If you're looking for a common denominator when it comes to field hockey success at Lenape Valley, it just may rest with second-year head coach Isabelle Becker.
As a former standout player, Becker was a starting midfielder for the Patriots when they made back-to-back North 1, Group 1 sectional semifinals appearances in 2013-14. Upon her return last year, Lenape finished 9-2-2 in the pandemic-shortened season and reached the Northwest A regional semis -- falling 2-0 to eventual champion Pequannock.
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| Lenape Valley won its only titles in 1978 and '90. |
"It's a great accomplishment as a team," said Becker, who inherited a program that produced only one winning season (12-5-1 in 2018) since her senior year in 2014 and just three overall (15-6-1 in 2013 and 14-6 in '14) since 2009. "It's very exciting. We're thankful to still be playing games."
Collingswood faces Woodstown in the other Group 1 sectional final. The North and South winners meet for the state championship on Saturday, Nov. 13 at Bordentown Regional High School. No Lenape Valley team has played for a state championship, falling to Butler and Madison in the 1978 and '90 Group 2 semifinals.
Lenape Valley is among three Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex area schools seeking sectional titles as North Hunterdon (North Group 3) and Phillipsburg (North Group 4) will also look to make program history.
North Hunterdon (19-1) hasn't won a sectional championship since 1993, while P'burg (12-9) eyes its first since 1999. Lenape's title task is a bit more daunting as Becker's team, a No. 6 seed that advanced with a 3-2 win in overtime against No. 2 Pompton Lakes, rates a decided underdog against one of the top programs in New Jersey history.
Shore (23-1) has won 27 sectional/regional titles, including three in a row. Only West Essex (38), Eastern and Moorestown (28) have won more.
"They have an incredible record," Becker said of Shore, which has won a staggering 16 state titles in Group 1, going back-to-back in 2018 and '19. "They've scored almost 100 more goals [147-53] than we have, but on any given day, any team is beatable. We've experienced it."
Becker's ties at Lenape Valley run deep, even among her current players. The second-leading scorer on the 2013 team was forward Alyssa Falleni, whose sister, Angie, is a senior forward and one of the leading scorers on this year's squad with 13 goals and eight assists. Their father, Dave Falleni, is a former wrestler for the Patriots and he has served as the head wrestling coach at Jefferson and the athletic director at Mount Olive.
"Their mindsets are very similar. They're both positive and upbeat," Becker said of the Falleni sisters.
In addition to Angie Falleni (35 goals, 19 assists, 89 points in her career), one of 10 seniors on the Pats' roster, junior Katie Giusti (11 goals), sophomore Mia Vergano (nine goals, four assists) and senior Olivia Fehir (three goals) round out the forward line, while seniors Dara Pellinger (four goals, six assists) and Quinn Dachisen (four goals, four assists) anchor the midfield.
Sophomore midfielder/back Ella Gomez logged two goals, including the game-winner in overtime against Pompton Lakes in the sectional semifinals.
Leading a staunch defense is sophomore goalie Abby Coppolella, who is among the area leaders with 12 shutouts and has yielded just five goals (17 total in 21 games) during the Patriots' seven-game win streak following a tough 1-0 loss to Newton on Oct. 15. Lenape has won 14 of its last 16, with the only other loss coming against North Hunterdon, 7-0, in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament semifinals on Oct. 9.
"Abby is very coachable and very determined to get better," said Becker, whose assistant coach is former High Point standout Rachel Orr, who helped the Wildcats win 54 straight division games and three NJAC American Division titles from 2011-13.
After stepping into a very tough situation a year ago in the midst of a pandemic and not knowing much about her team, Becker, who is just a few years older than most of her players, has Lenape Valley on the doorstep to history.
"I really didn't know what to expect," said Becker, who said her intensity on the sidelines is something she took from former Patriots coach Kate Rothman, who left after the 2014 season and guided Warren Hills to a Group 3 state title the following season. "The girls didn't have a lot of faith in themselves. I saw a lot of potential.
"We had goals to see where we could improve from the defense all the way up to the forwards. Last season, we kind of soared as a team and asked how can we go further? We're all trying to learn and grow together. It sparks us to do better."
Sectional and state schedule
Tuesday, Nov. 9
Group 4
Phillipsburg (12-9) at Middletown South (17-4)
Eastern (21-2) at Kingsway (19-2)
Group 3
Randolph (18-3-1) at North Hunterdon (19-1), 2 p.m.
Moorestown (12-6-1) at Ocean City (20-2)
Group 2
West Morris (13-7-1) at West Essex (20-2)
Seneca (15-6-1) at Haddon Heights (22-0)
Group 1
Lenape Valley (17-3-1) at Shore Regional (23-1), 3 p.m.
Collingswood (13-6-2) at Woodstown (18-3)
Saturday, Nov. 13
NJSIAA state finals at Bordentown
Non-Public, 10 a.m.
Group 2, noon
Group 3, 2 p.m.
Group 4, 4 p.m.
Group 1, 6 p.m.
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