HACKETTSTOWN -- The odds favored Warren Hills' field hockey team before and during Saturday's Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament final.
Entering as heavy favorites, the Blue Streaks dominated as anticipated but goals for a high-powered offense proved difficult to come by. Junior midfielder Nikki Profita finally connected to break a scoreless tie in the second half to give Warren Hills a 1-0 win over Hackettstown in the fifth annual championship game -- and 43rd meeting between these rivals -- on the turf at Morrison Field.
"We definitely dominated the first half," said Profita, whose 15th goal with 18:39 left gave Warren Hills (16-3-1) its 13th straight win and third HWS title after winning previously in 2009 and '11. "We had a lot of great shots. They just weren't falling."
Warren Hills -- now 36-4-3 all-time in this series between Warren County rivals dating to 1969 -- has now won a record three tri-county titles in the tournament's five-year history after being snakebit in the former Hunterdon-Warren Tournament. The Streaks appeared in five H-W finals from 1987-2008 and lost them all. Needless to say, veteran coach Laurie Kerr was pleased with her team's title run.
"I just wanted us to go out and play hard," said Kerr, whose team has outscored its opponents 46-2 during this win streak. "We had a lot of opportunities. We just didn't cash in. Once we established our passing game, we looked pretty good and brought the ball down the right side. [Hackettstown] has some quick girls and some nice athletes."
Hackettstown (12-7), which was given less than a puncher's chance in this one coming in, did its best to make it a defensive struggle. The Tigers managed little offense -- firing off their only two shots-on-goal with about a minute left to play. Coach Stephen Speirs' team, playing in the program's first tri-county final, was aggressive, as the No. 5 seed posted two unlikely overtime wins on the road just to get to the championship game.
"They played a great game. You can't avoid making mistakes," said Speirs, whose daughter, Lexie, scored the game-winning goal for Hackettstown in its 2004 Hunterdon-Warren title win at Warren Hills -- the first of the Tigers' only two county championships. "[Warren Hills] put the ball in the cage and we didn't. I think we played our game. If I had to do it all over again, I would say I'd do the same thing."
Profita's goal came during Warren Hills' second corner of the second half. Her sister, Dani, fired one toward the cage, but sophomore goalie Rose Bishop, who was outstanding for Hackettstown, made a great diving save on the ball. Nikki Profita, who was named the tournament MVP, collected the rebound and buried it for her 15th goal to match junior forward Sydney Muntone for the team lead.
The Profitas and the rest of a relentless forward line peppered Bishop throughout the contest -- firing off three shots-on-goal in the first 30 minutes with five others sailing just wide of the cage. Nikki Profita seemingly put the Streaks on top nearly nine minutes in, but the officials waved off the goal because they said her shot was outside the circle and went in untouched by a defender.
Profita thought the goal should have counted.
"I was outside the circle, but it was an own goal. It went off one of [the Tigers'] sticks," she said. "We were a little frustrated. We thought that one fell."
The Streaks nearly had another when Dani Profita, who played despite a laceration under her right knee that required stitches after the game, fed senior midfielder Nikki Scott on a corner with two minutes left before halftime. But Schott's rifle drive went off Bishop's pads and the game remained deadlocked at zero.
"[Bishop] made some great saves," Speirs said. "I give her a lot of credit with this being her first year in the cage."
The second half was more of the same as Hackettstown packed the circle on defense in trying to slow down Warren Hills' offensive onslaught. With eight minutes remaining, junior forward Jessica Nissen bounced one off the right post, typifying the Streaks' day on offense.
"We just had to keep taking shots. Eventually, they were going to fall," Nikki Profita said. "Our defense is outstanding and our goalie [Taylor Austin] being this is her first year. I couldn't have [won the MVP award] without my teammates."
Junior backs Amanda Crampton, Allie Brouhard and Amanda Oberly, along with sophomore Rachel Phillips, were rock-solid, as usual, throughout the 60 minutes.
Despite the loss, Speirs was encouraged as his team heads into the North 1, Group 2 playoffs. The fifth-seeded Tigers will take on No. 4 Voorhees in a first-round game on Friday, Nov. 1.
"Voorhees is a skilled team just like Warren Hills," he said. "This gives me hope."
Warren Hills, the No. 4 seed and defending champion in the North 2, Group 3 draw, will host Princeton in a first-round game next Saturday. But first thing's first as the Streaks will play Somerville on Tuesday and can earn a share of the Skyland Conference Raritan Division title -- along with Voorhees -- with a victory.
"That's another big game for us and hopefully this is the start of a complete season to the finish line," said Kerr, now 15-2 overall in HWS games.
Hackettstown (12-7) 0 0 -- 0
Warren Hills (16-3-1) 0 1 -- 1
Scoring
Second half -- WH, Nikki Profita, 15th, 18:39.
Shots -- Hackettstown 2; Warren Hills 10.
Saves -- Rose Bishop 8, Marissa Siconolfi 1 (defensive) (H); Taylor Austin 2 (WH).
Penalty corners -- Hackettstown 3; Warren Hills 10.
No comments:
Post a Comment