The script played out exactly as planned for Newton's field hockey team.
Senior midfielder Alicia Grotyohann got the offense going early with the first of her two goals, and the Braves' solid defense took care of the rest as seventh-seeded Newton rolled to a 3-0 win over No. 10 Pope John on Friday in a North 1, Group 2 first-round clash at Palmer Field.
Newton (9-5-1) advances to meet No. 2 seed Ramsey in next week's quarterfinals. The Braves are seeking the program's ninth sectional title and first since 1986. It's the only championship that's eluded veteran coach Lisa Bechtel during her 22 seasons, as she picked up career win No. 329 on Friday.
"It was a great team effort," said Bechtel, who guided the 2010 team to the sectional final where it lost, 4-2, to state power West Essex. "They came out on fire [against Pope John] and their energy was high. I was proud of the way they came through."
Pope John (7-11) saw its season end as it did a year ago with another first-round playoff loss. Coach Sue Blanchard's Lions were looking to avenge a 4-2 loss to Newton here on Oct. 21.
But Newton's defense, led by senior back Sam Hoffman, didn't give the Pope John offense much room to operate the entire 60 minutes. The Lions managed only three shots-on-goal and three penalty corners.
Hoffman made a great defensive saves to preserve the shutout in the second half, and also scored her second goal of the season to give the Braves a commanding 2-0 lead with 17:40 left before halftime.
"[The defense] definitely stepped up when it had to," said Hoffman, whose team hadn't played since the previous game against Pope John. "And we were supporting each other when we needed to."
Hoffman's goal, off a penalty corner, was subject to debate as the officials conferred to make sure the ball wasn't too high in the air when it landed in the cage. After a brief consult, the goal was allowed to stand.
"They said I didn't have a backswing [on the shot], so they counted it," Hoffman said.
Grotyohann iced the game with 10:10 left in the second half, converting a feed from junior midfielder Melanie Rudio, for her second goal of the day and her seventh of the season. The pair also hooked up early in the game to get the Braves on the board just 1:15 into the contest.
"Scoring early is very important for us," Grotyohann said. "I felt like we took control of the game right away."
Newton entered the contest having scored a total of 24 goals this season, an average of 1.7 goals per game. Needless to say, a quick start was exactly what the Braves were looking for.
"This season, for whatever reason, it's taken awhile for us to kick in offensively," Bechtel said. "Our defense, even though our record doesn't show it, has come up big for us this year."
Newton will play the underdog role from here on out, but the Sussex County school feels confident about its chances moving forward. The Braves would also like a rematch with No. 3 seed Wallkill Valley, which would occur in the semifinals. The Rangers snapped a nine-game losing streak in the series against the Braves this season, winning both regular-season meetings, 1-0 in overtime.
"If we focus and keep working hard, we'll see what happens," Hoffman said.
Pope John (7-11) 0 0 -- 0
Newton (9-5-1) 2 1 -- 3
Scoring
First half -- N, Alicia Grotyohann, 6th, (Melanie Rudio), 28:45; N, Sam Hoffman, 2nd, (Stephanie Mocerino), 17:40.
Second half -- N, Grotyohann, 7th, (Rudio), 10:10.
Shots -- Pope John 4; Newton 20.
Saves -- Jenna Gloria 16, Colleen Lynch 1 (defensive) (PJ); Amanda Norman 3, Sam Hoffman 1 (defensive) (N).
Penalty corners -- Pope John 3; Newton 11.
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