McGovern ushering in new era at C.R. South
When the Council Rock South field hockey team faces off against Downingtown East in the second round of the District One Class AAA tournament Wednesday afternoon, the odds will be stacked against the Golden Hawks.
When the Council Rock South field hockey team faces off against Downingtown East in the second round of the District One Class AAA tournament Wednesday afternoon, the odds will be stacked against the Golden Hawks.
Downingtown East, the No. 2 seed in the playoffs, has lost just once in 18 matches this season.
But one thing No. 18 Council Rock South will have going in its favor is Caroline McGovern.
McGovern, a junior, has scored 33 goals in 19 games, breaking the school record of 26 that she set last season.
She scored both of C.R. South's goals in a 2-1 win over Perkiomen Valley in the first round of the AAA playoffs Monday.
A member of the United States U-17 national team as a sophomore and a participant in global field hockey camps, McGovern picked up the sport at a young age because of her older sisters, Caitlin and Kiera.
"She's always had those advanced level skills," C.R. South coach Lisa Belz said. "She hits the ball very accurately, very hard, very fast."
In just three years, McGovern has left an indelible mark on C.R. South's field hockey program, and Belz is hoping McGovern's impact will be felt long after she's gone.
In the fall, South's female athletes have historically gravitated to soccer, Belz said.
"For such a long time, we've been trying to push the sport and we've been trying to get more girls playing," she said. "With soccer being the same season, we always have a hard time getting a good group of girls."
But with the team's recent success, Belz said, she has noticed a sea change in the last year or two.
McGovern became the first player to commit to a Division I school in Belz's 15 years at C.R. South when she announced she would follow her sister Caitlin's path and play field hockey at Boston College.
(Caitlin went to high school at Germantown Academy. Kiera graduated from C.R. South and plays for Division III Catholic University.)
"More recently, more and more of them want to play in college," Belz said of her players, "and I think having someone like Caroline who is now committed to a D-I program, it's a first."
South has its work cut out against East on Wednesday.
But in the long view, field hockey at South is on the upswing, and it's thanks in large part to McGovern.