North Hunterdon's ascension from perennial doormat to contender was among the top stories of 2019. The program took another major step on Monday with its biggest win in over two decades.
Sophomore forward Sara Roberts scored a pair of goals and leading scorer Lauren Masters added another as North rolled to a 3-0 victory over archrival and previously unbeaten Voorhees. The Lions (9-2) ended one of the longest losing droughts to a single opponent in area history after dropping 41 straight to the Vikings since a 1-1 tie on Oct. 29, 1991. North had not previously won in the series since a 2-1 victory in a Hunterdon-Warren Tournament matchup on Oct. 12, 1990 -- going 0-43-1 following that win until Monday.
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| North is 24-10 over the last two seasons. |
"This is a huge win," said North Hunterdon coach Maria Bachert, who inherited a program that had gone 41-140-5 over nine seasons before she took the reins in 2017. "The kids really wanted this win."
In fact, the series had been so lopsided that Voorhees, which owns a 55-14-7 edge dating to 1975, had outscored North, 130-17, over that 41-game winning stretch and held the Lions scoreless in 10 of 13 before they got on the board in back-to-back losses last season, including a 3-2 setback in overtime in the third and final meeting of 2019.
"The kids really don't know the history between Voorhees and North," said Bachert, whose teams had lost seven straight in the series, including three meetings last season. "I'm super happy with my team. They are getting better and better every single day."
North, which has had a penchant for slow starts, controlled play against Voorhees (10-1) by utilizing its passing game, according to Bachert. Roberts took a shot and scored the first and decisive goal as the offense stormed a gap in the circle. She later added her ninth of the season, while Masters logged her area-best 21st.
Cutoff date
Following Monday's cutoff date to qualify, the sectional pairings are set to be released on Thursday and North hopes to carry the momentum into what will be a much different postseason during this era of COVID-19. For starters, there will be no state championships contested beyond the sectional finals on Nov. 21. The regular season ends on Nov. 12 and the playoffs begin the following day.
In previous years, public school teams were set in four sections (North 1, North 2, Central and South) in the four group sizes. However, this season a committee comprised of administrators from the various leagues and conferences will seed sections, which will take geography and number of teams in each section into account. There may even be cases where different group sizes are in the same section.
Regardless, players and coaches are grateful to have the opportunity for a title shot. North hasn't won a sectional championship since 1993 and made the program's first finals appearance since that run a year ago -- falling 2-1 to Hunterdon Central, the state runner-up, in North 2, Group 4.
"I can't wait to see the [sectional] rankings," said Bachert, whose teams are now 24-10 over the past two seasons. "We want to keep [the season] going."
Now, onto this week's area rankings:
1. Warren Hills (10-0) -- Blue Streaks rolled to a 4-0 win over Hunterdon Central last Tuesday and cruised to an 8-1 victory over Montgomery on Monday for the program's third 10-0 start since 2011. Against Central, junior left wing Maddie Summitt continued her offensive onslaught with her team-leading 13th goal to go with two assists as Hills, which has won 16 of the last 18 against Central, improved to 44-30-10 overall in that series dating to 1967.
Up next: Phillipsburg at home on Thursday.
2. North Hunterdon (9-2) -- Lions rebounded from a 2-1 loss at Ridge on Saturday -- which hurt their chances in the Skyland Conference Raritan Division race-- with one of the program's biggest wins in recent years as they snapped a 41-game losing skid against Voorhees with a 3-0 victory on Monday in the 76th meeting of that series. Junior goalie McKenna Laman recorded her 200th career save on Saturday.
Congrats @McKenna12498744!!! We are so proud of you. #GrindUnit #Brickwall #LionPride @NHHS_Lions pic.twitter.com/lSx5AN9hrL
— NHHS_Field_Hockey (@NhhsField) November 1, 2020
Up next: at Montgomery on Thursday.
3. Voorhees (10-1) -- Vikes suffered the program's first loss in 30 years to North Hunterdon -- 3-0 on Monday. Coach Shannon Hughes' teams had beaten North in five previous meetings since she took over in 2018. Senior Katie McLean scored a pair of goals in the team's 3-1 win over South Hunterdon (Voorhees has won five straight and owns a 30-17-7 lead in the series) last Tuesday and added two more in a 6-0 victory over Bernards on Friday.
4. Hunterdon Central (5-3) -- Red Devils saw their three-game win streak snapped with a 4-0 loss at Warren Hills last Tuesday in their only action of the week. Senior midfielder Sarah Woods had scored goals in Central's three previous games and led the team with five coming into this week.
Up next: at Watchung Hills on Tuesday; at Bernards on Thursday; Phillipsburg at home on Friday.
5. Belvidere (6-1-1) -- County Seaters scored a 5-0 win over Somerville in their only action last week as senior forward and Pace University commit Olivia Zmyewski matched a career high with three goals. On Monday, senior forward Jordan Yeisley scored her second of the season in the team's 1-0 win in overtime against Delaware Valley. Two big games on tap this week as coach Beth Franceschino's team sets its sights on the Skyland Conference Mountain Division title.
Up next: at Mount St. Mary on Thursday; South Hunterdon at home on Saturday.
6. South Hunterdon (7-3) -- Eagles dropped a 3-1 decision to Voorhees on Thursday in their only game last week. Sarah Faherty scored her eighth goal of the season as South looks to even the season series with Belvidere this weekend -- falling 1-0 when the schools met on Oct. 1.
Up next: North Plainfield at home on Wednesday; at Delaware Valley on Thursday; at Belvidere on Saturday.
7. Phillipsburg (5-4) -- Stateliners returned to action following a 15-day hiatus with a pair of wins as they opened last week with a 3-1 victory over Montgomery at home behind two goals from sophomore forward Grace Merrick. Senior Allison Devlin and sophomore Brooke Hunter scored goals in a 2-1 victory over Hillsborough on Saturday.
Up next: Ridge at home on Tuesday; at Warren Hills on Thursday.
8. Delaware Valley (4-5) -- Terriers enter the week coming off back-to-back losses to Mount St. Mary (5-1 last Tuesday) and Belvidere (1-0 in overtime on Monday). Junior Samantha Snowden scored her third goal of the season in the loss to Mount St. Mary, which had dropped a 2-1 decision in overtime to Del Val just five days earlier.
Up next: South Hunterdon at home on Thursday.
9. Vernon (8-0) -- Vikings capped a 2-0 week with a 4-1 win over Kittatinny on Halloween as senior forward and leading scorer Alyssa Van Dalinda notched her 11th goal and added an assist and senior Rebecca Bogdewicz had a goal and two assists. Junior forward Julia Gregory scored a goal in her third straight contest, including one in the team's 3-0 victory over Jefferson last Tuesday.
Up next: No games scheduled this week.
10. Hackettstown (4-2-1) -- Tigers rolled to an 8-1 win over Kittatinny last Tuesday as leading scorer Megan Doyle scored two goals to go with a season-high four assists. It's likely the final game for coach Rachael Gorski's team this season as the school has canceled upcoming dates due to COVID-19.
On the bubble
Newton (5-2) -- Braves dropped a 2-1 decision in overtime against Kittatinny last Wednesday after a tight 1-0 win over High Point the previous day. Junior midfielder Bridget Kerrick logged her team-best fourth goal in the loss to Kittatinny.
Wallkill Valley (4-4-1) -- Rangers went 2-0-1 week, including a 3-1 win over Jefferson on Saturday. Senior midfielder Emily Mizeski scored her fifth goal to match freshman forward Sarina Sanders for the team lead.
Lenape Valley (5-1-2) -- Patriots played to a 1-1 tie against Wallkill Valley in their only action last week as junior forward Angie Falleni logged her second goal of the season.
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