The fifth annual Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament commences in earnest on Saturday with eight first-round games.
Two-time champion and No. 2 seed Voorhees (8-3), which defeated High Point, 1-0, in last year's final, faces No. 7 Wallkill Valley, a 1-0 winner over No. 10 North Hunterdon in a play-in game, for the third straight year. The teams have split quarterfinal round meetings in Hardyston, with the Rangers winning 1-0 in 2011 and the Vikings earning a 3-0 win in last year's semifinals.
Among the more intriguing first-round games is No. 7 Phillipsburg at No. 2 Sparta. The Stateliners (2-7-2) are struggling this season, while the Spartans (5-3) are off to one of their best starts.
The upper half of the draw is absolutely loaded with Voorhees, No. 1 High Point (9-0-1) and No. 4 Warren Hills (8-3-1) all up top. High Point has played in back-to-back finals, while Warren Hills has won or shared two county championships.
The Blue Streaks, winners of five straight, are coming off an impressive 4-1 victory over the Vikings on Thursday in which coach Laurie Kerr became the winningest coach in the Warren County program's history.
"We're starting to put things together," said Kerr, who has 227 wins in 14 seasons. "Hopefully, we'll keep the ball rolling ... into the cage."
Here's a capsule look at all of Saturday's games. Due to SATs, most start times are 3 p.m. or later:
8B-Delaware Valley (5-5-1) at 1A-High Point (9-0-1) -- Terriers have been one-and-done the previous two years and face a tall order against the two-time runner-up. Senior forward Robyn Case leads Del Val with three goals. Sans a 7-0 win over Notre Dame-East Stroudsburg (Pa.), the Terriers have scored just six goals in their other 10 games. Wildcats tied Pingry, 3-3, in their only tough test to date and have scored at least three goals in all but one game, while producing seven shutouts on defense. Senior forward Carly Satter (7 goals, 10 assists) and junior forward Alexis Ambrosino (11 goals) power the Sussex County school's offensive attack.
Prediction: High Point, 3-1.
5A-Kittatinny (5-3-1) at 4B-Warren Hills (8-3-1) -- Cougars (1-4 all-time in HWS games) are also enjoying one of their best starts in recent seasons, but are decided underdogs in this one, especially on turf since they play all of their home games on grass. Sophomore forward Maureen Douglas (three goals) and junior midfielder Sunny Karns (three assists in the last four games) pace the offense, while junior goalie Julie Pevarnik has five shutouts. Blue Streaks, who are tied with Voorhees for most county tournament wins -- both 11-2 overall -- are rolling right now behind a potent forward line led by junior Sydney Muntone (11 goals) and freshman Dani Profita (6 goals) and solid junior midfielder Nikki Profita (seven goals, nine assists). Juniors Allie Brouhard and Amanda Crampton anchor the defense.
Prediction: Warren Hills, 4-0.
6B-Belvidere (4-6-1) at 3A-Lenape Valley (6-3-1) -- County Seaters, who had won a county game every year until last season, are looking for a better showing in this one after a 4-0 loss to the Patriots last Saturday in a regular-season clash at home. The Warren County school has lost four of its last five games, so forwards Liz Dalrymple (3 goals) and Erin Sassaman (7 assists) will need to generate offense. Lenape Valley, which is 1-4 in county games, is looking to continue its remarkable turnaround after winning five games total the previous two seasons. Junior forward Kassidy Forik (10 goals) and junior captain Sally Olson (four goals, four assists) are players to watch for the Pats, along with junior forward Alyssa Falleni (seven assists).
Prediction: Lenape Valley, 3-1.
7A-Wallkill Valley (6-6) at 2B-Voorhees (8-3) -- Rubber game of the county series between these teams. Rangers won't have the benefit of home field this time, but it will still be played on a grass surface. Senior forwards Casey Pustelniak (8 goals) and Barbara Hannan (four assists) lead the offense, which has struggled of late with two goals in the last four games. The Vikings are still stinging from a 4-1 loss to Warren Hills on Thursday, so expect third-year coach Taylor Webb's team to come out fired up for this one. Sophomore forward Kathryn Roncoroni (20 goals) is having a great season and has scored at least twice in all but the two games where she was kept off the board (West Essex and Warren Hills). The likely loss of senior Kathryn Boyce with a leg injury means junior Lauren Pianucci will serve as the full-time goalie.
Prediction: Voorhees, 3-0.
9B-North Warren (2-6-1) at 1B-South Hunterdon (10-1) -- Former Skyland Conference rivals renew their rivalry. Patriots are coming off their first HWS win, a 2-1 victory in overtime against No. 8 Pope John in a play-in game. Junior forward Jessica Towey and senior midfielder Lauren Miano, each with four goals, are the offensive players to watch. Eagles are back among the area's elite teams this season, owning a 2-1 win in overtime against Voorhees. The Hunterdon County school hasn't had much success in the tri-county tournament, but a potent offense, led by senior forwards Kaycee Zelkvosky (22 goals) and Amber Dey (11 goals), make this a very dangerous squad. Senior goalie Samantha Soscia is experienced and has allowed just five goals in 11 games.
Prediction: South Hunterdon, 5-1.
5B-Hackettstown (6-3) at 4A-Vernon (5-5) -- Good matchup here. Tigers are off to one of their best starts under fourth-year coach Stephen Speirs, but have been a little up-and-down on offense against the better teams on their schedule. Senior forward Kalie Thies is having a fine season with nine goals and six assists. Vikings do have a common opponent with the Tigers, losing 1-0 to Wallkill Valley on opening day, while Hackettstown won a 2-0 decision on Sept. 26. Coach Hollyce Schoepp's team hasn't scored more than one goal in a game and that probably has to change to win this one. Senior forward Julie Hammerton has two of the Vikings' seven goals. Goalie Lauren Incarnato has five shutouts.
Prediction: Hackettstown, 3-1.
6A-Newton (3-5-1) at 3B-Hunterdon Central (8-2) -- Braves are 6-3 all-time in HWS games, including their only first-round exit, a 1-0 loss to Phillipsburg last year. This is a tough matchup out of the gate for coach Lisa Bechtel's young team. Senior forward Katherine Kellenberger has half of the Sussex County school's 14 goals this season and senior forward Melissa Bencivenga has seven assists. Red Devils, coached by Jenn Sponzo, who is two wins shy of 200, have played a far superior schedule thus far and own a big 2-1 win over eight-time Group 4 runner-up Bridgewater. The offense is paced by junior forwards Kendall Nickel (six goals) and Taylor Barrett (six goals), along with senior Sarah Pulkowski, who has six goals all in the last six games.
Prediction: Hunterdon Central, 4-1.
7B-Phillipsburg (2-7-2) at 2A-Sparta (5-3) -- Stateliners very badly need a win after dropping five of their last six, scoring a total of two goals in that stretch. P'burg has an advantage in that it's played a tough early-season schedule, including games against Hunterdon Central, Voorhees and Warren Hills. Senior forward Marissa Perino has four of the Warren County team's six goals. Spartans, who have never advanced to the HWS quarterfinals, are tasting a great deal of success this season coming off last year's 5-11 campaign. Sophomore forwards Gretchen Bowie (five goals) and Rhett Curran (four goals) pace the offense, while senior goalie Julia Keenan has three shutouts. This game will be on grass, so that could be a factor since P'burg plays mostly on turf, going 0-1-1 on grass fields.
Prediction: Phillipsburg, 2-1 OT (upset special).
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