Tuesday, September 14, 2021

Field hockey: Masters sets record; Streaks No. 1

North Hunterdon forward Lauren Masters has made her prolific scoring look relatively easy during her first three high school seasons. So it was inevitable that records would soon fall by the wayside.

Masters secured the biggest of them all on Saturday, scoring four goals to establish a new career mark for the Lions in their 13-1 rout of Watchung Hills. With a total of five goals in two games, Masters, the program's all-time points leader who led all Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex scorers with 26 goals and 59 points in 2020, has 61 career goals, surpassing Beth Gromlowicz (57 from 1983-86), a member of the school's Hall of Fame and who is among a just a handful of players to record 1,000 points and 500 rebounds for the St. Bonaventure University women's basketball program.

Masters averages nearly two goals per game for her career.
"I am grateful to have such amazing teammates around me that have helped me to achieve this goal," said Masters, who now has two career four-goal games (at Franklin on Sept. 21, 2019). "Beth Gromlowicz was probably one of the best field hockey players to go through North Hunterdon. She has set almost every record, I think that’s amazing."

Keep this is mind: Masters, a University of Louisville commit, is only a junior. It's scary to think what the career numbers will look like once she's done in 2022. 

Masters' combination of speed and tenacity, she is also on the girls' wrestling team, has made her one of the top players in the state, pairing well with fellow speedster, senior Ryan Anderson to form quite a 1-2 punch on a potent forward line.

Anderson, who logged an area-best 26 assists in 2019 and 18 in '20, is North's career leader with 52. The North offense runs deep, with seniors Olivia Reeder and Ava Laible also capable scorers, while senior Katie Roberts and junior Sara Roberts combining for six goals through two games. 

North Hunterdon (2-0), which hasn't won a county tournament title since going back-to-back in the former Hunterdon-Warren event in 1985-86 and has not beaten Warren Hills, the reigning Skyland Conference Raritan Division champion since 2009, is looking to end both droughts this season.

"While I am honored to have broken this record, my team and I have big goals we want to achieve together this season," said Masters, who has been held without at least one goal or an assist just eight times in 36 career games, including a 3-0 loss to Warren Hills last season. 

"The North field hockey program is my family. Our team works extremely hard together and I am so excited to see where this season takes us."

Now, onto our first set of team rankings:

1. Warren Hills (2-0) -- Blue Streaks opened with back-to-back 2-0 wins over Hackettstown and Hillsborough. Senior forward Maddie Summitt and sophomore Gianna Cioni (first career goal) scored against the Tigers, while sophomore forward Sarah Salameh notched her first varsity points with a goal and an assist against the Raiders. Sophomore goalie Sydney White totaled 6 saves in her first two varsity shutouts.

Up next: Montgomery at home on Tuesday; Bridgewater-Raritan at home on Saturday.

2. North Hunterdon (2-0) -- Lions stormed out of the gate with a solid 4-3 win in overtime against nemesis Ridge, which ended North's season in the 2020 postseason, as junior Lauren Masters tucked in the game-winning goal. Masters added four more in a 13-1 rout of Watchung Hills on Saturday. Senior forward Ryan Anderson (fifth on the school's career goals list) is also off to a fast start with three goals and two assists, while senior forward Katie Roberts and junior midfielder Sara Roberts logged three goals across the first two games.

Up next: Hunterdon Central at home on Saturday.

3. Voorhees (1-1) -- Vikes cruised to a 7-0 season-opening win at Somerville to give coach Kathryn Roncoroni her first win. Sophomore forward Noel Jeskulski logged two goals as six players scored in the win, including senior midfielder Sadie Eichlin, who added two more in a 6-2 loss to Mount St. Mary, the program's first in six career meetings with the Lions, on Friday.

Up next: at Franklin on Tuesday; at Belvidere on Wednesday; Delaware Valley at home on Saturday.

4. South Hunterdon (2-0) -- Eagles rolled to a 6-2 win over Somerville in their season opener before adding a 3-0 win over Pennington on Monday. Senior forward Natalia Oprzadek scored two goals against Somerville, while senior goalie Tiernan Swayhoover logged nine saves in recording her 19th career shutout against Pennington.

Up next: at Bernards on Saturday.

5. Hunterdon Central (1-1) -- Red Devils opened the season with a 2-1 win over Watchung Hills as senior forwards Sarah DeStefano and Sydni Waldron provided the goals. DeStefano also scored in the team's 4-1 loss to Ridge on Saturday. Sophomore goalie Kelly Weaver logged 16 saves in the first two games.

Up next: Bridgewater-Raritan at home on Tuesday; at North Hunterdon on Saturday.

6. Phillipsburg (1-1) -- Stateliners rebounded from a 4-2 season-opening loss to Montgomery with a 2-0 win over Bridgewater-Raritan on the road on Saturday. The win snapped a streak of seven straight losses to the Panthers from 2014-20, in which P'burg was outscored, 31-3, including a 3-0 loss last season. Junior forward Samantha Helman scored two goals in the win, while junior forward Grace Merrick and sophomore forward Avery Ritt logged one goal and one assist in the first two games.

Up next: Ridge at home on Tuesday; at Delaware Valley on Thursday; Pingry at home on Saturday. 

Tigers eyeing a 3-0 start in the division this week.
7. Hackettstown (1-1) -- Tigers bounced back from a 2-0 loss to Warren Hills in the season opener with a 2-1 win over Newton on Saturday. Sophomore forwards Kiera Koeller and Skyler Sciaretta scored their first goals of the season. Sophomore goalie Emily Newton had 10 saves in the shutout. Wins over Vernon and High Point would give this team a huge leg up in the NJAC Freedom Division race.

Up next: Lenape Valley at home on Tuesday; at Vernon on Thursday; High Point at home on Saturday.

8. Belvidere (0-0) -- County Seaters will open their season at home against Delaware Valley on Tuesday.

Up next: Delaware Valley at home on Tuesday; Voorhees at home on Wednesday; at Franklin on Saturday.

9. Newton (1-1) -- Braves opened the season with a 4-2 win over High Point behind a bid game from senior forward Julia Decker, who logged a career-high three goals and an assist. Seniors Sidney Pavlishin and Julia Fitt each recorded two assists. Junior forward Ally Neill scored her second career goal in a 2-1 loss to Hackettstown on Saturday.

Up next: Kittatinny at home on Tuesday; Vernon at home on Saturday.

10. High Point (1-1) -- Wildcats enter the rankings for the first time in recent memory after a big 3-1 win over Vernon -- their first since 2018 and snapping a five-game skid in the series -- on Saturday. Senior forward Audrey Flannery scored her second goal of the season and added an assist, while senior midfielder Dominique Thiessen scored her second goal. Both scored goals in a 4-2 loss to Newton on Thursday.

Up next: at Wallkill Valley on Tuesday; Jefferson at home on Thursday; 

Posted by Mike Weilamann at 2:27 PM

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