Top Of The Decade

OK, so this is probably a feeble attempt at putting together the best players who played their high-school field hockey in the United States in the 1990s.There will be people who will be left off this list who are perfectly good players -- whether they were high-school stars known to but a few, or if they had a superb career in college after doing poorly in high school.

Our site has made an attempt to, through our network of journalists, coaches, and others, allow the best to rise to their exalted positions on the first team.

But when it comes to the myriad of "all-century" teams that came out in 1999, they were -- like our TopOfTheDecade team -- mainly products of recollection. Recollection is, as we all know, imperfect, since there are other perspectives needed. Heck, for all we know, despite all of the technological improvements in diet, exercise, physiology, and equipment, players from the early century like Bess Taylor and Mary Ann Harris might be better than modern icons Michelle Vizzuso and Tracey Fuchs.

This has not been an easy task. So many of our judgments can be colored by what players do in college. Judgment can also be colored by what playersfail to do: it is so easy to forget a superstar player who, because of injury or the choice of another sport, was unable to extend her legacy in the sport past the scholastic ranks.

Judgment can be colored by numbers: at least three goalkeepers in the 1990s had more than 50 shutouts each -- Kelly Baril of Peabody Bishop Fenwick (Mass.), Elizabeth Johnson of Hoosick Falls Central (N.Y.), and Joy Sweeney of Collinsville Canton (Conn.). Many other goalkeepers in the decade were able to gain shutout wins by virtue of their team being able to keep the ball away from the defensive end the entire 60 minutes.

It is also easy to have judgment clouded by Futures and national-team achievements. Journalists in one part of the country are ready to hand their "player of the decade" award to a U.S. national-teamer who did very little in high school, but blossomed after leaving for college.

So, what does this team attempt to achieve? We wanted to express the supreme level of importance of the high-school game, to give it relevance in the face of the myriad of off-season competitions. Certainly, they are valuable, but there is nothing like going out in the fall, playing for eight weeks from late summer heat to winter's chill, to bond with teammates, and perhaps win a tournament championship of some sort.

Who was the best of the decade, then? Read below, and let's start the debate.

FIRST TEAM
Pos.	Name	School	State	Report
Forward	Michelle Vizzuso	North Caldwell West Essex	NJ	69 goals her senior season, chosen NJ Player of Century
Forward	Dina Rizzo	Walpole	MA	Helped in a 95-game win streak
Forward	Meredith Thorpe	St. Louis John Burroughs	MO	Gateway's top prospect in early 1990s
Forward	Carissa Messimer	Crestwood	PA	145 goals in high school, one of the best in the 90s
Wing	Katie Nicholson	Allentown	NJ	Top '99 prospect dazzled for four years
Point forward	Lori Mastropietro	Newtown Council Rock	PA	Flexible performer delivered when it counted
Midfield	Cindy Werley	Emmaus	PA	Amazing player changed the game in Pocono region
Midfield	Lori Vile	Medford Lakes Shawnee	NJ	The first of the "thinking" players had forehand and backhandhits
Midfield	Maegan Galie	Fairview Village Methacton	PA	Many have said she has the most skill of anyone outside Werley
Midfield	Carla Tagliente	Marathon	NY	Great all-around game, was known primarily as a striker and distributor
Link	Mererdith Weinstein	Princeton Jct. W. Windsor	NJ	The best at changing fields with a sizzling hit
Back	Mary Beth Hogan	Garden City	NY	The keystone behind much of a 32-game shutout streak
Back	Pembry Keller	Wilmington Tower Hill	DE	The older of the two sisters who were amongst Delaware's best
Back	Robyn Kenney	Flemington Hunterdon Cent.	PA	Fluid marker who was a dependable corner scorer as well
Marking back	Kelli Gannon	Escondido San Pasqual	CA	Multiple All-American who played for Team USA
Corner striker	Jessica Coleman	W.Long Branch Shore Regional	NJ	Scored numerous Shore goals from the back before moving to midfield
Corner flyer	Steph Harvilla	Hightstown Peddie School	NJ	Perhaps the single toughest player in the decade
Goalkeeper	Gia Fruscione	Princeton Stuart Country Day	NJ	Tough, smart, would almost singlehandedly repel opposing attacks

SECOND TEAM
Pos.	Name	School	State	Report
Forward	Lorraine Vizzuso	North Caldwell West Essex	NJ	Breathtaking attacker who may have been the best pure athlete
Forward	Traci Forchetti	Newtown Council Rock	PA	Great sniper who sacrificed everything to get the ball
Forward	Beth Korkin	Louisville Collegiate	KY	Two-time All-American who may have been South's best
Forward	Meredith Elwell	Moorestown	NJ	Crafty player who could beat you with speed or skill
Wing	Hilary Matson	Marathon	NY	Scored many of her goals from tremendous speed outrunning the ball
Point forward	Lindsey Gehris	Medford Lakes Shawnee	NJ	Played as if the ball was magnetized to her stick
Midfield	Sonje Volla	Bala Cynwyd Episcopal Academy	PA	Smooth, fluid player who was extremely coachable
Midfield	Kim Miller	Va. Beach Frank W. Cox	VA	Out of a galaxy of Beach stars, she stood out
Midfield	Kate Barber	Unionville	PA	Quick, powerful, was the engine for some early '90s teams
Midfield	Kathleen Kelly	W. Long Branch Shore Reg.	NJ	Quick scorer who managed the devastating Shore teams of the early 90s
Link	Julie Williamson	Collingswood	NJ	Skilled midfielder who played for national team in early 90s
Back	Missy Grossman	Emmaus	PA	One of the many architects of Hornets' 23-game shutout streak
Back	Emily Townsend	Taft School	CT	Texan was perhaps the most intimidating figure amongst the preps
Back	Laura Phelan	Mountain Top Crestwood	PA	Incredibly impressive midfield presence who helped out everywhere
Marking back	Kristin Gavin	N. Caldwell West Essex	NJ	Excellent marker who never backed down from her responsibilities
Corner striker	Jana Toepel	Unionville	PA	One of the few three-S women: skill, speed, strike
Corner flyer	Tiffany Fodera	Allentown	NJ	All -around back could do a lot, but drove opposing strikers nuts
Goalkeeper	Audrey Latsko	Emmaus	PA	Nimble feet, never failed to come up with the good save