Central Ohio will crown the state field hockey champion either way on Saturday. Upper Arlington and Columbus Academy both won state semifinals on Thursday, November 5, at Thomas Worthington High School, setting up an all-Columbus-area final at 1 p.m. Saturday, November 7, at Thomas Worthington, according to The Columbus Dispatch. It is the fifth time in six seasons two Columbus-area teams meet for the title, and a central Ohio team will win the championship for the 12th year in a row, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
Upper Arlington, last year’s state runner-up, earned its return trip first, beating Cincinnati Mount Notre Dame 3-0. The Golden Bears (16-5-1) scored once in each of the final three periods and outshot the Cougars 15-3, with goals from senior Vivian Swary, sophomore Anya Haney and sophomore Sawyer Lee, according to The Columbus Dispatch. The Cincinnati Enquirer, which also covered the semifinal, confirmed the 3-0 score, the 15-3 shot margin and the same three scorers, and reported Mount Notre Dame finished 15-7 in its sixth straight state tournament.
Columbus Academy needed overtime to join the Bears. Katie Neviaser scored off a penalty corner 3:27 into overtime, on an insert from freshman Josie Malhame, to lift the Vikings to a 2-1 win over previously undefeated Shaker Heights, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Shaker Heights (20-1-1) struck first on Nina Yacovone’s 35th goal of the season in the second quarter, and Academy senior Charlotte Kurtz tied it five minutes later on a putback of a Neviaser shot, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
Academy’s defense held despite being outshot 19-12. Senior goalie Lila Parish made eight saves, including two in the final 30 seconds of regulation and two in overtime, according to The Columbus Dispatch. “They can string together passes really well and we just had to hold them off,” Parish told The Columbus Dispatch. Neviaser told The Columbus Dispatch the winning corner was a rehearsed play: “We’ve been practicing corners a lot, knowing this was the moment we could do it.”
Upper Arlington’s path was built on control. The Bears held Mount Notre Dame without a shot in three of four quarters and posted their fifth straight shutout, according to The Columbus Dispatch. “It was just [about] making sure we played tough defense, not just the three girls in the back but good overall team defense,” Bears coach Homero Pardi told The Columbus Dispatch.
Saturday’s final pairs two programs at different points in their title histories. Columbus Academy (18-2-1) is at state for a record 25th time, seeking its 13th championship in its first final since 2019, and carries a 12-game winning streak into the game, according to The Columbus Dispatch. Upper Arlington is at state for the third straight year but is 0-2 in finals, including a 3-1 loss to Thomas Worthington last year, The Columbus Dispatch reported.
The Bears hold the only head-to-head result between the finalists, a 3-1 win over Academy on September 16, according to The Columbus Dispatch. That came before Academy’s winning streak began September 23, so Saturday’s rematch decides both the season series and the state championship — and extends central Ohio’s title run to 12 straight years either way.