Field hockey: North, Central to clash in sectional final

CLINTON TWP. -- North Hunterdon's rapid ascent to becoming one of the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area's top teams is only matched by its abundance of speed on the field.

North Hunterdon eyes its first sectional title since 1993.

The lightning-quick duo of sophomore Ryan Anderson and freshman Lauren Masters on the forward line has the Lions playing for the program's first sectional title in 26 years, as they combined for three goals and two assists in top-seeded North's 6-2 victory over No. 4 Montgomery in a North 2, Group 4 semifinal clash on Monday afternoon at Singley Field.

North Hunterdon (15-7), which won its only sectional championships in 1986 and '93, will next face No. 3 Hunterdon Central -- a 2-1 winner over No. 7 Hillsborough in the other semifinal on Monday -- in the title game on Thursday. The Lions scored a 3-1 victory over Hunterdon Central -- their first against the Red Devils since 2010 -- during a regular-season meeting on Sept. 23.

"It's crazy," Anderson said of North moving on to the championship round. "There was a little bit of pressure [facing Montgomery for a third time after regular-season wins of 7-0 and 4-0 over the Cougars] because we needed to win this game."

Masters, who is well on her way to breaking every program scoring record, got North on the board just 5:48 into the contest when Anderson got loose on a breakaway -- starting one of several scoring drives in the game -- and tipped in a perfect crossing pass at the right post. Masters added two more to raise her HWS-area leading total to 29 -- her eighth multi-goal game and sixth with three or more -- while Anderson's two assists gave her an area-high 26 for the season.

"They're all fast," third-year coach Maria Bachert said of the wealth of team speed. "My defense is fast. You're not going to beat my defense too often, it's very rare."

Montgomery (8-12-1), which had opened the postseason with a 2-1 victory over Westfield, did not back down after North's quick goal. Sophomore Mora Costa stepped to the line and converted a penalty stroke to knot the score at 1 with 8:55 left before halftime.

But Masters gave North Hunterdon the lead for good when she redirected a shot from the top of the circle by sophomore Katie Roberts with 5:29 to go in the first half.

Back Mira Carver, one of only three seniors on the Lions' roster, gave North some breathing room with the first of her back-to-back goals with 16:45 to play in the second half. The second -- off a nice give-and-go from Anderson -- was Carver's third of the season. Senior Emma Landis followed with her ninth goal of the season.

North's rise to prominence in field hockey has been in the works for several years. This current group of 10 sophomores and four freshmen have been close friends and teammates throughout their days on the youth level.

It's amazing to think North is playing in a sectional final so quickly, considering the program went 47-171-5 over the previous 11 seasons, including a four-win campaign in 2018 -- the first time in eight years that the Lions won more than three games. This is also the program's first winning season since 2009.

"This feels amazing," Masters said. "We're just looking to have a good mindset and give 100 percent."

Bachert, who took over at North in 2017, following a long stint as the head coach at Watchung Hills, said her team is ready for the next challenge.

"They all really want to win this [sectional] title," Bachert said. "I told them to take [the postseason] like any other game. Otherwise, I feel it just creates too many nerves. It will be great to pull off a win [in the final]."

Montgomery (8-12-1)                         1                   1           --    2
North Hunterdon (15-7)                     2                   4           --    6

Scoring

First half -- NH, Lauren Masters, 27th, (Ryan Anderson), 24:12; M, Mora Costa, 4th, (penalty stroke), 8:55; NH, Masters, 28th, (Katie Roberts), 5:29.

Second half -- NH, Mira Carver, 2nd, (Olivia Reeder), 16:45; NH, Carver, 3rd, (Anderson), 8:54; NH, Emma Landis, 9th, 5:40; M, Costa, 5th, (Lindsay Devine), 4:48; NH, Masters, 29th, 4:35.

Shots -- Montgomery 4; North Hunterdon 22.

Saves -- Lillian Lowenhar 16 (M); McKenna Laman 2 (NH).

Penalty corners -- Montgomery 8; North Hunterdon 12.

Central in championship form

Hunterdon Central (11-9-2) is bidding for the program's 14th sectional title overall and first since 2013, after knocking off Hillsborough for the program's 600th win in the other All-Skyland Conference semifinal. Central overcame a huge hurdle in the quarters with a 2-1 win in overtime vs. No. 6 Bridgewater-Raritan, which had won 14 consecutive sectional titles and defeated Central in the previous five finals.

Senior midfielder Sammy Freeman, who scored one of the Red Devils' goals and assisted on another by Lexi Finklestein in the win over Hillsborough, has recorded six of her 10 goals on the season in the past six games for Central, which scored a pair of 3-2 wins over Hillsborough in Delaware Division tilts during the regular season.

Hillsborough (11-12)                            1                   0           --    1
Hunterdon Central (11-9-2)                 2                   0           --    2

Scoring

Goals -- H, Payton Altman, 31st; HC, Sammy Freeman, 10th; Lexi Finklestein, 5th.

Shots -- Hillsborough 2; Hunterdon Central 15.

Saves -- Kerri O'Donnell 11 (H); Alexa Karpinski 1 (HC).