Field hockey: Streaks set up for sustained success

As we pull the curtain down on another field hockey season, here are some thoughts following Warren Hills' 6-1 loss to Moorestown in the Group 3 final on Saturday.

1. It took eight attempts before Warren Hills was able to finally break through and win that first state title in 2014. After going back-to-back in '15, it seemed as if the "curse" had been lifted. But the Blue Streaks are finding the road back to the top equally as challenging after being outscored 11-1 in their last two trips to the championship game.

First-year coach Josie Potter bids farewell to a senior class that leaves some big shoes to fill -- going 90-15 (47-5 at home) overall while winning three division and county tournament titles, along with four sectional and two Group 3 championships. Five will play in college -- Tali Popinko (Temple) and Mikayla Dugan (Quinnipiac) on the D1 level, while forwards Rebecca Sigman (Bloomsburg) and Alyssa Appleby (Stevens) and goalie Maggie Titus (Bryn Mawr) will play either D2 or D3.

Warren Hills (24-3) set a school record for wins (posting at least 20 for a seventh straight season) and has won six straight sectional titles while making six straight trips to the state final.

The Streaks still had plenty to smile about after a tough loss. (Courtesy WH)

"It's a great feeling to get down here [to the Group 3 final]," Dugan said. "It's an honor to have gotten here [all four years of high school]."

Popinko is the first Blue Streak to start in four championship games. Quite an honor for sure, but she smiled when asked about not getting one more goal which would have given her bragging rights over sister Toni Popinko, who also logged 39 career goals (2006-09). Toni, considered one of the best to put on a Warren Hills uniform, is now the head coach at Phillipsburg. Tori, the middle sibling, scored 32 from 2007-2010.

"It would have been nice," said Tali Popinko, who scored a career-best 18 goals this season. "I'm honored to have the same stats. [Toni] was such a great player."

2. One thing I believe is hurting Warren Hills is the schedule, as odd as that may sound considering the slate annually features several top opponents. But the Streaks are locked into 15 conference games -- 10 in the Raritan Division and another five in crossovers against the Delaware -- leaving room for just three independent games, which are wisely filled by playing some some of the state's best teams such as Madison and West Essex. But look at Moorestown, which also played West Essex, in addition to three state champions in Eastern (Group 4), Rumson-Fair Haven (Group 2) and Haddonfield (Group 1) this season. In turn, Warren Hills gains little from playing roughly nine division matchups which are essentially mismatches.

"We see some strong teams, but we need to put some in the back half of the schedule," said Potter, whose team reeled off 19 straight wins after a 1-0 loss to Madison on Oct. 20, but was never in a dogfight other than a 2-1 victory over Bridgewater-Raritan back on Oct. 3. The Panthers lost to Eastern for the 13th straight year in the Group 4 final on Saturday.

3. The dreaded streak, that elephant in the room which no one really wanted to talk about while it was in progress. For the fourth time in program history, Warren Hills matched the 2011, '12 and '13 teams by winning 19 in a row before the loss to Moorestown. Did that have an affect on Saturday? It's tough to maintain a stretch like that with the quality schedule the Streaks play, but losses right before the postseason aren't always a bad thing. Was it too much added pressure?

"We really didn't let it get to our heads," Mikayla Dugan said. "I don't think it affected us."

 "We tied the longest streak [in program history]. That's not bad," Potter said.

4. One key for Warren Hills will be getting an early lead should it get back to the Group 3 final next year and beyond. The Streaks had some opportunities in the first few minutes against Moorestown, including a penalty stroke attempt by Dugan that was snuffed out by goalie Lauren Pickul as Dugan tried to go left side of the cage. It was the same designed stroke she successfully converted for the game-winner in the North 1, Group 3 title against West Morris in 2016.

Last year, Warren Hills trailed, 1-0, at the half against Ocean City, which scored four more in the final 30 minutes to ice it as the Streaks just kind of sat back on their heels. Saturday was different in that they battled for most of the second half after being down 4-1 at the break against Moorestown.

"They played hard to the final whistle and that's a credit to their desire and passion for this game," Potter said. "[If we had scored early] it could have been a whole different game."

5. With a total of nine seniors, including seven starters, one would think Warren Hills could take a step back next season. Quite the contrary. There are several impact eighth graders on the way, much like the anticipated arrival of super freshman Ashley Moskal (Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament MVP) this season. Many believe she would have started on last year's team, and after watching her play, there's no doubt. Look at what she did for a defense that was shaky in 2016. She, along with older sister Sydney Moskal, and sophomores Jess DeSanto and Kate Fenner, formed a stingy unit, one that very well may have helped to deliver a title last season. The ironic thing is that all but Ashley Moskal were on last year's roster. Fenner's move from the forward line to sweeper this season and Sydney Moskal switching from sweeper to center back really solidified the defensive "Wall."

With sophomore forward Samantha Dugan (19 goals, 13 assists) back to lead the offense and poised to possibly break some scoring records before she's done, can Ashley match her sister with a few state titles before she's done?

"I hope so," Sydney said. "They have a lot of talent coming up. Besides the seniors, this was a very young team."

"It's a lot of pressure," Potter said. "You come into the season knowing how talented we are. This was such a motivated team and a pleasure to coach. There's always next year."