Hat Trick and Sunken Ships: MFS Wins Big in Friends League Match-Ups

Rebecca Benjamin

October 7, 2019

Field Hockey

Moorestown Friends School Girls Field Hockey took care of business at home, defeating Shipley 5-1 on October 4th.

The Foxes’ success began just one minute into the game when midfielder Lauren Phillips (’21) scored, leading the Foxes 1-0. The offensive explosion continued as both Jordan Obermeier (’21) and Priya Shah (’21) scored for the Foxes. But perhaps the biggest contributor on the field Friday was junior midfielder Bella McCollister (’21), who recorded two goals and two assists in the Foxes’ victory.

Bella McCollister (‘21) brings the ball up the sideline during the Foxes’ game against Shipley. (Photo by Rebecca Benjamin (’21)/Staff Writer)

The competitive atmosphere that arises when these two Friends League rivals meet is what McCollister credits for her outstanding performance.

“Shipley is our biggest rival in the Friends League,” McCollister explained. “This really allowed me to have the motivation to perform my best and play my hardest on the field.”

McCollister said she views the team’s success in this critical inter-league match as “a huge win” that serves as an indicator of the endless possibilities for this talented team. The Foxes hope to maintain their undefeated record in the Friends League as they travel to Friends Central on October 7th, 2019. Their game begins at 4:00 p.m..

Girls Soccer

MFS Girls Soccer team continued MFS’ league success, edging Shipley 1-0 on October 4th at Shipley.

In a tough match-up, the Foxes’ lone goal was scored by attacker Bella Runyan (’20). Goalie Lizzie Carter (’20) recorded seventeen saves in the shutout. Carter ascribed such an incredible outing to the team’s great camaraderie.

Girls soccer defeated Shipley 1-0⚽️ Bella Runyan with the lone goal for the foxes and GK Lizzie Carter had 17 saves for the shut out❤️💙🚨🚨 #gofoxes @mfsfox

— MFS WordsWorth (@MFSWordsWorth) October 4, 2019

“We played with all heart and left everything on the field,” said Carter. “We had one common goal and we accomplished it.”

The Foxes’ victory against Shipley will now serve as a reminder to the girls, for the rest of the season, of the good that can come when they work together. “When we trust in each other and play with all our heart,” Carter said, “we can accomplish anything.”

Carter, as well as the rest of the team, hopes that such a huge win will be the start of a deep playoff run, “hopefully resulting in bringing home some banners.” The girls next match is on October 7th, 2019, when they host Pennington Day School. Kickoff is at 4:00 p.m..

Boys Soccer

MFS Boys Soccer beat Friends Central in a commanding 4-0 win at home on October 4th and have earned a spot in the Friends League playoffs.

After a 2-0 loss against Westtown on October 2nd, the Foxes came out strong against Friends Central, controlling both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball. Team captain Matt D’Ottavi (’21) dominated on the offensive end, scoring three goals and recording a hat trick, and Astin Galanis (’21) sealed the win with a goal off a penalty kick late in the game.

Matt D’Ottavi (‘21) shoots the ball during Foxes’ game against Friends Central. (Photo by Sam Bitman (’21)/Sports Editor)

D’Ottavi said that after a tough loss like the one suffered at Westtown, “it’s always tough bouncing back, but we knew we had to be mentally tough. We had to come back and win in a big way against Central, so it was really nice.”

After advancing their record to 9-2, the Foxes’ look to use this win “as momentum moving forward.” The Foxes’ face off against Cherokee on the road on October 8. Kickoff is at 3:00 p.m.