The Northern York field hockey team can relate to the Dallas high school field hockey team.
They’re both trying to break free from old patterns.
The Mountaineers were knocked out of the first round of the 2024 PIAA Class 2A field hockey state tournament on Tuesday. Northern won 8-0. The Polar Bears [District 3-2] play at noon on Saturday against Upper Perkiomen [District 1-3] at Coatesville High School.
“I think at the end of day, we played a really hard game, we played our hearts out,” Dallas head coach Mackenzie Gagliardi said. “This was the most accomplished Dallas field hockey team in the last 20 years. We haven’t been in a PIAA state playoff game since the ‘90s. So, I’m only excited about how we did.”
Northern capitalized on every opportunity for the full 60 minutes. They said they didn’t know much about their opponent, and didn’t want to underestimate them, which makes sense, since the Mountaineers haven’t played outside the District 2 tournament in decades.
“We didn’t know what we were expecting with this team, but we came into (the game) playing our game and we succeeded,” Northern’s Liv Anderson said. The senior center attacking mid, committed to the University of North Carolina, had a hit trick.
The Polar Bears took off in the third quarter, including a penalty stroke scored by Anderson. They were able to score the four goals using swift passing and dominating in their attack 25.
They created multiple opportunities by moving Dallas’ goalie and having at least two to three options around the ball.
“We have a lot of good conversations with our coach,” Anderson said. “We’re going to continue to work as a team. There are really good teams out there, but when we work together…”
Keairah Dykes also had a hat trick, and MJ Simpson scored twice. Both players are juniors.
“We all knew we trusted each other and everything,” Dykes said. “Our team is a supporting, if we keep the supporting up, we’ll do good.”
The game was an opportunity for growth for both squads. Dallas has five seniors, who’ve helped to shape the new generation of field hockey in District 2.
“It’s a culture of generating from our youth,” Gagliard said. “We have a lot more camps, we have a lot more clubs around, so growing from U-8, U-10, some of these kids started when they were five-years old. So, they’ve come through the program with sisters on the team, so yeah, some of that, some good junior high programs. The more that they are in these state games, district games, the more they’ll feel it, learn it, and want it.”
Northern has been through those learning moments, too. The team has been very young, but also has five seniors like Dallas. The breakthrough moment for the Polar Bears is getting beyond the state quarterfinals.
“We’ve never made it past state quarterfinals, so you know, we’re not done yet,” Simpson said, a center defensive mid. “We’re really hoping to go to the championship again this year. This is a really great group. I don’t know if we’ll ever get a group like this again. We’re really lucky – for the seniors. The team’s just amazing…A lot of teams at this point get sick of each other but we’re coming in every day working for each other.”
Dallas powered through with earning only one corner compared to Northern’s 13. They pushed hard in the first and third quarters, in the first two minutes. The rest of the game belonged to Northern’s press.
“I think they have the fire, they want it,” Northern head coach Amelia Martire said. “This isn’t a group of girls who are ready to be done playing. They have the passion. What’s really special about this group is that they are truly about the team. They get excited when someone else gets a goal. There’s no jealousy. We’re going to keep fostering that. The big thing for us is confidence. Know that you have the skill when you play, that’s what gets us the most accomplished.”
She continued: “We have never as a program made it past the second round of states. We’ve only gone there twice. So, that’s a big deal. So, to go beyond that, we’re not going to take this next game for granted. We know it’s going to be hard. We came into this game hype, but we knew that we’re at states, and all the teams are going to be good. I think this was a great way to go into the next round. The girls are super excited. It was really awesome to see how excited they are for each other, trying to give other players more opportunities. Their last game on this field was a positive.”
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Photo: Dallas at Northern York, November 2024, first round 2024 PIAA Class 2A field hockey state tournament, Bob Benscoter
