Northwestern Lehigh senior Hannah Gober and her field hockey coach Lissa Opolsky might have to agree to disagree.

While Opolsky played college field hockey at the University of Iowa, her player decided to play at rival Ohio State. Opolsky has gone so far as to allow her daughter to wear an Ohio State shirt given to her by Gober, but it stops there.

Naturally, Opolsky couldn’t be prouder of her player.

With the varsity field hockey team in attendance and most of them wearing Ohio State T-shirts, Gober was celebrated by the Northwestern Lehigh community recently for her commitment to become a Buckeye.

“Hannah is well prepared for the next step,” said Opolsky. “One of her biggest strengths is her IQ of the game. She’s probably going to play quite a different position when she gets to Ohio State, just because of the nature of what she is going into. I’m definitely a little sad that she won’t be wearing black and gold (Iowa colors) at the next level, but I am super proud of her and we’re all going to be Big 10 friends when it comes to that.”

Gober knew exactly what she was looking for in a college: a great premed program at a school that offered a strong field hockey team.

“I hope to continue on to med school following college,” said Gober. “Ohio State has the opportunity to be in a hospital setting and in the undergraduate program they have a lot of internship opportunities. The coaching staff there is fantastic and everybody I talk to about them speaks highly of them and that’s really important to me because I need a coach that understands the type of person I am and understands that I have big goals. I’m really excited to be able to go there.”

Gober is part of a senior class that won four District 11 championships and two Colonial League championships.

Gober contributed 49 goals and 44 assists over four seasons for 142 points.

The stats don’t show that Gober was a natural team leader and was quick to help younger players. Gober also helps out with coaching youth players and enjoys having that opportunity, which she hopes to continue doing at Ohio State.

“I was very fortunate this year with my teammates,” she said. “They were very open to constructive criticism and the feedback I would give them. I took on a little bit of a coaching role, and they totally bought into it. I think it’s made me a better player by learning how to explain things to them and learning how to pass on my knowledge and understanding of the game.

“I’ve thought about it (coaching) and I’m actually coaching indoor field hockey this year at my club, and hopefully there will be a club team or high school team that would be willing to take me on in some capacity. I love being around this sport whether it’s on the field or on the sideline.”

Gober also plays varsity basketball. As a freshman, Gober’s older sister Gabby was a senior on the field hockey team and this basketball season Hannah will be playing alongside younger sister Charlotte, who is a freshman.

“Not everyone has the opportunity to play club sports and high school sports with their siblings and I’m able to do it with my older sister and my younger sister,” said Gober. “We have the competitive drive, but also the sisterly drive to make each other better. We sometimes get frustrated and we fight, but at the end of the day, we’re always there for each other and we make each other better.”

Michelle Gober (mom), Hannah Gober, Steve Gober (dad), Charlotte Gober (sister); (back, L to R) Coach Lissa Opolsky, Principle Aileen Yadush.