The Blue Streaks (18-5-1), coming off a gritty 3-2 win in overtime against West Morris in the North 1, Group 3 sectional final -- the program's seventh consecutive championship -- will take on North 2 champion Millburn in the first meeting between the schools at 4 p.m. on Wednesday in the Group 3 semifinals at West Essex High School in North Caldwell.
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| Warren Hills celebrates the program's 16th sectional championship. |
"This season has 100 percent been a challenge -- predominantly because of injuries," said second-year Warren Hills coach Josie Potter, whose teams are 7-1 overall in playoff games, including a 10-1 win over Colts Neck in last year's Group 3 semis (a program single-game record for postseason goals). "We've been fortunate -- as the hits keep coming, we seem to find a way to rebound and put together a great game."
Newton (15-5-1), which won the North 1, Group 1 sectional title, will take on Shore Regional in the Group 1 semifinals in the nightcap at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at West Essex. The Braves are seeking their school's first state finals appearance in 34 years.
The semifinal winners advance to the Group championships on Saturday at Bordentown Regional High School. Group 3 will be at noon, with the Group 1 final slated for 4 p.m.
Warren Hills, which has won four in a row and 11 of its last 12 games, is 2-4 in the program's six previous Group 3 title games -- winning its only championships in 2014 and '15 -- and 2-10 overall. The Streaks have not lost a state semifinal game since 2002 -- 1-0 to runner-up High Point -- and are 12-3 all-time in those matchups, while only six other New Jersey schools have won more sectional titles.
"After Hackettstown [a loss 1-0 in overtime in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex final on Oct. 20], we said we were never going to lose again," Desai said.
Junior Samantha Dugan and sophomore Simryn Desai have been the offensive leaders this postseason for Warren Hills. Junior Kate Fenner, who shifted to the center midfield spot midway through the season, is making things happen, such as setting up Desai's winning goal against West Morris for the program's 686th victory. Sophomore Jenna Wyckoff has also scored some big goals. Her fifth of the season -- unassisted off a breakaway -- gave the Streaks a 2-1 lead in the sectional title game.
Coming out strong will be the key to moving on for Warren Hills.
"The first couple of minutes [against West Morris], our play was slow," Fenner said.
Dugan (12 goals), who also serves as the team's insert on penalty corners, has scored in all three postseason games and has 37 career goals, which ties her with former center midfielder Lauren Cuff (37 from 2000-02) for 16th place on the school's all-time list. Desai is enjoying a breakout season on the forward line, scoring her team-leading 16th goal to lift the Streaks in the sectional final.
"We're a team. We leave [the scoring] up to everybody," Desai said.
The defense, led by backs Kylie Compton and Emily Dvorsky, has yielded just six goals in its last 12 games, while junior goalie Julia Webber (10 shutouts) has been solid in the cage. Sophomore back Liz Schlaffer (left knee injury) missed the game against West Morris. Her status for Tuesday's game is unknown. Sophomore Angela Pawloski started and did a nice job in the sectional final, while sophomore Sarah Korczukowski has played a big role since moving to Fenner's spot in the backfield.
"She's done a really great job," Fenner said. "We have a similar style of play."
Millburn (13-6-2), which won its third sectional title and first since 1982 with a 3-2 win over Middletown South, is seeking the program's second state finals appearance and first since falling to Eastern in the 1979 Group 3 final.
Junior Ella Singer (19 goals, 16 assists), junior Meaghan Boehm (18 goals, 12 assists), senior Helen Liu (10 assists) and junior Olivia Regan (9 goals) are among the Union County school's offensive leaders.
Braves eyeing school history
Newton, which has never won a state title and made its only championship game appearance against Moorestown in 1984 after scoring a 3-0 win over Warren Hills in the Group 2 semifinals, faces a stiff test against a tough Shore program, which has won 14 Group 1 titles and ousted the Braves in the 2014 and '15 state semifinals -- 2-0 and 5-1.
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| Newton celebrates winning its fourth sectional title in five years. |
Johnson, which handed Newton a 3-0 loss on Sept. 22 and dropped a 2-0 decision to Shore in the North 2 sectional final, is the only common opponent this year between the Group 1 semifinalists. Shore's only losses are to defending Group 2 champion Rumson-Fair Haven.
"We're going to give [Shore] a game," said veteran coach Lisa Bechtel, whose teams are 420-150-19 in her 29 seasons at the helm. "We didn't have [senior forward Lauren Barbato] against Johnson. We have tough kids and they're really resilient."
Newton, which has won a Sussex County-best 12 sectional titles, advanced with a thrilling 1-0 win in overtime against Belvidere on Friday.
Senior forward Victoria Docherty scored her team-leading 16th goal of the season -- off a feed from freshman Sydney Pavlishin -- and her 10th in the team's last eight games. Docherty has seven goals in Newton's four playoff wins -- all shutouts, including victories over NJAC rivals North Warren (6-0), Lenape Valley (4-0), and top-seeded Ramsey (2-0).
Senior Jade Luciani has scored three of her five goals this season in the team's previous six games, while junior Angela Melillo (6 goals), Pavlishin (7 assists) and Barbato (8 assists) are also among the offensive leaders for the Braves.
Shore (20-3) has won a remarkable 25 sectional titles -- which ranks fourth all-time behind West Essex (36), Moorestown (28) and Eastern (26) -- and is looking for its first trip to the Group 1 final since winning its 14th and last state championship in 2015.
Junior Lily Santi (42 goals, 20 assists) is the team's leading scorer, while senior Maggie Lamb (26 goals, 16 assists) and junior Isabella Saponaro (18 goals) round out a balanced offensive attack.
Group 4
Morristown (12-5-2) vs. Bridgewater-Raritan (18-4-1), 6 p.m. at Boonton High School
Rancocas Valley (13-8) vs. Eastern (23-0), 4 p.m. at Hightstown High School
Group 3
Warren Hills (18-5-1) vs. Millburn (13-6-2), 4 p.m. at West Essex High School
Moorestown (20-1-1) vs. Ocean City (19-3-1), 6 p.m. at Hightstown High School
Group 2
West Essex (18-2-1) vs. Rumson-Fair Haven (20-1-1), 4 p.m. at Boonton High School
Seneca (15-6) vs. West Deptford (16-3-2), 4 p.m. at Egg Harbor Township High School
Group 1
Newton (15-5-1) vs. Shore (20-3), 6 p.m. at West Essex High School
Haddonfield (18-2-2) vs. Woodstown (16-5-2), 6 p.m. at Egg Harbor Township High School
Non-Public sectional final matchups
(Games to be played on Wednesday)
North
3-Kent Place (14-4-1) at 1-Oak Knoll (21-1)
South
4-Camden Catholic (14-5-3) at 2-Bishop Eustace (15-2-2)
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