Kristin Slemmer is not your typical head coach.

While most of her peers suffer from an inherent inability to give an honest opinion about postseason pairings, Slemmer volunteered her preference for the upcoming WPIAL field hockey playoffs without hesitation.

"I want North Allegheny," she said, flatly.

Now in her second season at the helm of the Peters Township High School girls' team, the former Indiana University of Pennsylvania lacrosse player skipped the play-it-safe-lest-I-offend coachspeak. And why not?

The four-team Class AAA semifinals are slated to begin Wednesday and the Indians (13-2 overall, 10-0 in section play) are heavy favorites to advance to the title game.

"It would be the sweetest scenario to play them again," said Slemmer, who has amassed 27 career victories since taking over the four-year-old program in August 2008.

"Last year, we came into the first round of the playoffs undefeated and they beat us, 1-0, in double overtime at our stadium. There were a lot of hearts broken on that field. This year, I want to beat them."

That loss to North Allegheny brought with it extra pain for Slemmer's squad, because the Tigers -- who have won 10 out of the 12 Class AAA titles awarded since field hockey became a WPIAL-sanctioned sport in 1994 -- would fall to eventual champion Norwin, a team the Indians had defeated during the regular season.

But as Peters' regular season concludes today with a non-section game against Pine-Richland, Slemmer knows she has an experienced roster brimming with confidence and talent.

"We have a lot of athleticism and heart and desire," she said, noting that her squad's only setbacks this season came against Vincentian Academy and Shady Side Academy. During that first 3-1 loss to Vincentian, the Indians played without five starters who missed the game due to academic tests on campus.

On the field, the Indians' lineup features a cluster of impact players at every position. Leading the team offensively are a trio of senior attackers: Jules Femiani (17 goals through Monday), Kayla Howard (13) and Julianna Makrinos (7 goals, 6 assists).

In the backfield, seniors Natalie Toscano, Theresa Peranteau and Allison Crawford, a midfielder, have been key members on the Indians' defense.

"We've been a powerhouse this season," said Slemmer.

In goal, senior Rachel Sunday has stood tall, posting back-to-back shutouts against Woodland Hills and Oakland Catholic on Sept. 29 and 30.

"What makes her such a good goalie is her ability to communicate -- loudly -- with her teammates," said Slemmer. "She's a commander at the back of the field. She'll tell girls to adjust on defense."

Since the beginning of WPIAL-sanctioned play, only seven schools have won either a Class AAA or AA crown. Currently, 20 WPIAL schools compete.

"A lot of our girls were soccer players and since we have such a strong soccer program at Peters, there are many athletic girls who found themselves getting cut for that program," said Slemmer. "It's a spill-over effect; we have so many competitive kids here that they decided to try out for field hockey. Now, I'm finding that instead of trying out for soccer, the girls are just coming over to play for us."

Slemmer said Western Pennsylvania's participation level in field hockey lags behind significantly. Slowly, however, the sport is growing. Overall, 299 PIAA schools are participating across the commonwealth this season.

"My next goal is to get our feeder program in the middle schools up and running," she said. "Most girls [who play for me] are learning about the game when they're freshmen. This year, though, six of our girls were the first to play all four years."

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