What: 10th annual Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament championship.
When: Saturday, 3 p.m.
Where: Palmer Field, Newton High School.
Records: Hackettstown 14-2-1; Warren Hills 14-4-1.
Coaches: Stephen Speirs (9th season, 109-58-4, 0-11 vs. WH); Josie Potter (2nd season, 38-7-1, 2-0 vs. Hack).
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| Warren Hills celebrates its HWS record sixth championship in 2017. |
Series history: Warren Hills, which owns a 42-4-3 edge dating to 1969, including a 2-1 victory in overtime at home on Sept. 29, has won 14 straight meetings since a 2-1 loss at Hackettstown in 2006. Blue Streaks also prevailed, 1-0, in the 2012 HWS final and 3-0 in the '13 semifinals. This is the third meeting in a county final (Tigers won, 3-2 in OT, at Hills in the 2004 H-W title game) and first matchup on a neutral field. The only other wins for the Tigers were in regular-season contests in 1969 and '70.
Previous champions: Newton/Warren Hills co-champs in 2009 (final was never played); Voorhees in 2010 and '12; Warren Hills in 2011, '13, '14, '15 and '17; Hunterdon Central in '16.
Note: Here's a closer look at both teams with probable starting lineups:
Hackettstown Tigers
How they got here: Beat Phillipsburg, 1-0, in second round; Newton, 2-0, in quarterfinals; Belvidere, 3-1, in semifinals.
Previous tournament history: Beat Wallkill Valley, 3-1, in 2009 first round, Lost to Voorhees, 3-0, in 2009 quarterfinals; Lost to Wallkill Valley, 1-0, in 2010 first round; Beat Lenape Valley, 2-1 in overtime, in 2011 preliminaries, Lost to Belvidere, 1-0 in overtime, in 2011 first round; Lost to Pope John, 2-1, in 2012 first round; Beat Vernon, 9-0, in 2013 first round, Beat South Hunterdon, 3-2 on penalty strokes, in 2013 quarterfinals, Beat Hunterdon Central, 4-3 in overtime, in 2013 semifinals, Lost to Warren Hills, 1-0, in 2013 championship game; Beat Sparta, 4-2, in 2014 first round, Lost to Warren Hills, 3-0, in 2014 quarterfinals; Beat Belvidere, 4-0, in 2015 quarterfinals, Lost to Hunterdon Central, 1-0, in 2015 semifinals; Beat South Hunterdon, 4-0, in 2016 first round, Lost to Voorhees, 2-1, in 2016 quarterfinals; Beat Belvidere, 3-2, in 2017 quarterfinals, Lost to Hunterdon Central, 3-2 in overtime; in 2017 semifinals. Overall HWS record: 12-9.
Probable starting lineup: Sr. F Madison Hoskins (15 goals-15 assists-45 points); Sr. F Kayla Cichlar (15-5-35); So. F Megan Doyle (9-7-25); Sr. F Jordan Vandermark (6-8-20); Sr. F Ashley Zellars (7-4-18); Sr. MF Jessica Scheper (11-3-25); Sr. MF Sierra Castiglia (1-4-6); Jr. MF Madison Trotter (1-1-3); Sr. D Megan Baker (0-0-0); Jr. D Melanie Luke (0-0-0); Sr. GK Bridget Kenny (27 saves, 6 1/2 shutouts, .818 save percentage, 0.86 goals against)/Jr. GK Sophia Mallozzi (32 saves, 4 1/2 shutouts, .865 save percentage, 0.83 goals against).
Warren Hills Blue Streaks
How they got here: Beat Wallkill Valley, 2-0, in second round; Vernon, 3-1, in quarterfinals; Voorhees, 1-0 in overtime, in semifinals.
Previous tournament history: Beat Delaware Valley, 8-2, in 2009 first round, Beat High Point, 4-0, in 2009 quarterfinals, Beat Pope John, 3-0 in 2009 semifinals; Beat Sparta, 6-0, in 2010 first round, Beat Wallkill Valley, 4-1, in 2010 quarterfinals, Beat Newton, 2-1 in overtime, in 2010 semifinals, Lost to Voorhees, 1-0, in 2010 championship game; Beat North Warren, 9-0, in 2011 first round, Beat Newton, 5-0, in 2011 quarterfinals, Beat Wallkill Valley, 8-1, in 2011 semifinals, Beat High Point, 3-1, in 2011 championship game; Beat Lenape Valley, 5-1, in 2012 first round, Beat Pope John, 8-0, in 2012 quarterfinals, Lost to Voorhees, 2-0, in 2012 semifinals; Beat Kittatinny, 6-0, in 2013 first round, Beat High Point, 3-0, in 2013 quarterfinals, Beat Voorhees, 2-1, in 2013 semifinals, Beat Hackettstown, 1-0, in 2013 final; Beat Wallkill Valley, 6-0, in 2014 first round; Beat Hackettstown, 3-0, in 2014 quarterfinals; Beat High Point, 8-0, in 2014 semifinals; Beat Voorhees, 5-0, in 2014 final; Beat Phillipsburg, 4-0, in 2015 quarterfinals; Beat Voorhees, 2-1, on strokes in 2015 semifinals; Beat Hunterdon Central, 2-1, in 2015 final; Beat Newton, 1-0, in 2016 quarterfinals; Beat High Point, 3-2, in 2016 semifinals; Lost to Hunterdon Central, 2-1, in 2016 final; Beat Lenape Valley, 11-0, in 2017 first round; Beat Voorhees, 2-1, in 2017 quarterfinals; Beat Delaware Valley, 4-0, in 2017 semifinals; Beat Hunterdon Central, 1-0, in 2017 championship game. Overall HWS record: 32-3.
Probable starting lineup: So. F Simryn Desai (14 goals-4 assists-32 points)/So. F Jenna Wyckoff (4-10-18); Jr. F Samantha Dugan (9-2-20); Fr. F Maddie Summitt (3-5-11); So. MF Sarah Korczukowski (5-5-15); So. MF Olivia Chomut (1-0-2); So. MF Kylie Compton (1-0-2); Jr. MF Paulina Georgoutsos (0-0-0); Fr. D Emily Dvorsky (1-1-3); So. D Liz Schlaffer (0-0-0); Jr. D Kate Fenner (0-0-0); Jr. GK Julia Webber (115 saves, 7 shutouts, .865 save percentage, 0.95 goals against).
Breakdown: Hackettstown, which is the No. 4 seed, is hungry for this rematch -- and the 50th meeting between these rivals -- as it seeks the program's first county championship since winning consecutive Hunterdon-Warren titles in 2004-05 (current Tigers assistant coach Heather Kozimor played on those teams). Tigers, who have been outscored, 40-3, in the last 11 meetings against the Streaks, have won eight in a row since that 2-1 loss in OT at Warren Hills last month, including a 3-1 victory over Belvidere in the HWS semis, and have outscored opponents, 32-3 during that stretch. Hoskins leads a well-balance offense that features plenty of speed on the forward line, something that gave the Blue Streaks fits last time in a game the Tigers controlled until late in the second half. Cichlar has come on of late, scoring nine goals in the team's previous four games. Both rank in the top five among area scoring leaders, but were kept off the board in the previous meeting as Doyle scored the program's first goal against Warren Hills in six years. Defensively, the Tigers, who are closing in on a fourth straight NJAC Freedom Division title, have yielded just three goals in their past eight games (11 for the season) with six shutouts. Warren Hills, which is the No. 3 seed, is making a tournament-record ninth finals appearance and its sixth in a row since losing in the 2012 semifinals. The Blue Streaks, who are a tournament-best 32-3 overall in tri-county games, appear to be getting hot at the right time, having won seven in a row since a 4-2 loss at home to Voorhees on Oct. 2, a loss they avenged with a 1-0 win in overtime against the Vikes in last weekend's semifinals. During the current streak, Hills has outscored opponents, 18-3, while posting four shutouts. Desai, who had been coming off the bench, has helped spark an offense that's struggled at times this season by scoring nine goals in the team's previous seven games. Defensively, Dvorsky and Fenner are rock-solid players in front of the cage, where Webber, an aggressive keeper, has steadily improved this season. This one is shaping up to be another nail-biter. Streaks, who earned the program's 682nd win on Thursday, are 6-3 in one-goal games this season and 3-1-1 in overtime contests. They've shown a knack for finding ways to prevail in big games, and getting that first goal will be key.
Pick: Warren Hills, 2-1.
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