PAC Field Hockey Final Four Preview: Methacton-Spring-Ford, Upper Perkiomen-Boyertown
The Pioneer Athletic Conference Field Hockey Final Four commences Tuesday, 6 p.m. at Upper Perkiomen.
Top-seed and Liberty Division champion Methacton meets wild card Spring-Ford in Keeny Stadium while No. 2 Frontier champion Upper Perkiomen faces No. 3 Boyertown on Tribe Field.
A breakdown of the matchups, both at 6 p.m.:
Methacton (1) vs. Spring-Ford (4)
Records: Methacton: 9-1 PAC Liberty, 12-1 PAC, 16-2 overall, Liberty champion, No. 6 in District 1-3A rankings. Spring-Ford: 6-4 PAC Liberty, 9-4 PAC, 10-8 overall, second wild card, No. 17 in District 1-3A rankings.
Head-to-head: Methacton blanked Spring-Ford 4-0 and 3-0 within a week in mid-September.
PAC Playoff History >> Methacton lost 2-1 to Boyertown in overtime in last year’s semifinals. The Warriors won the PAC title in 2008 and 2017 (3-1 over two-time defending champion Owen J. Roberts). Spring-Ford’s last appearance was in 2016, losing 1-0 to Owen J. Roberts. The Rams have won two titles, the most recent in 2012.
Warriors at a glance >> Methacton lost 3-1 early in the season to Oley Valley — currently ranked No.1 in District 3-A — and then ran off 14 wins in a row before a 2-0 setback to Boyertown. The Warriors got plenty of playoff experience last year while finishing fourth in the district before losing to undefeated and eventual champion Emmaus in the PIAA tournament.
This year, a stingy defense led by Penn State-bound Elise DeWan and the goalkeeping of Emily Drake and Natalie Drake has allowed only 19 goals in 18 matches. On offense, a veteran lineup including senior Nicole Uebele, juniors Lily DeWan and Renee Blake and sophomore Carmela Maro has produced 80 goals.
Rams at a glance >> Spring-Ford lost three straight non-league games to start the season and stood at 3-6 after the two losses to Methacton. Since then, the Rams have gone 7-2 with losses only to District 1’s No. 8 Downingtown East and No. 6 Boyertown. They have scored 63 goals while allowing 41.
Matchup >> Methacton out-scored Spring-Ford by a combined 7-0 in their two meetings, but the Rams have improved after a rocky start and overall team speed makes them a dangerous opponent for anyone. Probably closer this time, but probably still a Warriors win … 3-1?
Upper Perkiomen (2) vs. Boyertown (3)
Records: Upper Perkiomen: 10-0 PAC Frontier, 10-3 PAC, 12-6 overall, PAC Frontier champion, No. 5 in District 1-2A rankings Boyertown: 9-1 PAC Liberty, 11-1-1 PAC, 14-3-1 overall, first wild card, No. 8 in District 1-3A rankings.
Head-to-head >> Boyertown downed Upper Perkiomen 3-2 on Sept. 26 after suffering its only PAC loss to Methacton in its previous outing.
PAC Playoff History >> Upper Perkiomen defeated Perkiomen Valley 3-2 in the semifinals and Boyertown 3-1 in the final last year for its third straight title, only the third time that has been accomplished in the PAC’s 35-year history. The Indians have been an almost yearly playoff contender and have won seven championships.
Boyertown made its first playoff appearance since 2008 last season. The Bears won 2-1 in overtime in the semifinals over Methacton with Katelyn Dulin recording two assists. Boyertown won its only title in 2002 in its first season after moving from the Berks Conference to the PAC.
Indians at a glance >> Upper Perkiomen went undefeated in its division, but lost all three of its matchups to the larger Liberty Division schools, including Boyertown. The Indians have outscored their opponents 84-36. Their non-league contests included an early-season 3-1 win over last year’s PIAA Class 3A quarterfinalist Twin Valley and a recent 2-0 loss to Oley Valley. Last year, they finished fourth in the district and seven players who earned All-PAC honors are in the lineup this year.
Bears at a glance >> Boyertown has gone 6-0-1 since losing 5-2 to Methacton on Sept. 23. Michigan State-bound Katelyn Dulin was The Mercury Player of the Year last season and she is no less impressive this year. But she is not a one-player show on an offense that has scored 61 times and the defense has allowed just 25 goals.
Matchup >> Upper Perkiomen defeated the Bears in last year’s final andhas tradition and a desire to win another title on its side. But Boyertown has won big games whenever it needed to this year and wants to better last year’s playoff performance. Will Boyertown win again in another close one, 3-2 like the regular season match?
