in goals scored, said Olentangy Liberty coach Marianne Flannery, who returns senior Alayna Bogner.
“To me, the goalie is just one of the 11 (on the field),” Flannery said. “(You still have to) get all the way down and create enough opportunities to really challenge (goalies). If they’ve got enough field players in front of them, they can hide a weak goalie. Plenty of great teams have done that. Look at Thomas last year. They had a field player in cage and won a state championship.”
‘Defense has always been our strength’
To Flannery’s point, Thomas finished 19-2 and won its seventh state championship with midfielder Clara Scott in goal for half of the season.
Mia Kavinsky was back in the cage for the tournament after missing 11 games with an injury.
Despite that, the Cardinals allowed just 11 goals last season and posted 14 shutouts and opponents took just 41 shots and had 42 penalty corners.
Kavinsky (22 saves) is now graduated and Scott (8 saves), now a senior, decided to focus on lacrosse according to coach Terri Simonetti Frost, leaving the net open this season for freshman Mae Conroy.
“She’s solid, super strong and has great reflexes,” Simonetti Frost said. “She’s on her angles really well. To have Mae back there even though she’s a freshman is comforting because she’s worked so hard to be a really good goalie. She’s going to get do great things for us.”
Conroy, who’s sister, Julie, is a junior midfielder, is much more polished at the position.
“There is some pressure, but my teammates are really supportive,” Mae Conroy said. “I have my sister on the team this year, which is really helpful. (Julie) has been on the team for two years and she’s been helping me figure out … really everything.”
The Cardinals return sophomore Jaidyn Gussler on defense and she’ll be joined by senior Molly McClellan and junior Caroline Sprung, who both played defensive midfield last year.
“It’s definitely a lot different than middle school field hockey,” Mae Conroy said. “Of course, it’s a little intimidating at first because they won a state championship. But everybody’s been really good about making me feel welcome and making me feel positive and confident during practices. It’s been a really good experience so far – not too intimidating.”
But it will be tough to replace Kavinsky and fellow graduates Campbell Bowers and Reilly Casey.
“Defense has always been our strong suit,” Simonetti Frost said. “It’s tough training two new defensive players, but (Gussler) has done a really good job of stepping back into her role. We’re just trying to play off of one other and that’s been challenging. The communication, the shifting and the marking is super important.”
Senior Lauren Beier (attacker; 31 goals, 5 assists), juniors Julie Conroy (midfielder; 8 goals, 17 assists), Rowan Casey (midfielder/attacker; 3 goals, 10 assists) and Emmy Wellejus (midfielder/defender; 6 goals, 19 assists) and sophomores Sophia Borghese (attacker; 20 goals, 26 assists) and Meredith Estepp (midfielder/attacker; 13 goals, 12 assists) give Thomas a solid nucleus of returning players.
Olentangy Liberty goalie Alayna Bogner warms up prior to the host Patriots’ game with Dublin Coffman on Aug. 15. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Bogner settling in as Liberty’s full-time goalie
Despite being one of the top returning goalies in the area, Bogner finds herself filling a new role anyway. She split time with graduate Annie Lorenz, helping the Patriots finish 13-4 overall after falling to New Albany 9-2 in a regional semifinal.
“It’s good because we graduated 13 (players off last year’s team),” Flannery said. “I told her she’s going to see a lot of action this year. We are young, young, young.”
Liberty has to replace its top two scorers from last season in graduates Lucy Keeler (30 goals, 12 assists) and Makena Harrington (15 goals, 15 assists).
Keeler, now playing at Kent State, set career program records in points (182), goals (71) and assists (40). Harrington is set to play lacrosse at Florida.
In their place, juniors Kate Heym (midfielder) and Megan Sullenberger (forward), senior Maren Kelly (forward) and sophomores Lizzie Van Voorhis (forward) and Julia Fowler (forward) will be leaned on as scorers.
The defense will be anchored by senior Alaina Prall (midfielder) returns from last year and will be joined by juniors Emma Pence, Caroline Wiley and Caroline Van Voorhis and Annie Fields.
Bogner is looking forward to handling the cage full time this season for Liberty, which opens at Olentangy Orange on Aug. 23.
“I’m really loving seeing all of these shots during practice,” Bogner said. “It’s definitely useful, for sure. It definitely takes time to build that trust. Who’s going to take the ball out of the circle? Do I want the shot (or) do I want my defense to stop it? I’m friends with most of my defense off the field, so I really trust them on the field.”
Bogner, who also played goal for the state runner-up girls lacrosse team, is committed to play lacrosse at Otterbein.
“Alayna has continued to mature,” Flannery said. “She’s ready to step up. She knows she’s going to get the action and she’s shown that she can keep us in the mix even though there’s going to be a lot coming at her.”
‘One of my biggest challenges’
Watterson, which defeated Thomas for a state title in 2021, has a brand-new goalie and defensive backfield. But coach Janet Baird said the group makes up for its inexperience with talent.
Sophomore Ava Bunce and freshman Dani Wymer will compete for time in goal this season.
Seniors Kaitlyn Sullivan, Lily Kuypers and Katlyn Bernotas and junior Addison Ryno will all see time on defense. Sullivan, Kuypers and Ryno were all backups last season and Bernotas played as a midfielder on junior varsity.
Baird believes success or failure comes down to communication.
“It’s actually been one of my biggest challenges preseason as a coach,” Baird said. “The level of intensity between j.v. and varsity is so huge. It takes a mental toll on a young player in that position. It’s also extremely difficult to get them to realize the level of communication they have to have with their defense. If those two things are foundationally strong, it doesn’t really matter how good they are tactically.”
The Eagles have more experience in the midfield and forward positions with seniors
Reese Tucker (midfielder), Carly Henry (midfielder), Emma Reynolds (midfielder), Avery McClain (attacker), Sophia Ford (attacker), Gretchen Piatt (attacker), Mia Peppercorn (midfielder/attacker), junior Gigi Francoti (attacker) and sophomore Laine Cantwell (attacker). McClain is the top returning scorer with seven goals and 10 assists.
Watterson goalie Ava Bunce warms up prior to a scrimmage with visiting Thomas Worthington on Aug. 14. Photo: John Hulkenberg
Upper Arlington has a new goalie to start the season in junior Elise Schieber, but unlike Watterson, the Golden Bears return an experienced group of defenders.
UA, which was the top seed in last year’s regional tournament, is replacing graduate Miriam Silver in net.
The Bears, who went 17-2 overall to set a program record in wins, outscored opponents 86-11 and had 14 shutouts. They only allowed multiple goals in a game twice, including a 2-1 loss to Watterson in a regional final.
Sophomore Marisa Blauser was supposed to be the starting goalie this season, but she’s out with an undisclosed injury. Blauser was last year’s backup and saw time in some key moments.
“The game plan is to have (Blauser) as our starting goalie, but I don’t when that to be the case,” Greaves said. “She stepped up in key moments for us. She participated in one of the Columbus Academy games, when we played Liberty when it was broken into two parts (because of weather). She went in against Thomas after a couple of goals were scored against us.”
The Bears beat Vikings 1-0 on Oct. 3 and the Patriots 4-0 in a game that started on Sept. 21 and concluded on Sept. 29.
They were 15-0 before the Cardinals defeated them 5-0 in the regular-season finale on Oct. 12. UA was seeking its first appearance in the state tournament since 1990 where it was runner-up and second overall.
With Blauser out, Schieber gets an opportunity in the cage.
“I think (Schieber) still is a little timid,” Greaves said. “She made some good saves in our scrimmage (at Watterson on Aug. 14) and I think that is boosting her confidence. I think as she gets into these game-like situations and takes these harder shots, she’ll become increasingly comfortable.”
Schieber has the benefit of an experienced defense, including juniors Jess Larry, Selis Tufekci, sophomores Shelby Speas and Charlotte Potts, senior Kate Brennan and freshman Vivian Swary. Larry and Potts return from last season.
“We have some age on the defensive line,” Greaves said. “We’re still finalizing our starting lineup and formation, but there’s some really strong returning players from back there.”
UA also returns its leading scorer in senior Sammie Callaghan (attacker/midfielder), who had 19 goals and nine assists.
Also returning are seniors Haley Menke (midfielder), Lia Milligan (midfielder), Mary Backiewicz (attacker), Lily Reeve (attacker) and Lauren Wagner (senior), juniors Maddie Reisz (defender/midfielder), Tori Larry (defender/midfielder), Campbell Billman (midfielder) and Caroline Beegle (attacker).
A central Ohio school has won the last eight state championships and 11 of the last 12. Academy, which has the most state titles with 12, returns senior Lydia Wright in goal (55 saves). The Vikings went 12-6 last year, falling 2-0 to UA in a regional semifinal.
‘This could be our year’
New Albany has been on the cusp of reaching the state tournament for the first time, reaching the regional final round in each of the last four seasons, including last year where it lost to Thomas 3-1 to finish 15-4.
Senior midfielder Paige Cornelius, a Harvard commit, set a single-season program with 31 goals last season and added 14 assists.
Classmates Olivia Boyles (midfielder) and Ellie McClelland (forward) lead a group of returners, including sophomore Sophia Mariotti (forward; 16 goals, 4 assists) and junior Ema Gravlin (forward). McClelland is committed to play lacrosse at Notre Dame.
“The expectations are high this year,” said Weldon, whose team opens at Hartley on Aug. 23. “It is our goal to make it to states and this could be our year.”
Junior Jenna Schuler is the top returning defender from last year, helping the Eagles hold opponents to 12 goals last season. Juniors Caroline Siegfried and Ria McClelland and freshman Logan Snyder are also going to see time on defense.
Weldon thought the open goalie position at New Albany would be a perfect fit for a freshman trying to make varsity. So, she left the position open through the offseason.
“(With freshmen), we always look at the skillset they have and the needs we have,” Weldon said. “We always tell them to be prepared to play any position coming into high school.
“I think the fact they are freshmen is a good thing because they’re more willing to give it a try. We told people that we have a starting goalie position available and they have a greater chance of making varsity if they give it a try. So, they were willing to give it a shot. We’re proud of them for stepping up to the plate.”