Thursday, November 3, 2011

NJSIAA: Wildcats claw their way to semifinal round

Senior forwards Nikki Hull and Brittany Papa connected for goals to help top-seeded High Point cruise to a 3-0 victory over eighth-seeded Montville on Thursday in the North 1, Group 3 sectional quarterfinals in Wantage.

The Wildcats (19-1), seeking the program's sixth sectional title and first since 2002, will host No. 4 Northern Highlands (15-4-2) in Saturday's semifinals. Northern Highlands advanced with a 4-3 win over No. 5 Vernon on Wednesday. High Point defeated Vernon twice this season, 6-1 on Sept. 21 and 2-1 on Oct. 25. The 'Cats also beat Montville (10-8), 2-0, in a Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference clash on Sept. 19.

No. 2 seed West Milford (18-1) will host No. 3 Wayne Hills (16-4-1) in the other semifinal on Saturday. The championship game is slated for Tuesday. It will be the third meeting between the two Passaic County schools, as West Milford won the first two, including a 3-1 decision in the county final on Oct. 22.

High Point has now won four straight since a 3-1 loss to Warren Hills in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex final on Oct. 22. Coach Bev Keur's 'Cats have outscored their opponents 26-8 in their last seven contests. Keur also picked up career win No. 310.

Hull continued her pursuit of the Sussex County school's career points record, currently held by Lesley Dube (112 from 1994-97 with 50 goals and 12 assists). Hull now has 18 goals and 13 assists this season, putting her career totals at 39 goals and 30 assists for 108 points. Teammate Darby Smith, a junior who didn't score a goal or have an assist on Thursday, has 107 points.

Papa recorded her 14th goal of the season, giving High Point an early 1-0 lead. Hull connected two minutes later off a feed from senior midfielder Sarah Clark, who capped the scoring with 16:30 left in the game. Goalie Kelsey Stoll made it stand with eight saves for her ninth shutout.

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