Zellars' goal with just under two minutes gone in sudden-victory overtime gave the Tigers a 1-0 win over nemesis Warren Hills and the program's first Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament title on Saturday afternoon at Newton High School's Palmer Field.
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| Hackettstown celebrates its first HWS championship. |
"Being the underdog team always helps and wanting some redemption," said Hackettstown coach Stephen Speirs, now 1-11 overall against Warren Hills in his 10 seasons. "Our seniors have been playing Warren Hills at such a high level, at least for the past four years, and they knew this was their last chance to make it happen."
Zellars, one of seven starting seniors, capitalized on a golden opportunity when the ball slipped past Warren Hills goalie Julia Webber at the top of the circle. Zellars just beat Streaks defender Kate Fenner to it and sent it into a wide-open cage with 8:08 left on the clock to trigger a wild on-field celebration after the first HWS final to be decided in OT.
"This is amazing. We worked so hard and wanted it," said Zellars, whose eighth goal of the season ended 12 years of frustration for Hackettstown, now 2-1 all-time against Hills in county finals.
Senior midfielder Madison Hoskins, who earned the tournament's Most Valuable Player Award, started the winning drive on a breakaway up the left sideline. Webber came up in the circle and stopped Hoskins' shot, but the ball trickled under the pads and Zellars made her winning move as Fenner dove for the ball.
"The ball was just sitting there," Zellars said. "I knew I had to pick up my speed and finish. There were a few people on the ground. It's amazing to finally be able to finish it. Last game [against Warren Hills] was so close, but we couldn't finish it."
Warren Hills (14-5-1), which saw its seven-game win streak snapped with the loss, had won seven straight in HWS play, including last year's title run. The Streaks, now 6-3 in HWS title games and 32-4 overall in county play, missed several opportunities in regulation, including a near-miss on a penalty corner with 2:34 left to play in the second half. Sophomore forward Simryn Desai, the team's leading goal scorer with 14, was positioned perfectly with a wide-open look on the right post, but she could not get a stick on it.
"It looked like it bounced over Sim's stick," said second-year coach Josie Potter, whose team finished with a 9-6 edge on corners and had several good looks and drives at the cage in the first half. "It was right there. I wanted that one. That was a corner we put in that I don't think Hackettstown had seen. We just haven't reached the full gambit with our corners this year."Both defenses were outstanding, as were the goalies. Junior Sophia Mallozzi stopped seven shots-on-goal, while Webber finished with five of the team's six saves (Kylie Compton had one stick save).
"The seven vs. seven overtime is basically a crapshoot," Speirs said. "All it takes is one quick breakaway and one mistake, and you have a one-on-one going to the cage. I was concerned. I started to see history repeat itself. I didn't want to think back to last time [when Warren Hills scored 30 seconds into OT to win]. This is a seasoned team. They remember what it felt like. They've learned from those mistakes."
To put how big of a win this is into perspective, consider that Hackettstown had been outscored, 55-7, in the previous 14 meetings against Warren Hills, and scored just its fourth goal in the past 12 matchups.
Speirs and his players are hoping to use this victory as a springboard heading into the North 1, Group 2 sectional playoffs. Hackettstown, the No. 2 seed, will play either High Point or Sparta in the opening round on Oct. 29. Perennial state power West Essex, which has won a state record 35 sectional titles, is the top seed and a major obstacle as the Tigers seek the program's first championship.
"This is the boost we need to get to the [sectional] final round," said Speirs, a 1980 Warren Hills graduate whose daughter, Lexie, scored the winning goal that gave Hackettstown a 3-2 victory in overtime against the Streaks in the 2004 Hunterdon-Warren final. "We'll likely face a tough West Essex team. This is literally a bonus."
Warren Hills, which seeks its seventh straight sectional title and 16th overall, will host Wayne Hills in a 5-4 matchup in North 1, Group 3 at 4 p.m. on Thursday. Potter is hoping this loss will be the motivation for her team to start another championship run.
"We showed up to play today. They just wanted it more than we did," Potter said.
Hackettstown (15-2-1) 0 0 1 -- 1
Warren Hills (14-5-1) 0 0 0 -- 0
Scoring
Overtime -- H, Ashley Zellars, 8th, 8:08.
Shots -- Hackettstown 7; Warren Hills 7.
Saves -- Sophia Mallozzi 7 (H); Julia Webber 5, Kylie Compton 1 (defensive) (WH).
Penalty corners -- Hackettstown 6; Warren Hills 9.
Officials -- Liliana Torres and Len Ciufo.
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