Gill's goal pushes Wildcats into sectional final

It wasn't pretty for the most part, but High Point's field hockey team learned a lot about postseason survival on Saturday. And rule No. 1: Any win, aesthetics aside, is a beautiful thing this time of the season.

Junior forward Maureen Gill was the offensive hero of the day, scoring the decisive goal early in the second half to help top-seeded High Point escape with a 1-0 win over fourth-seeded Northern Highlands in a North 1, Group 3 semifinal clash in Wantage.

High Point (20-1) will host second-seeded West Milford (19-1), a 3-0 winner over Wayne Hills in the other semifinal, for the championship on Tuesday at 2 p.m. The Wildcats are seeking their first sectional championship since 2002.

"I'm so excited," said Gill, who has seven goals this season, but none bigger in her career. "This feels great. I'm so proud of everyone. It was such a tough game. I'm happy to come through at a good time."

Veteran High Point coach Bev Keur, whose team has won five straight, had some stern words for her team at the half and after the contest. The 'Cats overcame a very sluggish first half to keep their title hopes alive.

"I thought we won ugly today," Keur said. "Ugly or not, we're still happy with the win. Once we settled down in the second half and played smarter, we forced [Northern Highlands] to be on their heels. We came on quick, but we didn't finish. We made some adjustments at halftime and we knew that if we lost today all that hard work the seniors have done for four years was over."

Northern Highlands (15-5-2), which was denied in its bid for the school's first title since 1993, came out strong and pretty much owned the first 15 minutes of the first half. Coach Rich Smith's Highlanders missed a golden opportunity just about nine minutes in when sophomore Lauren O'Keefe, the team's leading scorer with 16 goals, couldn't convert on a penalty stroke.

O'Keefe telegraphed the shot to the left post and High Point goalie Kelsey Stoll read it perfectly to deny the shot. The Bergen County-co champions were also denied on a penalty corner in the final seconds of the game.

"[If we scored on the stroke] it may have knocked [High Point] down a peg and killed their confidence," said Smith, the Allendale school's head coach for nine seasons. "We controlled the tempo [early], but in the end we were trying to catch a break and we almost did. We had opportunities. That's all I can ask for."

Keur said that Stoll has been taking extra practice on strokes in case such an occasion presents itself in the playoffs. The only other penalty shot Stoll faced in a game this season was in the team's 2-1 win over Vernon on Oct. 25. The Vikes' Rachel Colvin beat Stoll on that one.

"I was more concerned about [Stoll] not having the experience," Keur said. "Kelsey came up big today."

Gill also came up big on her opportunity as she finished off a nice play, started by senior midfielder Sashal Hagan's drive in that was tipped by senior forward Brittany Papa. The ball crossed the cage and Gill was able to push it home with 24:50 left in the game. Leading scorers Nikki Hull (18 goals) and Darby Smith (24 goals) had relatively quiet games for the 'Cats, who needed others to step up in big spots.

"Different people always get marked and whoever is open has to put it in," Gill said.

Also credit Hagan for starting that winning drive.

"Today was a really intense game and [Northern Highlands] was very skilled and fast," Hagan said. "We stepped up to the challenge and it was a great game. We have about nine girls that can score. I knew Stoll had it in her to stop that [stroke]."

High Point managed nine first-half shots, but the only threatening ball came off the stick of senior Sarah Clark, who was denied with a nice stick save by Northern Highlands goalie Paulina Marino.

After a disappointing loss in last year's final, High Point gets another chance for a title that's eluded the program for nine years.

"I'm really excited to go to the final again," Hagan said. "I think we have an advantage after last year's loss [to West Morris]."

Northern Highlands (15-5-2)              0                   0             --   0
High Point (20-1)                               0                   1             --   1

Scoring

Second half -- HP, Maureen Gill, 7th, (Sashal Hagan, Brittany Papa), 24:50.

Shots -- Northern Highlands 4; High Point 16.

Saves -- Paulina Marino 13, Casey Colangelo 1 (defensive), Maryclare Mastriano 1 (defensive) (NH); Kelsey Stoll 3, Bea Cannavale 1 (defensive) (HP).

Penalty corners -- Northern Highlands 5; High Point 18.