POTTSTOWN: A semifinal is by nature a precursor to the next big thing.
That description fit Thursday’s PAISAA field hockey semifinal between Agnes Irwin and host Hill School. In the back of their minds, both had another marquee meeting in the recesses of their minds.
The only difference: The Hill School needed a victory to set up theirs.
The reigning Pa. Independent Schools Athletic Association champions earned their place back in the state final Thursday thanks to Riley Savage’s third-quarter score that was the difference in a 2-1 triumph over Agnes Irwin.
Hill (16-2), the No. 4 ranked team in Max FIeld Hockey’s national top 25 rankings, advanced to earn its rematch with Academy of Notre Dame. Notre Dame, which dispatched last year’s finalist Episcopal Academy 5-0 in the other semifinal, overtook Hill for No. 1 in Max’s national ranking after their head-to-head meeting.
Getting another crack at Notre Dame was on the wishlist for Opal Sparling, who celebrated her 16th birthday by scoring Hill’s opening goal in the first quarter. Despite a 16-2 record and top 5 national ranking, the loss to Notre Dame weighs heavily on Hill.
“There’s definitely been some rocky roads with being No. 1 and then dropping all the way to five,” she said. “It’s definitely been a tough one at times, but having a rematch against Notre Dame will be really good and we definitely think we can take them this time. I think it’s all up from here.”
Agnes Irwin’s rivalry date was already set, whether a win or loss came Thursday. A pep rally Thursday night leading into their season finale with rival Episcopal Academy quickly shifted the Owls’ focus.
“We have our rival day (Friday) against EA, so that’s a really big game. We beat them earlier this season 2-1 (on Oct. 10),” said junior Caroline Chisholm. “So it’ll be another tight game. We’re ready.”
Chisholm, a Boston College commit, impressed for Agnes Irwin. She was a danger for the Owls and set up the team’s lone goal, her blast from a penalty corner tipped in by Ali Gerber to cut the Hill lead to one at the 7:02 mark of the third quarter.
The No. 3 seeded Owls showed their quality against the touted Blues, which were 9-0 winners over Academy of the New Church in the first round.
“They’re obviously a great team,” said Chisholm. “I think they’re the top team in the country. They have a ton of skill and they have a ton of skilled players. But we brought the hustle and everyone on this team wants to be here. We love the sport and we play because we love each other and not because we’re told to.”
Hill came out strong in the third quarter after a substandard second quarter and cashed in for the eventual game-winner when junior Aubrey Turner drove down the right side before making a centering pass that found Savage toward the back post. The junior from Charlotte, N.C., made the play of the day with her lofted reverse shot that elevated past AIS goalie Sara Davis, who patrolled the goal well throughout (12 saves).
“They’re a very good and aggressive team, so we’ve really had to work our way around them and not get too stressed out,” said Sparling (Chester Springs). “We had to focus and not get freaked out. Once we did that, once we started not forcing the ball, we could easily get around them again to the circle.
“In the second half we definitely stood our ground and we took the game back.”
Hill’s overall quality shone through down the stretch, with strong play crucial contributions all over the lineup, whether on defense from junior goalie Natane King and sophomores Sofia Ferri (Phoenixville) and Mae Dixon, freshman Claire Turner (Downingtown); midfielders Abigail Gerdeman (Chester Springs), Haley Elliott and Sparling; and forwards Anna Cowan and Jaedyn Scarlatos – Hill’s only two seniors – alongside Aubrey Turner and Savage.
It was a magical run for Hill winning its first PAISAA championship in 2022. Yet, with 12 seniors and an arc built for the moment, it was meant to be. With only two seniors, a new head coach in Gabby Gomez and the target of being reigning champions this year, the degree of difficulty has risen and still the Blues have come through.
“Gomez is a great coach, so she kept the vibe pretty strong,” Sparling said. “We had 12 and we only have two this year. So I think that the (quantity of senior) leadership is lacking in our group. But our seniors (Cowan, Scarlatos) are still doing a great job.”
As a freshman, Sparling scored the game-winning goal in the final minute of last year’s PAISAA final, an epic start to her scholastic career. A year later, she’s a central figure for Hill in all it does.
“Now that I’m someone who’s been here before, I feel like I’m obligated to have more of a leadership role on the team and I feel like I’m being successful,” she said.
Next Wednesday’s PAISAA championship game will be held at Ursinus College (4 p.m.), pitting two of the top 5 teams in the country against each other. Hill may enter as underdogs while trailing the season head-to-head with ND, but the Blues feel they are better because of the earlier setback.
“it hurt, but it was something that probably needed to happen,” Sparling said. “It was a lesson that we needed to learn because we were maybe getting a little too cocky from being the No. 1 team for so long. It’s a good challenge for us to work our way back up.”
