Saint Mark’s has earned the No. 4 seed in the 2023 DIAA Division II field hockey tournament, which begins Nov. 1 with four first-round games. The Spartans received a bye and will play on Nov. 4. They are one of two Catholic schools in the bracket, along with sixth-seeded Archmere.
Saint Mark’s went 13-2 during the regular season. The team had wins over fellow tournament teams Archmere, No. 10 Concord and No. 7 Sussex Academy, as well as Division I postseason participants St. Georges Tech and Wilmington Charter. The Spartans’ lone losses came to Newark Charter, the top seed in Division II, and Milford, which is the third seed in Division I. Both were one-goal setbacks.
The Spartans employ an aggressive approach, with the goal scorers including Katie Hanich, Brynn Eyler, Cat Kaminski and Emersyn O’Leary. Catherine Jones is the team’s goalie; she and the defense allowed less than a goal a game, one of three teams in Division II to accomplish that.
Saint Mark’s will play Nov. 4 at home against the winner of No. 12 Tatnall-No. 5 Wilmington Friends. The game is scheduled for 11 a.m.
The Auks return to the state tournament after reaching the final last season, where they fell to perennial powerhouse Delmar. Archmere finished the regular season 9-6, with wins over Division II tournament participants Delaware Military Academy, Tower Hill and Tatnall, along with Wilmington Charter from Division I. Five of their losses came to Delaware teams, and all five have advanced to the postseason: Smyrna (Division I’s top seed), Saint Mark’s, Caravel, Wilmington Friends and Newark Charter. Four of the in-state losses — all except the Smyrna game — were by a single goal.
Archmere scores a healthy 3.5 goals per game with a ball-control approach. The Auks’ top offensive weapons include Maura Read, Carly Polsky and Claudia Koch. Bella Hughes is the team’s goalie.
Archmere will host Delaware Military in first-round action on Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. on the lower turf field. The Auks defeated the Seahawks, 5-0, on Oct. 14.
Tickets for all DIAA postseason contests must be purchased online in advance at gofan.co/app/school/DIAA. The semifinals are scheduled for Nov. 8 and the championship on Nov. 11, both at Rullo Stadium at the University of Delaware.
