Tuesday, November 12 in Collegeville, PA on the campus of Ursinus College featured a much-anticipated State Championship match-up between two teams dominant on the national scale: the #1 Hill School and #3 Academy of Notre Dame.
The Hill School won its first PAISAA Field Hockey title in 2022 only to have Notre Dame earn the title the following year in 2023 in a thrilling 1-0 game. Earlier this season, The Hill School and Notre Dame faced off at Notre Dame, where Hill narrowly won by a margin of 1-0, thanks to a goal on a corner from Abby Gerdeman.
The stage was set for the finals between two of the top three high school teams in the United States. Notre Dame scored an early goal thanks to an entry pass from Reese Milone that was finished by Lexi Patton. Then, close to the end of the first quarter, Aubrey Turner deflected a pass past ND goalkeeper, Elanna Duff.
The first half ended 1-1 and showcased great opportunities on both sides of the ball. The second half was all Hill, though. After an Ella Kaplan goal off an assist from Haley Elliott, Hill dominated possession, earning corner after corner. They tallied 3 more goals in the second half, courtesy of Turner, Kaplan, and Opal Sparling.
This win 5-1 denied Notre Dame the chance to go back-to-back with the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association and has ended Hill’s undefeated season once again in the perfect way.
