Senior forward Rebecca Sigman scored a program record five goals and senior forward Alyssa Appleby notched three as the Blue Streaks rolled to a 10-1 victory over Colts Neck in the Group 3 semifinals on Wednesday at A.L. Johnson High School.
Warren Hills (24-2), which matched a program record with its 19th consecutive win and set a new mark for single-season victories, will take on Moorestown (16-3) for the Group 3 championship at 10 a.m. on Saturday at Bordentown Regional High School. The Blue Streaks, who won back-to-back titles in 2014 and '15, will be making their 12th appearance in the final and sixth straight since 2012. But last year's 5-0 loss to Ocean City that ended Warren Hills' reign still stings.
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| Warren Hills seeks its third state title in four seasons on Saturday. |
"They're on a mission," said first-year head coach Josie Potter, who was a player on the 1996 (Warren Hills' first-ever appearance) and 1999 runner-up teams and an assistant coach under Laurie Kerr when the 2009, '12, '13 and '14 teams went to the championship game. "They were determined to get back down to Bordentown to avenge last year."
Sigman, now with 33 goals on the season, is just the second Warren Hills player to hit the 30-goal plateau, as Dani Profita (now playing at Fairfield University, which recently won the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference title) scored 41 in 2015. Sigman's five goals are the most in a single game as Profita (2014 and '16), Vicki Egerer (2002) and Kelsey Luckey ('02) previously held the mark with four.
"She has a nose for the cage and she motivates our offense," Potter said of Sigman. "She's got a great stick on the [goalie] pads and a deadly spin move to the strong side where she gets a quick hit off."
Just under two minutes in, Sigman gave Warren Hills a 1-0 lead before Colts Neck (17-2-1), which reached the semis by winning the program's first sectional title, evened things midway through the first half. It was the first goal allowed by the Streaks this postseason and just the second in the past nine games.
"We scored so early, they may have been [overconfident]," said Potter, whose team finished with lopsided edges in shots-on-goal (24-2) and penalty corners (14-0). "We were dominating the game and our defense collapsed a little bit. [Senior goalie] Maggie Titus made a great save on the shot before the goal. It wasn't a great shot [on the goal], but the defense didn't recover.
"After they scored, it kind of kicked our butts into gear. We didn't give up a defensive corner."
Sigman connected again about eight minutes later and Warren Hills never looked back. Sophomore Samantha Dugan and senior Katie Mahoney also scored in the win. It was the first career goal for Mahoney, who connected after a rocket shot from senior Tali Popinko right at the post.
Warren Hills, now 12-3 all-time in state semifinals and 80-41 in postseason play, owes Moorestown one as well for a 2-1 loss in overtime in the 2003 Group 3 final at The College of New Jersey. Amy Lewis scored the winning goal, ending the Blue Streaks' season at 17-5-1. It's the only other meeting between the two storied programs. Moorestown captured the last of its 16 titles in 2006 -- a 1-0 win over Voorhees.
Rangers fall in G1 semis
Wallkill Valley's postseason run ended with a 9-0 loss to Madison in the Group 1 semifinals on Wednesday night at Boonton High School.
The Rangers (21-3), whose 10-game win streak was snapped with its first loss since a 5-2 setback against Hunterdon Central in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament quarterfinals on Oct. 7, captured the program's first sectional title since 2006 on Friday with a 3-1 victory over Boonton in the North 1, Group 1 final.
Senior forward Morgan Carr, who scored her team-leading and program record 45th and 46th goals in that one, was kept off the board for just the third time this season. Carr's 96 career goals surpassed Amanda Nann (88) for the school's mark in that category.
Madison (22-2), which won the Group 2 title in 2016, advances to its fourth straight championship game to face defending Group 1 champion Haddonfield (21-3).
State finals matchups
(Games to be played Saturday at Bordentown)
Group 3
Warren Hills vs. Moorestown, 10 a.m.
Group 4
Bridgewater-Raritan vs. Eastern, noon
Group 1
Madison vs. Haddonfield, 2 p.m.
Non-Public
Oak Knoll vs. Bishop Eustace, 4 p.m.
Group 2
Rumson-Fair Haven vs. Seneca, 6 p.m.
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