History of Field Hockey
The 1969-1970 school year produced the first organized field hockey team in the history of Pen Argyl. The team, coached by Mrs. Beryl Jo Reynolds, entered competition, but not the league. That year they scrimmaged Nazareth twice to show off their developing abilities.
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In the 1970 season, Pen Argyl entered the league and faced tough competition. Being the first official year of real league play, the Knights "didn't have a winning season, but their great spirit kept them working hard," said new coach Miss Jennifer Schantz. They were beaten in every game, and didn't score any goals. During a scrimmage against Pius, the team showed that their dedication paid off, and finally scored a well-deserved goal. In 1971, in Miss Jennifer Schantz's second year of coaching, the team scored their first goal in league play, and a win- Pen Argyl 1, Pleasant Valley 0. The high scorer of the year was Mel Santo, and the team took tenth place in the LNFHL. By 1972, the Knights had a respectable 2-6-3 season under their belts, and it seemed that Pen Argyl field hockey was making a turn for the better.
In the 1973-1974 yearbook, they said this about the 1973 season: "Although the girl's field hockey team fell prey to the most established teams in the league, their spirit and determination led them to victory in one of the biggest upsets of the season when the defeated previously unbeaten Saucon Valley by a 3-1 score." Goals in that game were by Jamie Gold, Lori Sweet, and Holly Miller. This was their only win that season, but it seemed to be a big accomplishment for the team.
In 1974, Pen Argyl had a small team but lots of spirit. Coach Jennifer Schantz Lippincott produced a team with a record of 2-1-9. Their wins were against East Stroudsburg and Wilson with a tie against Salisbury. But the Knights were still anxiously waiting for a winning season.
Finally in 1975, the well-awaited District XI championship title became theirs. Under the direction of coach Jennifer Lippincott, the team produced the best season since the start of organized field hockey with a record of 7-4-1. Four of those victories were won by only a single goal. The team entered a game against Nazareth with a 5-2 record with senior Jamie Gold scoring for a 1-0 game. When they faced Bangor, they attacked hard, but neither team could come out a winner. This rivalry game ended in a tie, but this made the Knights even more ready for their upcoming games. Their most impressive victory that season was over Salisbury. They played their best game of the season, and defeated them 4-1 on a rain soaked home field. This took them to Districts, but they lost in the playoffs to Stroudsburg. Twelve seniors graduated that year, most of whom had played since their freshman year. This caused a decline in talent and experience for the forthcoming years.
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After coming off of a District Championship season in 1975, 1976 was a dismal year for the Knights. Under the direction of Coach Lippincott, the team couldn't produce a decent record. The team's record of 3-13-1 wasn't terribly upsetting, for a very inexperienced team, and considering 7 losses were by a 1-0 score. Senior Julie Mulitsch drove in half the goals, and other scorers included Cathy Roper and Danette Kish.
1977 brought in 2 new coaches, Mr. Thomas Knorr and Mrs. Nancy Chuss. The team produced a record of 3-11-3 and played well against Salisbury, Palisades, and Southern Lehigh, but lost with close margins. They fought hard against Wilson and earned a 2-1 win with goals by Renee Albanese. The team had never beaten Bangor, and they shut them out 2-0. Their final victory of that season was over Nazareth.
The 1978 season produced a more successful season than a few previous seasons with a 5-12 record. Still under the direction of Coach Knorr, they scored more goals than Pen Argyl had in the past three years and won more games in a single season than any team excluding the 1975 District Championship season. The high scorer of the season was Renee Albanese with 12 goals. They had wins against Notre Dame, Wilson, Nazareth, and Salisbury. They also were the only team in the Colonial League to score upon league and district champion, Catasauqua.
In the following years with Coach Knorr, the Knights had some problems scoring, and faced troubles while trying a new formation in the 1979 season. The record in that year was 2-16. While the Knights moved the ball well, they just weren't able to make it to the goal. High scorers that season were sophomore Laurie Frutchey and junior Alison Roper. In the 1980 season, the Knights gained a win, and their season record that year was 3-15. They had a rewarding 3-0 win over Saucon Valley.
The 1981 season brought a new coach, Ted Long and a 4-15 record. That season some teams they defeated included Notre Dame, Nazareth, and district contender Wilson. High scorers that season were Diane Bender and Kathy Iudicello with 4 goals between them and Nan Kunsko recorded 3 shutouts.
In the next season, 1982, the team was directed by head coach, Chris Pacovich, and her assistant, Julie Mulitsch. They produced a record of 3-15-1. They didn't perform as well as they hoped in the beginning of the season, but they looked towards a brighter future. In the 1983 season, things didn't go as well as planned, and they ended up with a record of 1-17-1. This time it wasn't lack of experience, just lack of interest. Top scorers were Michelle Azzalina, Tisha Mack, and Elleni Kichline. The JV team was cut from the program because there weren't enough girls to go around. "If more girls become involved with the team and are dedicated to the sport, Pen Argyl Field Hockey might become a competitive team in the Colonial League" said Coach Pacovich.
In the 1984 season, the team had a late start after a last minute decision was made to continue field hockey. The team was made up of 15 girls, and for having such a thrown together season, the team produced a 3-5 record. They had wins against Palisades, Salisbury, and Nazareth.
In 1985, Coach Chuss took over the program. She said she returned because, "Field Hockey at Pen Argyl was declining. My goals were to rekindle the interest for the girls. My philosophy is to go back to the basics and rebuild the team by incorporating those skills acquired with desire and fun." That year the team produced a 1-8-0 record.
1986 produced a record of 0-16-1, with first year coach Alison Roper. Half of the team was first year players. The JV team was deleted due to a lack of numbers. Top scorers were Kim Allison, Kris Rumsey, Mari Mulitsch, and Dee Tocket.
The 1987 season brought another new coach, Julie Hinton, who took over the team, along with assistant Jennifer Mulitsch. The record for that season was 1-18, but 16 goals were scored.
In the 1988 season, with second year coach, Julie Hinton, and assistant, Holly Miller, the team had a 1-17 record. In the 1989 season, the JV team returned, and high scorers were Theresa Squarcia and Shelly Butz. They had a win against Nazareth, and a tie against Wilson. The MVP of the season was Monica Frable.
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The 1990 season, the third year for Coach Hinton, brought a stronger season than other years, especially for having only 14 players. The team kept low scores, and wins against Nazareth (3-2), Wilson (2-1), and Wilson again (3-0).
By 1991, Coach Hinton seemed to be pulling Pen Argyl field hockey out of a rut. With a record of 4-11-1, field hockey had their best season in ten years, and holds the best record to the present. Coach Hinton's goal was "to teach the team they all had the ability to play well and to win if they keep their good attitudes along with their ability to work." Obviously her goal worked, but again there was no JV team. Coach Hinton noticed improvement with hard shots on goal, good free hits, and a strong front line.
The 1992 season almost didn't happen because they had some trouble getting at least 25 players to go out for the team. That season they lost some close games, and came out of the season winning one.
As far as the 1993 and 1994 seasons, we have no information. Most of the information for this article was compiled from yearbooks. We either have no yearbooks for these years or there are no field hockey records in them.
It is known that in 1995, Michelle Ferris took over the team, after Coach Hinton left. Both the 1995 and 1996 seasons produced losing records. However, as the feeder program at the middle school began in these years, it was hoped that the future for Pen Argyl field hockey would be better.
In the 1997 season, Coach Cindy Counterman-Vough, a former member of the 1975-1976 district championship team, took the head coaching position, and coached Pen Argyl to its first victory in 5 years. Pen Argyl defeated Palmerton, with the winning goal by junior Samantha Mimlitsch.
Now, the future does look brighter for Pen Argyl field hockey. In the last season to date, Pen Argyl produced a record of 2-18-0. Even though it wasn't an impressive record, Pen Argyl proved that they had the ability to win, and they moved up a spot in the Colonial League. And now, with girls getting experience by playing on the middle school level, Pen Argyl is seeing more talent as the years go by. This year's JV team held a record of 6-12-2.
In the year 1998, the Field Hockey team finished thei season with a record of 1 win, 20 losses, and 0 ties. In the year 1999, The Girls's Field Hockey team finished their season with a record of 0 wins and 20 losses. The season of 2000, the Field Hockey team finished with a record of 10 wins, 10 losses, and 1 tie. The season of 2001, the girls finished with a record of 11 wins, 9 losses, and 1 tie.
In 2002, the team finished with a record of 11 wins, 7 losses, and three ties. The year of 2003 brought great things to the field hockey team with a record of 12-6-2.
2005 Field Hockey: Team had 19 wins, 5 losses.
The 19 wins is a school record for wins in a season.
Kacy Friends, Chelsea Due, and Amy Dick were all 1st Team All-Colonial League.
Team: District XI 2nd Place – First time ever in District Championship Game.
Qualified for PIAA State Field Hockey Tournament for 1st time ever in school history.
2006: Pen Argyl players who received honors are:
Catherine Simpson - 2nd Team Defense
Krista Buchanan - Honorable mention midfield
Jenna Wilson - Honorable mention forward
2007:Team had 12 wins and 9 losses
2008: Brynne Burwell surpasses Amy Dick's mark of 22 goals in 2006 with 26.