Before this summer, Hannah Gober already had several interesting things to say about herself when she met someone new. The Northwestern Lehigh High School senior is one of the best players in her class nationally; she’s going to Ohio State to play; and she aspires to enter the medical field.
But now she has something truly cool to tell people.
“I finally have a good fun fact to share,” she said. “I’ve been a stunt double. I’m in a movie.”
Same thing for Liberty High School senior Emerson Dougherty, who, along with Gober, spent some long days in July at Liberty’s Memorial Stadium volunteering as field hockey doubles for two of the lead characters in the feature film The Next Play, which is in post-production and does not yet have a release date.
“It was surreal to see our football stadium turned into a set for a movie,” Dougherty said. “Not only did I get to see that, I got to be in that. It was the coolest experience.”
Even though Liberty was scheduled to host the field hockey scenes (Moravian University hosted the other scenes), Dougherty said she was not interested initially. Liberty coach Jill Dorn nudged her along by recommending her to directors Koula Kazista and Katina Sossiadis because she bore a resemblance to Abigail Donnelly, who plays lead character Reese.
“So I said sure, I’ll give it a shot,” Dougherty said.
Dougherty said she felt comfortable once the cameras started rolling.
“I didn’t even feel like I was acting,” she said. “I felt like I was out practicing by myself. I wasn’t even thinking about the cameras that were on me. It was like all the people watching me disappeared.”
Dougherty said she has not yet chosen a college, but like Gober, she is also interested in a future in the medical field. Gober was thankful for the cast and crew, who helped alleviate some of her nerves.
Gober played the field hockey scenes, wearing a black wig, as a double for Mariana Garzón Toro, who plays one of the leads.
“Being an athlete, I’m self-critical,” Gober said. “In the moment, I did not think this was going to be a good shoot because I was breaking down a lot of the stuff I was doing. I had to do it again and again to get it from different camera angles. Looking back, I’m super grateful for the cast and the team they had working with us. They were grateful to have field hockey players willing to volunteer their time. I had a great time. We worked out great as a team.”
Gober and Dougherty also worked as extras.
“It was a special opportunity that came about only because of my experience in field hockey, but I feel like I adapted well to the situation,” Dougherty said. “I wasn’t used to acting, but in the future, if the opportunity arises, I would love to do it again. I’m glad that I got to do it and that my sport was able to put me in that position.”
“We had a ton of fun,” Gober said. “It was a bunch of high school and college-age girls hanging out at a high school in the middle of the night because we were shooting late into the morning. We just had fun. We’re young adults. We can have a little fun and get down to business when the time comes. It was a really special atmosphere.”
The Monmouth connection
When former Emmaus High star Ava Zerfass signed on to play with Division I Monmouth University three years ago, little did she know that she would be starting a trend.
Not one, not two, but three current Emmaus players have made commitments to make the trip from Emmaus to West Long Branch, New Jersey, to play for the Hawks (8-2), who are No. 15 in the NCAA Division I rankings.
Senior midfielder Addison Povilaitis and senior defender Morgann Orobono committed in the offseason, and then junior goalkeeper Emily Romano added her commitment soon after.
Povilaitis, who wants to study nursing, cited Monmouth’s family atmosphere. “Monmouth field hockey has a strong family culture,” she said. “The girls are all welcoming, which made me feel at home. That stems from the leadership of coach Carli [Figlio], who clearly creates this positive atmosphere.”
The Monmouth commits are a few of many on the current Emmaus team. Here is a list of the others: Avery Burnett (Columbia), Aiko Price (Northeastern), Sharlise Solano (Old Dominion), Gracie Huffer (Appalachian State), Madi Lenig (Temple), Sadi Nawarynski (East Stroudsburg) and Elena Rosati (East Stroudsburg).
Emmaus suffered its first loss of the season, 2-1 to Downingtown West in overtime on Saturday. Povilaitis said that Emmaus (15-1) can learn from the experience.
“It was a tough loss,” she said. “It will be a learning experience for us. It was good to get this over with, so now we can improve from it. [Downingtown West] wanted it more at times. That really got us. Their energy was high the whole time. … Learning from a game like this is the best thing we could have gotten out of it.”
The defense never rests
Led by seniors Maddy Kline, Emily Materna, Maddie Hynes. juniors Abby Rinda and goalkeeper Evelyn Byrnes, Easton has 12 shutouts in 14 games. “I love my defense.” Easton coach Casey Eck said. … Pen Argyl’s Olivia Berhal had two defensive saves against Lehighton; Veda Santo and Sadie Davis defended a corner with no time left to preserve a 1-1 tie vs. Freedom. … Emmaus Defensive Core: Madi Lenig defensive midfielder, Sharlise Solano left defensive back, Morgann Orobono sweeper back, Kaitlyn Carter and Avery Burnett right backs. Goalkeepers: Emily Romano & Aiko Price. The Hornets defense has allowed only 32 penalty corners and 51 shots on goal in 16 games. … Junior Elizabeth Amundsen and senior Abigail Mitchell each scored a goal in ES South’s 2-1 win over Lehighton. “Our defensive corner unit has played consistently well this season too,” coach Grace Martini said. … Quakertown has put together an impressive string of defensive performances, shutting out Pennsbury 1-0, Springfield Township 7-0, Abington 5-0, and Hatboro 8-0 earlier in the year. Sophomores Penny Longacre and Cameron Landis has provided a foundation for the defense. The Panthers also get strong efforts from Anna Haberle (Messiah commit) and junior Darcy Baxter. … Northampton (14-3) had good shutout wins vs Freedom (4-0) and Bangor (3-0). Soph GK Kaya Pietryka in goal, allowed 17 goals this season (7 vs Emmaus, 3 vs Easton, 5 vs Parkland). The K-Kid defense includes senior Brooke Spadaccia, freshman center back Livia Churetta, senior Jordan Saul, senior Grace Roberts, freshman Hayden Lopata off of the bench. … Whitehall freshman goalkeeper Alexa Derkacs has worked hard, supported by senior Emily Kern and Junior Kerigan Dreisbach in the backfield. … Unbeaten Salisbury (15-0) has gotten contributions from senior GK Caroline Gedney (11 shutouts), sophomore D Ella Morgans, senior CM Meredith Kelley, senior D Emma Yakatis and junior DM Annie Niggel.
RANKINGS(Records through Saturday)
Emmaus 15-1
Easton 13-1-1
Salisbury 15-0
Parkland 13-3
Northampton 14-3
Nazareth 12-4
Southern Lehigh 12-2-1
Quakertown 7-6
Upper Perkiomen 9-7
Stroudsburg 11-6
FIRST FOUR OUT: Faith Christian 10-4, Bangor 13-4, Northwestern Lehigh 11-5, Wilson 9-5-1.
Tim Shoemaker is a freelance writer.
https://www.mcall.com/2025/10/07/field-hockey-lehigh-valley-players-explore-new-roles-in-movie/
