The second-seeded County Seaters ended nearly 22 years of frustration with a 1-0 win over No. 6 seed Mountain Lakes in the North 1, Group 1 semifinals on Wednesday afternoon.
Belvidere (13-5-1), which advanced to the program's first sectional final since winning its seventh and last championship in 1996, will host No. 4 seed Newton -- a 2-0 winner over No. 1 Ramsey in the other semifinal on Wednesday -- in the title game tentatively set for 2 p.m. on Friday.
With the forecast for potentially heavy rain, Franceschino said her school may explore moving the game to a neutral site should the Seaters' grass field be deemed unplayable. Phillipsburg and Warren Hills (both turf surfaces) may be options. The North 1 winner will face the North 2 champion -- either Johnson or Shore -- in the Group 1 semifinals on Tuesday at a neutral site.
Belvidere had endured semifinal losses the previous three years, including a heartbreaking 2-1 defeat in overtime to eventual champion Wallkill Valley in the North 1, Group 1 title game in 2017.
 |
| Belvidere celebrates reaching the HWS semifinals for just the second time. |
The Warren County school would love to play the program's first title game at home, but just getting there is a huge step. The Seaters are now just 6-12 in postseason games since that title run in 1996. In fact, Franceschino's 2003 team during her first stint as head coach snapped the school's skid of six seasons without a sectional appearance, while the 2015 team ended an eight-game losing streak in the playoffs.
It's been nip-and-tuck so far this postseason as Belvidere also scored a 1-0 victory over Pequannock in its sectional opener last Friday. Senior midfielder Mallory Keenan scored both goals, the first with 1:14 remaining in the second half against Pequannock, and the second just a few minutes into the opening half against Mountain Lakes, which ended the Seaters' season in 2016.
Along with Keenan (team-high 12 goals), senior forwards Maddie Call (10 goals, 10 assists) and Abby Bronico (10 goals), along with sophomore Olivia Zmyewski (9 goals, 6 assists), have led a well-balanced offense. Franceschino isn't concerned with the lack of scoring in the playoffs.
"We scored three goals [in a 3-2 win over North 2, Group 4 sectional finalist Hunterdon Central in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament quarterfinals on Oct. 8] so I know they can do it," she said.
Defensively, senior Anya Logan, one of the area and Skyland Conference's best goalies, has helped produce 10 shutouts this year and 10 in each of her previous two seasons in the cage. Logan, a Stonehill College recruit, has a strong cast in front of her, including senior backs Melanie Clark (left) and Sam Dultz (center), along with sophomore right back Kinsey Lockard.
"[Melanie] is solid. She always has her stick down and stops the ball dead," Franceschino said. "She's also played well defensively on corners."
Belvidere, once a Group 1 state power under legendary coach Sally Ueberroth, whose teams went 130-41-12 over 10 seasons and made six state finals appearances -- winning titles in 1989 and '90 -- now gets a shot at reclaiming some of its past glory.
Newton still dancing
After making school history in winning back-to-back-to-back North 1, Group 1 titles from 2014-16, Newton is back in the finals after its run ended with a 2-1 loss in overtime to Belvidere in last year's quarterfinals.
The Braves (14-5-1) appear to be getting on a roll at the right time as coach Lisa Bechtel's team has won six of its last seven since a 2-0 loss to Hackettstown in the HWS quarterfinals on Oct. 8. In fact, three of the losses this season are to the Tigers, who secured the NJAC Freedom Division title with a 2-1 win over the Sussex County school on Oct. 24.
Senior forwards Victoria Docherty (15 goals) and Lauren Barbato (5 goals, 8 assists) lead the offense, while senior Jade Luciani has chipped in with five goals and seven assists.
Newton, which has won a county-best 11 sectional titles, advanced by upsetting Ramsey with both goals coming from Docherty, who has nine in her last seven games, including a pair in the Braves' 4-0 win over Lenape Valley in the opening round.
Tigers eyeing redemption
Hackettstown has enjoyed perhaps its finest season in program history -- winning a fourth straight NJAC Freedom Division title and its first HWS championship with a thrilling 1-0 win in OT against North 1, Group 3 sectional finalist Warren Hills.
 |
| Hackettstown after winning its first HWS championship. |
The winner will meet the North 2 champion -- either Rumson-Fair Haven or Bernards -- in the Group 2 semifinals on Tuesday at a neutral site, most likely Johnson High School in Clark.
West Essex (17-2-1), the No. 1 seed which has rolled with 8-0 wins over River Dell and West Milford in the first two rounds, is looking to extend its state record for sectional titles with No. 36, winning 16 championships under veteran coach Jill Cosse and seven of the past eight in this section.
Hackettstown, which has never won a sectional title, is making its fifth finals appearance since the program reformed in the early 2000s. The Tigers' postseason run ended with losses to Rumson-Fair Haven (5-0) and Voorhees (1-0 in OT) in the 2016 and '17 North 2, Group 2 finals.
Coach Stephen Speirs' team has cruised so far this postseason, outscoring its two playoff opponents, 13-1, including a 6-1 win over High Point on Monday. Senior midfielder Madison Hoskins has six assists so far this postseason, while leading the team in goals (18) and assists (22) for the season.
Here are the NJSIAA finals matchup for Groups 1 and 2:
North 1
Group 2
2-Hackettstown (19-2-1) at 1-West Essex (17-2-1)
Group 1
4-Newton (14-5-1) at 2-Belvidere (13-5-1)
North 2
Group 2
2-Bernards (23-0) at 1-Rumson-Fair Haven (19-1-1)
Group 1
4-Johnson (14-4-2) at 2-Shore (18-3)
Central
Group 2
2-Seneca (14-6) at 1-Wall (17-2-1)
Group 1
2-Haddon Township (19-2-1) at 1-Haddonfield (17-2-2)
South
Group 2
2-Delsea (17-2-2) at 1-West Deptford (15-3-2)
Group 1
2-Schalick (17-4) at 1-Woodstown (15-5-2)
No comments:
Post a Comment