But the top-seeded Blue Streaks insist they aren't getting caught up in the sectional title streak as they will take on No. 3 West Morris for a fourth straight year in the North 1, Group 3 final at 4 p.m. on Friday.
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| Warren Hills looks to collect another championship trophy. |
"We played [West Morris] in the preseason [a 2-0 win]. It's going to be a tough game," said junior forward Jenna Wyckoff, who scored the go-ahead goal and assisted on another in Warren Hills' 3-0 victory -- all second-half goals -- against No. 5 Mendham in Tuesday's semifinals. "We need to show up and play like we did in the second half [against Mendham]."
Two other teams from the Hunterdon-Sussex-Warren area will be playing for sectional titles.
North Hunterdon will host Hunterdon Central in North 2, Group 4 final at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, while Vernon has the daunting task of facing state powerhouse West Essex in the North 1, Group 2 championship game at 3:30 p.m. on Friday.
Warren Hills (21-1), which has been pegged for a return trip to the Group 3 state final since a tough 7-0 loss to Moorestown in the 2018 championship game, is playing in its ninth consecutive sectional final since a 3-2 loss to Freehold Boro and former star Emily Wold in the 2011 North 2, Group 3 title game. But star center midfielder Kate Fenner insists the Streaks aren't focusing on the program's incredible postseason run.
"Our team is kind of young, we haven't really thought about it being eight in a row," Fenner said. "We know we have the stuff to get it done."
Playing at home for the final time in their careers is especially nice for Fenner and three other starting seniors -- forward Samantha Dugan, midfielder Paulina Georgoutsos and goalie Julia Webber -- where the group is 35-5 over the last three seasons.
"Last year, we didn't expect to get as far being a young team," Wyckoff said. "We have more confidence and feel more comfortable being at home."
Warren Hills will look to get off to better start than it did in the semifinals against Mendham. After a scoreless first half, the Streaks rallied behind an inspired halftime talk from Potter to extend their season.
"The one great thing about our team is we have leaders on the field," said Potter, who offered that Mendham was much better than its 6-11-1 record. "Sometimes it just takes a little push.
"If we start like we did in the second half [against Mendham], I will feel very confident."
The status of Dugan, who sustained a right ankle injury and had to be assisted off the field with 13:11 to go in the second half against Mendham, was unknown following the game. Dugan ranks seventh on the program's career goals list and shares the team lead this season with junior forward Simryn Desai, who scored her 19th on Tuesday.
"We're hoping it's a speedy recovery, and hopefully, we have [Dugan] for Friday. If not, we'll fill the hole," Potter said. "Sam is an integral part of our offense and a great player, but we have a lot of talented players. I feel confident [playing] anyone sitting on our bench."
Of course, when your defense isn't allowing goals, it makes it awfully tough for opposing teams to win. Warren Hills has outscored its two postseason opponents, 16-0, and has produced 14 shutouts behind backs Liz Schlaffer, a junior, and sophomore Emily Dvorsky, and junior sweeper Kylie Compton. The Streaks yielded five goals in the first eight games of the season and just four in the last 14, including a pair in a 2-1 loss to Ridge on Oct. 15.
West Morris (20-1-1) enters the final riding a 12-game win streak, including a 4-3 win over Northern Highlands in the North 1, Group 3 semifinals, since their own 2-1 setback at Ridge on Sept. 21. The Wolfpack also played to a 0-0 tie against Bernards on Sept. 14.
Senior midfielder Caroline Compoli, who had an assist in last year's final, is among West Morris' offensive leaders with 11 assists this season, while senior forward Sarah Bietka has logged a team-best 32 goals and 26 assists. Also keep an eye on senior forward Sophia Prata (28 goals, 17 assists) and senior forward Jenna Leonhardt (17 goals). Prata scored a goal against the Streaks in 2018.
On defense, senior goalie Victoria Bodnar, who started in last year's championship game, has logged 15 shutouts, including a 2-0 win against Mendham, one of two victories over the Minutemen this season, on Sept. 12 and a 4-0 victory over Hackettstown on Oct. 1.
North making its mark
A year ago, the mantra for North Hunterdon's young field hockey team was "Trust the process."
Well, the Lions did just that, and now here they are playing for the program's first sectional championship in 26 years.
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| North won its only sectional titles in 1986 and '93. |
North (15-7), seeking the program's third sectional title and first since 1993, will face another familiar opponent in Hunterdon Central, which last won a championship in 2013. The winner will face the North 1 champion -- either Ridge or Montclair -- in Tuesday's Group 4 state semifinals at a neutral site.
The Lions, who lost twice to Ridge (4-2 on Sept. 7 and 4-1 on Oct. 7), scored a 3-1 victory over Central on Sept. 23 for their first win over the Red Devils since 2010.
The incredible rise for North Hunterdon, which had gone 47-171-5 over the previous 11 seasons and is enjoying its first winning campaign since 2009, has been years in the making. Bachert, the former head coach at Watchung Hills who went 6-31 over her first two seasons with the Lions, and volunteer assistant coach Amy Masters are next-door neighbors and have daughters in the program who have been playing together on the youth (Junior Lions) and club levels.
"I've known these girls since they were 8 years old," said Bachert, who sports a roster with eight sophomores and three freshmen, along with only three seniors. "I came up with them. We played hockey every day."
Sophomore Ryan Anderson and freshman Lauren Masters lead a speedy forward line -- combing for 45 goals and 41 assists. Anderson's area-best 26 assists are believed to be a school record, while Masters is poised to shatter all of North's scoring records with a team-high 29 goals. The turnaround starts with offense, as the Lions have scored 87 goals -- up 73 from its 2018 total of 14.
"It feels amazing," Masters said after scoring three goals in the semifinal win -- her eighth multi-goal game of the season and sixth with at least three.
Sophomore forward/midfielder Olivia Reeder, who led the team with five goals last season, has 10 to go with seven assists, while senior Emma Landis has scored six of her nine goals over the team's last five contests, including a 6-0 win over Sayreville in the quarterfinals.
Central (11-9-2) seems to be getting hot at the right time. Coach Jenn Sponzo's team has won four in a row and six of its last seven, including 2-1 wins over Bridgewater-Raritan and Hillsborough in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds.
The overtime victory over Bridgewater-Raritan was particularly huge, considering the Panthers had beaten the Red Devils in the previous five sectional finals and had won 14 straight championships -- en route to losses to state powerhouse Eastern in the Group 4 finals.
Senior midfielder Sammy Freeman is a player to watch for Central -- leading the team in scoring with 10 goals and three assists. She has been red-hot down the stretch with seven goals in the team's last seven games.
Vernon still dancing
For the first time since 2010, the Vernon Vikings will play for a sectional title after scoring a 3-2 win over Hackettstown in the North 1, Group 2 semifinals.
Way to go Varsity Field Hockey.— VTHS Athletics (@vthsathletics) October 29, 2019
Off to the Sectional Finals with their 3-2 win over Hackettstown.
Fantastic job girls👍 pic.twitter.com/xjeTMYfFV2
Coach Kieran Killeen's team started the season 12-0 before back-to-back losses to Hunterdon Central (3-0 in the HWS Tournament quarterfinals) and Newton (2-1 on Oct. 10). The latter cost the Vikes a shot at winning the outright NJAC Freedom Division title, which they shared with the Braves. It was Vernon's first conference title since winning the old Sussex County Interscholastic League crown in 1996.
Senior forward Carlie Van Tassel, who has been on fire down the stretch with seven goals in the past four games, leads the Vikes in scoring with 23 goals and 10 assists, while sophomore Jenna Gregory has produced 18 goals and six assists.
The reward for the program's first finals appearance in nine years is championship date against West Essex (20-1-1), which has won a New Jersey-best 36 sectional titles, including four in a row and 15 overall since 2000.
Longtime Knights coach Jill Cosse is considered one of the best of all-time with a career mark of 479-40-11 in 23 seasons, including a 17-3 overall record in sectional finals. She has also won 10 Group 2 state championships.
West Essex is a remarkable 936-95-55 overall in 53 seasons.
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