The game of the year to date was unfortunately postponed by rain last Thursday, as No. 1 Warren Hills was set to face No. 3 Voorhees in the first of three potential meetings this season.
The next scheduled contest between these fierce rivals is Oct. 1 at Voorhees. The teams also meet on the turf in Washington, Oct. 6.
But there's plenty of field hockey to be played by then, so here's a look at the new area Top 10.
1. Warren Hills (3-0) -- Blue Streaks are off to a flying start with a nice 2-1 win over Bridgewater-Raritan on Tuesday. The Blue Streaks followed that up with a 4-0 win over a much-improved Hunterdon Central team on Saturday. Senior forward Lindsey Schott continued her assault on the school record books, scoring three goals against Hackettstown, an 8-0 win, in the season opener. Schott's goal against Bridgewater moved her into second place on the all-time goals list with 49, passing Lori Toole (48 from 1977-79). Schott is now six goals away from breaking Megan Springmeyer's total of 54 (2004-07). Schott also now owns the career points record (131), passing Springmeyer (124), and is seven assists shy of the career assists mark held by Toni Popinko (39 from 2006-09). Freshman Niki Proifita also scored her first two goals last week.
Previous rank: No. 1.
Up next: at Montgomery on Monday; Delaware Valley at home on Thursday; Phillipsburg at home on Saturday.
2. High Point (4-0) -- Wildcats are off and running after a nice 3-1 win over Pingry in the season opener followed by three Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference wins, including a 3-0 shut out of No. 10 Pope John on Saturday. Forwards Nikki Hull (two goals), Darby Smith (two goals) and Brittany Papa (two goals) pace an offense that produced 14 goals in four games. Sashal Hagan leads the 'Cats in points with three goals and three assists. Bea Cannavale, one of the area's top backs, leads High Point with four goals. Big showdown with No. 6 Vernon this week. High Point will play six of its first seven on the road, beating Pope John in the home opener.
Previous rank: No. 2.
Up next: at Montville on Monday; at Vernon on Wednesday; at Mountain Lakes on Friday.
3. Voorhees (1-0) -- A short, but eventful week for the Vikings with a 1-0 win over No. 4 Phillipsburg on Tuesday in their only contest to start the season. The victory was the first of what is sure to be many for rookie coach Taylor Webb. Since 2000, Voorhees enters the week with an astonishing 109-15-7 overall against Hunterdon and Warren schools. Tori Crans scored the goal and was assisted by Kat Francis to beat the Stateliners, while goalie Kimmie Pianucci made two saves for the shutout. New coach, same old stingy defense.
Previous rank: No. 3.
Up next: at Somerville on Tuesday; at Hillsborough on Thursday; at Franklin on Saturday.
4. Phillipsburg (2-2) -- Up and down start for the Stateliners, who started 2-0 before the 1-0 loss to No. 3 Voorhees on Tuesday, followed by a 3-1 loss to unbeaten Montgomery on Thursday. First-year coach Jennifer Paulus will need to rally her troops after back-to-back losses. Forward Lauren Nunes scored a pair of goals in the opener against Blair Academy, but was held off the board in the next three games, as was linemate Priscilla Howell, who scored twice in that one. Goalie Brittany Lavin and the defense yielded eight goals in four games, so that will need to change as the 'Liners face the tougher teams on the schedule. Speaking of which, P'burg will be looking to snap a six-game skid against No. 1 Warren Hills on Saturday. The 'Liners' last win in the series was 3-2 on Oct. 30, 2007.
Previous rank: No. 4.
Up next: Delaware Valley at home on Tuesday; Franklin at home on Thursday; at Warren Hills on Saturday.
5. Belvidere (3-1) -- Coach Kristin Gaitan's County Seaters suffered their first loss, 3-1 at Bernards in a key Skyland Conference Valley Division clash on Saturday. Kasey Keenan scored the lone goal. Forward Tiffany McKenna is off to a torrid start with 10 goals, including a pair of hat tricks and a four-goal game in the team's 8-0 win over North Plainfield on Sept. 13. Nicole DeHerde chipped in with two goals and a team-leading five assists in the three wins. Goalie Josee Ritter had a pair of shutouts last week.
Previous rank: No. 5.
Up next: at South Hunterdon on Tuesday; North Warren at home under the lights on Wednesday.
6. Vernon (4-0) -- The Vikings are off to a strong start as coach Hollyce Schoepp's team outscored its opponents 22-3 in the first four games. Forwards Melody Prisco and Kayla Turner-Boss are really clicking early as the pair hooked up for a goal in the team's 4-0 win at then-No. 10 Pope John on Tuesday. Prisco, a speedy right wing, entered the week with five goals and six assists. Turner-Boss is the Vikes' leading goal scorer with nine, including four in a 6-1 independent win over Ridge on Saturday. Midfielder Steph Peterson recorded a pair of goals in an 8-0 win over Sparta, while Rachel Colvin posted three goals and four assists in the opening week.
Previous rank: No. 7.
Up next: Mount Olive at home on Monday; High Point at home on Wednesday; Blair Academy at home on Saturday.
7. Wallkill Valley (3-1) -- Rangers started the season with three consecutive shutouts before a 4-0 independent loss to Madison on Friday. Coach Irene Chernati's team picked up a pair of NJAC Freedom Division wins, 1-0 over Hackettstown and 2-0 over Kittatinny. Forward Andreanna Nordland scored twice against Kittatinny. Offense, or lack thereof, seems to have carried over from last season with five goals in the three wins and a shutout loss. That bears watching in the coming weeks because this team is pretty sound defensively.
Previous rank: No. 6.
Up next: at Pequannock on Tuesday; Newton at home on Thursday; Roxbury at home on Friday.
8. Hunterdon Central (2-3) -- Coach Jenn Sponzo was spot-on when she said her team would be markedly better than a year ago. The Red Devils opened with a pair of tough losses, 2-1 in overtime to Pingry and 2-0 at Madison before rebounding with back-to-back wins. Forward Kim Engelhart had tricks in both in a 5-2 win over Ridge and a 7-0 shutout of North Hunterdon. New goalie Fran Orella made five saves for her first shutout against North. Central closed the week with a 4-0 loss to No. 1 Warren Hills on Saturday. A tough early schedule should pay off for this team down the road.
Previous rank: No. 9.
Up next: at Lawrenceville at Monday; at Westfield on Friday; Hillsborough at home on Saturday.
9. Newton (2-1) -- The Braves opened with a pair of wins, 3-0 at Lenape Valley and 1-0 at Hackettstown, before a 5-1 waxing at Chatham. Forward Melanie Rudio scored a goal and added three assists in the wins, while midfielder Alicia Grotyohann scored twice in the opener against Lenape. The defense held in the first two games as goalie Amanda Norman only faced a combined five shots. Coach Lisa Bechtel's team will get a stiff test on Thursday at No. 7 Wallkill Valley.
Previous rank: No. 8.
Up next: Kittatinny at home on Tuesday; at Wallkill Valley on Thursday; at Roxbury on Saturday.
10. South Hunterdon (3-1) -- The Eagles enter the rankings after a solid week, losing 3-0 to Bernards before rebounding in a 5-0 win over Pennington on Friday. The offense produced 12 goals in the first two games as five different players scored in a 5-0 win over North Plainfield. Kelly Albanir and Melissa Aversa are pacing the team with a combined five goals. Karli Ribsam also contributed with three goals. Big showdown with No. 5 Belvidere on Tuesday with heavy Skyland Conference Valley Division implications.
Previous rank: unranked.
Up next: Belvidere at home on Tuesday; at Mount St. Mary on Thursday; at Hackettstown on Saturday.
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