Upper Perkiomen's field hockey team celebrates its third consecutive Pioneer Athletic Conference Title.  The team defeated Boyertown on Oct. 21.

            The Upper Perkiomen field hockey team earned its third consecutive Pioneer Athletic Conference title last week mostly because of a talented roster, senior leadership and the guidance of veteran coach Jamie Warren.

            But maybe a sliver of gratitude is also owed to the softball program for the Tribe's 3-1 victory over Boyertown in the championship game played in Bill Keeny Stadium.

            Upper Perkiomen offensively dominated most of the first half and goals by Jade Traynor and Kylene Gooch staked the Tribe to a 2-0 halftime lead. But it was goalie Lynnsi Joyce, a catcher on the softball team, who was the difference with spectacular how-did-she-stop-that saves to keep the Bears off the board in the initial 30 minutes.

            The first pair of important saves came about four minutes after Gooch had given the Indians a two-goal advantage with 10:57 left in the second quarter.

            Joyce made a great save on Bears star Katelyn Dulin near the right post, but Dulin took the rebound and fed it to Remi Lloyd who appeared to have an easy goal on her stick. Joyce dove across the goalmouth to deflect Lloyd's shot with what might have been the save of the year.

            "Outside of field hockey, I'm also a catcher in softball and that just feels like a very natural movement," Joyce said after the game. "I didn't even think about it. That's what I needed to do in the moment."

            Boyertown's first-year coach Alicia Terrizzi was ...

            Upper Perkiomen's girls soccer team got the rematch it was hoping for last week. The team competed better in its rematch with Owen J. Roberts, according to head coach Mike Freed.

            However, the Tribe couldn't avoid a 3-0 loss with the Pioneer Athletic

Sara Edwards, right, battles an Owen J. Roberts  defender for possession.

Conference title at stake.

            The Wildcats celebrated their fourth conference title in five seasons on their home field on Thursday, Oct. 21.

             The Indians were better prepared than their first meeting, said sophomore Sarah Fisher.  "It was a good challenge," Fisher said. "I enjoyed it."

            The Indians – the first Frontier Division team to reach the PAC final since 2017 – had their share of offensive opportunities, and Fisher felt they could have had more.

            Fisher, one of her Upper Perk's top scorers, described the Owen J. Roberts defense as the best unit they have faced all season.  "They are very fast and dynamic," Fisher noted.

            Freed described the Wildcats as his team's toughest opponent of the season, by far. He said the Tribe (17-3) relished the opportunity to take on the No. 5 ranked Class 4A team in the Pennsylvania Soccer Coaches Association's weekly rankings and the No. 2 ranked team in the District One Class 4A standings.

            Freed said he considered implementing a more defensive, counter attacking strategy against Owen J. Roberts. Two days earlier, Pottsgrove utilized that approach to ...