BERWYN >> Following Tuesday’s 4-1 win over Boyertown in the District 1-3A semifinals, Conestoga’s field hockey players found themselves repeating a popular team mantra.
“Pressure is a privilege.”
“Not everybody gets the pressure of playing for a District title,” explained Peyton Esposito, “so it’s a privilege to have that pressure on us.”
The privilege is No. 3 seed Conestoga’s for a third time in four years, after Esposito sandwiched her two goals around a pair from senior captain Shae Wozniak in Tuesday’s semifinal victory.
“We’ve been preparing for this all season,” added Wozniak, who’s headed to Duke University in the fall.
Both teams came into the game playing like offensive juggernauts, having tallied three goals or more in their last 17 contests combined.
So naturally, the first 20 minutes were a defensive struggle.
A cautious start yielded a couple of corners for each side, but no serious scoring opportunities until the final seconds of the first quarter, when Conestoga goalie Sydney Wright tipped away a redirection off a centering pass from Boyertown’s Emily Ulrich.
But Conestoga’s Price Orcutt harassed ball carriers, pressuring passes with her closing speed early in the second quarter. Eventually, her relentlessness generated a turnover with Wozniak corralling a loose ball around midfield.
Wozniak controlled the ball into the box and found Maia Assetta, whose effort found a crowd of players, from which Peyton Esposito emerged with the ball and a clear shot. Seemingly out of nowhere, Conestoga had a 1-0 lead.
Minutes later, Boyertown was denied an apparent one-on-one opportunity, and Conestoga took advantage with Wozniak’s impressive individual effort from midfield. With just 1:21 before the break, the hosts had a two-goal lead.
Boyertown suffered a big loss when senior midfielder and 2023 Mercury Player of the Year Peyton Shellaway went out with an injury midway through the third quarter. But the no. 7 seed Bears showed no quit, even after Conestoga’s Jane Carson batted a potential opening goal off the goal line with three minutes left in the third.
A minute later, there was no denying Kendal Gilbert on a feed from Emily Ulrich, who finally solved Stoga’s Wright (nine saves) and cut the Bears’ deficit in half.
“We didn’t quit today, we showed a lot of resolve when things weren’t going our way,” said Boyertown coach Alicia Terrizzi.
“But Shae (Wozniak) is a heck of a player, and we knew that. She made a couple tremendous plays.”
Wozniak would reopen the Pioneers’ two-goal lead with seven minutes left, after her backhand shot deflected off a Bear and into the net. With under two minutes to play, Esposito closed out the scoring off an assist from Phoebe Ridder.
“We have spirit shirts that say it — pressure is a privilege — and we live by that value,” said Wozniak. “We felt that pressure when (Boyertown) scored their goal, but it fueled us even more.”
The win sends Conestoga, the defending District 1-3A champions, back to the final for a Saturday meeting with No. 1 Villa Maria, to be held at Methacton High School.
The Pioneers will be in search of their third District 1 title in four years, having also taken top honors in 2021 when their current seniors were mere freshmen.
“It’s been a full-season emphasis,” said senior captain and Michigan commit Lexi Patterson, who helped Conestoga limit the Bears after Gilbert’s third-quarter goal with her relentless pursuit and game-changing speed on both sides.
“We have smaller goals too, but getting back to that (district championship) is something we’ve discussed all year.”
Boyertown, the No. 7 seed, earned their way into Tuesday’s semifinal by ousting No. 2 CB West on Saturday. The Bears narrowly missed scoring a second consecutive upset.
The Bears go on the road again later this week to play Downingtown West in a seeding game for placement in next week’s PIAA state tournament.
Last season, Conestoga eliminated Boyertown at the identical juncture of Districts en route to the championship. But Boyertown coach Alicia Terrizzi says the Bears would welcome another encounter with the Pioneers, should each progress in the state tournament.
“At this point, everyone we play is going to be a very strong team,” she said. “But we’ve been battle tested, through the PAC and the rest of our schedule and now in Districts.
“We’ll go for (third place) on Friday, and then once the state tournament begins everyone’s record is back to 0-0.”
Terrizzi added that while Tuesday ends Boyertown’s District title hopes, each game since the start of the postseason has given the Bears valuable experience that will pay benefits in states.
For the victorious Pioneers, pressure will remain their privilege in Saturday’s title game. But what’s the ultimate reward of their privilege? Can the Pioneers climb even higher in 2024 and compete for a state title?
“We reach for the sky,” concluded Esposito. “We don’t put limits on what this team can accomplish.”
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