Sophomore forward Simryn Desai scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner off a corner in the second overtime, as the Blue Streaks earned a hard-fought 3-2 win over Millburn in the Group 3 semifinals on Wednesday at West Essex High School.
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| Warren Hills will play for its 3rd state title and first since 2015. |
The Streaks, who are now 13-3 overall in state semifinal games, advanced to the program's seventh straight state final, where they are 2-10 overall since 1996. Second-year coach Josie Potter's 2017 team dropped a 6-1 decision to Moorestown. Prior to last season, Warren Hills went 2-3 against Ocean City in its previous five trips to the Group 3 final, winning its only titles in 2014 and '15.
"I'm super proud of these girls," said Potter, whose teams are 8-1 overall in postseason games. "They've really never given up all season long -- they've fought and fought. We keep coming out on the winning side in these games that could go either way."
Desai, who gave Warren Hills a 2-0 lead early in the second half with her 17th goal -- unassisted off the goalie's pads -- before adding her team-leading 18th early in the second 15-minute overtime, also scored the decisive goal against West Morris in a 3-2 victory in OT in the North 1, Group 3 sectional final last Thursday.
"The second half of the season, she's really come into her own," Potter said of Desai. "I believe that was her sixth game-winning goal of the season."
Junior midfielder Kate Fenner, who started the winning drive off a breakaway in the sectional final, once again played a huge role in this victory. Fenner sent the ball in on the penalty corner to junior Samantha Dugan, who normally serves in that role, and Dugan fired a pass to the far right post, where Desai was waiting to knock it in with 10:17 left on the clock. Millburn was playing short-handed in the second OT after receiving a five-minute yellow card for pushing.
"Dugan crushed it," Potter said. "Normally, we send it to the left post. But Simryn was right there ... it was beautiful. We kept [sophomore Sarah Korczukowski] back as a safety net. We played a full 80 minutes today, and we didn't have a single letdown."
Sophomore Julianna Valli notched her sixth goal of the season -- with an assist by Fenner -- and first since Oct. 6 as the Streaks jumped out to a 1-0 lead with about 6:15 left in the first half. With a two-goal lead in the second half, Warren Hills was seemingly in control and on its way to another title game.
But Millburn (13-7-2), which won its third sectional title and first since 1982 with a 3-2 win over Middletown South, rallied with a pair of second-half goals, including one by junior Meaghan Boehm -- her 19th of the season -- off a breakaway with 1:09 left in regulation to force overtime. Leading scorer Ella Singer's 20th goal made it a one-goal game earlier in the half.
"They had a lot of speed, which we struggled with," Potter said. "They are a very talented team. It was back and forth. I felt like we put on a little more offensive pressure in the overtimes."
Warren Hills, which has struggled on offense this season, has now scored three goals in three of the last four games, while Desai has three goals and two assists in that span. Dugan, who had scored goals in the three previous postseason games, kept her points streak going with an assist.
Warren Hills (19-5-1) 1 1 0 1 -- 3
Millburn (13-7-2) 0 2 0 0 -- 2
Scoring
First half -- WH, Julianna Valli, 6th, (Kate Fenner), 6:15.
Second half -- WH, Simryn Desai, 17th, 28:46; M, Ella Singer, 20th; M, Meaghan Boehm, 19th, 1:09.
Overtime -- WH, Desai, 18th, 10:17.
Shots -- Warren Hills 23; Millburn 14.
Saves -- Julia Webber 12 (WH); Raquel Winer 20 (M).
Penalty corners -- Warren Hills 12; Millburn 8.
Braves fall in G1 semis
Newton's bid for its first state finals appearance in 34 years ended with a 3-1 loss to Shore Regional in the Group 1 semifinals on Wednesday night at West Essex High School.
The Braves (15-6-1) saw their season end after winning the program's fourth North 1, Group 1 sectional title in five years last Thursday -- 1-0 in overtime against Belvidere. Veteran coach Lisa Bechtel's team, now 0-4 overall in state semifinal games, was also ousted by Shore in the 2014 and '15 Group 1 semifinals.
Senior forward Victoria Docherty, who scored the game-winning goal in the sectional final, cut Newton's deficit against Shore to 2-1 with her team-leading 17th goal. As was the case against Belvidere, freshman Sydney Pavlishin was credited with the assist.
Newton, which featured several underclassmen in the lineup at times this season, including Pavlishin, should contend for Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference Freedom Division and sectional titles in 2019.
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