It was almost too good to be true.
The final horn had sounded, and the players on the Camden Catholic High School field hockey team started dropping their sticks and racing toward goaltender Emily Nicholls. But senior Olivia Bent-Cole remained in the ready position, tracking the ball. Her facial expression hadn’t changed.
“I was just surprised. I couldn’t hear the scoreboard, so I didn’t want to jump up and do something if it wasn’t zero,” Bent-Cole said. “Then I heard the whistles, and I looked at Emily and I knew we won. I didn’t know how to react.”
Photo Gallery: Camden Catholic Non-Public A State Championship
You can forgive Bent-Cole and the rest of the Irish, who won their first field hockey state championship in 37 years. The current core of the team had witnessed heartbreak after getting so close, losing in the state final in 2019 and 2021 (there was no official state tournament in 2020).
On Nov. 12, at Bordentown High School, Camden Catholic met four-time defending Non-Public state champ Oak Knoll. And this time, they wouldn’t be denied.
Bent-Cole scored the first goal, and junior Liv Stazi added another, and the Irish hung on for a 2-1 victory over the Royals. It was a win to be relished for the Irish after having to watch the Royals carry away the state trophy the last few visits to Bordentown.
“We remembered the feeling after losing that game and decided that we never wanted to feel like that again,” senior Ava Moore said about last year’s 4-1 loss to Oak Knoll in the state final. “It was just so great to finally be able to break through.”
Bent-Cole made the first statement with a terrific individual effort through the Royals’ defense, firing a shot from a sharp angle and into the cage with 3:42 left in the first quarter. It was Bent-Cole’s 38th goal of the season and the 128th of her high school career.
“I was just trying to get a [penalty] corner, but I just kept going,” said Bent-Cole, a Northwestern University commit. “I was kind of surprised it went in because it was a bad angle, but you take those chances because you never know if it’s going to go in. No shot is a bad shot.”
The Irish doubled their lead early in the second quarter on a successful penalty corner as Moore found Stazi for a deflection at the side of the cage for her 11th goal of the season.
“It feels incredible,” said Stazi, a Rutgers University commit, of scoring the eventual game-winner. “Not only to score the goal but to be surrounded by our team after that. It’s incredible, especially when you get the assist from your best friend.”
There was still 44:08 left to play after the Irish made it 2-0. Oak Knoll turned up the heat, but the Irish stayed cool and collected.
“Yeah, 2-0 is probably the worst lead to have because anything can happen when it’s just two goals,” Camden Catholic goalie Emily Nicholls said. “It can be so easy to make a few mistakes, and then you could be losing. We just had to make sure we didn’t lose any momentum.”
The Royals came within inches early in the third as Bent-Cole and defender Reagan Stauts helped stuff a chance on the goal line, but Oak Knoll was awarded a penalty stroke on the play and Katie Seidem placed a perfect shot into the side netting to make it 2-1. There was no more room for error.
“At that point it, was just about carrying out the rest of the game and finishing strong,” Nicholls said. “It was definitely stressful though.”
The Irish defense held, and finally they could celebrate. Camden Catholic had won 11 South Jersey Championships in its history and one regional championship in 2020. But the only other state championship came in 1985, when the Irish won the state Group 3 title.
The occasion became even more special in the Connolly household as senior Jacki Connolly evened up the bragging rights with her mother, Nancy (Wright) Connolly, who was a member of the 1985 team.
Nancy Connolly still runs strong with the program as an assistant coach with the Irish. Her daughter Kelli, a 2015 grad, and Jacki both followed their mothers’ footsteps by wearing number 22 in green.
“It’s an unforgettable moment, not only winning the state championship, but doing it with my team and with my mom on the side,” Jacki Connolly said. “My mom … keeps me going no matter what. Winning that championship was a dream come true with my mom as an amazing coach.”
Since that first championship 37 years ago, Camden Catholic had reached the final five times and come away empty.
Maybe they were just due.
But players on the team will say it was because of the hard work, dedication and ability to navigate one of the toughest schedules in the country, as Camden Catholic stacked its calendar with nationally ranked teams like The Hill School and Episcopal Academy in Pennsylvania, as well as a regular season tilt with Oak Knoll, which the Irish won 3-0 on Oct. 8. Despite the tough slate, Camden Catholic finished its season 21-1 and on a 15-game winning streak.
“We had a great season, and we played a lot of great teams, which helped us out in this final game,” Stazi said. “I feel like everything built up to this point.”
Moore, who is heading to Wake Forest University in North Carolina next year, agreed.
“For the past four years, we’ve … played against the hardest teams,” she said. “It’s just all worth it right now.”
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