Hill School falls to EA in marquee matchup
POTTSTOWN » There will be other marquee games on both teams’ schedules throughout the season — games that might come with larger ramifications and rewards.
But there was no denying Friday’s field hockey contest between Episcopal Academy and Hill School was a big one.
The nationally-ranked showdown featured at least 12 players already committed to Division I colleges and pitted against each other the two most recent teams to play for the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association.
In a rematch of the 2019 PAISAA state championship, Episcopal Academy, ranked No. 1 in the nation by Max Field Hockey, took down No. 6 Hill School, 3-0.
“It has some past to it too be
cause we played them in the (PAISAA) championship two years ago and this is the first time we’ve seen them since then with a new team basically,” said EA 2022 Ashley Sessa, a University of North Carolina recruit. “They’re a great team, it was very difficult.”
Sessa and 2022 Mia Garber (Boston College) both scored a goal and added an assist for EA, and classmate Macy Szukics (Duke) chipped in another score.
In goal, Episcopal Academy 2022 Gianna Cilluffo (Columbia) made five saves, including three in the first period, while HIll School 2023 Hala Silverstein (Michigan) made three stops.
The score indicates a onesided contest, but HIll was the main aggressor throughout, earning 12 corners compared to four for EA.
2023 Maggie Kondrath (Duke) and 2023 Riley Savage were two of the main catalysts for Hill on offense Friday as Rease Coleman (Cornell) led the defensive effort.
“We outcornerd them, we outshot them,” Hill coach Jen Weissbach said. “I’m incredibly proud of the effort we put forth today. It’s going to be a learning moment for us and I’m confident that we’ll see them again.”
Following a first-quarter dominated by Hill, Sessa began to put pressure on the Rams in the second, when EA earned three of its corner attempts. Silverstein came to the rescue for Hill on two of them.
Hill earned six corners in the third but never found the net, and EA took advantage when Sessa found Garber for a tip-in in front of the goal to put the Churchwomen ahead 1-0 with 1:55 left in the third.
Sessa added another herself around the nine-minute mark in the fourth, and Garber pulled off a nifty pass to Szukics in front of the net to put the contest out of reach with under three to go.