Capping its undefeated season, Field Hockey (19-0) participated in the NEPSAC Class A Championships, successively defeating Taft, Noble & Greenough (Nobles), and Greenwich Academy (Greenwich) to earn its second consecutive victory in the tournament. Last season at the NEPSAC Championships, the team clinched the title against Taft in a 2-0 victory. This year, it defeated Greenwich 3-0 for the title.
The captains of the team brought extra energy for the final game of their high school careers. According to Co-Captain Hannah Herlihy ’26, the team adopted an underdog mentality because the team was seeded second in the league despite its undefeated season. Herlihy shared her excitement over the Championship.
“This year, being a Senior, it was really special to win. I just feel like this team was super excited. Also both teams were really good this year, it was just more exciting. This year it was in Massachusetts. Last year’s was in Connecticut, so a lot of fans were there this year, our friends, and family, which is really special,” said Herlihy.
Co-Captain Lucy Parker ’26 elaborated on the atmosphere of the game. She mentioned the fan and family support as “amazing,” but noted teammate support as the most crucial and beneficial.
“Our fans and family support this whole season has been amazing, regardless of if it’s an away game or a home game, you can always count on a lot of the same people to be there. Just having these familiar faces in the crowd is definitely huge. We’ve also had so much support from students from Andover. But apart from that, our team as a whole, everyone’s each other’s biggest supporters whether that’s people on the bench, cheering for people on the field, or people on the field cheering for one another. We’ve built such a good community where everyone is just super happy to cheer for everyone’s success,” said Parker.
Herlihy highlighted the entire team for its physical and mental consistency throughout the game. She also noted the two goals scored in the first quarter, one of which was by Kimee Duplessis ’27, as crucial for setting the tone of the match.
“Kimee was a big contender today because she was ready in the circle and definitely bringing high energy. That was important and it definitely set the tone for the game,” said Herlihy.
Cat Powers ’28 had similar praises for Josie Sarno ’26, the starting goalkeeper, and Sophia Demeo ’28. Their consistency was on display as the team dominated possession and forced a shutout defensively.
“Josie did a fabulous job today. She was a brick wall. She [made sure] no balls ever hit the back of our net once. And Soph was causing us to win the ball a lot, and just staying level headed and calm,” said Powers.
For many of the seniors, the 19-0 season and back-to-back NEPSAC titles marked the end of their Phillips Academy Field Hockey (PAFH) careers. To celebrate, the team stormed Silent and enjoyed one last meal together in commons.
“It’s super special to be a part of this team. I don’t think I’ll ever be part of a team like that again. It’s just super rewarding. This whole season we’ve worked so hard, starting at the end of August when we had preseason. Everyone was dialed in from the start knowing that we needed to work super hard all of September, October, and November if we wanted to get the result that we wanted. If you are able to work together as a team and build that collective goal, then you can accomplish whatever you want,” said Parker.
Field Hockey ended the season undefeated, with a season record of 19-0.
