We're gearing up for another big week, including the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament quarterfinals slated for this weekend.
Due to seeding by power points only, Voorhees will take on Warren Hills in a quarterfinal matchup, which to put it mildly is a crying shame. The Vikings are the No. 6 seed, while the Blue Streaks are the No. 3 seed, despite clearly being the teams to beat and ranked among New Jersey's best squads.
Warren Hills (10-2) scored a 2-1 win over Voorhees on Sept. 22 to get a leg up in the Skyland Conference Raritan Division race. It was only the second time in this stories rivalry that the Streaks won the first matchup of the season on the road. The other was a 2-0 win in 1975, the very first meeting in the series between these tremendous programs.
Getting back to the seeding process, which started using power points two years ago, it's clearly time for a change. First off, it's way to early in the game to be using power points, using a small sample size of the first five games. Second, you have to consider strength of schedule. Warren Hills and Voorhees play some of the state's powerhouses, including Bridgewater-Raritan, Madison and West Essex.
No offense to any other teams in the field, but it's a fact that others, except Hunterdon Central which plays Oak Knoll later this month in addition to Bridgewater-Raritan, Voorhees and Warren Hills, don't play anywhere near that caliber of competition.
Hackettstown, which drew the top seed, dropped a 3-0 decision to Warren Hills on Sept. 23. The Tigers are 4-42-3 all-time in that series. Delaware Valley, which is the No. 2 seed, hasn't beaten Warren Hills since a 1-0 win on Oct. 15, 1993, and has beaten Voorhees just six times in its history, the last a 3-0 victory in 1985.
Here are some other interesting stats:
Warren Hills, a five-time champion, is 26-3 all-time in HWS games, with two losses coming in title games and the other in the 2012 semifinals, 2-0 to Voorhees, which also handed the Streaks a 1-0 loss in the 2010 final. The only other team to beat Warren Hills was Hunterdon Central, 2-1 in last year's championship game.
Voorhees, a two-time champion, is 19-6 all-time in tri-county games, with only one loss coming before the semifinals, 3-0 at Wallkill Valley in 2011. Hunterdon Central (14) and High Point (13) are the only other programs with double-digit win totals in tournament play.
Coming into this year's tournament, Hunterdon-Warren schools were 87-72 overall in this event, while Sussex County was 46-63. There's no doubt the turf schools have a great advantage, leading to some lopsided results, while teams that play on slow grass also have an edge over those playing mostly on turf.
In speaking with a few of the athletic directors, including co-tournament director Bob Poggi of Lenape Valley, it seems there is some preliminary discussion of how to proceed with the seeding process for future events, including moving the tournament back one week, which would allow teams to get more games in. Using power points is fine for pre-seeding, but like in wrestling, once you establish a preliminary order, common sense and other criteria has to be applied with the goal of getting the four best teams to the semifinals. And this two-round bye stuff has to go as well. As the 1 and 2 seeds, Hackettstown and Delaware Valley have yet to play a tournament game.
The best eight teams are in the quarterfinals, it's just a matter of getting them in the right spots in the brackets. Let's hope we see some changes for next year, including showcasing the semifinals at a central location like Hackettstown, which hosts the title game. It's the right thing to do.
Now, onto this week's rankings.
1. Warren Hills (10-2) -- Blue Streaks riding a five-game winning streak after a 3-0 win over Phillipsburg on Saturday. Senior forward Rebecca Sigman and sophomore Samantha Dugan scored their team-leading 13th goals, while senior goalie Maggie Titus recorded her seventh shutout and fourth in a row. Coach Josie Potter's team went 2-1 in a brutal four-day stretch the previous week, including a tough 1-0 loss to state power Madison. Another big one on tap for tonight.
Up next: Bridgewater-Raritan at home on Tuesday; at Montgomery on Thursday; Voorhees at home on Saturday in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals.
2. Voorhees (7-3) -- Vikings snapped a rare two-game losing streak with a 7-1 win over High Point -- coming off 2-1 losses to Warren Hills and Bridgewater-Raritan -- on Thursday in a Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex first-round matchup. Senior midfielder Laura Chen scored three goals and added an assist, while sophomore forward Brooke Hyland added two goals in the victory, which assured three meetings with the Blue Streaks this season. All three of the Vikes' losses this season were 2-1 results.
Up next: Pingry at home on Tuesday; North Hunterdon at home on Thursday; at Warren Hills on Saturday in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals.
3. Hunterdon Central (7-2-1) -- Red Devils saw their four-game win streak snapped with a 3-1 loss to Bridgewater-Raritan on Sept. 25, but coach Jennifer Sponzo's team bounced back with wins over North Hunterdon (6-0 on Sept. 26) and Pope John (5-1 on Thursday). The latter was in the opening round of the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament, as senior forward Brittany Bill notched three assists, while senior forward Colleen Barrett scored a pair of goals.
Up next: at Watchung Hills on Tuesday; at Pingry on Thursday; at Wallkill Valley on Saturday in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals.
4. Hackettstown (7-1) -- Tigers bounced back from their first loss -- 3-0 to Warren Hills after giving up just two goals all season -- with an 8-0 win over Wallkill Valley last Tuesday. Coach Stephen Speirs' team has been idle since that one after drawing the No. 1 seed for the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament. In the victory over Wallkill Valley, junior forward Kayla Cichar scored three goals to go with two assists, while junior forward Jordan Vandermark added two goals and two assists.
Up next: Vernon at home on Thursday; Belvidere at home on Saturday in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals.
5. Phillipsburg (5-4-1) -- Stateliners dropped a tough 5-4 decision in overtime to Hillsborough before bouncing back with a 4-0 victory over Vernon on Thursday to advance in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament. Junior midfielder Gabby Dudek notched her eighth goal of the season, while senior forward Melissa Kosar scored her team-leading 10th goal. First-year coach Toni Popinko returned to her alma mater on Saturday, a 3-0 loss to Warren Hills. The 'Liners, who drew the No. 7 seed and have never been past the HWS quarterfinals, will look to make program history this weekend.
Up next: Ridge at home on Tuesday; at Watchung Hills on Thursday; at Delaware Valley on Friday in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals.
6. Delaware Valley (8-1) -- Terriers, who are gearing up for the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals on Saturday, saw their seven-game win streak snapped with a 5-0 loss to Bernards in a key Skyland Conference Valley Division matchup on Sept. 26. But they rebounded with a 7-0 win over Hopewell Valley in an independent clash on Friday. Junior forward Kelsey O'Connor scored a pair of goals in the victory.
Up next: at South Hunterdon on Tuesday; Somerville at home on Thursday; Phillipsburg at home on Friday in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals.
7. Belvidere (7-3) -- County Seaters enter the week riding a four-game winning streak, including a 4-0 win over Newton on Thursday to advance in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament. Coach Beth Franceschino's team followed that up with a 5-0 blanking of Kittatinny on Friday to improve to 3-0 against Sussex County teams this season. Against Newton, junior Abby Bronico scored all four goals, while freshman forward Olivia Zmyewski added two assists.
Up next: at Somerville on Tuesday; South Hunterdon at home on Thursday; at Hackettstown on Saturday in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals.
8. Wallkill Valley (9-1) -- Rangers saw their seven-game win streak to open the season end with an 8-0 loss to Hackettstown on Sept. 26, before bouncing back with wins over South Hunterdon (2-0 in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament) and Jefferson (3-2 on Friday). Senior forward Morgan Carr added to her tri-county goals lead with two in Friday's win, giving her 18 on the season, while senior forward Fiona Blake had goals in both wins.
Up next: Kittatinny at home on Thursday; Hunterdon Central at home on Saturday in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals.
9. South Hunterdon (3-5) -- Eagles dropped a tough 2-0 decision to Wallkill Valley on Thursday in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament after posting a 3-0 win over Mount St. Mary. Senior forward Julia Kreider scored a pair of goals, while freshman forward Chandler Storcella added a goal and an assist.
Up next: Delaware Valley at home on Tuesday; at Belvidere on Thursday.
10. Newton (5-4) -- Braves went 1-1 last week with a 2-1 victory over Lenape Valley on Sept. 26, followed by a 4-0 loss to Belvidere in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament. Junior forward Victoria Docherty scored both goals in the win over Lenape Valley for an offense that managed just two goals in its last three games after totaling five in three wins prior to that stretch.
Up next: at North Warren on Thursday.
No comments:
Post a Comment