Boyertown Girls Field Hockey On the Rise in 2022

by Philip E. Repko*

Last season second year head coach Alicia Terrizzi had her 13-4 team on the verge of climbing a hill that Boyertown Field Hockey hadn’t scaled in more than a decade - a berth in the State Playoffs. Up 2-0 vs. Kennett Square with three minutes to play, the girls then lost their footing, and a calamitous slide ended with the team bruised by a truly devastating loss.

Naturally, that setback will provide motivation for this year’s squad, a team that Coach Terrizzi genuinely expects to build on last season’s success.

“We want to focus on making sure that everything we do, we do with a purpose,” the coach offers. “We have a really great team-f- first mentality and we have so many players that will contribute!”

Expanding on the reason for such great optimism, Coach Terrizzi adds, “We trust each other and we strive to get better every single time we take the field. The coaches are super excited about this team, we love their energy and are looking forward to see them play.”

With Senior and Michigan State recruit Katelyn Dulin returning from a stellar season that ended with a 1st team All-State nod and Player of the Year recognition, the Bears will have a proven scorer. More importantly, Coach Terrizzi believes that some of Dulin’s teammates are equally talented, if not quite as accomplished. From Juniors Hannah Ulrich and Taylor Havrilla to Seniors Delaney Fox and Emily Wilson, the Bears will challenge defenses to cover them all. Additionally, Freshman Elise Eves may also prove to be a weapon on the offensive side of the field.

The Bears’ coaching staff of Terrizzi and assistants Kyle Shellaway, Jana Ulrich, and Kathy Gregory have a strong history of success behind them, and the team is equipped to develop into a truly solid program. Coach Terrizzi believes her coaching staff can rival the staffs at many colleges.

Senior Sarah Yoder is expected to contribute again as a seasoned goalkeeper, while freshman Lilly Gunder has shown that she is ready to compete. Coach Terrizzi shares that it is always a luxury to have two strong goalies.

In the defensive zone, the 2022 squad will lean on junior, Mary Catherine Maloney; seniors Kaelin Drey and Sofia Frantzen; and freshman talent in the person of Alaina Charlesworth.

Manning the midfield positions will be junior Ashley Andrews, and sophomores Peyton Shellaway and Alex Bliss - young talent that can cover the entire field and is also a threat score at all times. This depth and balance throughout the lineup bodes well for supporting the staff’s expectation that the mountain that rises to State Playoff competition is one that may be scaled this season.

Coach Terrizzi is also enthusiastic about the talent in the younger grades, crediting her coaching staff with building the program from the ground up. Asked about the key to Boyertown’s recent success and to the wealth of talent in the program overall, Coach Terrizzi points to a decision to move practices to a turf facility at 422 Sports, so that the girls are able to adapt to a game that has evolved extensively. Almost all the PAC schools have moved to turf playing fields.

“We play all away games because we don’t have a turf facility,” Terrizzi says, “but we literally couldn’t compete if we practiced on grass exclusively, and then played half our games on turf.”

Boyertown will not be able to take anything for granted, however, as the Liberty Division is strong up and down the line. Upper Perk won the PAC last year. All the other Liberty division teams are formidable, so each game promises to be a challenge in itself.

The Bears opened their season with a non-league 3-2 win at Downingtown East  Aug. 27. PAC games began Aug. 31 with a 5-1 win against Phoenixville. The Bears then fell to Wilson (West Lawn) High School, 0-3.

“Our goal is to go farther than last year,” says Coach Terrizzi. “That means we want to make states. The coaches are confident that we can.”     

[*Phil Repko is a BASH class of '79 alum and former sports editor of The Cub, BASH's student newspaper.]   [Graphic from Boyertown Optimist Field Hockey Facebook Page]

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