[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 1 (Tuesday, January 25, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: January 25, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
IN HONOR OF VILLA JOSEPH MARIE HIGH SCHOOL'S CHAMPION GIRLS SOCCER TEAM

                                 ______


                        HON. JAMES C. GREENWOOD

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, January 25, 1994

  Mr. GREENWOOD. Mr. Speaker, resting in a secluded area of Holland PA, 
lies a small high school surrounded by over 200 acres of beautiful 
farmland once owned by William Penn and later the Cornell family of 
pre-Revolutionary times. The Villa Joseph Marie High School, attended 
by 250 young women, was founded by Mother Maria in 1932 when she 
traveled from Chicago to purchase this small farm for the Sisters of 
St. Casimir. The school started with 3 students and has grown to its 
present enrollment of 250 students led by its principal, Sister Mary 
Elaine. The Sisters of St. Casimir and the lay faculty have enjoyed 
success in the classroom with over 98 percent of the graduates going on 
to college. Success in athletics also is evident. The epitome was the 
soccer team's victories which led to the Pennsylvania State 
Championship against schools with enrollments as much as 10 times 
larger than the Villa's.
  The 1993 team had to rebuild due to the loss of six starters and 85 
percent of its offense. The rebuilding effort was successful and 
resulted in a victorious season and championship of the academy league. 
The team entered the district one playoffs as the No. 3 seeded team. 
The team defeated West Chester Henderson High School 2 to 1 in the 
quarter-finals and then came from behind to defeat Connestoga High 
School 2 to 1 in the semi-finals. In the district one championship game 
Villa again came from behind to defeat Mount St. Joseph Academy 3 to 1 
to earn a second trip to the State playoffs.
  In the first round of the State playoffs Villa defeated Danville High 
School 2 to 0. The team traveled to Somerset, PA, to play Mount Lebanon 
High School which was ranked No. 1 in the Nation by the National High 
School Soccer Coaches Association and U.S.A. Today newspaper. Mount 
Lebanon's team had a perfect record of 25 wins for the year. In a game 
played in heavy rain and ankle-deep mud, the much smaller Villa players 
fell behind 1 to 0 early in the first half. Somehow the Villa's players 
were able to gather the strength and will to play beyond their limits. 
Late in the second half, the team scored on a head goal by Cindy Long 
with less than 8 minutes left to play. The exhausted Villa team, 
playing in the mud and rain, assisted Erin Schlussel to achieve the 
winning goal with 77 seconds to play. A tired, but happy team returned 
to the Villa at midnight to prepare for the State championship game the 
following week.
  The team arrived at Shippensburg University on a cold and windy day 
for their second attempt at winning the State championship. This time 
the opposition was Erie McDowell High School. Despite McDowell's early 
goal, goalie Aileen Kevane worked diligently to turn away every shot to 
keep her team in the game. Early in the second half, freshman Tina 
Kuchler scored a goal to tie the game 1 to 1. The game ended tied. The 
first and second overtime periods maintained the tie. When the teams 
entered the third, sudden death overtime, it was Villa's Michele 
Canning who scored the goal that secured the State championship.
  The 1993 team was lead by cocaptains Aileen Kevane and Cindy Long. 
Other members of the champion Villa Joseph Marie soccer team include: 
Michele Canning, Erin Schlussel, Melina Kuchinov, Megan Sweeney, Kelly 
Pedrotty, Colleen McDonald, Nicole Rihl, Colleen Eves, Chris Casile, 
Erica Rauchut, Briar Mac Adams, Jaime Yhost, Lauren Cameron, Jamie 
Diven, Katie Craig, Justina Smith, Tina Kuchler, Bridget Rauchut; and 
Beth Markow. Head coach John McOwen was assisted by Dave Dilts, John 
Byford, and Marc Khodarkovsky.
  I want to extend my warmest congratulations to all the players, 
coaches, parents, and supporters of this championship team.

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