We're steaming toward the finish in the ninth annual Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament with the semifinals on tap this Saturday, while the sectional tournaments are rapidly approaching in a few weeks.
But first, we have two interesting county tournament clashes this weekend.
Top-seeded Hackettstown will host No. 5 Hunterdon Central at 10 a.m., while No. 3 Warren Hills travels to No. 2 Delaware Valley in the other semifinal matchup at 1 p.m. The winners will meet in the championship game on Saturday. Oct. 21 at Morrison Field in Hackettstown.
Warren Hills (13-2), which is the hottest team in the field having won eight in a row, passed a stiff test in Saturday's quarterfinals with a 2-1 win at home against No. 6 seed Voorhees. As we posted in last week's rankings, it's a shame that these state powers had to meet in the Round of 8. But until the powers-that-be fix a broken seeding system, that's the way it goes.
Warren Hills improved to 27-3 all-time in HWS play as the Blue Streaks, who are seeking their sixth title, advanced to the semifinals for the ninth straight year. Voorhees, which has lost in the quarters just twice -- falling 1-0 at Wallkill Valley in 2011 -- still holds a 33-23-6 edge in the all-time series against Warren Hills, which has won eight of the last 13 meetings since 2012 and 10 of the last 20 (one tie) since '09.
Hunterdon Central (9-3-1) is eyeing its second straight title after a 5-2 win over Wallkill Valley on Saturday. Credit the Red Devils, a turf team, for having to play on grass after making the long trip to Hardyston Township. Coach Jenn Sponzo's team will face a tough test on Tuesday at home against Voorhees, which will be looking to avenge a 2-1 loss on strokes in last year's HWS semifinals.
Delaware Valley (11-1), the No. 2 seed, is enjoying one of the program's best seasons in recent history. The Terriers, who haven't beaten Warren Hills since 1993, advanced to their first county semifinal with a 1-0 win over No. 7 Phillipsburg.
Hackettstown (8-3) bounced back from a 1-0 loss to Vernon with a thrilling 3-2 win in overtime against No. 9 Belvidere in the HWS quarters on Saturday. The Tigers, who have never won a tri-county title, are eyeing their second appearance in the final and first since 2013.
Now, onto this week's rankings.
1. Warren Hills (13-2) -- Blue Streaks, who are riding an eight-game winning streak, took a major step toward winning the Skyland Conference Raritan Division title with a 2-1 win over Bridgewater-Raritan on Tuesday. Senior forward Rebecca Sigman and senior midfielder Tali Popinko scored the goals. Sigman has scored in eight straight games, while Popinko has at least one goal or an assist in six straight. Coach Josie Potter's team closed the week with wins over Montgomery (5-1 on Thursday) and Voorhees (2-1 in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals on Saturday). The latter was just the fifth time the program won the first two meetings against the Vikes and first since 2012.
Up next: at Pingry on Tuesday; Watchung Hills at home on Thursday; at Delaware Valley in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex semifinals on Saturday.
2. Voorhees (9-4) -- Vikings saw their three-game win streak snapped with a 2-1 loss to Warren Hills on Saturday. Sophomore Madison Ogorzalek scored the goal with an assist from Emily Matyas. Coach Taylor Webb's team posted Skyland Conference wins over Pingry (2-0 on Tuesday) and North Hunterdon (6-1 on Thursday). Senior midfielder Laura Chen notched a goal and an assist in both victories. Big week on tap with a showdown against No. 3 Hunterdon Central on Tuesday.
Up next: at Hunterdon Central on Tuesday; at Phillipsburg on Thursday.
3. Hunterdon Central (9-3-1) -- Red Devils will be making their sixth straight appearance in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex semifinals after a 5-2 win over Wallkill Valley in Saturday's quarterfinals. Senior forward Brittany Bill scored a goal -- her team-leading 10th of the season -- and notched two assists, while junior forward Alyssa Magliaro scored a pair of goals. The Devils also posted a win over Watchung Hills (7-0 on Tuesday) and before dropping a 3-2 decision to Pingry on Thursday, which hurt Central in the Skyland Conference Delaware Division race. Bill scored three goals and had three assists against the Warriors.
Up next: Voorhees at home on Tuesday; Ridge at home on Thursday; at Hackettstown in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex semifinals on Saturday.
4. Delaware Valley (11-1) -- Terriers, who have won four in a row, move up a few spots following a 1-0 win over Phillipsburg in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals on Saturday. Junior forward Megan Donnelly scored the game-winner with an assist by senior midfielder Rachel Orrico. It's the first quarterfinal win for the program, which has never reached a county final in its history. Earlier last week, coach Stephanie Rifflard's team knocked off South Hunterdon (4-0 on Tuesday) and Somerville (4-1 on Thursday).
Up next: Belvidere at home on Tuesday; at Franklin on Thursday; Warren Hills at home in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex semifinals on Saturday.
5. Hackettstown (8-3) -- Tigers are coming off an interesting week. After dropping a 3-0 decision to Group 2 power Rumson-Fair Haven on Tuesday, coach Stephen Speirs' team was upset by unranked Vernon, 1-0, on Thursday. Junior forward Ashley Zellars converted the winning goal off an assist from junior forward Kayla Cichlar in overtime for a 3-2 win over Belvidere in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinals on Saturday.
Up next: High Point at home on Wednesday; at Kittatinny on Friday; Hunterdon Central at home in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex semifinals on Saturday.
6. Phillipsburg (5-6-1) -- Stateliners went 0-2 last week with losses to Ridge (4-3 on Tuesday) and Delaware Valley (1-0 on Friday in Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinal round). Junior midfielder Gabby Dudek and senior forward Melissa Kosar scored their team-leading ninth goals of the season in the loss to Ridge. After a 4-2-1 start, coach Toni Popinko's team has won one of its last five entering a tough week with two games against state powers.
Up next: at Bridgewater-Raritan on Tuesday; Voorhees at home on Thursday.
7. Belvidere (9-4) -- County Seaters lost a heartbreaker in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarters on Saturday -- 3-2 in overtime against Hackettstown. Junior forwards Abby Bronico and Angie Santini scored goals in the loss. Coach Beth Franceschino's team also dropped a 2-0 decision to the Tigers on Sept. 11. The Seaters are two wins shy of clinching their second straight Skyland Conference Mountain Division title and can gain at least a share with wins against either Delaware Valley or Mount St. Mary this week.
Up next: at Delaware Valley on Tuesday; at Mount St. Mary on Thursday; North Hunterdon at home on Saturday.
8. Wallkill Valley (11-2) -- Rangers saw their four-game win streak end with a 5-2 loss to Hunterdon Central at home on Saturday in their first Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex quarterfinal appearance since 2012. Senior forward Morgan Carr scored both goals -- raising her team-leading total to 25. Carr has scored at least one goal in all but one game -- an 8-0 loss to Hackettstown on Sept. 26. Coach Irene Chernati's team can clinch at least a share of the NJAC Colonial Division title on Wednesday.
Up next: North Warren at home on Wednesday; Vernon at home on Friday.
9. Newton (6-4) -- Braves ended their seven-day layoff with a 6-0 win over North Warren on Friday. Junior forward Victoria Docherty scored three goals and added one assist, while junior forward Lauren Barbato notched three assists. Docherty leads the team with seven goals on the season. Coach Lisa Bechtel's team likely needs a win on Wednesday to stay in the NJAC Colonial Division title race after dropping a 5-0 decision to first-place Wallkill Valley on Sept. 20.
Up next: Kittatinny at home on Wednesday; High Point at home on Friday; Sparta at home on Saturday.
10. Vernon (7-4-2) -- Vikings enter the rankings for the first time this season by virtue of a stunning 1-0 win over No. 5 Hackettstown on Thursday. Sophomore forward Carlie Van Tassel, the team's leading scorer, had the game-winning goal and notched her sixth of the season in Friday's 3-0 win at Morris Hills. Junior forward Emilee Hamler scored a pair of goals in that one.
Up next: Lenape Valley at home on Wednesday; at Wallkill Valley on Friday; Lakeland at home on Saturday.
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