Warren Hills (4-1) has its sights set on a seventh championship and fifth in six years, but the Blue Streaks were dealt a huge blow when outstanding sophomore back Ashley Moskal was lost for the season with an ACL injury.
Voorhees (4-2) and Hunterdon Central (3-1), which won its first title in 2016, are also contenders along with Hackettstown (4-1). The Tigers are rolling and may have their best shot at winning a championship since going back-to-back in the former Hunterdon-Warren Tournament in 2004-05.
The pairings and seeds should be announced early next week, so check back for more information on one of the season's premiere events.
Before we take a look at the shakeup in this week's rankings, it should be noted that North Hunterdon ended a five-game losing streak to start the season with a 1-0 win over Pingry at home on Saturday. Freshman Ryan Anderson scored the winning goal, the team's fourth in six games, while senior goalie Caroline Petrie made eight saves.
North (2-5), once a pretty solid program under former coaches Bonnie Carter and Stacy Ditze, have struggled mightily the past decade, going 43-157-5 the previous 10 seasons. The Lions, who got their second victory -- 2-1 at Montgomery on Monday -- have not won more than three games in a season since 2010, which was also the last time the program recorded back-to-back wins while going 7-12-2. Maybe this is a turning point for second-year coach Maria Bachert and the program, which won the first two Hunterdon-Warren Tournament titles in 1985-86.
Kittatinny (1-3) also got on the board with a 2-0 win over North Warren to give coach Emily Wisneski her first victory. Senior forward Kathryn Merrill and Kate Sikora scored the goals and senior midfielder Jess Smalley notched both assists. The Cougars, who finished 2-18 last season, snapped the program's five-game skid dating to 2017.
Now, this week's rankings:
1. Warren Hills (4-1) -- Blue Streaks saw their 16-game winning streak in the Skyland Conference Raritan Division end with a 2-1 loss in overtime against Bridgewater-Raritan on Saturday. Junior forward Samantha Dugan scored the goal with an assist from sophomore midfielder Sarah Korczukowski. It's the Group 3 runner-up's first division loss since Oct. 20, 2016 -- 3-1 at Voorhees -- and its first at home since Sept. 27 of that season --1-0 in OT to the Vikings. Coach Josie Potter's team opened last week with wins over Watchung Hills (4-0 on Tuesday) and North Hunterdon (5-0 on Thursday). Sophomore forward Jenna Wyckoff notched two goals and two assists vs. North, while sophomore forward Simryn Desai scored her team-leading fourth goal.
Up next: at Ridge on Tuesday; at Pingry on Thursday; at Madison on Friday.
2. Voorhees (4-2) -- Vikings enter the week riding a four-game win streak after an 8-1 victory over Watchung Hills on Saturday, following wins over Hillsborough (8-1 on Tuesday) and Ridge (4-2 on Thursday). Junior forward Cassie Boyce is on fire with eight goals and four assists in the team's past four games. She had hat tricks against Montgomery (on Sept. 8) and Hillsborough, while junior forward Brooke Hyland had three-goal games against Hillsborough and Watchung Hills, giving her a team-high 10 on the season. Junior midfielder Madison Ogorzalek has collected at least one goal or assist in five straight games. Coach Shannon Hughes' team got some help in the Skyland Conference Raritan Division race with Warren Hills' loss, but the Vikes have Bridgewater on tap this week.
Up next: at Phillipsburg on Tuesday; at Bridgewater-Raritan on Thursday; at Bernards on Saturday.
3. Hunterdon Central (3-1) -- Red Devils holding steady in the No. 3 spot following a 4-2 win over Montgomery in their only action of the week as a scheduled independent game against Princeton on Saturday was postponed. Senior back Lauren Nawrotzki scored a pair of goals, while senior forward Rachel Stone had two assists vs. Montgomery. Junior forward Sammy Freeman had at least one goal or an assist through four games. Coach Jenn Sponzo's team is slated to play three times this week as it preps for a big showdown at No. 1 Warren Hills next week.
Up next: Hillsborough at home on Monday; North Hunterdon at home on Thursday; at Phillipsburg on Saturday.
4. Hackettstown (4-1-1) -- Tigers kept rolling along with three shutout wins this past week against Randolph (4-0 on Tuesday), Wallkill Valley (4-0 on Thursday) and High Point (9-0 on Saturday) -- the latter two to open play in the NJAC Freedom Division. Senior midfielder Madison Hoskins, who leads the team in scoring, had a big week with five goals and one assist, including a hat trick against High Point. Senior midfielder Kayla Cichlar scored goals in all three wins, while senior midfielder Jessica Scheper had a pair of goals against High Point. Coach Stephen Speirs team played to a 0-0 tie with West Morris on Monday due to the wet weather.
Up next: at Vernon on Thursday; Belvidere at home on Saturday.
5. Delaware Valley (3-1) -- Terriers jump up two spots following a 4-0 win over rival South Hunterdon on Wednesday in their only action last week. Junior midfielder Madeline Bill led the offense with two goals and one assist, while sophomore forward Kristen Bill added a goal and one assist. Coach Stephanie Rifflard's team will look to keep it going this week as it looks to secure a top-five seed in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament later this month.
Up next: Somerville at home on Tuesday; at Belvidere on Thursday; Johnson at home on Friday.
6. South Hunterdon (2-1) -- Eagles enter here following a 1-0 win over Belvidere in a key Skyland Conference Mountain Division matchup on Tuesday before dropping a 4-0 decision to Delaware Valley on Wednesday. Junior midfielder Alana Catanzareti scored the winning goal, while freshman goalie Tiernan Swayhoover logged 12 saves for her first career shutout.
Up next: at North Plainfield on Tuesday; at Franklin on Thursday.
7. Belvidere (2-2) -- County Seaters snapped their two-game skid with a 4-2 win at Phillipsburg on Saturday. Sophomore forward Olivia Zmyewski scored a pair of goals and assisted on another, while senior forwards Maddie Call and Angie Santini added goals. Coach Beth Franceschino's team was coming off tough losses to South Hunterdon (1-0 on Tuesday) and Bernards (2-1 on Thursday). Senior midfielder Mallory Keenan, who had two assists in the win over P'burg, scored her second goal of the season in the loss to Bernards.
Up next: at Mount St. Mary on Tuesday; Delaware Valley at home on Thursday; at Hackettstown on Saturday.
8. Phillipsburg (1-5) -- Stateliners, who have lost five in a row since a 4-3 win over North Hunterdon in the season opener, dropped three spots after losses to Pingry (3-2 on Tuesday), Montgomery (1-0 on Thursday) and Belvidere (4-2 on Saturday). Senior midfielder Gabby Dudek continues to carry the offense as she has accounted for half of its 10 goals this season. Coach Toni Popinko's team, which played No. 1 Warren Hills tough in an overtime loss on Sept. 8, has a tough week on tap with games against No. 2 Voorhees and No. 3 Hunterdon Central.
Up next: Voorhees at home on Tuesday; at Blair Academy on Thursday; Hunterdon Central at home on Saturday.
9. Vernon (2-1-1) -- Vikings are coming off an odd week in which they dropped a 3-1 decision at Lenape Valley on Tuesday and played to a 1-1 tie against Jefferson at home on Saturday. In between, they scored a 3-2 win over High Point on Thursday. Senior midfielder Emilee Hamler, junior forward Hailey Minter and sophomore midfielder Alicia Mihalko scored goals in the win. Minter notched an assist in the tie with Jefferson.
Up next: at Newton on Tuesday; Hackettstown at home on Thursday; at High Point on Saturday.
Up next: Vernon at home on Tuesday; at High Point on Thursday; Johnson at home on Saturday.
On the bubble: Wallkill Valley, High Point, Lenape Valley, Sparta
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