We're sprinting toward the fun part of the season. The fourth annual Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex tournament is down to the Elite 8 and we're just over a week away from the cutoff date for the state playoffs.
But first thing's first as we take a look at this week's rankings.
Pope John's 2-1 win over Hackettstown in the HWS shook things up a bit, as first-year Lions coach Gina DiMaio knocked off her former school. The only thing better for her would have been to do it on the Tigers' home field. In the only "upset" as far as seeds go, No. 6 Phillipsburg earned a 1-0 win over No. 3 Newton, as the Stateliners were the only team -- and seed lower than 4 -- to win on the road in last weekend's first round.
On tap this Saturday, the HWS quarterfinals. Two matchups to watch are Phillipsburg at Hunterdon Central and Voorhees at Wallkill Valley. P'burg dropped a 2-0 decision to Central on Sept. 24, while Wallkill earned a stunning 1-0 win over Voorhees in last year's quarterfinals at Hal Sisco Field in Hardyston.
1. Warren Hills (11-1) -- Blue Streaks cruised to three wins last week, beating Lenape Valley, 5-1, on Saturday in the HWS tournament to run their win streak to five in a row. In those five games, Warren Hills outscored its opponents by a combined margin of 21-2. Senior forward Niki Miller continues to pace the offense with 12 goals and 12 assists to lead the tri-county area in scoring. She scored a goal in the team's 6-0 win over No. 4 Phillipsburg, while sophomore Sydney Muntone had a hat trick. The Warren County school can clinch its second straight Skyland Conference Raritan Division title with a win at No. 3 Voorhees on Tuesday.
Up next: at Voorhees on Tuesday; Somerville at home on Thursday; Pope John at home on Saturday in the HWS quarterfinals.
2. Hunterdon Central (7-5) -- Red Devils coming off a 1-2 week, with tough losses to state power Bridgewater-Raritan (5-0) and Ridge (2-1) before closing with a 4-1 win over Sparta last Saturday in the HWS tournament. Forwards Nicole Barrett and Kendall Nickel combined for three goals in the win. Coach Jenn Sponzo's team will be looking for a second straight win over No. 4 P'burg in Saturday's HWS quarterfinals.
Up next: at North Hunterdon on Tuesday; at Pingry on Thursday; Phillipsburg at home on Saturday in the HWS quarterfinals.
3. Voorhees (7-2-1) -- Vikings itching to reach that No. 2 spot after a pair of wins over Somerville (4-0) and Kittatinny (2-0), the latter in an HWS first-round matchup. Wish they played Central to settle it, but that's not to be this season. We'll see how the teams fare down the stretch. Senior Sara Diacik connected for a pair of goals against the 'Ville, while junior Ashley Kerekgyarto and freshman Kathryn Roncoroni each notched a goal and an assist against Kittatinny. Vikes have won five of six -- all shutouts -- entering the week.
Up next: Warren Hills at home on Tuesday; at Delaware Valley on Thursday; at Wallkill Valley on Saturday in the HWS quarterfinals.
4. Phillipsburg (7-6) -- Stateliners went 2-1 last week, finishing up with a 1-0 win over Newton in the HWS tournament. Senior Molly Zgoda scored the game-winning goal off a feed from Marissa Perino. Goalie Brittany Lavin made 10 saves for her fifth shutout. Senior forward Katie Decker scored three goals in a 4-0 win over Somerville on Tuesday. Decker, a very talented player, leads the 'Liners with six goals on the season. P'burg also dropped a 6-0 decision -- its 10th in a row in the series against the Streaks -- on Thursday.
Up next: at Delaware Valley on Tuesday; Montgomery at home on Thursday; at Hunterdon Central on Saturday in the HWS quarterfinals.
5. High Point (9-1-1) -- Wildcats rolling along with a four-game winning streak entering the week. After wins over Montville (3-0) and Vernon (4-2), coach Bev Keur's team closed with a 1-0 win over Belvidere in the HWS tournament. Sophomore Alexis Ambrosino continued her torrid scoring with the winning goal -- her fourth game in a row with at least one goal or an assist. She has nine goals on the season, second to team leader Darby Smith with 12. Should be interesting with No. 6 South Hunterdon on Saturday.
Up next: at Mount Olive on Tuesday; Morris Hills at home on Thursday; South Hunterdon at home on Saturday in the HWS quarterfinals.
6. South Hunterdon (7-3-1) -- Eagles won both of their games last week -- 2-1 over Stuart Day in an independent clash and 1-0 in overtime against Vernon on Saturday in a tight HWS affair. Forward Kaycee Zelkovsky scored goals in both wins, while Amber Dey had a goal and an assist. Those two have combined for 19 of the team's 23 goals through 11 games.
Up next: at North Plainfield on Tuesday; at Mount Saint Mary on Thursday; at High Point on Saturday in the HWS quarterfinals.
7. Wallkill Valley (6-4-1) -- Rangers capped a tough week with a hard-fought 1-0 win over Delaware Valley in an HWS contest last Saturday. Senior back Rachel Fielder connected for the winning goal off a feed from senior forward Andreanna Nordland, while rock-solid senior goalie Emily Stukenborg stopped six saves for the shutout. Coach Irene Chernati's team opened last week with losses to Blair Academy (1-0) and Parsippany (4-0), as the Rangers were held scoreless for the fifth time this season.
Up next: Kittatinny at home on Monday; Jefferson at home on Wednesday; Voorhees at home on Saturday in the HWS quarterfinals.
8. Newton (6-5) -- Braves opened the week with a thrilling 1-0 win in overtime against Hackettstown before ending it with a 1-0 loss to Phillipsburg in the HWS tournament. Junior Katherine Kellenberger scored the winning goal in the Braves' second 1-0 win over the Tigers this season to forge a three-way tie for second place, along with Wallkill Valley, in the NJAC Freedom Division.
Up next: at Lenape Valley on Monday; North Warren at home on Wednesday.
9. Pope John (5-4-2) -- Lions move into the rankings for the first time this season by virtue of Saturday's 2-1 win over Hackettstown in a HWS tournament first-rounder. Senior forwards Rachel Spetz and Beth Dauer scored goals, while senior midfielder Lydia Hoff assisted on both. Goalie Sam Scalabrini made three saves for the shutout as the Lions advanced to meet No. 1 Warren Hills this weekend. Pope John began last week with a 1-0 loss in overtime to Montville.
Up next: at Morris Knolls on Tuesday; Sparta at home on Thursday; at Warren Hills on Saturday in the HWS quarterfinals.
10. Hackettstown (6-5) -- Tigers plummeted four spots after Saturday's 2-1 loss to Pope John in the tri-county tournament. Junior forward Nicole Andes connected on the lone goal. Coach Stephen Speirs' team also dropped a 1-0 decision in overtime to Newton last Tuesday. It was only the second time this season that Hackettstown was held without a goal -- both times against the Braves.
Up next: Lenape Valley at home on Wednesday.
On the bubble -- Delaware Valley (5-5-1); Belvidere (5-4-1)
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