Tuesday, October 6, 2015

Field hockey: Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex rankings

Big week on tap with the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals set for Saturday, with one exception as Hackettstown will host Belvidere on Friday.

Phillipsburg, which jumped up to No. 3 in this week's Open Mike rankings following a big win over Hunterdon Central, is looking forward to a rematch with No. 2 Warren Hills in the HWS quarterfinals. The Blue Streaks rolled to a 6-1 win in their first meeting this season on Sept. 21.

P'burg has dropped 14 straight to Warren Hills, which holds a 33-10-1 edge in the all-time series dating to 1973. The Stateliners' last win in the rivalry was 3-2 on the road on Sept. 30, 2007.

In other matchups: Sparta travels to Voorhees, while Hunterdon Central visits Newton on Saturday. All Saturday games are slated for 11 a.m.

We will take a closer look at all four quarterfinals later in the week so check back right here for all of the HWS coverage.

Now onto this week's rankings:

1. Voorhees (9-2) -- Vikings capped the week with back-to-back shutout wins over North Plainfield (8-0 on Tuesday) and Franklin (6-0 on Thursday). Senior forward Kathryn Roncoroni racked up nine goals in the two victories to raise her tri-county-high total to 28, and a career total of 117. Senior forward Cori Lenzinger had a two-goal week.

Up next: at Belvidere on Tuesday; Bernards at home on Thursday; Sparta at home on Saturday in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals.

2. Warren Hills (9-1) -- Blue Streaks ran their winning streak to seven straight with Saturday's 4-0 win over No. 5 Hackettstown. Sophomore forward Rebecca Sigman scored a pair of goals, while junior forward Dani Profita kept her scoring streak -- one goal or one assist in every game -- alive with her team-leading 14th goal. Senior forward Megan Thompson had a big week with two-goal games in wins over Bridgewater (4-3 on Tuesday) and North Hunterdon (7-0 on Friday).

Up next: Hunterdon Central at home on Tuesday; Phillipsburg at home in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals.

3. Phillipsburg (6-3) -- Stateliners are heating up after big wins over Hunterdon Central (1-0 in overtime on Tuesday) and Kittatinny (2-1 in the HWS first round) raised their winning streak to three in a row. The win over No. 4 Central was the program's first since a 2-1 victory at home on Sept. 30, 2009. Julia Dalrymple scored the winning goal against the Red Devils and added another against the Cougars, while freshman midfielder Gabby Dudek also scored in the HWS win that pushed P'burg into the quarters for the fourth time in tourney history.

Up next: Pingry at home on Tuesday; at Montgomery on Thursday; at Warren Hills on Saturday in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals.

4. Hunterdon Central (7-2) -- Red Devils drop a spot after the 1-0 loss in overtime to No. 3 Phillipsburg on Tuesday, the program's first against the 'Liners since 2009. Coach Jenn Sponzo's team also dropped a 3-0 decision to nemesis Bridgewater on Thursday in a Skyland Conference Delaware Division matchup. It was Central's sixth straight loss to the Panthers dating to 2013. Junior midfielder Nikki Freeman notched a goal and two assists in the Red Devils' 3-0 win over Wallkill Valley to advance to the HWS quarterfinals.

Up next: at Warren Hills on Tuesday; Hillsborough at home on Thursday; at Newton on Saturday in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals.

5. Hackettstown (7-1-1) -- Tigers suffered their first loss of the season and saw their string of shutouts end at seven with a 4-0 loss to No. 2 Warren Hills in a makeup contest between longtime rivals. Hackettstown dropped to 4-40-3 all-time against the Streaks in a series dating to 1969. Coach Stephen Speirs' team also played No. 6 Newton to a 1-1 draw under the lights at Palmer Field on Monday. Junior forward Molly Gorczyca, who was held without a goal for just the second time this season against Warren Hills, scored her team-leading 20th in the tie.

Up next: at Jefferson on Wednesday; Belvidere at home on Friday in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals.

6. Newton (8-0-1) -- Braves also yielded their first goals of the season with a 2-1 win over Morristown-Beard on Wednesday, followed by a 1-1 tie with Hackettstown on Monday night. Seniors Olivia Weiss and Hannah Ervey scored goals against Mo-Beard, while senior forward Emily Weiss found the back of the cage against the Tigers. Top-seeded Newton will open HWS action on Saturday against No. 4 Hunterdon Central at Palmer Field.

Up next: North Warren at home on Wednesday; at North Warren on Thursday; Hunterdon Central at home on Saturday in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals.

7. Belvidere (6-2-1) -- County Seaters, now 5-0-1 since a 1-0 loss to Newton on Sept. 14, advanced to the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals for just the second time -- and first since 2010 -- with a thrilling 2-1 win over No. South Hunterdon on penalty strokes. Juniors Erin Bronico and Rachel Dultz converted strokes to set up a date with No. 5 Hackettstown in the Round of 8. The Tigers handed the Seaters a 4-0 loss on Sept. 8 in the season opener.

Up next: Voorhees at home on Tuesday; Mount St. Mary at home on Thursday; at Hackettstown on Friday in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals.

8. South Hunterdon (4-5) -- Eagles dropped a tough 2-1 decision on strokes to No. 7 Belvidere on Thursday in a Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex matchup -- the program's second loss to the County Seaters, who also earned a 2-0 win on Sept. 16 in a Skyland Conference Mountain Division clash. Junior forward Kate Shaffer converted the stroke for South.

Up next: Delaware Valley at home on Tuesday; North Plainfield at home on Thursday.

9. Sparta (7-2-1) -- Spartans have reeled off four in a row since a 6-1 loss to Mendham on Sept. 22, capping a 2-0 week with a 2-0 victory over Lenape Valley on Friday. Senior forward Rhett Curran scored a pair of goals, while senior midfielder Gretchen Bowie and junior forward Jackie Hallack each had assists. Coach Kristin Lindsley's team also scored a 9-1 win over Pope John on Tuesday as Curran and Hallack combined for seven assists.

Up next: at West Morris on Tuesday; Morristown at home on Thursday; at Voorhees on Saturday in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals.

10. Wallkill Valley (7-5-1) -- Rangers rebounded from an 0-2 week with a 1-0 win over High Point at home on Monday. Senior midfielder Erica McNulty scored the winning goal off a feed from sophomore forward Caitlin Mizeski. Junior goalie Samantha Hutnick made four saves for her fifth shutout. Coach Irene Chernati's team dropped a 1-0 decision at Newton last Monday and a 3-0 decision to Hunterdon Central on Friday in HWS action.

Up next: at Kittatinny on Wednesday.

On the bubble: Kittatinny (5-3-1), Lenape Valley (5-6-1)

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