For most of her life, Meghan Phillips knew where she was going to high school – Holy Spirit in Absecon, just like her eight older siblings.
Indeed, she did.
“I really do love it here,” said Phillips, the senior captain of the school’s field hockey team, who leads the Spartans this season in both goals (18) and assists (11) through 14 games.
Her field hockey resume speaks for itself, and her learning curve is still growing, as she’s nearly doubled her goal-scoring output as she progressed through each grade of high school. An impressive feat, since she never even played the sport until she arrived at Holy Spirit High School.
“I started my freshman year out of nowhere,” Phillips said. “I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, [so] I chose field hockey, and here I am.”
In less than four years, Phillips has become a household name in South Jersey.
“Not only is she our leading scorer, but she sets everyone else up and makes everyone else look even better,” said first-year coach Kylie Mitchell. “She’s one of those players that you just want to play next to.”
The Spartans have seen plenty of success on the field this year. They were 11-3 through Oct. 26 and were hoping to secure a home playoff game in the upcoming state tournament. They also made history on Oct. 16 by playing for the first time in the Cape-Atlantic League Tournament, which began in 2020. It’s proven to be a little bit more than beginner’s luck for Mitchell.
“It feels awesome, but I can’t take credit for it,” Mitchell said. “It’s all the girls and their hard work. “Our captains had a meeting early in the season and said we need to get going and work harder. I can’t explain how lucky I got getting handed this group. They are such hard workers, and they are happy to come to practice.”
Phillips plans to enter the nursing field when she graduates in the spring. Though she doesn’t yet know where she will attend college, she knows she would like to continue playing field hockey at the next level.
Her uncertainty of her college plans had been troubling her until she received some advice from Mitchell. Mitchell was a standout goaltender at Seneca High School who graduated in 2020. She, too, didn’t know what her future held as her senior year winded down four years ago.
“It wasn’t until my last game that Stockton University actually saw me play and talked to me,” Mitchell recalled.
It was an uplifting moment for Mitchell after making 15 saves in an incredible effort in the Group 2 State championship that day. Although her Golden Eagles fell 3-2 to West Essex, Mitchell soon began her journey to Stockton, where she played the next four years and was annually named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association’s National Academic Squad, which requires a 3.5 or higher grade point average.
“I think Meghan is a great player who could play at a lot of places,” Mitchell said after Holy Spirit defeated Buena High School, 6-0, on Oct. 22. “I’m really excited to see where she ends up.”
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