The Indian Hill Braves varsity field hockey team kicks off its 2026-27 season Tuesday, Aug. 25, with a 7 p.m. Southwest Ohio Field Hockey League matchup against Ursuline Academy at Tomahawk Stadium.
It's the first game under new head coach Emily Betz, who previously led the program at The Summit Country Day School and has been coaching since 2017. Betz played Division I field hockey at Davidson College, where she captained the team her senior year, earned All-Conference honors and led the squad in goals.
The opener carries a subplot.
While at Summit Country Day, Betz led her squad to defeat Ursuline twice in the same season in 2021, a first in that program's history. She also guided Summit to its first playoff appearance in more than a decade in 2019 and has been named SWOFHL Coach of the Year three times, in 2019, 2020 and 2025.
"Field hockey is growing fast in our region, and our players all play a role in adding to the legacy of Cincinnati field hockey," Betz wrote in her coach biography published in January when she was introduced as the Braves' new head coach.
Betz helped four student-athletes at Summit continue playing field hockey in college, including two at the NCAA Division I level. Her stated goal for players at Indian Hill: leave the field with no regrets after giving full effort to the game and their teammates.
Three Indian Hill players earned fall 2026 Cincinnati Enquirer High School Sports Awards nominations: Kaydance Givens, Maddie Lanphear and Fay Van de Meulengraaf. Ursuline counters with nominees Lexie Burke and Cat Johnson, according to a Yahoo Sports/Enquirer report. Five total award nominees on the field makes Tuesday's opener one of the area's early-season marquee matchups.
Senior Night is set for Thursday, Sept. 24, against Walnut Hills at Tomahawk Stadium at 7 p.m.
After the home opener, the Braves travel to North Oldham High School in Kentucky on Saturday, Aug. 29, at 10 a.m., then visit Oakwood on Monday, Aug. 31, at 5:30 p.m. Indian Hill hosts Ursuline again Oct. 1 at 5 p.m. at Tomahawk Stadium.
