Opting for quick 1-2 passes, senior forwards Morgan Carr and Tara Brody combined on a pair of goals as the second-seeded Rangers rallied for a thrilling 2-1 win in sudden-victory overtime over No. 3 Belvidere in the North 1, Group 1 semifinals on Wednesday afternoon at Sisco Field.
Wallkill Valley (20-2), which has won nine in a row since a 5-2 loss to Hunterdon Central in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament quarterfinals on Oct. 7, will host fourth-seeded Boonton (15-5-1) -- a 1-0 winner over top-seeded Ramsey in the other semifinal -- for the sectional title on Friday. The Rangers will be making their first finals appearance since the program captured its seventh and last championship in 2006.
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| Wallkill celebrates coach Irene Chernati's 400th win. (Courtesy WV athletics) |
Belvidere (14-6) will have to wait at least another year to try and end its postseason frustration as its season ends for a third straight year in the semifinals. The County Seaters have not been to a sectional final since winning the North 2, Group 1 championship, the program's seventh title overall.
"Every year when we enter the preseason, we think this is going to be the team to do it," said coach Beth Franceschino, an outstanding back on some of the greatest Belvidere teams in the early 1990s, which played in three straight Group 1 state championship games from 1990-92 and won it all in '90.
"We've just been waiting for it. I don't know what we're not doing or what I'm not doing to get us there. But I'm proud of this team. They did everything they could today."
On the winning drive, Carr collected the ball near midfield and drove it down the left sideline and over into the circle where Brody was waiting to receive it. Belvidere goalie Anya Logan, who had a solid day in the cage, came up in the circle to try and break up the play, but Brody's shot slipped past her and rolled into the cage as junior back Samantha Dultz attempted a diving goal-line save to no avail.
"I was in the right place at the right time," said Brody, whose goal with 13:43 left in regulation forced overtime. "[Morgan] is our main scorer. She made both passes [on the goals]."
Carr, who owns the school's single-season (44) and career (94) goals records, was happy to collect her 12th and 13th assists of the season after being held without a goal for only the second time this season. She leads all Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex players in goals and points (101) this season.
"Early in the second half we were lagging a bit, but we fought to the finish," said Carr, who has narrowed her college choices to Rowan University and Stevens Institute of Technology. "Tara has been on deflections all season. If she's close, she'll get to it. We practice those quick 1-2 passes all the time. Get the goalie off her toes."
Belvidere seemed to be in fine shape after junior forward Maddie Call opened the scoring midway through the second half. Junior midfielder Melanie Clark set the scoring play in motion with a drive into the circle before dishing it off to freshman forward Olivia Zmyewski, who assisted on the goal.
But momentum was fleeting as Wallkill Valley answered right back when Brody picked one off the pads to make it 1-1 just 18 seconds later. Twice down the stretch, Belvidere was hit with green cards and played short-handed when Clark had to leave the field for two minutes. The call on Logan was highly questionable as she was whistled for not playing the ball as Carr fell over the top while charging inside the circle. Backup goalie Kiera Gately took Logan's place for two minutes, but did not face a shot.
"I've never seen that call," Franceschino said. "The ball was right there. [Carr] ran over her. The field was slippery and wet. Players were falling all over the place."
Belvidere dominated a good portion of the second half, but couldn't cash in. In overtime, Call had a wide-open look at the cage with 2:53 left, but her attempt sailed wide right.
"It was there for ours to take. We missed some opportunities," Franceschino said.
After that near-miss, Wallkill Valley back Emily Mizeski fed the ball to Carr to start the winning drive.
"It was all inspiration," said Carr, who is playing with a face guard to protect her broken nose. "We knew Belvidere was a tough team. We've worked hard all season and we're here to win it."
"It's exciting," Brody said. "It's amazing we're so close [to a sectional title]. It's definitely something great to experience."
Belvidere (14-6) 0 1 0 -- 1
Wallkill Valley (20-2) 0 1 1 -- 2
Scoring
Second half -- B, Maddie Call, 10th, (Olivia Zmyewski), 14:01; WV, Tara Brody, 7th, (Morgan Carr), 13:43.
Overtime -- WV, Brody, 8th, (Carr), 2:20.
Shots -- Belvidere 7; Wallkill Valley 10.
Saves -- Anya Logan 8, Kiera Gately 0 (B); Kristina Yakkey 6 (WV).
Penalty corners -- Belvidere 9; Wallkill Valley 10.
Championship chase
We're down to four teams still playing for sectional titles in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area after Phillipsburg (North 1, Group 4) and Delaware Valley (North 2, Group 1) suffered semifinal losses on Wednesday.Hackettstown and Warren Hills will play for championships on Thursday in North 2, Group 2 and North 1, Group 3 respectively. Hunterdon Central seeks the North 2, Group 4 title on Friday.
Hackettstown (15-4), the No. 3 seed which has won five straight, advanced to its second straight title game and fourth overall with a 3-2 win at No. 2 Bernards on Tuesday. The Tigers, who are seeking the program's first championship, earned a rematch with top-seeded Rumson-Fair Haven after dropping a 3-0 decision during the regular season on Oct. 3.
Junior midfielder Madison Hoskins is leading Hackettstown's offense of late with six goals and 10 assists in the team's past seven games. Hoskins scored two goals and added a pair of assists in a 5-1 win over Cranford in the sectional quarterfinals. Junior forward Kayla Cichlar has four goals in the past three games, while junior forward Ashley Zellars has four goals in the past five games.
Warren Hills (22-2), a No. 1 seed which is is riding a 17-game winning streak after Tuesday's 4-0 victory over Mendham in the semifinals, is set to host No. 2 West Morris on Thursday in a rematch of last year's North 1, Group 3 final -- a 2-1 road win for the Blue Streaks.
Coach Josie Potter's team, which is two wins shy of matching the program record for consecutive victories in a season, is seeking the school's sixth straight championship and 15th overall. Warren Hills -- making its seventh straight finals appearance and 19th overall -- and South Hunterdon have won 14 sectional titles, the most among Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area schools.
Seniors Rebecca Sigman (27 goals, 13 assists), Tali Popinko (18 goals, 13 assists) and Alyssa Appleby (16 goals), along with sophomore Samantha Dugan (18 goals, 13 assists), lead a potent offens, which is averaging 4.4 goals per game. Sigman is looking to become just the second 30-goal scorer in program history (Dani Profita 41 goals in 2015), while Appleby scored six goals in the past three games, including two in a 9-0 win over Montville in the sectional quarterfinals.
Defensively, backs Ashley Moskal, Sydney Moskal, Jess DeSanto, along with sweeper Kate Fenner, are keeping opposing offenses at bay, yielding just seven goals during this win streak and helping out senior goalie Maggie Titus, who has faced just 14 shots in the past seven games, while allowing one goal.
Hunterdon Central (15-6-1) advanced to its fifth straight sectional final with a 5-1 win over Old Bridge in Wednesday's North 2, Group 4 semifinals. The Red Devils, who are seeking their 14th championship and first since 2013, will face nemesis Bridgewater-Raritan, which has won 12 consecutive sectional titles since 2005.
Central, which is 9-27-2 against Bridgewater since 1999 under coach Jenn Sponzo, ended a 12-game skid in the series with a 2-1 victory on Oct. 25 in a Skyland Conference Delaware Division matchup. This will be the 12th postseason meeting between these rivals.
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