A pillar of local field hockey community hosts showcase game
Longstreth Sporting Goods staged an All-American game featuring the nation’s top players in the class of 2025.
With women’s sports on the rise, athletic retailers and stores are increasing their selection and knowledge of equipment. Longstreth Sporting Goods, however, has always put women’s sports first.
“Our mission is to support women’s sports,” said Longstreth CEO John Schaefer. “We want a younger player to feel special when they come into our store and see that everything there is just for them, not have to worry about guys’ football helmets or shoulder pads or people that don’t know much about women’s sports.”
The Spring City-based retail store opened in 1986 and specializes in field hockey equipment. On Friday, it branched into a new side of women’s athletics — hosting its first inaugural Senior All-American Game at the Proving Grounds in Conshohocken, featuring 45 of the top field hockey players in the nation in the class of 2025.
Before the game, athletes were invited to attend a leadership seminar ran by coaches and members of the U.S. women’s national team.
“I was very grateful that I got to hear everything from them, especially because they were looking back and wishing they knew all this information going into college,” said Aimee Largoza, a graduate of Downingtown Stem who will play at Villanova in the fall. “It’s really nice to know it now and take it into college with me, rather than having to learn it on my own.”
The seminar spotlighted Ange Bradley, the U.S. women’s team’s U21 coach; Amy Coffey, the director of the Penn Athletics Wharton Leadership Academy; and Andrea Wieland, a field hockey Olympian and performance psychologist. Three Team USA players also spoke: Kealsie Reeb, Jillian Wolgemuth, and Brooke Deberdine.
Bradley, a Drexel Hill native, served as the head field hockey coach at Syracuse from 2007 to 2022. She led the team to its first NCAA championship in 2015.
“Longstreth’s been a pillar of the field hockey community in this area since I was a kid,” Bradley said. “I think to see how they’ve kept with it, grown and expanded the sports and now sponsoring this, I’m incredibly grateful, and it’s really cool to see that they’re giving back to the community that they’ve supported so much.”
The event wasn’t just special for the locals.
Bradley’s successor at Syracuse, Lynn Farquhar, had four incoming freshmen selected for the game. Syracuse has already begun its summer training, but Farquhar wanted her players to attend Friday’s event.
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“She got a van for the four of us, and she drove us down because she really wanted us to have this experience,” said goalie Natane “Tane” King, a graduate of The Hill School who’s the daughter of former Sixers general manager Billy King. “I’m really grateful for it.”
The 45 players participating were split into Team North and Team South, with players on Team South traveling from as far as Texas and California for the event. Team North was dominated by Pennsylvania natives.
“I like the familiarity with everyone, there’s such a community of field hockey here,” said forward Olivia Marthins, who committed to Penn State and is a Haddonfield Memorial graduate. “I just love the community, because everyone around us is supporting us. They know what everyone’s going through as well. I know most of these players too. I’m friendly with all of them, so I just love playing with everyone.”
When Barbara Longstreth started selling field hockey sticks out of the trunk of her car in 1977, she didn’t know that the company would become a cornerstone for the field hockey community. Longstreth played college field hockey at Arcadia, then called Beaver College, and was a member of the national team from 1960 to 1966. She was inducted to the USA Field Hockey Hall of Fame in 2022.
“When I went to get my first set of gear, it was from Longstreth,” King said. “I continue to get gear from them, so they’ve definitely helped me out. I don’t know where I’d be getting my gear without Longstreth.”
Added Marthins: “I think what they’re doing right now is so incredible, especially since this is their first year of doing this, I’m honored to be here and play with all these people.”