This year, co-captains Caroline Calello ’26, Sofia Ferri ’26, Abigail Gerdeman ’26, and Opal Sparling ’26 successfully led the Hill girls varsity field hockey to capturing their 15th Middle Atlantic Prep League championship title after beating Lawrenceville 9-0 on Nov. 8.
“On paper we did not have a season akin to our historic one last year, but nevertheless a team that can lose together proves to be stronger than one that does not face any adversity,” Calello, forward and Kenyon College commit recapped.
Currently ranked 6th in Pennsylvania and 11th in the nation by Max Field Hockey, the young team overcame several challenges this season from learning to play together as a team of athletes from different clubs and states and with different playing styles to some team members being asked to step into new roles due to team injuries.
Gerdeman, midfielder and Duke University commit, was one of the players who battled injury this season. But the support she received from her team throughout her recovery process is a testament to the close-knit community that Hill field hockey works hard to maintain. “The team supported me by always checking in, keeping me involved, and encouraging me when I couldn’t play,” Gerdeman explained. “When I came back on limited minutes, they were patient, positive, and made me feel confident during every step of my recovery.”
Throughout the season, as the 10 new and 11 returning girls adapted their individual playing styles to play better together, the team saw several close-game wins. “Our first game against Notre Dame proved to us that we could win tough games,” Ferri, defensive player and UNC Chapel Hill commit mentioned.
Sparling, a midfielder and forward player and Stanford University commit, known for her last-minute game winning shots, scored three minutes and 33 seconds into sudden-death overtime on Oct. 1, sealing the win against the #1 team in the nation.
“Taking the shot, I didn’t really know where I was,” Sparling recounted. “All I was thinking was ‘shoot the ball as hard as I possibly can’, and I did. Hearing the ball hit the back of the goal, a feeling of relief, joy, and astonishment went through me all at once.”
“Beating Notre Dame was the first time I felt that my work and the team’s work had truly paid off,” Calello added.
Having suffered a couple of tough losses beforehand, winning their game against Notre Dame helped boost the morale of the team and gave them the confidence to push through the remaining difficult season.
“We play a national schedule, and arguably the toughest high school field hockey schedule in the country,” Katherine Bowie, head coach of varsity girls field hockey explained. “Every game is no guarantee, and we try to treat them as such. We had a few 1-goal losses that did not go our way this year against nationally ranked opponents, and sometimes that happens in the game of hockey. When we did beat nationally ranked opponents, we were working as a team and on the same pages, carrying out our game plan.”
As leaders, Calello, Ferri, Gerdeman, and Sparling addressed both the team’s wins and losses and leaned on Hill Field Hockey traditions including having team breakfast before every game and playing music that everyone on the team enjoyed before games and practices to help keep the team motivated.
“HFHF is instilled in traditions and while there are too many traditions to count, we always focus on being a family,” Calello noted.
To the girls, Hill field hockey isn’t just a team; it’s also a family. It’s a family who stays true to themselves and constantly builds each other up, a family who supports each other both on and off the field, and a family who doesn’t give up even when it gets hard.
“I think the team is very special in many ways and one of them being that we have an amazing relationship with all of our coaches,” Ferri commented.
“I will miss the people I met and the family I made within Hill field hockey. I wouldn’t have gotten through these four years without some of my closest friends,” Sparling agreed.
As Calello, Ferri, Gerdeman, and Sparling look towards the beginning of their college field hockey careers, they remain enthusiastic about the future of Hill field hockey.
“I hope the team continues to work hard, support each other, and stay focused on the little things,” Gerdeman stated. “If everyone buys in and stays connected, they’ll do amazing things next year and hopefully bring back another state championship.”
Graduating 10 6th formers, three of them being Top 10 recruits in the class of 2026, Hill field hockey will experience a huge loss of both talent and leadership next year. Nonetheless, Bowie expecting this loss, has prepared the team well to be successful in future seasons.
“I brought in a larger class this year in anticipation of this loss and hope to bring in another larger class as well. It will be big shoes to fill as this class did so much for HFHF in their four years,” Bowie concluded.
