POTTSTOWN — No matter the level or sport, nobody likes to lose, and multiple members of the Boyertown field hockey team affirmed this fact following 60 grueling minutes on Wednesday that ultimately ended in defeat.
But what a loss to the Hill School that it was — the first of the season for the Bears in seven games — one that has the power to recalibrate the belief and expectations that this team has for one another as the season moves forward from here.
Once it was over, the final scoreboard at Briggs S. Cunningham Field read Hill 2, Boyertown 0, but the proceedings felt much more meaningful given Hill’s stature as the top-ranked high school field hockey team in the nation, according to the preseason Top 25 rankings issued by MAX Field Hockey. The program, which finished ranked third nationally in 2023 with a 17-3 record, has taken another step up, armed with six Team USA U18 Junior National team members and three of the top 10 players in the Class of 2026. Hill has players committed to the top Division-I colleges in the sport: Virginia, Stanford, Duke, Maryland, North Carolina and Syracuse, to name a few.
“Our defense did an amazing job to keep us in the game,” Boyertown senior Peyton Shellaway said. “We came into the game knowing we could hang with them, and we showed that in the end result and throughout the whole game. We all stayed together.”
Boyertown head coach Alicia Terrizzi admitted that she struggled with her decision to put this game on her team’s schedule. The Bears entered the game at 5-0-1 and could have played any team in District 1, but Terrizzi also knew how good her own team was and wanted to see how the Bears stood up against the best team in the land, one she called “a different breed.”
Pretty good, as it turns out.
The Bears came out on the attack, drawing the first corner of the game and fighting to a scoreless draw after one period. This hard-fought battle nearly remained 0-0 at halftime before Hill’s Riley Savage put one past Boyertown goalie Abby Johnsen (nine saves) with 30 seconds left in the first half. Still, Hill led 4-0 at halftime in its first game of the season that it won 6-1, so this felt like a major accomplishment for the visitors.
“We went out there today and proved how good we are,” Terrizzi said. “These (Hill) kids are coming from different states all over the country, not just the 20 miles around here. We have all of our little Boyertown girls, and we’ve got a lot of good hockey players too. We need to take this and use it for the rest of our season. I’m so proud of my kids. They hung with them today.”
To be fair, 10 of the 17 players on Hill’s roster are from Pennsylvania, but also to Terrizzi’s point, Savage is from North Carolina and there are also players on the team from New Jersey, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia and New York. Spanning a wider net, Hill has a larger pool of talent to recruit from, and the talent on the field was certainly evident. The Rams had significant advantages in shots (22-4) and corners (14-3).
Boyertown’s Alaina Charlesworth said she definitely noticed a difference in Hill’s skills compared to the other teams the Bears had played.
“They were spread out more all over the field, which was different” she said. “They played big balls down the field that we were able to cut off and did very well marking them and stepping to them when they did. We really put pressure on them and made sure they were marked. We came in with an open mindset that we could win and were going to win.”
Hill’s Opal Sparling, who assisted on Savage’s second-quarter goal, added an insurance tally with 5:05 left in the third period. One thing Hill did especially well was limiting Boyertown’s offensive chances, to the point where goalie Natane King barely had to touch the ball. Kendal Gilbert had the Bears’ best chance of the game at the outset of the third quarter when she got behind King and had a lane to score, but Haley Elliott made a defensive save to preserve the shutout.
After the game, Hill’s players were certainly impressed with Boyertown’s effort. The Rams often looked uncomfortable and somewhat discombobulated, and while the top-ranked team in the country understands full well it is a marked unit for every team that steps out there on the field with them, how hard the Bears worked and responded to the challenge seemed to come as a bit of a surprise.
“It was all about their grit,” Sparling said. “Their defense was really strong, and they definitely outplayed us a lot of the time. They packed the circle and made it difficult for our forwards and midfielders to get around them. They were constantly moving and man-marking and never were caught lacking off the ball. It was a great job by them. They definitely made it difficult for us.”
“Us as a team, we know we have a target on our backs in every game we play,” Savage added. “We could tell they wanted it. They were fast, took their free hits quickly and found ways around our press. There are peaks and valleys, which showed in the game, and after these hard games we learn what we need to improve on.”
If anything, Boyertown’s Herculean effort only reaffirmed the team’s belief in themselves and one another. It certainly galvanized their goals moving forward from here as the Bears hope to qualify for their fourth straight PAC title game later this season as well as win their second league title in the past three years. Boyertown would also like to win a district title after making it to the semifinals a year ago.
After this game, Boyertown knows it can play with any team in America, and that is a powerful motivator from here on out.
“Our motto that Terrizzi tells us every day is ‘Better every game,’ no matter if we win or lose,” Bears senior Alex Bliss said. “Nobody likes to lose, yeah, but we learned so much and can build from here. Everything we’re working toward – this is just another step.”
Shellaway agreed with that assessment.
“I think now we definitely know we’re capable of more than we realized,” she said. “Only losing 2-0 is amazing for us against a team like Hill.”