Vikings take third straight
title in field hockey

By Melissa Yerkov
Times Sports Editor

On game day, opponents of the Northeast High School girls’ field hockey team are usually seeing double.
But the Vikings themselves are much more concerned with seeing triple.
And they finally did, when Northeast won its third consecutive Public League championship on Halloween, defeating George Washington High School 4-0.
"Winning three in a row is special," said coach Mitch Kline, who has been leading the Vikings for five years. "And when you can share it with such an incredible group of student athletes like we have, it’s really special."
At the frontline of the Vikings’ success are twin midfielders Kim and Jen Steinke, who have helped their squad score an undefeated season in league play, finishing with an impressive 14-0 record.
"The other teams always notice immediately," said Jen, referring to her identical twin. "They always know. They’ll say something like ‘Block to twins,’ because we work well together."
And the Steinke sisters certainly did during the Vikings’ final match-up, held at the Public League’s supersite in Germantown last week. With an assist from Kim, forward Alisa Cornell scored the Vikings’ first goal within the first three minutes of the game. Quickly thereafter, Kim scored another goal along with midfielder Katie Benek, giving the Vikings a 3-0 lead by halftime.
Forward Stephanie Campanaro closed out the scoring within the first two minutes of the second half.
"The girls came out strong from the very beginning," said Kline. "You don’t always know how they’re going to respond during a big game. But today they came out calm and cool and very focused on what we wanted to do…and they did it to perfection."
The title win prolongs two years of excellence for the Vikings, who are now on a 28-game winning streak in league play.
"You never want to be too confident, but we know we have a very strong team and can take on anybody as long as the whole team stays together and works as a team," Jen said after the title win. "It’s very exciting to have an undefeated season. It definitely adds to the thrill of today."
The two natural athletes picked up a field hockey stick for the first time as freshmen and have since become four-year varsity players and current team captains.
"When they came here, they had never played hockey before," said Kline. "They went from being unsure and timid to becoming outstanding hockey players. They can control the ball. They helped and motivated the kids. You couldn’t ask for better captains and better kids."
Now, the 16-year-old duo are graduating as three-time Public League champions.
"This is a dream come true," said Kim. "This moment right now makes it all worth it. It’s the greatest feeling."
And the only thing that could make it better is sharing it with her loved ones. The Steinke twins, alongside their cousin Benek, have collectively transformed the Vikings’ midfield into a family affair.
"This is definitely a family win," said Kim. "We’ve all played together forever, so of course it helps our game on the field. We’re always messing around with field hockey. My mom and aunt will play with us at family parties and stuff. You could say it’s a family thing."
The sisters are doing everything they can to uphold that family tradition.
"It’s nice having someone to rely on," said Jen. "Me and my sister work together. People always call us ‘twin power.’ I love having her on the team and I’m hoping that we can keep playing together in college."
Currently Kim and Jen are looking into Immaculata, Cabrini, Kutztown and other schools, but no final decisions have been made. The most important thing is finding a school that will allow them to pursue their athletic and academic dreams side by side.
After all, everything else in their life is done that way.
In addition to their field hockey adventures, Jen and Kim are both midfielders on Northeast’s soccer team and the Fox Chase travel soccer team, and they even take tap, jazz and hip-hop dance classes together.
"We pretty much do everything together," said Kim with a laugh. "But I really like playing with my sister and I think we work really well together, so it’s great."
The soccer program at Northeast schedules the boys’ season in the fall and the girls’ squad in the spring. So while Jen and Kim have to say goodbye to their field hockey career with the Vikings, they’re not completely done just yet.
"I’m really looking forward to soccer now," said Jen. "The girls on the team is what makes everything so much fun. Both field hockey and soccer are such great sports, but just coming out every day and being a part of a team is what makes it worthwhile." ••