Senior forward Felicia Wetzel has been making good things happen on the offensive end since recently joining Wallkill Valley's lineup.
Wetzel was at it again on Saturday, triggering the drive that led to the winning goal in the Rangers' 1-0 victory over defending champion Voorhees in a Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament field hockey quarterfinal in Hardyston.
Wallkill Valley (11-3), the No. 2 seed on the Sussex side, advances to Wednesday's semifinals and will play at top-seeded Warren Hills, a 5-0 winner over Newton, for the right to play in next Saturday's championship game.
"We knew [Voorhees] was really good," said Wetzel, who played for three years at Pope John and missed the first 30 days at Wallkill Valley due to the state's transfer rules. "We played as a team and played our hardest."
Wetzel assisted on the winning goal by junior forward Andreanna Nordland that broke a scoreless tie with 26:47 left in the second half. Wetzel started the drive into the circle and made a great decision to lift the ball over Voorhees goalie Kimmie Pianucci, who went to the turf to thwart the drive.
The ball found Nordland on the back side left post and she sent it into the cage. Wallkill Valley's solid defense, led by outstanding back Kristina Garrera and talented goalie Emily Stukenborg, took care of the rest. in recording the Rangers' ninth shutout this season.
"I knew [Nordland] was going to be on the post," Wetzel said. "I just tossed it over there. I noticed [Pianucci] was [going to the ground] in the first half, so I figured she was going to dive. I just did my thing."
Wallkill Valley coach Irene Chernati, whose team lost 4-1 to Warren Hills in last year's quarterfinals, said that Wetzel has been a great addition to the Rangers' offense. Wetzel has scored five goals in four games, but her assist on Saturday was extremely huge in a game that featured two outstanding defenses.
"Felicia ignited [the winning drive in the second half]," said Chernati, now 331-154-5 overall in 26 seasons. "She's been able to work with Andy Nordland and [midfielder] Brittany [Harlos]. They all work really well together."
Voorhees (9-3), the No. 3 seed in the Hunterdon-Warren draw, was seeking back-to-back county titles and the program's 10th overall. The Vikings, who are 43-11 in county games dating to 1992, were missing a pair of starters in forward Tori Crans (ankle) and midfielder Juana Guglielimino (college visit). But first-year coach Taylor Webb refused to use their absences as an excuse for the loss.
"It's disappointing because when you get to this point in the season you expect to play your best," said Webb, whose team entered the game riding a five-game winning streak. "We lost to a good Wallkill Valley team. We got beat to the ball a lot and you can't afford to do that."
The Vikings missed a golden chance to pull even with just under 10 minutes to play. Senior forward Kat Francis got the ball behind Stukenborg, who recovered nicely and was able to clear it out of harm's way.
Voorhees dominated the first 20 minutes of play with five penalty corners to zero, as neither team was able to generate many quality shots-on-goal. Wallkill Valley got its first corner near the seven-minute mark and from there the tide shifted toward the Sussex County school.
The Rangers finished with an 8-2 advantage in shots, seven of which came in the second half. Harlos nearly missed a goal when her shot clipped the post with 2:10 remaining.
"We're a second half team," Wetzel said. "We knew it was going to be tough and that we'd have to give 110 percent."
Voorhees (9-3) 0 0 -- 0
Wallkill Valley (11-3) 0 1 -- 1
Scoring
Second half -- WV, Andreanna Nordland, 7th, (Felicia Wetzel), 26:47.
Shots -- Voorhees 2; Wallkill Valley 8.
Saves -- Kimmie Pianucci 7 (V); Emily Stukenborg 2 (WV).
Penalty corners -- Voorhees 8; Wallkill Valley 6.
In other quarterfinal action:
Warren Hills 5, Newton 0 -- Senior forward Lindsey Schott scored a pair of goals and assisted on another to power top-seeded Warren Hills (14-1) past fourth-seeded Newton (7-4-1). Niki Miller, Nikki Schott and Sydney Muntone also scored for the Blue Streaks, while goalie Alexa Lavelle made 14 saves in her first varsity start.
High Point 2, South Hunterdon 0 -- Senior forward Brittany Papa scored both goals, her ninth and 10th of the season, and goalie Kelsey Stoll made five saves as top-seeded High Point (13-0) advanced to the semifinals for the second straight year. Goalie Sam Soscia made 10 saves for the fourth-seeded Eagles (8-4). The Wildcats will face the winner of the Vernon-Belvidere quarterfinal to be played at 4 p.m. on Monday, in Wednesday's semifinals.
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