Villa Maria’s Hannah Miller a field hockey star still on the rise

It's a different season, but Hannah Miller remains a goal-scoring machine for the Villa Maria Academy field hockey team.

In the first three games this year, the Duke recruit accounted for 12 of the team's 29 goals.

"She's just incredible," said first-year Villa Maria coach Katie Evans.

Miller, a 17-year-old senior forward from Malvern, opened the season by scoring eight goals in the first two games as the Hurricanes poured in 13 goals in two victories. Miller, who last season had 45 goals and 23 assists, erupted for five goals on Sept. 6 in an 8-0 victory over Sacred Heart. She had only three goals in a 5-2 win over Gwynedd Mercy to open the season on Sept. 4.

"It was a fun and exciting game since it was the first of the season," Miller said. "We were testing and feeling things out, and since we have two freshman starters, they had the opportunity to play every position."

In the third game of the season, a 16-0 win over St. Basil, Miller chipped in four goals.

While Villa Maria is adding underclass faces to its starting lineup, Miller — a starter for all four years — remains. And she is better than ever.

"You feel so lucky she's on your team," Evans said. "She knows what she wants and has every possibility of making it happen."

Miller started playing field hockey in second grade, but it wasn't until sixth grade, when she joined the prestigious WC Eagles club team in Pottstown, that her game took off. Miller earned a spot on the under-17 U.S. national team when she was a high school sophomore and then served as the team's captain during its tour of Uruguay last year.

Uruguay "was an amazing experience, and the selection process [for the national team] helped me to improve as a player since the level of play was so competitive," Miller said.

The under-17 national team played four games in Uruguay, and Miller saw playing time in each and ended the tournament with two goals. Villa Maria teammate Adele Iacobucci, a senior midfielder, also plays on the under-17 team.

Miller has also had great results as a player and leader at Villa Maria, carrying her team to the PIAA Class 2A state title last season and scoring both goals in final, a 2-1 win over Wyoming Valley West. Miller scored in all but one game in the 2017 postseason for a total of 15 goals.

As a freshman, she had nine goals and 10 assists and, playing midfield for the first time, started 22 of 23 games. As a junior last season, her scoring statistics placed her in the top 10 among 113 area high schools. She was third with an average of 4.52 points per game, fourth with an average of 1.80 goals per game, and sixth with an average of .96 assists per game.

Evans, a Villa Maria graduate and former collegiate player at Delaware, played midfield for the U.S. senior women's national team. She started all 22 games for the U.S. national team in 2004 and led the club in assists. She said that Miller is not only a "freak at finishing" and "extremely determined" but a valuable teammate.

"She is incredibly modest and mature," Evans said. "She sets a standard for the team, leads by example, and does everything the right way."

Miller said she will be looking to make the under-19 national team in December. Despite her achievements, she said it take more than just her best effort for the Hurricanes to win so often.

"They look to me to put the ball in the cage," Miller said, "but everyone does their job behind me to make that happen."