Hunterdon Central's rich field hockey tradition wasn't lost on a group of players that endured back-to-back losing seasons in 2009 and '10. Their mission from the start of preseason was to return the program to its glory days.
Central hopes to continue what has been a remarkable turnaround campaign on Thursday when it meets Skyland Conference rival Bridgewater-Raritan in one of the Group 4 semifinals at Governor Livingston High School. Game time is 2 p.m.
Freehold Township meets 12-time defending Group 4 champion Eastern in the other semifinal on Thursday. The semifinal winners meet for the state title on Sunday at Toms River East. Eastern defeated Central in four straight Group 4 finals from 2001-04.
Senior forward Kim Engelhart was in eighth grade the last time Hunterdon Central (14-9) advanced this deep into the state playoffs. Her second-half goal against No. 1 seed Montgomery on Monday lifted the sixth-seeded Red Devils to a 2-1 victory in the North 2, Group 4 sectional final. It was the Hunterdon County school's 12th sectional title and first since 2007.
"It's amazing. We did the impossible in a way," said Engelhart of her team's title after a 3-12-1 season a year ago in which it scored a total of 11 goals in 16 games. "We really came together as a team this year."
Junior midfielder/back Chloe Maurice has been at the forefront of a defense that's helped pave the way for a championship. Central has allowed two goals in four postseason games and really did a nice job against Montgomery senior Shari Jones, the Maryland-bound midfielder, in the sectional final. The Cougars had 15 penalty corners in that game and managed only two quality shots, scoring their only goal on one in the first half.
"We definitely went in really determined to shut them down," Maurice said. "We wanted to prove to everybody that we're better than a six seed."
Coach Jenn Sponzo, who picked up her sixth sectional title in her 12 seasons, is really proud of the turnaround this season. Her 2010 team posted the lowest win total of any at the Flemington-based school since the 1986 team won two games. You also have to go back to the 1970s for the last time Central endured consecutive losing seasons, doing so from 1970 through '79.
From one highly-regarded coach to another, Sponzo sought out advice on a preseason conditioning regimen from Warren Hills' Laurie Kerr, whose team lost a one-goal heartbreaker in the North 2, Group 3 final on Tuesday.
Sponzo, who this season passed her former coach Sandy Chronic for most field hockey victories in school history, said that being in better shape this season and having dedicated players was critical to the team's success.
"We call it the pursuit of excellence [at Central]," said Sponzo, whose teams are 177-84-16 overall with four losses in the Group 4 final. "We've peaked at the right time. We have nine losses to all quality teams. We knew we had it in us to win a championship. These kids are great."
Central will continue playing the underdog role against Bridgewater (20-3), which defeated Montclair, 4-0, for the North 1 championship. Coach Kathie DeBonis' Panthers, who have lost to Eastern in the last seven Group 4 finals, beat the Red Devils twice this season, 7-1 and 4-1, in Delaware Division matchups.
In fact, Central has lost nine straight to Bridgewater dating to 2007, including a 7-0 loss in the sectional quarterfinals in '09, a 3-2 loss in the '08 sectional final and a 2-1 loss in the '07 Group 4 semis. In those losses, Central has been outscored by a combined margin of 40-5.
The Red Devils' last victory over the Panthers was 1-0 on Sept. 10, 2007.
"[We're the underdog] whether we like it or not," Maurice said. "We're going to play as hard as we can and fight to the finish. Seeds and being the underdog doesn't really matter."
Win or lose, Central has already put the program back on the map.
"We started the season with a goal of winning the first game, which we didn't even do losing to Pingry in overtime [2-1]," said Engelhart, who leads the team with 19 goals. "But we knew we were headed in the right direction. We're back and it feels amazing."
Now Central would love the feeling of once again playing for a Group 4 title.
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