Field hockey: Hills, Central reach state title games

Warren Hills' field hockey team is one win away from completing its no more second-place finishes to-do list.

Junior forward Simryn Desai opened the scoring with her 20th goal and junior midfielder Sarah Korczukowski logged a pair of assists in leading the Blue Streaks to a 3-0 victory over Middletown South on Tuesday night in a Group 3 semifinal contest at A.L. Johnson High School.

Warren Hills seeks its third state title and first since 2015.

Warren Hills (23-1), which has won six in a row and is 14-3 all-time in state semifinals, will make its eighth straight state championship game appearance as the Streaks will take on Clearview -- which advanced with a 4-1 win against Burlington Township in the other semifinal on Tuesday -- in the Group 3 title game at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Bordentown Regional High School.

"We played really well," said third-year coach Josie Potter, who was an assistant under Laurie Kerr when the Streaks won the first of their two state titles in 2014 -- the first for any female sport at the Warren County school. "It was a well-played game. Middletown South was very good, very fast."

Desai put Warren Hills, which has won Skyland Conference Raritan Division, Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament and sectional titles this season, on top for good when she received a beautiful crossing pass from senior forward Samantha Dugan and tapped the ball into the left corner of the cage -- matching Dugan for the team lead in goals and becoming just the 13th player in program history to reach 20 goals in a season.

With her team nursing that 1-0 lead early in the second half, Potter called a timeout to get them back on the attack. It worked. Junior Jenna Wyckoff, who logged goals in the Streaks' sectional playoff victories over Wayne Hills and Mendham, notched her eighth of the season on a penalty corner off a feed from Korczukowski just a few minutes following the timeout.

Senior midfielder Paulina Georgoutsos capped the scoring with 17:54 left in the second half as she received a pass from Korczukowski and found the back of the cage for her third postseason goal and seventh overall.

The Warren Hills' defense, which has yielded just one postseason goal and four overall in the last 12 games, pitched its 15th shutout as senior goalie Julia Webber logged five saves. Webber is now tied with six others on the program's career shutout list with 14. Only Taylor Austin (18 in 2013), Jackie de Raismes (17 in 2014) and Carolyn Kisling (16 in 2003) have more.

"Webber had some big-time saves," said Potter, now 12-2 overall in the postseason. "My defense is extremely consistent. That's all you can ask for."

Middletown South (18-4-1)               0                   0            --    0
Warren Hills (23-1)                            1                   2            --    3

Scoring

First half -- WH, Simryn Desai, 20th, (Samantha Dugan), 21:46.

Second half -- WH, Jenna Wyckoff, 8th, (Sarah Korczukowski), 23:37; WH, Paulina Georgoutsos (Korczukowski), 17:54.

Shots -- Middletown South 5; Warren Hills 5.

Saves -- Lauren Palmadesso 2 (MS); Julia Webber 5 (WH).

Penalty corners -- Middletown South 3; Warren Hills 3.

Central set for Group 4 final

Senior midfielder Sammy Freeman scored the only goal in overtime as Hunterdon Central made it 2-for-2 in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area with a 1-0 win against Ridge in a Group 4 semifinal on Tuesday at Boonton High School.

Central will play in its first Group 4 final since 2004.

Central (13-9-2), which hasn't won a Group 4 title since 1996, will have the daunting task of facing state powerhouse Eastern (22-2) at 4 p.m. on Saturday in the title game at Bordentown Regional High School. The Vikings, who handed Central title losses in 2001, '02, '03 and '04, are seeking their 22nd straight Group 4 championship. The South Jersey sectional champions advanced with an 11-0 win against Lenape in the other Group 4 semifinal.

Hunterdon Central snapped its skid in Group 4 semifinal matchups -- falling to Bridgewater-Raritan in 2007, '11 and '13. The Panthers, who had lost to Eastern in the 14 previous Group 4 finals, has been a major obstacle for the Red Devils in making a return trip to the state finals -- ending their season in the previous five North 2 sectional finals.

Freeman, who leads Hunterdon Central with 12 goals and will join her sister, Nikki, at the University of Iowa next fall, continued her postseason hot streak with goals in six straight games, including the winner in a 2-1 victory against North Hunterdon in the North 2, Group 4 final -- the Red Devils' first sectional title since 2013.

Central also made it 2-for-2 against Ridge, which captured its second sectional title and first since 2005, as Freeman logged an assist in a 2-1 victory when the teams met during the regular season on Sept. 5.

State championship schedule

(Saturday at Bordentown Regional High School)

Non-Public

Morristown-Beard (15-3) or Oak Knoll (22-0) vs. Moorestown Friends (19-1) or Camden Catholic, 10 a.m.

Group 2

West Essex (22-1-1) vs. Seneca (16-7), noon

Group 3

Warren Hills (23-1) vs. Clearview (20-2-1), 2 p.m.

Group 4

Hunterdon Central (13-9-2) vs. Eastern (22-2), 4 p.m.

Group 1

Shore (23-2) vs. Haddonfield (20-3), 6 p.m.