Running up the field with the ball, Mia Ramirez ’25 sees a defender coming her way. Rather than taking them on, she finds her teammate with a perfect pass, leading to a goal. Seeing how her style of play has led others to success is one of her favorite joys of playing the sport.

Ramirez discovered her passion for field hockey when she was in middle school. With three siblings who played different sports, she was always encouraged to find a sport that she liked.

“I wanted to play a sport for middle school, so I kept trying sports until I found one that stuck,” said Ramirez. “I signed up for field hockey in the fall of middle school, and I really loved it.”

While some things were different to her, like playing on turf instead of playing on grass, her desire to improve always remained. This sense of responsibility immediately made an impression with their coach, Heather Serverson.

“When she came in as a freshmen, I knew she was going to be captain, because she’s always listening,” said Serverson. “She was always getting other people [on track] when they got distracted at practice, she would always be giving older players tips when they needed help, so she wasn’t afraid to step up and lead, even as a young player.”

As a captain, Ramirez wants to return the same positive energy she recieved as a freshman. To bring unity to the squad, Ramirez regularly organizes team dinners, group studies, and movie nights.

“The thing about PHS field hockey is that we’re always super close,” said Ramirez. “I remember freshman year, everyone was super welcoming to me, and that’s just kind of the culture that we have, where the older players and younger players just naturally mesh together.”

Sophie Gono ’25 has been right beside Ramirez for most of their time on the team, and has seen how Ramirez has grown as a player. As the team’s other co-captain, she feels that Ramirez has the qualities needed in a leader.

“We have a similar working style, so we’re always there to support each other, playing or not playing field hockey,” said Gono. “She’s always willing to listen and help, and when I want to get extra touches in the off season, she’s always open to going to a field to go and practice.”

The desire to improve has had great results; Ramirez currently leads the girls field hockey team with an astounding 21 goals, and will be looking to add to that tally in the coming weeks. For her, there’s no need for extra motivation.

“I’m naturally competitive and self-motivated,” said Ramirez. “I think that no matter what my day was like, or what warm up felt like when I got onto the field, I naturally turn into my competitive nature. That’s always really helpful, because there’s nothing I really have to do to tune into that.”

When it comes to motivating and helping other teammates out on the pitch, Ramirez can do that as well. Serverson recalls a game against Lawrence High School in the Mercer County Tournament where, although they eventually lost the game, Ramirez’s captain qualities really stood out.

“In the MCT game, the younger players were very, very nervous. I had some freshmen starting, and these were freshmen who weren’t used to the crowd and the lights, which can be a lot for a young player,” said Serverson. “They were getting frustrated in the moment because they weren’t performing at the level that a senior would be expected to perform at. Ramirez was on the field, telling them to hang on and that they were doing well.”

Looking towards the future, Ramirez is demonstrating that, like most things she has done so far in her athletic career, she wants to make sure that the final decision is right for her.

“I was going through the recruiting process for a while, but ultimately didn’t find a school that was the right fit, so I decided to not commit anywhere,” said Ramirez. “If I go somewhere that has a team, that’s definitely something I would like to think about pursuing, either at the club level or at the varsity level in the future.”

For new players considering trying out for the PHS field hockey team, Ramirez has some words of encouragement.

“You shouldn’t be afraid to make mistakes, and you should always be open to trying things,” said Ramirez. “Field hockey is a game where there is always something more that you can learn.