The 2023 St. Mary’s field hockey team battled to win the Interscholastic Athletic Association of Maryland B Conference. The 2024 Saints are aiming for domination — and it’s taking all of them.
St. Mary’s coach Karen Zarchin worked to deploy every asset she could in Wednesday’s 6-0 rout of Mercy on a rainy Pascal Field, improving their league record to 2-0 (3-2-1 overall).
Zarchin prepared her group for conference play as best she could, lining up nonstop difficult opponents from August to now. Her players marched through the crucible with a few losses, but victories, too.
“I think the kids are buying into that philosophy of being challenged outside our comfort zone to help us grow,” Zarchin said. “That’s the biggest difference in this group, they believe that those things are building blocks for moving forward.”
Those seniors honored with balloons, flowers and opportunities Wednesday night experienced two losing seasons before seeing the fruits of their labors. Seniors contributed to four of the six goals Wednesday.
“I’m really proud of them,” Zarchin said. “It’s awesome to have this win on senior day and give that to the kids who have been working just as hard as everybody else.”
“Senior surprise,” the Saints’ sideline chanted and senior Blair Bernard heard them. St. Mary’s swept possession deep into the circle where sophomore Finley Davison and Bernard stacked in front of the net.
As soon as the ball tipped onto Davidson’s stick, she flicked it to Bernard for the senior to dig at goalkeeper Rosemary DeSantis until it buried deep enough to score.
St. Mary’s simply would not relent on its pressure, awarded 10 first-half corners alone (even though the Magic had less issue defending those). Bernard cut toward the net again and passed to sophomore Ava Boland to sink her first of three at the top of the second quarter.
The Saints midfielders corralled play to one side. Most of the time, St. Mary’s defense had about as much to do as a pinball bumper, just rebounding the stray ball back into the mix, and goalkeeper Emmy McCarthy had even less. Mercy briefly interrupted their standing session with a pair of fruitless corners, which merely inspired St. Mary’s to feed Boland again to make it 3-0.
Boland and senior Avery Bourke then followed up with second-half goals that would cause the Saints to pull most of their starters before the fourth quarter.
“It starts from the beginning, everyone from our defense to our forwards,” Boland said.
But even up by a margin this large, St. Mary’s still had business to finish before the game ended: It really wanted senior Lily Messineo to score a goal.
Cheers urged Messineo on as the defender surged near the cage over and over. “I really want her do it,” her teammates murmured and gasped disappointedly when Messineo’s shots struck the pole or flew errantly aside.
Then, three minutes into the fourth quarter, Messineo attacked. Her shot bounced off second-half keeper Elaina Eisenberg’s neon-orange kneepads and into the net.
She’s a perfect example, Zarchin said, of what’s changed in the Saints this fall.
“If you’re scoring, assisting or saving a ball, moving the ball across the field, it’s equal. Everyone’s very in tune of what the other does and they’re just as proud of it as if they did it themselves,” Zarchin said. “It was a lesson we had to learn last year and it’s taking us to a new level.”
The Saints face their next defining tests in rival Severn on Friday and then defending 4A champion Crofton on Monday.
“I really, really want to beat them,” Zarchin said.
St. Mary’s — 1 2 2 1 — 6
Mercy — 0 0 0 0 — 0
Goals: SM — Boland 3, Bourke 1, Bernard 1, Messineo 1
Assists: SM — Davidson 2, Bernard 1, Jayci Frederick 1
