Somehow, the regular season for Lehigh Valley high school field hockey is already nearing its end with Colonial League and EPC play wrapping up the week of October 12th. At this point, most teams have over ten games under their belts, and some interesting storylines are emerging.

In the Colonial League, Salisbury has worked its way to the top of the league standings with an overall record of 10-1-1. While not a huge surprise, in recent years it has been intriguing to watch Salisbury, Northwestern, and Southern Lehigh jockey for the top spot in the league. The Falcons took down the Spartans 3-1 and the Tigers 2-1 in late September. However, as history has shown, it becomes anyone’s game during the playoffs. Salisbury failed to advance to the Colonial League championship game last fall only to turn around and take down Southern Lehigh 2-0 to win the District XI AA championship.

The Falcons’ only loss during the regular season thus far came in a non-conference match up against Oley Valley back during the first week of the season. They also came to a draw against Pen Argyl, another team working its way up in the standings among the more usual suspects in Northwestern, Southern Lehigh, and Bangor.

Pen Argyl is off to an overall 9-3-2 record, taking down reigning Colonial League and District XI A champion Northwestern Lehigh in a 1-0 shutout in the second week of the season, Their three losses came against Bangor, Saucon Valley and just recently Southern Lehigh, and its ties resulting from the Salisbury matchup as well as a 1-1 game against Palisades. The Green Knights also took down Whitehall in non-conference play by a score of 3-1. For a team who just surpassed an overall season .500 win percentage in 2025, this is a notable climb.

Pen Argyl had yet another big test this week, traveling to Southern Lehigh (now 11-4) to take on the Spartans on October 7th. The Green Knights hung with the Spartans during the first half, going into halftime down just 1-0 after surrendering a goal with less than a minute to go in the first quarter. They even tied things up 1-1 early in the third quarter with a goal off the stick of senior Veda Santo.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

You can tell a lot about a program based on the non-conference games on their schedule. And at this point in the year, with only a handful of games under their belts, those non-conference games can often give the best hints about how the season may play out.

The reigning state champion Emmaus Hornets’ non-conference schedule includes some top-tier opponents, most notably New Jersey’s Oak Knoll, Cumberland Valley, Downington West, and Palmyra. How they perform in those matches will provide some indication of how they compare to teams outside of District XI.

We saw a glimpse of that last weekend when the Hornets took on a strong Oak Knoll team. Oak Knoll won back-to-back NJ state championships in 2024 and 2025, went 22-1 last season and was ranked #1 in NJ and #4 in the nation. After winning their first four games by a combined score of 44-0, this was Emmaus’s first real test.

“We hadn’t had a great amount of challenges starting off the season, so we knew this was going to be our first challenge. Going into it, we realized it was going to have to be a step up,” said Romano.

And step up they did. Emmaus played a strong game throughout, defeating Oak Knoll by a score of 3-2, despite a last minute goal in a comeback effort from Oak Knoll. The performance was highlighted by stellar goalkeeping by senior keeper and Monmouth University-commit Emily Romano and two goals from a new face–sophomore Elin Rainford. These were Rainford’s first goals at the varsity level in what was likely the closest varsity game she has played.
 

Emmaus scores goal in their 3-2 victory against Oak Knoll on 9/12/26.

 
As for the EPC teams trying to knock off the Hornets, Easton, who fell to Emmaus in the EPC championship last year, has a non-conference slate that includes Wyoming Seminary (which resulted in a 1-0 loss for the Red Rovers early in the season), Warren Hills Regional and Crestwood. Parkland, who held Emmaus to just a single goal in their 2025 District XI championship 1-0 loss, fell to Wilson West Lawn 3-2 in non-conference play early in the year and will take on Penn Manor and Boyertown in the coming weeks.

In the Colonial League, the District XI AA winner in 2025, Salisbury, who advanced to the Quarterfinal Round of the PIAA AA State Championship last season, took on Oley Valley in a non-conference matchup in the third game of their season, losing by a score of 3-1.

Northwestern, who took the top spot in the Colonial League and in District XI A in 2025, will have their turn against Oley Valley on September 25th–less than a week before they match up against Salisbury for the first time. How the game against Oley goes for Northwestern could provide some insight into how they’ll square up against the Falcons.

In addition to Oley Valley, the Tigers have several other tough non-conference opponents on their schedule, including Palmyra, Parkland, and Crestwood.

The Tigers’ season started strong with three straight shutout wins against Wilson Area, Moravian Academy, and Northern Lehigh. They fell in a tight match 1-0 to Pen Argyl before taking on likely the toughest opponent on their schedule in a non-conference match up against the Palmyra Cougars. Palmyra, which is out of District III, is the reigning PIAA AA State Champion. The Cougars won the match in dominant fashion by a score of 6-0. While not the outcome for which Northwestern was hoping, the game provided the Tigers with a challenge that will help them prepare for their remaining matches.

There are also several key conference matchups worth keeping an eye on in the next month. Salisbury will take on Southern Lehigh on September 28th, just a day before they’ll face Northwestern Lehigh. Southern Lehigh will visit Northwestern Lehigh on September 18th.

Parkland will take on Northampton on September 22nd and then Easton on October 1st. They’ll finish out the regular season hosting Emmaus at 7pm on October 13th. The Trojans may be Emmaus’s toughest opponent in the EPC and District XI.

As for the Hornets, they’re not resting on the laurels of their 2025 state championship.

“It’s great that we won the state championship. And it’s great to celebrate it. But once that new season starts, we kind of let it go and now think about what our new goal is,” said Romano.

That new goal is almost certainly a repeat state championship. If their first non-conference is any indication, they may have a good shot.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Photo courtesy of Doris Pursell 

If you only casually keep tabs on local high school field hockey, it may seem like it’s been more of the same this season for the EPC–Emmaus dominating while the normal cast of characters–Parkland, Easton–put together valiant efforts to challenge the Hornet dynasty.  

But if you look a bit closer, you may have noticed that an unfamiliar name emerged in the EPC and District XI 3A bracket–that of the Freedom Patriots. 

The Patriots put together an 7-6 EPC record, which qualified them for the postseason for the first time in ten years.  

The program came close the past two years–finishing 8-9-1 and coming just short of qualifying for either playoff.  

Prior to that, Freedom finished 4-14.  

That was Coach Chelsea (formerly Quinn) Cohen’s first year as Freedom’s head field hockey coach. 

Photo courtesy of Doris Pursell 

Cohen, a 2013 Easton graduate who continued her playing career in college at Ohio State, came to Freedom after coaching the JV team at Easton for five years. During that time, Easton was consistently advancing to championship games and putting together valient challenges to the Emmaus dynasty. 

Coming in as the head coach of the program, Cohen was excited and eager to bring that same culture of winning from her time at Easton to the Freedom program. She admits that she had very high expectations when she first took over the program and that 4-14 first season was a bit of a reality check, leading Cohen to think: “this might not happen overnight”. 

Cohen immediately focused on changing the mindset. She stressed to players that they had the talent they needed to be competitive, but they first needed to believe that. 

This came naturally to the coach, who shared that she spent much of her four years at Ohio State developing grit and building character. Cohen said that when she arrived in Columbus, she realized she was suddenly a “little fish in a big pond”. She fought week after week to earn a spot on the travel squad, and she calls upon that experience of digging deep and working hard today as she works to build her program. 

Now, it certainly hasn’t been all mindset. Cohen has worked tirelessly to develop her players from a skillset and experience perspective, all the while remaining focused on establishing a winning culture for the program. This ranges from everything from involving herself in local club field hockey organizations and encouraging her players to play in the offseason, to inviting middle school players to ball-girl at games.  

Cohen’s involvement as a coach in the local club program, Phoenix Performance Academy, has created a bridge that provides an opportunity for her players to continue playing in the offseason. 

“A good majority of the team has joined the club space and has been playing year-round, which is awesome to see,” shared Cohen.   

“Girls getting the opportunity to play year round is important and a big part of the success.” 

Photo courtesy of Doris Pursell 

Not only that, but the offseason involvement has almost certainly contributed to players earning the opportunity to play at the college level. 

This includes 2025 Freedom grad, Aly Laubach, who has continued her playing career at Mercyhurst. Cohen credits Laubach with contributing to turning the program around: “She just has that competitive edge and will to win. She was an amazing kid that everyone looked up to in a way that your program just feeds off those players”. 

In addition to Laubach, Cohen highlighted Carly Kuehner, who was a senior leader on the 2025 squad. Kuehner has committed to play at Franklin & Marshall next year. Like Laubach, Cohen shared that Kuehner has a “want to win at all costs”, and that mentality set a valuable example for her teammates.  

Cohen also offered praise to her coaching staff, many of whom have been by her side since she started at Freedom.  

But they’re not done yet. Cohen is focused on making earning a spot in the playoffs the standard for Freedom field hockey. As they move into offseason training and focus on development and rebuilding, she’s not just looking to repeat the success, but to be even better next fall. She’s looking to find ways to turn some of those close losses and ties into victories.  

“I just try to give them the tools and try to get them to believe in themselves. They’ve had the capability of success all along,” shared Cohen.  

Photo courtesy of Doris Pursell 

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

For Emmaus, it was their 37th straight. For Northwestern Lehigh, it was their fourth straight. And for Salisbury, it was their first ever District XI championship. Over the course of the last week of October, District XI 1A, 2A, and 3A field hockey champions were crowned–with Salisbury defeating Southern Lehigh on Wednesday, Northwestern beating Wilson on Friday night, and Emmaus taking down rival Parkland on Saturday morning.

For Salisbury, the Falcons had to regroup after falling in the Colonial League playoff to Northwestern 3-2 after entering the tournament as the #1 seed and finishing the regular season with an overall record of 16-1. Northwestern would later go on to defeat Southern Lehigh in overtime for the Colonial League championship by a score of 2-1.

With Northwestern dropping to 1A in the District XI playoffs, Salisbury did not have to worry about meeting up with the Tigers again. Instead, it would be defending District XI 2A champion Southern Lehigh, a team that Salisbury split with during the regular season–taking the first matchup in late September by a score of 3-0 before falling to the Spartans 2-1 in the last regular season game of the year. This would be the only regular season loss for the Falcons.

In the rubbermatch, Salisbury was able to convert on two penalty corners and keep the Spartans off the scoreboard–leading to a 2-0 victory and their first District XI championship of all time. For a team that struggled to even qualify for the playoffs just a few years ago, the Falcon’s trajectory has been remarkable. As of late, there seems to be a budding rivalry emerging between Salisbury and Southern Lehigh.

Speaking of rivals, it was a pair of familiar faces meeting at Salisbury High School on Saturday morning as Emmaus and Parkland vied for the District XI 3A title. The Trojans made sure the Hornets’ 37th straight District XI title did not come easy. It wasn’t the first time this year Parkland gave Emmaus a scare–having fallen to the Hornets by a score of just 2-1 in their last regular season conference game of the year. Perhaps then, it’s no surprise that the second meeting would be just as tight.

It took over 20 minutes of play for Emmaus to find the back of the net– finally doing so on a goal from Sharlise Solano off a penalty corner in the third quarter. Despite several additional scoring opportunities for both teams, that would be the one and only goal of the game. It was as tight of a contest as Emmaus had seen all year.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

For most teams, a season following the graduation of eight seniors would have almost certainly been considered a rebuilding year. And maybe, early on, some people thought that’s what the 2025 season would be for head coach Lissa Opolsky’s Northwestern Lehigh Tigers. The Tigers proved those people wrong, upsetting the No. 2 seed Southern Lehigh Spartans in overtime 2-1 to win their second Colonial League Champion in as many years.

It wasn’t an easy road. Even though the current 2025 fall roster touted another 11 seniors, many of those players lacked the same experience that the 2025 graduates had.

The team started off their season with a 2-0 loss to Salisbury, who would go on to earn the top seed in the league playoff (only to be knocked out in the second round by Northwestern). They would suffer two additional league losses and two non-conference losses throughout the regular season.

Coach Opolsky reflected that it took some time to determine the right lineup.

“We knew that we were going to learn some things along the way. Losing tells you a little more about what you need to do,” said Opolsky.

“We have a lot of people that can play a lot of positions. Figuring out the right combination of that is dependent on getting a lot of competitive games.”

And while they seem to have figured it out, Coach Opolsky shared that she still evaluates each game and each opponent to determine what makes sense for her lineup. Sometimes, that means switching things up.

“Any given game may give us some different challenges along the road. Depending on who we’re playing, I could call on a different person to play a different position.”

For example, if a little extra fire is needed on offense, she’ll move senior center midfielder Hannah Gober to the forward line and have an underclassman fill her spot in the midfield.

It would be Gober who would set up the Tiger offense to take home the gold in the Colonial League championship.

After what was a back and forth, swinging momentum-style game, the Spartans and Tigers found themselves tied 1-1 at the end of regulation. It took a powerful speech from Coach Opolsky and just three minutes into overtime until Northwestern would find the back of the net in the sudden death period.

On their second attacking penalty corner, Gober received the insert at the top of the circle, skillfully read the Spartan defense and goalkeeper, identified that the keeper’s weight was shifted to one side, and played the ball towards the cage in the opposite direction. That would set up senior Taylor Langley for the game (check that–championship) winning OT goal.

Fittingly, Langley, who Opolsky called the Tiger’s “engine on the field”, is known for saying she’ll “do anything to win”.

Reflecting on the season so far, the coach also praised the performances of seniors Amelia Birch and Haley Kerschner, as well as junior Bloomsburg-commit Faith Slifer, who has stepped up in many games.

Northwestern will go on as the No. 1 Seed in the District XI 1A playoff, earning a bye for the first round. The Tigers will take on Palmerton in a second round match up at Northern Lehigh on Monday.

As is always the case, Opolsky shared, the goal is to earn another trophy. However, like any good coach, she noted that “above all else”, it’s about playing good hockey.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

If you blink (or get tied up in a project at work…), you just might miss the high school field hockey regular season. Teams kick off official competitions in the last week of August, generally play 3-4 games per week, and by the second week of October, only those teams who have qualified for league or district playoffs are still playing. Meanwhile, at the college level, regular season play continues throughout the entirety of October, with league play not beginning until early November, and the National Championship usually falling the weekend before Thanksgiving.  

But at the high school level, for the EPC and Colonial Leagues, conference playoffs are slotted for the second full week of October. In the Colonial League, Palmerton (ranked 6), Bangor (3), Pen Argyl (7), Southern Lehigh (2), Wilson (5), Northwestern (4), Palisades (8), and Salisbury (1) advanced to the league playoff, while the EPC playoff included Emmaus (1), Stroudsburg (8), Northampton (4), Nazareth (5), Parkland (3), Liberty (6), Easton (2), and Freedom (7). 

So, how did we get here? 

In the Colonial League, Salisbury continued the program’s upward trajectory, finishing with an overall record of 15-1 and securing the top spot in the playoffs. That’s an improvement from last season where they compiled a record of 13-3 and the year prior where they ended up 5-8-1 and failed to even reach the league playoffs. Salisbury was followed just behind by Southern Lehigh, who wrapped the regular season with a record of 14-1-1. The Spartans fell to the Falcons early in the season 3-0, but turned around and won the rematch in their last regular season game by a score of 2-1. The Spartans played Wilson to a 0-0 tie, while winning all their remaining league games (but falling to Nazareth 2-1 in non-conference play).  

In the EPC, Emmaus once again dominated the regular season (in what is head coach Sue Butz-Stavin’s 50th–yes, 50th–season at the helm), finishing 13-0 in league play. In non-conference play, Emmaus was able to knock off Oak Knoll, a power house team from New Jersey by a score of 3-2, but fell to Downingtown West 2-1 in OT in a matchup where the Hornets were missing a few key players due to injuries. 

Easton (12-1), Parkland (11-2), and Northampton (10-3) put together impressive seasons and kept things interesting. Parkland gave the Hornets their biggest scare–finding the back of the net despite falling in a 2-1 loss. Northampton was the only other EPC team to score on Emmaus back on August 28th in a 7-1 loss. Meanwhile, the Easton Red Rover defense recorded 13 shutouts in 15 regular season games, surrendering just six goals all season (four of which came in non-conference games).  

District XI playoffs will begin during the third full week of October, where Emmaus (3A), Southern Lehigh (2A), and Northwestern (1A) will seek to repeat as champions.  

Joining Emmaus in the 3A District Playoff will be the same cast of characters that competed in the EPC playoff, with Whitehall, East Stroudsburg South, and Pocono Mountain West failing to advance to either playoff.  

In the 2A bracket, Salisbury, Southern Lehigh, and Bangor will compete for the title. 

Northwestern Lehigh, Wilson, Pen Argyl and Palmerton will vie for the 1A District XI title.  

From there, the champion from the 1A playoff and the 2A playoff will advance to the 1A and 2A PIAA state playoff, respectively, while the top two teams in 3A will advance to the 3A PIAA state playoff beginning on November 4th.  

While the post season schedule and set up is more or less standard at this point, the next few weeks are sure to harbor at least a few surprises. Will it be the year that Salisbury is able to bring home a gold medal? Will Northwestern retain the top spot in District 1A? And will Coach Sue Butz-Stavin and her Hornet squad be able to cap off her 50th season with their 16th PIAA State Championship?

Only time will tell! Dust off your winter hats, gloves, coats, and blankets, fans. Playoff field hockey is here.  

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

The Fall 2024 field hockey season officially wrapped up last weekend, with Northwestern University taking home the Division I National Championship, Saint Anselm winning the Division II National Championship, and Middlebury earning the top spot in Division III. 

At the state level, West Perry (1A), Warwick (2A), and Conestoga (3A) were all named PIAA State Champions. 

So, that’s a wrap. See you next August!

Ha-ha. Just kidding. Like many sports, field hockey has become a year-round endeavor. 

The day after Thanksgiving, USA Field Hockey hosted the National Field Hockey Festival, one of their largest events and a massive college showcase, in Naples, Florida. Over 100 college coaches from the Division I, II, and III levels were in attendance to recruit and over 120 club teams comprised of over 1,000 players (ranging from U-10 to U-19 and including co-ed teams) from across the country competed. 

No rest for the weary.

Today, it’s pretty much essential that any field hockey player with aspirations to play at the college level be involved in some out-of-season club team or training. 

“Players in our sport could be involved in the game year long in various ways. The closer the player gets to starting their college career, being consistently involved and developing in the sport is certainly important,” said Jennifer Stone, head coach of the Lafayette field hockey team. 

After the fall season concludes, many players will attend the National Field Hockey Festival, which is always held in a warm weather location during the week of Thanksgiving. 

Following that, players will switch to their indoor sticks. Indoor field hockey is vastly different from outdoor, but the speed of the game (which is MUCH faster) and size of the court (yes, court, not field…) (which is MUCH smaller) provides a phenomenal opportunity for players to refine their skills. 

Indoor field hockey is typically 6 vs. 6 (including a goalkeeper) and played on a playing surface made of synthetic tiles with boards along the long ends of the court which players can use to “bounce” the ball off. The field ranges in size depending on the age of the players, but can range from 36 to 44 meters in length and 18 to 22 meters wide. The rules are also different. Players are only allowed to push or flick the ball (no hitting) and cannot raise the ball off the playing surface (lift) except for a shot on goal. 

Many players will participate in National Indoor Tournament Qualifier tournaments, followed by USA Field Hockey’s National Indoor Tournament and/or National Indoor Festival (both hotspots for recruiting) in the middle of winter (February/March timeframe). 

Once indoor wraps up and the snow melts, it’s back to the outdoor pitch for camps, clinics, tournaments, and summer leagues until that preseason report date comes around. 

For players interested in being recruited to play at either the Division I, II, or III levels, it’s almost an expectation that you continue to develop your skills even after the fall season wraps up. In many cases, these off-season opportunities are the only time college coaches can see players play (considering that their own seasons are underway during the fall).

This is no small commitment. Not for players, their parents, nor their other supporters. 

During this season of thanks, it would be remiss not to thank all of those who make these opportunities possible for us as players. To our parents, who have spent countless hours (not to mention dollars) enabling us to take advantage of these opportunities, and to the coaches, umpires, and administrators who make them a reality. 

And, of course, we must give thanks for the sport of field hockey itself. For the gift of competition. For the ability to go out and play the sport we love. 

It’s easy to get wrapped up in the wins and losses. The goals and the saves. 

But at the end of the day, we are truly blessed to have a game we love and be given the opportunity to pursue our dreams. 

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

Earlier this fall, I wrote about how Pennsylvania is a hotbed for field hockey. To defend that claim, I noted that, if you looked at the rosters of the Preseason Top Ten Division I field hockey teams, you’d find 54 Pennsylvanians, including 7 players from the greater Lehigh Valley area.

Well, I’m here to double-down on that claim. 

If you look at the rosters of the teams that advanced to the Division I, II, and III NCAA Tournaments, you’ll find 31 players from the Lehigh Valley. There are six Lehigh Valley products playing in the DI tournament, 13 in the DII tournament, and 12 in the DIII tournament. They hail from Northwestern Lehigh (5), Parkland (4), Emmaus (3), Stroudsburg (3), Bangor (2), Liberty (2),  Northampton (2), Easton (1), Northern Lehigh (1), Palisades (1), Palmerton (1), Pocono Mountain East (1), Quakertown (1) (I know, I know, Bucks County, but I’m counting it…), East Stroudsburg South (1), Pleasant Valley (1), Salisbury (1), and Saucon Valley (1).

As of 11/18, the DI tournament has advanced to the Final Four—with UNC, Saint Joseph’s, Northwestern, and Massachusetts still in the running for the national title. The semi-final round will take place on Friday, 11/22, to be followed by the championship game on Sunday, 11/24.

The first round of the tournament featured one of our hometown teams, Lafayette College, who received an automatic bid to the big dance after winning the Patriot League Championship in a thrilling OT victory over American University. It was the first time Lafayette has won the league title since 2012 and landed the Leopards a spot in the NFHCA’s Coaches’ Poll as the 20th seed in the Week 10 rankings on 11/12. Lafayette was matched up against an impressive Saint Joseph’s team (ranked #4 overall in the tournament). The Leopards put up an impressive fight—ultimately falling by a score of just 1-0. 

Similarly in the DII tournament, the semi-finals will pick back up again on Friday, 11/22. Shippensburg, Kutztown, East Stroudsburg, and St. Anselm will battle for a chance to play for the Division II National Championship on Sunday, 11/24. If you tune into Friday’s matchups, you’ll have a chance to see Elaina Fragassi of Parkland playing for Shippensburg, Dakota Stiff from Pocono Mountain East and Sydney Frantz from Palmerton playing for East Stroudsburg, and Brinley Rex and Greenleigh McGehee from Northwestern Lehigh, Olivia Vaccari from Parkland, and Kiera Gallagher from Quakertown all playing for Kutztown. 

As for the DIII tournament, Tufts, Williams, Salisbury, and Middlebury will compete on Friday, 11/22 for a spot in the finals on Sunday, 11/24. 

At the high school level, the fall season wrapped up with Emmaus advancing to the PIAA 3A semi-final round, where they were ultimately knocked off by Villa Maria in overtime by a score of 2-1—surrendering the game-winning goal with only 17 seconds remaining the the first overtime period. The loss capped off another impressive season for the Hornets. The team went 25-2 (with their only losses in non-conference play to Penn Manor and Villa Maria) and earned EPC and District XI titles. 

Southern Lehigh was matched up against Upper Perkiomen in the opening round of the 2A tournament. The Spartans fell by a score of 4-1. The 1A tournament featured Northwestern Lehigh and Palmerton—with Northwestern Lehigh falling in a heartbreaking double-overtime loss to Susquenita and Palmerton being defeated by Faith Christian by a score of 7-0.

As we have seen come to fruition this fall, many of our local high school teams have and will continue to pump out some of the nation’s top field hockey players at the Division I, II, and III levels. Not to mention, the Lehigh Valley is also home to an Olympian in Meredith Sholder and the 2023 National Umpire Award winner in Allie Mikelson. So, while the fall season may be coming to a close, be sure to continue to keep an eye and an ear out for the many talented field hockey players we have here in the Lehigh Valley. 

There’s no telling how far they may go.

Division I NCAA Tournament Participants:

Fairfield: Gabby Gober (Northwestern Lehigh)

UNC: Melea Weber (Emmaus)

Maryland: Rayne Wright (Liberty)

Michigan: Abby Burnett (Emmaus), Aurora Gery (Parkland)

Vermont: Lauren Schellhamer (Northwestern Lehigh)

Division II NCAA Tournament Participants:

Shippensburg: Elaina Fragassi (Parkland)

ESU: Dakota Stiff, (Pocono Mountain East), Sydney Frantz (Palmerton)

Bloomsburg: Morgan Magditch (Palisades), Kendall Iasiello (Northampton), Raegan Iasiello (Northampton)

Assumption: Riley Tepper (Stroudsburg), Abigail Romano (Emmaus) 

Kutztown: Brinley Rex (Northwestern Lehigh), Jocelyn Morgan (Easton), Olivia Vaccari (Parkland), Greenleigh McGehee (Northwestern Lehigh), Kiera Gallagher (Quakertown)

Division III NCAA Tournament Participants:

Babson: Ellie Powers (Liberty)

Ithaca: Emma Garver (Stroudsburg), Delaney Szwast (Northern Lehigh)

Shenandoah: Lily Kyvelos (Parkland)

Susquehanna: Casey Bruchak (Saucon Valley), Ella DeFazio (Salisbury), Reagan Heard (Bangor)

St Mary’s: Charlotte Horn (Northwestern Lehigh)

York: Billie Francis (Stroudsburg), Erin Maher (East Stroudsburg South) 

Marywood: Megan Engle (Bangor)

Ohio Wesleyan: Mattison Hyland (Pleasant Valley)

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

November is upon us, and fall sports at every level are transitioning into playoff mode. While high school programs are kicking off the PIAA State Championships, teams at the college level are beginning conference playoffs.

The Lehigh Valley is home to six NCAA field hockey teams: four at the Division III level and two at the Division I level. The rosters of all four DIII teams are flooded with Lehigh Valley products, while the two DI programs’ rosters boast quite a few Pennsylvania products among many international recruits. If you recall me mentioning in an earlier blog post this fall, the sport is much more popular and commonly played throughout Europe, with many players having played since childhood, making them some of the top prospects for NCAA DI coaches. 

Some of these programs are gearing up for their respective conference playoffs, while others (those who failed to qualify for the postseason) have just wrapped up their regular seasons and are transitioning to the off-season. 

Let’s see how we got here.

Division III Programs: 

Cedar Crest College

The Falcons ended their season with a 5-13 overall record, failing to qualify for the postseason after going 1-4 in the United East Conference. 

The program is home to four Lehigh Valley natives, including the co-team leader in points, junior forward Avery Daku (5 goals, 3 assists), who went to highschool at Catasaqua, Courtney Gibbons, a sophomore defender out of Parkland (17 games started), Olivia Horninger, a junior midfielder from Northern Lehigh (3G), and sophomore goalkeeper, Shelby Heater from Lehighton (2.78 goals against average, 79.8% save percentage, 3 shutouts).

DeSales University

The Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 9-9 overall record and a 5-2 record in the Middle Atlantic Freedom Conference. DeSales is the #3 seed in the playoff tournament and will take on #2 seed Stevens in the first round on Wednesday, 11/6.

Remarkably, ten players on the DeSales roster come from the Lehigh Valley, including sophomore goalkeeper Alyssa Schlussmann from Stroudsburg (2.80 goals-against-average, 74.9% save percentage, 2 shutouts), senior midfielder Maddie Trocki from Whitehall, who is the team leader in points (12G, 7A), junior midfielder/defender Nikki Chiaradia from Moravian Academy (3G, 4A), junior forward Brooke Sodl from Bethlehem Catholic (3G, 2A), sophomore midfielder/defender Megan McLain from Pocono Mountain East (3G), junior forward Brynn Ballet from Northwestern Lehigh (1G, 1A), junior midfielder Maddie Siegfried from Northampton (7 games played), junior midfielder/defender Morgan Benner from Southern Lehigh (1G, 1A), junior midfielder/defender, Angelina Day from Palisades (2G), and senior defender Paige Busch from Moravian Academy (17 games started).

Moravian University 

The Greyhounds went 7-10 overall and 5-4 in the Landmark Conference during the regular season.

Moravian entered the playoffs ranked #4, taking on #5 Juniata College in the Landmark Conference Tournament First Round. The teams tied 1-1 in regulation and after two sudden death, 7 vs. 7 overtime periods went by without either team scoring, the game advanced to a shootout (which is similar to a shootout in ice hockey with one attacking player versus the other team’s goalkeeper). The Greyhounds ultimately won the shootout 3-2.

“I am extremely proud of this group,” said head coach Sarah Dalrymple.

“Despite a challenging start, the team found its rhythm in October, displaying resilience and determination. The leadership of our seniors has been significant, guiding the team through adversity to the excitement of a shootout victory in the first round of the playoffs.”

The Greyhounds will play in the Landmark Conference Tournament Semifinal against #1 seeded Susquehanna University on Wednesday, 11/6.

The Greyhound roster features four players out of the Lehigh Valley, including the team leader in goals and points, Gia Ambrosino from Easton (13G, 3A). Joining Ambrosino is senior forward Carolina Catilao-Sanchez from Parkland (18 games started), Sophia Calantino, a freshman forward from Bangor (16 games played, 6 games started), and Shawna Mamrak, a freshman forward from Pen Argyl (5 games played).

Muhlenburg College

The Mules ended the season with a 7-10 overall record and going 2-8 in the Centennial Conference. They did not qualify for the playoffs. 

Sophomore defender Madison Horvath, a Freedom High School product, appeared in 12 games for Muhlenburg, starting four. 

Division I Programs:

Lehigh University

The Mountain Hawks went 7-10 overall and 2-4 in Patriot League play, failing to advance to the playoffs.

The Lehigh roster features eight players from Pennsylvania and three international players, hailing from Canada and the Netherlands.

Lafayette College

The Leopards ended the regular season with a 12-6 overall record (notably knocking off #20 ranked Temple University) and going 5-1 in the Patriot League. Their sole league loss came in double overtime to American University, who went undefeated in Patriot League play and will host the playoffs as the #1 seed.

Lafayette advanced to playoffs as the #2 seed. They will play third-seeded Bucknell on Thursday, 11/7.

The Leopard’s roster has five players from Pennsylvania and 10 international players from the likes of Germany, Netherlands, England, Canada, Argentina, and New Zealand.

Lafayette head coach Jennifer Stone recorded her 100th career victory this season. 

“It’s a celebration of the success of the program,” said Stone. 

Stone said the team remains focused on the process as they move into post-season play: “One step at a time. Bucknell is a fierce opponent, but we also believe in ourselves as a group.”

The eventual Patriot League champion will receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Division I Tournament.

Lafayette last won the Patriot League championship in 2012, advancing to the NCAA Division I Tournament on a at-large bid, the only at-large bid earned by a Patriot League school in league history.

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.

The funny thing about field hockey in the Lehigh Valley come mid-October is the vastly different scenarios in which teams find themselves. Some teams are cleaning out their lockers and looking towards fall 2025. Other teams are vying to stay alive for as long as possible. And some teams, the very top teams in their respective classifications, are at the precipice of a whole new “season”. 

For those very select teams with eyes on the PIAA State Championship game at Cumberland Valley High School on Saturday, November 16th, there’s another month’s worth of training and somewhere near eight or nine “win-or-go-home” games to get through to make it there. 

At this point, the season is over for anyone who failed to qualify for the District playoffs. For those who advanced to Districts (see below), the champion and runner-up from the largest school classification (3A) District XI playoff and the smallest school classification (1A) District XI playoff will advance to the state tournament, while only the champion from the 2A Class District XI playoff earns a spot in the PIAA State Tournament.

District Qualifiers:

3A: 1. Emmaus, 2. Nazareth, 3. Easton, 4. Parkland, 5. Stroudsburg, 6. Northampton, 7. Whitehall, 8. Liberty

2A: 1. Southern Lehigh, 2. Salisbury, 3. Pocono Mountain East, 4. Bangor 

1A: 1. Northwestern, 2. Palmerton, 3. Wilson, 4. Pen Argyl, 5. Catasaqua, 6. Saucon Valley

But before we totally shut the door on the regular season of play for the EPC and Colonial League, let’s recap how we got here.

Eastern Pennsylvania Conference

Surprise! Emmaus won the EPC championship. After going 13-0 in league play, the Green Hornets brought home their 42nd league championship with a 4-1 win over Easton. Emmaus will be the top seed in the District XI 3A where they’ll compete to earn their 36th consecutive district championship. Which is absolutely incredible, but is hardly even news around here these days. 

Easton, who went 11-2 in league play, advanced to the EPC championship after beating Stroudsburg (8-5 in EPC) 2-0 in the quarterfinal and beating Nazareth (11-2 in EPC) by the same score in the semi-final. 

Parkland (10-3 in EPC) also advanced to the semi-final round with a 5-2 win over Northampton (9-4 in EPC), ultimately falling to Emmaus 4-0.

Also earning an appearance in the EPC playoffs were Liberty (7-6 in EPC) and Whitehall (10-8 in EPC), who both failed to advance from the quarterfinal round.

Colonial League

As a very wise Lehigh Valley field hockey blogger suggested may happen earlier this season, Salisbury (13-3 in CL play) made a little noise in the Colonial League playoffs. The third-seeded Falcons upset #2 Southern Lehigh (15-1 in CL play) in the semi-final round by a score of 2-0. The Spartans had just beat Salisbury by a score of 2-0 less than a week earlier in league play and once more earlier in the season by 1-0. While league favorite Northwestern Lehigh (15-0 in CL play) ended up taking home the league championship, defeating Salisbury 3-0, this Salisbury team took their program to new levels with their championship appearance, having failed to qualify for the league playoffs any time in recent history.

Northwestern made their way to the championship with a quarterfinal win over Saucon Valley (6-8-2 in CL play) 7-1, and by beating Wilson (8-6-1 in CL play) by a score of 8-0 in the semi-finals. So, yes, you counted that right. The Tigers scored 18 goals in three games in the Colonial League playoffs.

Northwestern Coach Lissa Opolsky’s team boasts an experienced crew, including eight seniors and 11 juniors. 

“Once you learn how to win, it’s a lot easier in those big games and big moments,” said Opolsky. 

Also making Colonial League playoff appearances were Bangor (7-6-2 in CL play), Pen Argyl (6-7-2), and Palmerton (10-5 in CL play). All three teams failed to make it past the quarterfinal round, with #4 Palmerton being upset by #5 Wilson in a tight 3-2 contest. 

For the teams that play on, the first round of the District XI playoff will begin on Wednesday, 10/23 for 1A and on Thursday, 10/24 for the 2A and 3A classes. 

Given that I called the Salisbury upset, I’ll throw my two cents out there again. I’d venture to guess we’ll see Emmaus, Southern Lehigh, and Northwestern bring home District gold by month’s end. 

But as that same very wise Lehigh Valley field hockey blogger once said—only time will tell. 

The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Astound Broadband or any other agency, organization, employer or company.