Ann Arbor Pioneer’s dynasty continued Saturday with its fourth consecutive title, but this one was different, defeating Dexter in the first-ever MHSAA-sanctioned field hockey state final.

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Ann Arbor Pioneer field hockey celebrates winning MHSAA’s first-ever state title

Ann Arbor Pioneer defeated Dexter, 2-0, to capture the first-ever MHSAA-sanctioned field hockey state championship Saturday, Oct. 25 in Northville.

Ann Arbor Pioneer continued its reign of dominance in Michigan high school field hockey.

This time, though, it can say it won an Michigan High School Athletic Assocation state championship.

The Pioneers captured the first-ever MHSAA field hockey championship Saturday, Oct. 25, by defeating the Dexter Dreadnaughts, 2-0, at Tom Holzer Field at Northville High School. It’s the Pioneers’ 31st state championship in field hockey, though the previous 30 came outside of MHSAA tournament play.

Junior Zoe Shuchman scored in the first quarter and senior Maggie Lamb scored in the third quarter.

Ann Arbor Pioneer won the final three Division 1 Michigan High School Field Hockey League titles (2022-24).

Saturday’s game was the third time Pioneer (15-6-1) and Dexter (15-4-4) faced off this season, with the teams tying 1-1 Sept. 15, and Pioneer winning 1-0 on Sept. 22. 

Pioneer coach Jane Nixon, congratulated by school faculty members, players and parents who embraced her with hugs and gave her praise, was proud of her team, “Team 46,” referencing the 46th varsity roster at the school.

“For Team 46 to be the first team to be recognized through the MHSAA and to win the championship, it’s huge,” Nixon said. “Just really proud of our seniors and our whole team, working hard together, believing in each other – we had some tough games early on and some losses and we just stayed with it and stayed believing in each other and working hard and doing the things that make us who we are.”

Dexter and Pioneer know each other well in field hockey, with a lengthy history over the past decade.

They met in the Michigan High School Field Hockey League’s Division 1 championship title game in 2016, where the Pioneers won, 1-0. They met in back-to-back title matches in 2019 and 2020, where the Dreadnaughts won both contests.

The team’s two previous matches took place early in the season in September. Nixon said the players have respect for each other since most of the them are teammates in club programs such as Pinnacle and Fer De Lance Field Hockey in Ann Arbor.

“They know each other, they respect each other, they are friends on the field, but compete on the field,” Nixon said.

Senior team captain Anne McGowan, 17, of Ann Arbor, said playing Dexter brings intensity out of both teams.

“I think both Pioneer and Dexter have passion for field hockey and just want to put it all out on the field,” McGown said, “and they’re never afraid to take the extra step and we just need to be ready for that and we were ready for that. They’re just a gritty team, but we were grittier.”

The Pioneers’ state title came with challenges at the beginning of the season.

Nixon said a key was the team finding its competitive instinct as they faced some strong teams early on.

“It was just not sitting back, but going forward, like, trying to get first to the ball, trying to make sure that we were communicating and talking on the field,” Nixon said. “We were working hard, but it takes getting on your tiptoes to compete. And so we really had to work on that part and then it started to come together for us.”

McGowan and senior co-captain Izzy Sutton both said chemistry was another hurdle they had to get over as five new players were introduced to the team. Eventually, they found a rhythm.

“When you’re playing with certain players for a really long time, you kind of get to know how they play,” Sutton said. “So sometimes when new players come, it makes it a little harder to get that connection right off the bat.”

Although the two seniors have won championships under the MHSFL, McGowan said winning under an MHSAA title is a different feeling.

“I feel like now being a part of MHSAA, it’s like even more special that we beat more teams to get here and be the best team in Michigan,” McGowan said. “And it just feels more fulfilling and it’s really amazing.”

As she notched her 19th state championship victory, Nixon had a good feeling about her team becoming the first sanctioned state champions.

“All along, it was kinda in the back of our mind, but we didn’t say it,” Nixon said. “We never talked about being the first MHSAA champion for field hockey. But I know when the moment happened, they were so excited for it.”

Eric Guzmán covers youth sports culture at the Free Press as a corps member for Report for America, an initiative of The GroundTruth Project. Make a tax-deductible contribution to support this work. 

Contact Eric Guzmán: eguzman@freepress.com; 313-222-1850.Â