With the NJSIAA sectional playoffs set to get underway today, the Blue Streaks started their title run on Saturday with a 1-0 win over Hunterdon Central to earn the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament championship at Morrison Field in Hackettstown.
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| Warren Hills celebrates its sixth HWS title. (Courtesy of Warren Hills) |
"We looked good," said first-year Streaks coach Josie Potter, whose team hasn't lost since a 1-0 setback to Madison in an independent game on Sept. 20. "[Hunterdon Central] is a very solid team. I told them, a lot of our players were looking for redemption [for last year's loss]."
Sophomore forward Samantha Dugan scored the winning goal -- her 17th of the season -- with an assist from senior midfielder Tali Popinko -- her seventh assist in the past 10 games -- at the 23:21 mark of the second half. Freshman star Ashley Moskal, who plays left back and was instrumental in the win on both ends of the field, according to Potter, was named the tournament MVP.
"She's our flyer on corners and has phenomenal footwork on the left side," Potter said. "So much so that [Hunterdon Central] started attacking on the right side. Ashley probably played our most well-rounded and consistent game. We gave up just one corner midway through the second half, and we had 17 in the game."
With one championship tucked away, Warren Hills now sets its sights on wrapping up the Skyland Conference Raritan Division title. The Streaks (13-0 in conference play) can secure their 10th division title and fifth in six years with a victory over Voorhees (at home Tuesday) or Phillipsburg (away in Wednesday) in the final regular-season matchups before the North 1, Group 3 sectional playoff opener at home on Friday.
With a win on Tuesday, though rainy weather is in the forecast, Warren Hills can be the first team in program history to defeat Voorhees three times in a season -- posting 2-1 wins on Sept. 22 and on Oct. 7 in the HWS quarterfinals. The fierce rivals have met three times in a season on just six other occasions in a series dating to 1975. The Streaks won the first two meetings against the Vikings in 2012 before a 2-0 loss in the HWS semifinals.
"It's going to be a great game," Potter said. "We still haven't clinched the [division title] so we have some unfinished business in the conference. Then we'll worry about the [state tournaments]."
Warren Hills, which enters the week six shy of the program record for consecutive wins in a season, is undoubtedly playing its best field hockey of the season, outscoring its opponents 53-6 during this winning streak. Senior forward Rebecca Sigman (22 goals) is eight shy of becoming the second to notch 30 goals in a season. Dani Profita holds the single-season record with 41 in 2015. Defensively, if you take away 6-1 loss to state power West Essex on Sept. 15, the unit has allowed just 9 goals and held opponents to one or fewer in the other 19 games.
As the top seed, Warren Hills will have home-field advantage throughout the sectional tournament, unlike a year ago when it had to travel to West Morris for the title game. The Streaks earned a hard-fought 2-1 win for its 14th sectional title and fifth in a row. Despite being a heavy favorite to reach the Group 3 final for a sixth straight season, the Streaks aren't looking that far down the road.
"We have to be ready to play anywhere and take it one game at a time," Potter said. "We can't look past anybody because every team is gunning for us."
Flick-ins
No team in the HWS area will finish winless this season as Kittatinny and North Hunterdon got on the board last week.
Kittatinny (2-16) went back-to-back with victories over Scotch Plains-Fanwood (1-0 on Thursday) and 2-1 over Mountain Lakes (on Saturday). The Cougars, who went 2-15-2 last year, won consecutive games for the first time since September 2015.
North Hunterdon (1-15) got off the schneid with a 5-4 win at Watchung Hills on Thursday in a Skyland Conference Raritan Division clash. Senior forward Becca Baucom scored three goals and leads the Lions with six overall. North had scored just three goals all season before the victory -- the first under coach Maria Bachert, who was previously served as the head coach at Watchung Hills.
Belvidere (13-5), which has won 10 of its last 12 games, will be looking to end a 20-year sectional title drought in a very interesting North 1, Group 1 field. The County Seaters, who are the No. 3 seed and will face the Newton-North Warren winner in the quarterfinals on Oct. 30, own wins over both teams this season. In all, six HWS schools reside in this section.
Wallkill Valley (17-2), which has two wins over Newton, the three-time defending sectional champion, is the No. 2 seed in North 1, Group 1. Rangers senior forward Morgan Carr leads all HWS scorers with 40 goals and has at least one in all but one game this season -- an 8-0 loss to Hackettstown on Sept. 26. Carr, who has 90 career goals with two in Monday's 3-2 victory over West Milford, surpassed Amanda Nann as the program's single-season and career goals leader. Nann had 38 in 2006 and 89 overall from 2003-06.
Delaware Valley (13-3-1), which is enjoying one of its best seasons in recent memory, is the No. 3 seed in a very tough North 2, Group 1 section. The Terriers, who have never won a sectional title, will face either South Hunterdon or Point Pleasant Boro in the quarters on Oct. 30. The winner of that one will likely see No. 2 Madison (15 sectional titles) in the semifinals. Shore Regional, which has won 24 titles, is the No. 1 seed.
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