Voorhees' field hockey team is no stranger to making deep runs in the sectional tournament.
But the Vikings find themselves in the unfamiliar role of underdogs as they prepare to defend their title in the North 2, Group 2 playoffs. Coach Taylor Webb's team, the No. 5 seed, rolled to a 7-1 win over No. 4 South Plainfield in a quarterfinal matchup on Thursday.
Voorhees (14-5) will next travel to top-seeded Rumson-Fair Haven for a semifinal clash on Tuesday. Hackettstown (14-4) will take on No. 2 Bernards (19-1-1) in the other semifinal. The winners will meet in the title game on Thursday.
"We look at it like a fresh start to the season, and we've never seen some of these teams before [during the regular season]," said Webb after a 5-0 loss to Warren Hills this past Tuesday.
Voorhees (13-5), which captured the program's seventh section title overall and its first since 2006 with a 1-0 victory in overtime against Hackettstown in last year's final, scored a 2-1 win in overtime against South Plainfield in the 2015 semifinals, the only other postseason meeting between the schools.
The Vikes, who are 59-40 all-time in postseason games, are in one of the tougher brackets in the sectional playoffs with top-seeded Rumson-Fair Haven, last year's Group 2 runner-up now in this section after being housed for many years in Central Jersey, Group 2, looming in the semifinals.
Hackettstown (13-4), which scored a 5-1 win over No. 6 Cranford in the quarterfinals dropped a 3-0 decision to Rumson-Fair Haven on Oct. 3, while Bernards recently scored a 1-0 victory over Bridgewater-Raritan to win its first Somerset County Tournament title since 1989.
Voorhees, which has won eight of its last 10 games, is hoping strength of schedule will play to its advantage after playing regular-season games against state power West Essex, along with conference clashes vs. perennial Group 4 runner-up Bridgewater-Raritan, Group 3 runner-up Warren Hills and Hunterdon Central.
"I like to think the decision to [play some of the top programs] will prepare us for this level," said Webb, who is 111-30-4 overall and has guided her alma mater to three straight sectional finals in her seven seasons, while winning three as a player under former coach Ann Bonavita.
Sophomore forward Cassie Boyce (13 goals, 14 assists) and senior Erin Shaw (16, 7), along with senior midfielder Laura Chen (14, 8) and sophomore forward Brooke Hyland (13, 4) help lead a Voorhees offense, which was kept off the board for the first time this season by Warren Hills on Tuesday and is averaging nearly four goals per game.
Defense, which has been a hallmark of Voorhees teams, is yielding just one goal per game and has held opponents to one or fewer in 17 games. Senior back Sarah Matyas, who made a nice goal-line save in Tuesday's loss, is one of the top players in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area. Webb said the loss of sophomore defender Ryleigh Cameron (head injury) in a 2-1 loss at Warren Hills on Oct. 7, was a tough blow to the unit.
"She took a stick to the head," Webb said. "Sophomore Stef Fabroni has done a nice job shifting between the midfield and back."
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