On October 26, 2023, the Moorestown Friends School Field Hockey team won the Quaker Cup Championship in their last season in the Friends School League (FSL), winning by a score of 1-0 against Germantown Friends School (GFS).
When the team won the Quaker Cup semi-finals, they were ecstatic that all of their hard work paid off. Defender Sarah Capparelli ’26 commented, “When I found out we were going to be in the championships, I was so happy because we have been training since August for this moment.”
Throughout the game, both teams made many great defensive and offensive plays. The first half was close, with GFS and the Foxes tied 0-0. Forward Savannah Obermeier ’26 scored with nine minutes left in the third quarter, giving the Foxes an edge. Obermeier was “really happy to be able to score the only goal, which helped us win the Quaker Cup.”
The energy after Obermeier’s first goal was very enthusiastic, with many fans standing up out of their seats, waving red and blue pom-poms, and chanting “Let’s go Foxes.” Student Sophia Lo Re ’26 went to watch the game and support the team: “A group of friends [and I] were looking forward to watching the game all week to watch our friends play.” Max Steward ’26 agreed, “It was really fun having everyone together, cheering for the team and showing their school spirit.”
As the end of the fourth quarter grew closer, GFS called a timeout and removed their goalie to add an extra player in an effort to tie up the game with just 40 seconds remaining. Despite the opposing team’s efforts, the Foxes were still able to come out on top with the championship.
The team is glad to have gotten one last Quaker Cup win before entering the Burlington County Scholastic League, especially since the next day the team lost in the NJSIAA state bracket to St. Joseph’s Hammonton Academy 1-8. Co-captain Maya Beatty ’24 shared, “I felt so much more joy [when winning] than I feel like I would have in other years because this is our last year in the Friends League, and going out with a win my senior year is just incredible.” Co-captain Bella Didie ’24 said, “As a captain, it’s cool to see all of these girls grow from preseason, and it’s really rewarding to see the result at the end.” Co-captain Olivia Neri ’24 agreed with Didie and expressed that “growing up with this team makes it extra rewarding to win in a tournament.” Neri continued, “[the energy] was high and [I] feel like we were all very close during the game.”
Beatty agreed with her two co-captains and thought, too, that the team felt very close during the game: “I felt so connected with the team, especially the defensive end, and I feel like it’s the best we’ve played since our [Academy of the New Church] game, and that contributed to our win.”
Training for the Quaker Cup was intense because of all the pressure on the team to win. Despite the pressure, head coach Julia Rothwell told the team to, “just stay consistent in [their] effort, communication, and skills.” Rothwell was happy that the hard work paid off, and that one of the key moments of the game was Obermeier’s goal, which “came at the time we needed it. There was an extreme energy shift on the field and if we didn’t score, GFS was going to do it. It was the burst of energy we needed. Maddie [Calixto ’25] did great in the goal. Our defense [was] outstanding as well.”
Athletic Director Danielle Dayton was extremely proud of the team and shared that “it was such a close game, and there were so many moments where the ball was up and down the field on both our offensive and defensive end, and every single player on the team did something meaningful to help that win happen.” Dayton continued, “I’m so proud of our field hockey team for their drive, determination and hard work.” Ailsa Moriuchi ’11, one of the team’s co-coaches agreed, “It was an amazing game played against an amazing team, and it felt great to be able to play at home … We worked really hard, but also had a lot of fun since it was nearing the end of our season.”
