Field Hockey
Favorite athlete: Alex Morgan
Favorite team: Philadelphia Flyers
Favorite memory competing in sports: Beating CB South in the rain as a sophomore.
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: When my friend went to hit the ball up the field and whiffed in front of a crowd of football players that were watching the game. They ended up making fun of her for it the next day in class, too.
Music on iPod: Ed Sheeran, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Foster the People
Future plans: Going to college, major in finance, and hopefully playing field hockey
Words to live by: “Be miserable. Or motivate yourself. Whatever has to be done, it’s always your choice.” – Wayne Dyer
One goal before turning 30: Have a good job and own a pug.
One thing people don’t know about me: I like to rock climb.
By Mary Jane Souder
Frankie Tossona is the very definition of the phrase “unsung hero.”
The North Penn senior has been a fixture in the starting lineup of the varsity field hockey team for the past three years, but she has never come anywhere close to the spotlight.
As a matter of fact, Tossona might well have gone unnoticed by just about everyone except those that matter most – her coaches and teammates. When coach Shannon McCracken needs someone to stop the opposing team’s top offensive weapon, Tossona is her player of choice.
“Last year we went against Upper Perk who had the kid that’s playing at UConn now, Casey Umstead, and she didn’t score a goal when we played them,” McCracken said. “Last year she marked Alexa Hoover when we played Methacton.
“I don’t think we’ve been up against any scorers with astonishing numbers this year, but we always called upon her to go against the big gun from the other team, and she’s always done a nice job of containing those players.”
When describing Tossona, McCracken repeatedly uses words like consistent and reliable – traits that won’t put your name in the headlines but are coveted by coaches.
“She has good, sound skills,” McCracken said. “She’s quiet, and she doesn’t have the statistics because she’s a back or midfielder, but she’s a solid, consistent player.
“She’s somewhat quiet on the field, but she doesn’t go unnoticed because she does a lot.”
So valued are the traits Tossona brings to the field that Central Bucks West coach Courtney Hughes was ecstatic when the North Penn senior opted to switch from her Mystx Club team to a Souderton Strikers squad coached by Hughes.
“She’s a very nice kid, but on the field, she’s strong and plays big,” Hughes said. “I really appreciate that she has that quiet confidence about her that she really uses to settle everyone down.
“Even the kids that have been playing with me for a while – she still came in and was able to be that quiet confidence and just does the right thing. She’s not flashy, but she does the right thing. She knows where the ball goes, she knows how to defend the ball, and she’s strong. She’s a pleasure to coach. She’s very coachable.”
Tossona’s decision to switch from the Mystx team that she had been with for the past two years to the Strikers was based strictly on logistics.
“Mystx was close to an hour away, and it was just far,” she said. “I really liked Mystx. I liked my coach, and I loved the people I played with.”
Field hockey has been Tossona’s sport of choice since she was ninth grade. Her introduction to the sport came in seventh grade playing for her middle school team, although she was still playing club soccer at the time.
Tossona admits she can’t really explain her decision to try out for hockey instead of playing soccer.
“I don’t really know,” she said. “My neighbor played it, and I thought it looked really fun.
“It was just something new, and I decided to try it. I went to a camp over the summer, and I liked it a lot. That’s when I decided.”
Soccer fell by the wayside when Tossona tried out for the high school team in ninth grade and earned a spot on jayvee. A year later, she was in the varsity lineup, and she’s been there ever since.
Tossona played right midfield as a sophomore and last year was center defensive back. This year, she rotates between the two positions depending on the Maidens’ formation.
“She’s not an extremely vocal player, but she leads by example,” McCracken said. “She leads by doing the right thing.
“She’s a player I use in practice for examples when I want to do drills when it comes to defense.”
Tossona’s personality is custom made to play defense.
“I like the part that you’re in the back, and you’re protecting the field without people thinking about it,” she said. “I kind of like being the last line of (defense), even though it’s kind of stressful. I don’t mind it.”
While Tossona might not be the most outspoken, she’s the first – according to McCracken – to reach out to the younger players.
“She helps the one freshman a lot that is playing some back, and she’s kind of taken her under her wing,” the Maidens’ coach said. “She’s a reliable teammate. She’s just a consistent, solid player that you can rely on.”
Tossona showed a different side of her personality while helping with McCracken’s summer hockey camp.
“She coached camps for little kids with me the last two summers and did awesome,” McCracken said. “That’s when I saw her come out of her shell a little more when she was teaching elementary kids field hockey.
“She really had fun with them. The girls loved her.”
“I didn’t know how I would feel about coaching,” Tossona said. “But I definitely like kids a lot.
“I originally thought about going into education because I really like kids, so doing that and doing field hockey was the perfect combination.”
While teaching will not be part of Tossona’s future, she is hoping that field hockey will be. Bentley University is one of her top schools, and she will be visiting the highly regarded New England school in the near future.
An honors student, Tossona, who is enrolled in a pair of AP classes, is planning to major in business, preferably finance.
Ask Tossona to name her dream job, and her answer speaks less about her career aspirations than it does about the person she is.
“I like to help people, so hopefully, I can incorporate business with that,” she said.
Tossona is a member of North Penn’s Key Club and has done over 100 hours of community service over the past two years. She points to time spent working with Easter Seals and children with disabilities as one of her favorite experiences.
She also is a member of the National Honor Society and North Penn’s Best Buddies program, which helps children with disabilities. She also finds time to hold down a part-time job at Brittany Pointe Retirement Home.
Wherever she winds up, Tossona – according to those who know her best – will be a welcome addition.
“She’s has great grades, she’s a great teammate, she’s reliable,” McCracken said. “She’s just a great kid.”
