Field hockey: Streaks, Red Devils eye sectional titles

Warren Hills' field hockey team is admittedly feeling the pressure to maintain the program's run of sectional titles.

But the fourth-seeded Blue Streaks are one win from a seventh straight championship as they take on No. 2 seed West Morris in the North 1, Group 3 final at 2 p.m. on Thursday in Washington Township (Morris County).

Warren Hills' 15 sectional titles are the most in the Skyland Conference.

Warren Hills (17-5-1), which showed championship character in a tough 1-0 win at Northern Highlands in Tuesday's semifinals, will be seeking the program's 16th title overall in 20 appearances. The North 1 winner will face the North 2 champion -- either Millburn or Middletown South -- in the Group 3 semifinals on Tuesday at a neutral site, most likely Johnson High School in Clark.

"We want to bring the title back," said sophomore Kylie Compton, who has done a fine job bouncing between the back and midfield positions this season. Compton preserved Tuesday's win by clearing out a penalty corner in the closing seconds against Northern Highlands.

Hunterdon Central (14-3-1) advanced to the North 2, Group 4 final with relative ease -- 8-1 over Piscataway in Tuesday's semifinals. The second-seeded Red Devils, who are seeking the program's 14th championship and first since 2013, will take on nemesis and No. 1 seed Bridgewater-Raritan (17-4-1) in the title game for a fifth straight year at 4 p.m. on Thursday.

The North 1 champion will take on either Montclair or Morristown in the Group 4 semifinals on Tuesday at a neutral site -- Boonton High School or Johnson. Eastern (22-0), which has won 19 consecutive sectional titles and 24 overall, is the heavy favorite to win a 20th straight state title.

Coach Jenn Sponzo's teams are 9-29-3 against the Panthers in her 20 seasons at the helm. The schools played to a 2-2 tie in their last meeting on Oct. 9 in Raritan Township. Central, which dropped a 3-1 decision to Bridgewater-Raritan on the road on Sept. 8, snapped a 12-game losing skid in the series with a 2-1 victory in 2017. The rivals have met 13 times in the postseason, including the past eight seasons. Central's last title in 2013 came when Bridgewater-Raritan was housed in North 1. The Panthers, who have lost to Eastern in 13 straight Group 4 finals, beat the Red Devils, 4-2, in the Group 4 semis in '13.

Junior forward Samantha Freeman is having an outstanding season and leads Central in scoring with 15 goals and 12 assists, while junior forward Rachel Stone has seven goals and three assists in the team's past five games, including a hat trick in a 7-0 win over Montgomery in the sectional playoff opener.

Warren Hills, which lost a 1-0 decision to Central on Sept. 26, will also battle a familiar opponent as it takes on West Morris for a third straight year in the sectional final. The Streaks, who won, 2-1, at West Morris in 2016 and 1-0 at home last season, and are 3-0 in the all-time postseason series, including a 6-4 win in the 2012 Group 3 semifinals.

West Morris returns six starters from last year's title game, including junior forward Sarah Bietka, who leads the team in scoring with 18 goals and 12 assists, along with sophomore forward Sophia Prata (11 goals, 11 assists). One of the team's two ties came against Hackettstown -- 0-0 on Sept. 17 -- in a game partially played in monsoon-like conditions. The Streaks split with the Tigers this year -- winning 2-1 in overtime on Sept. 29 and losing, 1-0, in overtime in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament final on Oct. 20.

The biggest challenge this season for a talented and young Warren Hills team, which returns all 11 starters in 2019, has been on offense. Junior Samantha Dugan, who scored the game-winner against Northern Highlands, ranks second on the team with 11 goals behind sophomore Simryn Desai (15).

Including Tuesday's win, which was the program's 82nd in the postseason and 685th overall, Warren Hills, now 5-0 all-time against Northern Highlands, has recorded two or fewer goals in 15 of its 23 games. In fact, the Streaks are 1-3 in games where they've allowed two or more goals this season.

The defense, led by talented backs Kate Fenner and Emily Dvorsky, has really carried this team. Junior goalie Julia Webber and the unit have produced 10 shutouts on the season, including seven in the past 11 games, during which opponents have scored just four goals.

"We've definitely taken our lumps this season," said second-year coach Josie Potter, whose team has won three in a row since the loss to Hackettstown and 10 of the last 11. "With the Warren Hills name and the tradition, you're expected to be in the [sectional] finals. I'm really proud of them."

Here are the NJSIAA sectional finals matchups for Groups 3 and 4:

North 1

Group 4

2-Montclair (14-7) at 1-Morristown (11-5-2)

Group 3

4-Warren Hills (17-5-1) at 2-West Morris (15-3-2)

North 2

Group 4

2-Hunterdon Central (14-3-1) at 1-Bridgewater-Raritan (17-4-1)

Group 3

3-Millburn (12-6-2) at 1-Middletown South (18-2)

Central

Group 4

5-Rancocas Valley (12-8) at 2-Jackson Memorial (13-4-2)

Group 3

2-Burlington Township (16-3-1) at 1-Moorestown (19-1-1)

South

Group 4

2-Kingsway (19-0-1) at 1-Eastern (21-0)

Group 3

3-Clearview (17-3-1) at 1-Ocean City (18-3-1)

Field hockey: Streaks ride second-half surge to final

ALLENDALE -- It's been all about finding a way to bounce back for Warren Hills' field hockey team this season.

After a slow start in the first half, the fourth-seeded Blue Streaks took control early in the second half as junior Samantha Dugan's goal off a rebound was the difference in a 1-0 win over No. 1 Northern Highlands on Tuesday afternoon in the North 1, Group 3 semifinals.

Warren Hills (17-5-1), which has won six consecutive sectional titles and 15 overall, advances to the program's 20th championship game at No. 2 West Morris (15-3-2) -- a 2-1 winner over Wayne Valley in the other semifinal -- on Thursday. The teams will meet for a third straight year in the final, with the Streaks winning, 1-0 at home in 2017, and 2-1 on the road in '16.

"There's more pressure this year than there has been because it's expected of us," said Dugan, who broke a 0-0 tie with her 11th goal of the season at the 11:14 mark in the second half. "Our goal from the beginning was to make the finals."

Northern Highlands (21-2) saw its stellar season end for a fourth time in five years with a loss to Warren Hills -- including the Group 3 semifinals in 2013 (9-0) and '14 (6-1) and last year's sectional semifinals (4-0). Veteran coach Rich Smith's team was seeking the school's ninth sectional title and first since 2014.

"We had two losses by one goal," said the classy Smith, whose program won a school record 21 games for just the third time in its history and graduates just three starting seniors. "This stings a little bit, but I can't say we didn't play well. It was just a little breakdown here or there. I'm not saying we win a matchup against Warren Hills, but I think we get past this round next year."

Warren Hills' winning goal was set up by sophomore Sarah Korczukowski, whose initial shot off the pads of Northern Highlands goalie Taylor Bechtel kicked over to Dugan, who directed the ball into the cage for her second postseason goal after scoring in the team's 3-0 win over Wayne Hills in the quarterfinals. The Streaks, despite 14 penalty corners and numerous tips in the circle, just could not punch one in earlier, scoring just one goal for the fourth time in their last eight games. Korczukowski had another shot go off the pads on a corner earlier in the half and sent another shot just over the top of the cage about seven minutes in.

"We definitely needed it," said Dugan, who also had three shots go off the pads. "That picked us back up. I just reacted to [the ball]. It would've been great whoever wound up with the goal."

Clinging to that 1-0 lead, Warren Hills needed one last push to advance as Northern Highlands was awarded a penalty corner with 22 seconds left on the clock. After a quick timeout, the Highlanders looked to force overtime, but Streaks sophomore Kylie Compton, who was strong on defense the entire way, cleared the ball out to the sideline as the final seconds ticked off the clock.

"We really wanted this [win]," Compton said. "Our warmups were intense. We go one game at a time. We had to win this [to get to the final]. Now, our focus shifts to West Morris."

The second half was in stark contrast to the first 30 minutes, which were dominated in the early staged by Northern Highlands and star forward Rachel Scrivanich, the program's all-time scoring leader who started a number of breakaways with her blazing speed.

But Scrivanich was hit with a yellow card for not being five yards back on defense in the final 15 seconds before halftime and she was forced to sit as the Highlanders were a player down for the first 1:45 of the second half. That's when the tide turned in Warren Hills' favor for essentially the rest of the game. Northern Highlands, which held a 4-2 edge in shots-on-goal in the first half, were held to zero in the second half as Scrivanich watched the final 1:22 from the sideline after drawing a second card for not being five yards.

"When they came into the second half a [player] down, even though it was only a minute, they saw that as an opportunity," said second-year Streaks coach Josie Potter, now 6-1 in postseason games. "The one thing we've focused on all season is finding an opportunity. We got a good offensive push right away and I think that sent a message. [Northern Highlands] is a very talented team. This was a total team effort."

The defense, which was also anchored by backs Kate Fenner and Emily Dvorsky, definitely had to be on its game as Scrivanich was looking to become the first at her school to hit 100 points. She entered the game with 97 and a season-best 39 goals.

"She was really fast and we had to communicate where she was and mark her," Compton said. "I had to make sure I kept moving my feet, so I didn't get beat."

Warren Hills will have to go on the road again to win a seventh straight title, but it feels good to get that opportunity to play for the program's 16th sectional title -- the most among Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex schools.

"We didn't want the season to be over," Dugan said. "We had a really good talk at halftime and we came out to win."

Warren Hills (17-5-1)                       0                1          --    1
Northern Highlands (21-2)              0                0          --    0

Scoring

Second half -- WH, Samantha Dugan, 11th, 11:14.

Shots -- Warren Hills 10; Northern Highlands 4.

Saves -- Julia Webber 4 (WH); Taylor Bechtel 9 (NH).

Penalty corners -- Warren Hills 14; Northern Highlands 8.

Field hockey: HWS schedule for Oct. 29-Nov. 2

Monday, Oct. 29

(All quarterfinals 2 p.m., unless noted)

NJSIAA playoffs

North 1, Group 2

Vernon at Lakeland, 3 p.m.
High Point at Hackettstown

North 2, Group 2

South Plainfield vs. Voorhees at North Hunterdon, 6 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 30

(All semifinals 2 p.m., unless noted)

NJSIAA playoffs

North 1, Group 3 

Warren Hills at Northern Highlands

North 2, Group 4 

Piscataway at Hunterdon Central, 5:30 p.m.

(Regular season)

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

Pope John at High Point, 4 p.m.

Wednesday, Oct. 31

(All semifinals 2 p.m., unless noted)

NJSIAA playoffs

North 1, Group 2

Lakeland at Hackettstown

North 2, Group 2

Voorhees at Rumson-Fair Haven

North 1, Group 1

Newton at Ramsey

Mountain Lakes at Belvidere

Thursday, Nov. 1

(Both championship games 2 p.m., unless noted)

NJSIAA playoffs

North 1, Group 3

Warren Hills at West Morris

North 2, Group 4

Hunterdon Central at Bridgewater-Raritan, 4 p.m.

Friday, Nov. 2

(Both championship games 2 p.m., unless noted)

NJSIAA playoffs

North 1, Group 2

Hackettstown at West Essex

North 1, Group 1

Newton at Belvidere

Field hockey: HWS scoring leaders

(Through Thursday's games)

Minimum 13 points

Player	School	Goals	Assists	Points
Cassie Boyce	Voorhees	20	15	55
Brooke Hyland	Voorhees	20	9	49
Madison Hoskins	Hackettstown	16	15	47
Sammy Freeman	Hunterdon Central	13	12	38
Kayla Cichlar	Hackettstown	15	6	36
Simryn Desai	Warren Hills	15	6	36
Carlie Van Tassel	Vernon	14	7	35
Katie Yarussi	Pope John	13	5	31
Julianna Gentilucci	Lenape Valley	14	3	31
Maddie Call	Belvidere	10	9	29
Lauren Nawrotzki	Hunterdon Central	13	2	28
Madeline Bill	Delaware Valley	10	8	28
Gabby Dudek	Phillipsburg	11	6	28
Megan Doyle	Hackettstown	10	7	27
Tyra Wingle	High Point	9	9	27
Alana Catanzareti	South Hunterdon	12	2	26
Rebecca Phillips	South Hunterdon	11	4	26
Jessica Scheper	Hackettstown	11	4	26
Victoria Docherty	Newton	11	4	26
Megan Donnelly	Delaware Valley	8	9	25
Mallory Keenan	Belvidere	10	4	24
Olivia Zmyewski	Belvidere	9	6	24
Abby Bronico	Belvidere	10	4	24
Lindsey Bicher	Lenape Valley	8	8	24
Bella Tracy	Sparta	10	3	23
Kristen Bill	Delaware Valley	10	2	22
Lauren Kokoskie	Voorhees	6	10	22
Samantha Dugan	Warren Hills	10	2	22
Rachel Stone	Hunterdon Central	7	8	22
Chandler Storcella	South Hunterdon	9	3	21
Angie Falleni	Lenape Valley	8	5	21
Ashley Zellars	Hackettstown	8	4	20
Jamie Struble	Wallkill Valley	8	4	20
Jordan Vandermark	Hackettstown	6	8	20
Rose Patrick	Hunterdon Central	8	4	20
Lucie Wolfson	Sparta	5	9	19
Jenna Wyckoff	Warren Hills	4	10	18
Emily Matyas	Voorhees	8	1	17
Leah Gonzalez	Lenape Valley	7	3	17
Michaela Thiessen	High Point	7	2	16
Jade Luciani	Newton	5	6	16
Hailey Minter	Vernon	6	4	16
Sarah Korczukowski	Warren Hills	5	5	15
Angie Santini	Belvidere	7	1	15
Kaleigh Higgins	Delaware Valley	7	1	15
Maddie Summitt	Warren Hills	5	5	15
Jessalyn McKenna	Lenape Valley	3	9	15
Lauren Barbato	Newton	4	6	14
Angela Melillo	Newton	6	1	13
Katherine Leal	High Point	6	1	13
Maddie Allen	North Warren	6	1	13
Francesca Ciasullo	Wallkill Valley	4	5	13