Turner-Boss on shelf as Vikes top Cougars

Forward Kayla Turner-Boss has accounted for most of Vernon's offense this season. Playing without their offensive leader on Wednesday, the Vikings discovered they still have plenty of offensive options.

Junior forward Rachel Colvin scored a pair of goals to lead Vernon in a 2-1 Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference independent field hockey victory over Kittatinny on the turf in Vernon.

Turner-Boss, who leads Vernon with 16 goals, is out at least two weeks and possibly longer with a foot injury, according to coach Hollyce Schoepp. The Vikings (9-2), ranked No. 5 in the Open Mike area, needed someone to step up in her absence and Colvin filled the bill nicely on this day.

"It was a really exciting game. A win is a win," said Colvin, who has 11 goals and three multi-score games this season. "It's going to be tough [without Turner-Boss]. [Junior forward] Kim Leung is stepping it up in [the left wing] position and is working really hard, and Mel [Prisco] too."

Prisco, the team's lightning-quick right wing, was responsible for setting up Colvin's second goal, the decisive score with 15:15 left in the second half. Prisco sent a perfect cross pass to her left, finding Colvin who sent the ball into the cage with authority. It was Prisco's team-best 11th assist.

Schoepp agreed that getting Prisco more involved after a quiet first half was a big key to victory. The play of Colvin in Turner-Boss' absence was also huge for the Vikes.

"We weren't getting the ball to [the right] side of the field [in the first half]," said Schoepp, whose team won 10 games all last season. "[Rachel] has done such a great job all season. She's always setting things up and doesn't always get the accolades. She gets things done."

Colvin's goal came at a critical juncture. Kittatinny (3-6) had just pounded the Vernon cage during a corner, rocketing several balls off the pads of Viking goalie Rhonda Richardsen. The Cougars, who had won two of their last three coming in, outshot the Vikings, 7-2, in the second half. But Richardsen made several outstanding saves, eight in all, including one with her stick during a corner with under a minute to play.

"We work really hard together," Richardsen said. "I saw the ball [in the air] and swatted at it, just trying to get it out."

Senior midfielder Michaela Virga evened things at 1 with 13:33 left in the first half. Virga, who scored a goal in Kittatinny's 2-1 win in overtime against Roxbury on Tuesday, was outstanding and really led the offensive charge for coach Heather Reynolds' upset-minded squad.

Colvin gave Vernon an early 1-0 lead when she converted off a feed from Leung during the Vikes' second penalty corner with 8:38 gone in the opening half. Vernon had plenty of chances in the first half, but couldn't take control of the game.

"We struggled early in the game and we just had to get our feet under us," Schoepp said. "It worked out really well in the second half."


Kittatinny (3-6)                   1                      0             --   1
Vernon (9-2)                       1                      1             --   2

Scoring

First half -- V, Rachel Colvin, 10th, (Kim Leung), 21:22; K, Michaela Virga, 2nd, 13:33.

Second half -- V, Colvin, 11th, (Melody Prisco), 15:15.

Shots -- Kittatinny 9; Vernon 9.

Saves -- Melissa Calascibetta 7 (K); Rhonda Richardsen 8 (V).

Penalty corners -- Kittatinny 7; Vernon 7.