Streaks prove Grater against Hopewell Valley

Warren Hills' field hockey team had plenty of motivation heading into Saturday's playoff rematch with a Hopewell Valley squad that ended the Warren County school's title run a year ago.

It wasn't any easier this time around, but the third-seeded Blue Streaks are still dancing after a 1-0 win over the No. 2 seed in a North 2, Group 3 semifinal matchup in Hopewell.

Warren Hills (22-1), which has won 12 in a row, travels to top-seeded Freehold Borough (19-1) for Tuesday's sectional final. The two schools have previously met twice in the title game. Freehold won, 2-0, at Warren Hills in the 2007 final and the Streaks' avenged that one with a 1-0 victory in overtime at Freehold en route to a Group 3 runner-up finish in 2009.

The Streaks also established a school record for wins, eclipsing the 2009 team's total of 21.

Warren Hills senior forward Kayla Grater notched the decisive goal on Saturday, her 15th of the season early in the first half. Junior midfielder Niki Miller sent a long hit into the circle and Grater, who was unmarked in the circle, maneuvered around a tightly-bunched defense to finish it off.

A strong Blue Streaks defense made it stand, as goalie Katie Wintersteen stopped six shots for her 14th shutout of the season. Warren Hills has outscored three postseason opponents by a combined 15-1 margin.

"Both teams struggled to stop the ball on offensive corners," Kerr said. "The [grass] field was nice and fast, but bumpy inside the circle. We had our sticks down and the ball just jumped right over the sticks. We had a lot of balls just miss the post wide."

Warren Hills is now 54-35 all-time in postseason games dating to 1972. Kerr is 25-11 in her 12 seasons at the helm of her alma mater in the playoffs and has guided the Streaks to five of their nine sectional titles.
Warren Hills (22-1)                   1                   0               --   1
Hopewell Valley (17-2)            0                   0               --   0

Scoring

First half -- WH, Kayla Grater, 15th, (Niki Miller), 25:34.

Shots -- Warren Hills 9; Hopewell Valley 6.

Saves -- Katie Wintersteen 6 (WH); Kristin Olszuk 8 (HV).