Flacco Sets Hawks Scoring Record

Coaches around the Colonial Conference all have the same question for Haddon Township High School field hockey coach Genevieve Hunter these days.

“They keep asking me is (Kim Flacco) a senior yet?” Hunter said with a laugh. “I tell them, unfortunately she is.”

Flacco has made a career out of tormenting opposing coaches, defenses and goalies with her relentless work ethic and goal scoring skills. And if it seems like she has been scoring on the competition for years, it’s because she has. A four-year starter, Flacco reached a personal milestone this week, scoring her school-record 78th and 79th goals.

Making the moment extra sweet for Flacco was that her two goals helped the Hawks record a 4-0 win over local rival Haddonfield.

“It feels great to get it against them,” Flacco said. “We all played great and deserved the win.”

“It was awesome,” added Hunter. “When she started getting close I started looking at the schedule and I didn’t know if she would make it this far, but thought it would be awesome for her to get the chance to do it at home against Haddonfield. I’m happy for her.”

Tuesday’s output now gives Flacco 20 goals on the season.

“It’s exciting more than anything,” Flacco said of the record. “It’s cool because it was set by a girl that is a great player in college now.”

The previous record of 77 goals was held by 2009 graduate Bridget Settles, who was last year A-10 Offensive Player of the year at Temple University.

Settles and Flacco have differences in their playing styles, but they are two of a kind when it comes to having touch in front of the cage.

“She’s very tenacious in the circle,” Hunter said. “There are always girls that just have that stick, where they have it angled correctly, She’s always right on the post and she just has that tenacity to get it in.’

Flacco said she first became aware of the record being within reach over the summer while sending out e-mails to coaches at colleges she was considering. Once she realized she had 59 goals entering her senior season, she knew the milestone was within reach.

“I added them all up and I realized I was pretty close and could do it this year,” Flacco said.

Flacco made the varsity team her freshman year and wasted no time showing that she had what it took to become one of the cornerstones of the program. By the end of her sophomore year Flacco had become the team’s go-to scorer.

“She has been starting for me since her freshman year and each year I relied a little more on her,” Hunter said. “She is a quiet girl, but she leads everyone by her example. She comes out to practice and gives 150 percent each day and that kind of trickles down to the rest of the team. It has been great having her for four years.”

Meanwhile, Haddon Township (10-2-1)—which also got goals from Sarah Gawrysiak and Shauna Penney and five saves from Jillian Caputo—has positioned itself to make a deep run in the playoffs.

The Hawks are peaking at the right time and Hunter believes that should translate into postseason success.

“Especially after (Tuesday), I’m pleased with how things are going,” Hunter said. “If we can continue this momentum for the rest of the season I can’t see us not going far in the playoffs this year.”