One of the most anticipated games on the high school field hockey scene each year is the meeting between Allentown and Notre Dame.

The two meet on Wednesday at 4 p.m. at ND’s Msgr. Nolan Field.

These are two programs that have a great amount of respect for each other and are very familiar.

Three of the last five meetings, including the inaugural Colonial Valley Conference Tournament championship game in 2024, have been decided by one goal.

A year ago, the two powerhouses met in the CVC semifinal with the win going to Allentown.

Maybe for the first time in a few years they are bringing two distinctly different teams to the field.

The Irish (2-1) are a senior laden veteran team and the Redbirds (2-2) are a relatively young team.

“It’s always a great competition when we play Allentown,’’ said Cheryl Harris, the Notre Dame coach. “They never fail to have some key players that we will need to keep our eyes on.’’

The Irish come into the game off an 8-0 win over Steinert and the Redbirds will be looking to get back on the winning ways after a 4-0 loss to Hun.

“I’m excited for Notre Dame,’’ said Allentown coach Kayla Peterson. “They always show up and are ready to play. They are strong and we are strong as well.’’

The Irish have been led by senior Kelsey Wood, who had a four goal game against Steinert and she has six goals on the season. Wood had nine all of last season.

A player that has been contributing to the success at ND since her freshman year is Victoria Suschke. Now, a senior, she has four goals and four assists and Suschke is nearing the 100-point plateau with 97 career points.

“We have great senior leadership,’’ declared Harris. “They bring a lot of insight and positivity to our team huddles.  Our captains are stellar role models, and the rest of the seniors are 100% invested into each game and practice.’’

Allentown lost 10 seniors from the team that has won the last three meetings and those players took 205 career goals with them.

So, the Redbirds are at least offensively a work in progress as sophomore Kyla Mitchell leads the attack with two goals.

Defensively, Anna Simonds has been terrific guarding the cage.

“The key to beating Allentown will be defense,’’ stated Harris. “We know how to score, but so do they. We will have to keep them out of our circle.’’

Cora Guicheteau has done a solid job in the goal for the Irish with 38 saves in three games.

Hun Heads to National Invitational Tournament

Hun, which is 4-0 on the season, will play in the MAX National Invitational Tournament this weekend in Conshohocken, Pa.

The Raiders play Garrison Forest of Maryland (3-0) on Saturday and then face Guilderland of New York State on Sunday.

It’ll be a great experience for a young Hun team.