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