Friday, October 25, 2013

Field hockey: Tigers face tall order against Streaks

It's been nearly a decade since Hackettstown's field hockey program made its mark and had everyone take notice with a strong effort in a county tournament.

In 2005, the Tigers pulled off the only Warren County repeat with a 1-0 victory over Hunterdon Central to claim back-to-back Hunterdon-Warren titles. But it was that first title game the previous year that people still talk about today.

Hackettstown hopes to make history again on Saturday when it takes on state power Warren Hills in the championship game of the fifth annual Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament. Game time is 4 p.m. on the turf at Morrison Field.

Fourth-year coach Stephen Speirs' Tigers (12-6) have defied the odds as a No. 5 seed to reach the school's first county final since 2005 and its first-ever in the tri-county era. After knocking off top-seeded South Hunterdon (4-3 on strokes in the quarterfinals) and third-seeded Hunterdon Central (4-3 in overtime in the semifinals), the Tigers are one win away from the program's first title since 2005.

"I don't think anybody expected us [to get to the final]. We were certainly the underdogs coming in," said Speirs, whose team opened the tournament with a 9-0 road win over Vernon. "I'm not surprised because I know what this team is capable of. We have nothing to lose and everything to gain."

It's come full circle for Speirs, a 1980 Warren Hills graduate. He was also part of perhaps the biggest win in Hackettstown's field hockey history back in 2004.

Hackettstown, then coached by Gina DiMaio, was a huge underdog against Warren Hills in that year's Hunterdon-Warren title game -- the first-ever All-Warren County matchup. Playing on the Washington school's grass field -- which is still in pristine condition today -- the Tigers found themselves in a 2-0 deficit just 8:35 into the first half. But goals by Nicole Russo and Heather Re knotted the game to force overtime.

In double sudden-victory OT, sophomore Lexie Speirs -- off a nice reverse-stick pass from Re -- connected for the game-winner and a stunning 3-2 upset-win that gave Hackettstown its first county title -- Warren County's second after Belvidere in 1992 -- and the program's first win over Warren Hills since 1970. It was only the third year back as a program after Hackettstown dropped the sport following the 1986 season.

Now, Lexie Speirs' father gets a chance to coach against Warren Hills -- his alma mater -- in a rematch of that finals classic nine years later.

"I'll never forget that game," he said. "That is an interesting back story and adds a little flavor this one since I am a [Warren Hills] alumni. I went to school with a lot of the parents of players on Warren Hills' team."

Warren Hills (15-3-1) is one of the hottest teams in the state right now and hungry for the program's third county title. Coach Laurie Kerr's Blue Streaks have won 12 in a row, outscoring their opponents 45-2 during that stretch. In addition, Warren Hills holds a 35-4-3 edge in the all-time series dating to 1969, winning seven in a row since a 2-1 loss at Hackettstown in 2006. In the only other county tournament meeting, the Streaks earned a 5-1 win in the rematch that season in the H-W semifinals.

"I understand what we're up against," said Speirs, whose teams went 23-30-2 in his first three seasons at the helm. "Laurie Kerr is such a phenomenal coach and they have such a great program over there. They're really well-rounded and a strong team."

Speirs was disappointed that Warren Hills didn't make it onto his regular season schedule as in previous years. The teams had met at least once every year since 2004, with Warren Hills posting a 6-1 win at Hackettstown in 2012. But the last seven meetings have not been particularly competitive, including 3-0 and 8-0 losses in Speirs' first two seasons in charge.

This season, the teams have two common opponents: Kittatinny and Hunterdon Central. Warren Hills beat both -- 6-0 and 3-0, respectively -- while Hackettstown defeated Central in overtime and split two meetings with Kittatinny -- losing 1-0 on Sept. 30 and taking the rematch 2-0 on Thursday.

So how does Hackettstown go about this David vs. Goliath matchup?

"I've heard coach Kerr say many times that they're a second-half team and we also tend to be a second-half team," Speirs said. "You can't do that with this Warren Hills team. You can't be behind. Getting off to a quick start is huge for us. I've seen them play and they're quick to the ball and very skilled. They're not only fast on the field, but they're quick cutting to the ball."

By a strange twist of fate, this game is being played at Hackettstown, which will be the visiting team by virtue of Warren Hills being a No. 4 seed. The three previous finals were all played at a neutral site -- last year's game was also at Morrison Field between Voorhees and High Point.

Speirs admitted that it was a bit of a slap in the face that Hackettstown was chosen as the neutral site for the finals before the tournaments played a game, as it was assumed the Tigers had little to no chance of reaching the title game. Does home field give them an edge?

"Turf is turf. They're a turf team and we're a turf team," Speirs said. "If we can get our fans there, maybe their energy will motivate our girls."

Senior forwards Kalie Thies (13 goals, 12 assists) and Michelle Carlson (11 goals) have paced Hackettstown's offense, particularly in this tournament run. Thies has two goals and four assists in the three county games, while Carlson has three goals, including two against Hunterdon Central and the big one in OT that sent the Tigers to the final. The offense has scored a total of 54 goals for an average of three per game.

Speirs also is high on his defensive backfield, led by junior Marissa Siconolfi. Junior Kaitlyn Keiser has done a nice job at sweeper since replacing sophomore Michaela Sass, who was lost for the season with a thumb injury.

The defense and sophomore goalie Rose Bishop will have their hands full against a well-balanced and potent Warren Hills offense, led by junior forward Sydney Muntone (15 goals, 10 assists) and junior midfielder Nikki Profita (14 goals, 10 assists). The Streaks have combined for 67 goals in 19 games, an average of 3.5 per game.

The Streaks are playing in their ninth county final overall and are bidding for their third HWS title.

"Hackettstown is having a good year. We need to come out strong," Profita said after Warren Hills' 2-1 win over Voorhees in the semifinals.

Regardless of the outcome, Speirs is pleased with how his team has played this season coming off a 9-9-1 season in 2012.

"Being the only fall sport at Hackettstown to reach a Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex final is such a big accomplishment," he said. "In my book, they're already winners."

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