It was a state championship game that no one will forget anytime soon- as the field hockey team beat The Hill School (4-3) for the Pennsylvania Independent Schools Athletic Association (PAISAA) Championship title.
"Our leader in the backfield goes down and all we just did was play together as a team, every one of you, from the sidelines, the subs, switching positions, I am so proud of you, so proud!" said Coach Gina Buggy, Hon.
The Hill School came out fast- scoring the first goal of the game. A few minutes later, EA tied it up with an unassisted goal from sophomore Ashley Sessna. Hill took the lead again, but EA answered right back with another goal from Sessna to tie things up 2-2, heading into half-time.
With a handful of penalties, on both sides throughout the second half, EA took advantage scoring twice to take a 4-2 lead. The third goal of the game came from Jackie Miller '20 on an assist from Sessna. Five minutes later, Laura Null stole a pass, dodged a Hill defender, and passed to Miller for the fourth and final goal of the game. Goalie Gianna Cilluffo '22 tallied four saves.
Coach Buggy told the Delaware County Daily Times, "I feel so blessed." This is the second consecutive year the field hockey team has won the PAISAA Championship. This year's win came on Coach Buggy's birthday and on her last game as the team's coach, her 586th game.
"It's hard to imagine that I've been doing this for 34 years and I would be as thrilled about the way kids play as a team now as I did when I started all of those years ago. There's nothing more rewarding than watching a group of individuals become a formidable team and a family, and that's what they did," Coach Buggy said.
Coach Buggy announced in October that she will retire from EA at the end of the school year.
"You will never regret working hard. You'll never regret anything you do- keep that mantra all of your life - 'I can work hard.' Yes you can, and you did that today, and this is how we got this. This is the greatest birthday gift ever!" said a beaming Coach Buggy.
Read coverage by PA Prep Live and Philadelphia Sports Digest- including game highlights and player interviews.
