“I could put them anywhere on the field and they would play it and play it well. They will give you whatever you need.” - Archbishop Carroll coach Suzie Gennaro on Zamojcin and Walsh

PHOENIXVILLE — The Archbishop Carroll field hockey team captured its third straight Philadelphia Catholic League championship this fall, and the team had several local elements.

Seniors Rachel Walsh and Kim Zamojcin, two Phoenixville area residents, were two of the mainstays for fourth-year head coach Suzie Gennaro’s Patriots, who finished with a 13-2-1 record.

Walsh played a left midfielder position while Zamojcin played right wing on the forward line and led the team in scoring with 26 goals and 10 assists.

Archbishop Carroll got two goals from Zamojcin and another from sophomore Kelsey Byrne to claim its league crown with a 3-1 victory over Cardinal O’Hara. Meg McKee and Lauren Comly added the assists.

Carroll applied tremendous pressure on O’Hara the entire game as the Patriots drew 15 penalty corners for the game to O’Hara’s four corners. Significant pressure in the midfeild came from Walsh, Monica Byrne and Hillary Manion to keep O’Hara to just four shots on goal. Walsh (five), Byrne (three) and Manion (three) combined for 11 defensive stops.

Walsh and Zamojcin were both named to the All-Catholic League first team by the coaches as well as to the first team All-Delaware County unit. Walsh has decided to attend St. Joseph’s University for Division I college field hockey while Zamojcin is leaning toward Villanova but is also considering Georgetown and American Universities.

Walsh scored one goal and had eight assists while playing a defensive/playmaker position in the varsity lineup.

Walsh and Zamojcin have been teammates since sixth grade when they played field hockey for Holy Family CYO. Walsh also played in the Phoenixville Marian Youth Club (PMYC) program.

Both girls have been selected as Diocesan Scholars, a program in the Archdiocese where select students take two college courses in the fall and two more in the spring at Cabrini College. They attend Cabrini in the morning and Archbishop Carroll for the remainder of their coursework. Selection is based on being in the top 10 percent of their class, be involved in extracurricular activities, submit an essay and be interviewed by a panel of judges. Both girls are members of the National Honor Society.

Walsh is a three-year varsity starter and has started every game for the three-time champion Patriots. She is a two-time first team All-Catholic League player as well as a two-time first team All-Delco selection. 

“I played center mid a little bit last year,” said Walsh. “With the size of the fields, girls get moved around back and forth. I started playing in first grade in the PMYC program.”

Walsh committed to St. Joseph’s about a month ago. She plans to study biology for a career in pharmaceutical sales or chiropractic work.

“I really liked the team,” Walsh said. “It reminded me of Carroll. It was like a second family. I can use that for another four years.

“At Carroll, we made it all the way. It was kind of rocky in the beginning so we weren’t really sure, but we pulled through in the championship game. We came together as a team in themiddle of the season and came on strong. Against O’Hara this year we all came out excited. We wanted to win it, especially as a unit at the home field with tons of fans. We all got so pumped that we weren’t on (first meeting). We had to have the right mindset and were able to win the next game. The loss gave me extra push to work harder and harder. It was kind of a wakeup call.”

Carroll won 10 straight games before being upset by O’Hara, 2-1, during the regular season.

Walsh has been a Metro team member, representing Chester, Delaware and Philadelphia counties for the summer Keystone State Games from 2004-07. Metro competed for the bronze medal in the Scholastic Division. She has also been a member of the USFH Futures Program from 2003 to the present. She plays for the Viper Field Hockey Club in Oaks. She played in the National Hockey Festival last year and again this year.

St. Joseph’s advanced to the Atlantic 10 championship game this year before falling to the University of Massachusetts so Walsh will be joining a strong program. The head coach is Michelle Finnegan.

“Summer work is really important,” Walsh said. “What we do will reflect our playing

time. I have the opportunity to kind of compete for my spot. I like a challenge.”

Walsh narrowed her college choices to St. Joseph’s and La Salle before deciding to hook up with the Hawks.

“Both of them had former Carroll players on their team,” Walsh said. “I was offered a scholarship to both, partial academic and partial athletic.”

“Rachel is a three-year varsity player who was our captain this year,” Gennaro said. “She was an integral part of our team as a midfielder. She is a strong leader. She is a great example because she is so willing to work with the younger kids. She is also one our Archdiocese Scholars so she is able to juggle her schedule. To do all that shows that she is a leader on and off the field. She really supports the defensive part of the program while Kim is aggressive on offense. Rachel is mroe aggressive at the defensive end of the field.”

Zamojcin formerly played a midfield position, but she was switched up to the forward line and made the most of her chance to increase her scoring output.

“I had a good year,” Zamojcin said. “I always scored a couple goals. Last year I did well with goals, too, but this this year mainly.”

Zamojcin did not start playing field hockey until sixth grade at Holy Family. Rachel Walsh’s father, Pat Walsh, was her first coach who started the program there.

“I loved it,” Zamojcin said. “I am leaning towards Villanova because I want to play field hockey in college. It is a big honor to make All-Catholic.”

Zamojcin plans to study pre-law with a focus on government.

Her season high of three goals came against Archbishop Wood in an away contest.

“Kim was one of our top scorers in the Catholic League this year,” Gennaro said. “Both girls are not into stats. They are more team players. Kim was a two-year All-Catholic player and two-year varsity player. She was a strong leader on our front line. We had two sophomores and two seniors there so Kim gave us great support.

“Both girls bring a lot of enthusiasm to the team. With the experience they have, they can teach the younger kids.”

Both Walsh and Zamojcin have advanced skill levels since they have played club field hockey. That extra work against top competition assists in teaching the younger players the sport to help them improve in the sport.

“I could put them anywhere on the field and they would play it and play it well,” Gennaro said. “They will give you whatever you need.”