Field hockey: NH maintains 'focus' on title business

North Hunterdon's field hockey team has added numerous chapters to program history for the past three seasons.

But according to first-year coach Geoff Chrisman, the Lions haven't dwelled on the fact that North has not won a sectional title since 1993, even now as they're one win away from ending that 27-year postseason drought.

NH's championship banner.

"We went into the gym once to show them the banner [listing the school's sectional title years in 1986 and '93]," said Chrisman, whose team will host Randolph in the North Group 3 championship game at 2 p.m. on Tuesday at Singley Field. "They were like, 'OK, we have a game tomorrow.'"

North Hunterdon (19-1), which captured the Skyland Conference Raritan Division championship and its first Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament title, has been all business during one of the program's best seasons. Two years ago, the Lions came up short in a 2-1 loss to Hunterdon Central at home in the North 2, Group 4 sectional final -- the program's first title game appearance since '93.

"We've just been focused on one game a time and not looking two, three games ahead," said senior forward Ryan Anderson, who has logged a career-best 33 goals this season. "It helps us focus on the game we're going into."

Moorestown and Ocean City, which have combined to win 45 sectional championships, will battle in the other final on Tuesday. The North and South winners meet in the Group 3 state title game at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 13 at Bordentown Regional High School. 

Randolph, which won sectional titles in 1994 and 2009, spoiled a much-anticipated fourth meeting between North and Warren Hills, which saw its run of nine straight sectional/regional titles end with a 4-1 loss at home to the Rams in the semifinals. The Lions went 3-0 against the Blue Streaks this season for the first time in series history, including a 5-0 victory in the last matchup on Oct. 21.

"It would have been fun," Chrisman said. "Playing anyone four times would have made me really nervous. We don't have any common opponents [other than Warren Hills] with Randolph. We won't know what to expect fully until about three minutes on the field."

NH celebrates its first HWS Tournament title.

After a slow start against Summit (a 4-0 win in the quarterfinals) during this postseason run, No. 1 seed North, which has won 11 straight since a 4-3 loss in overtime to Pingry on Oct. 5, cruised to a 12-3 win over No. 5 Lawrence in Friday's semifinals. Leading the way, as was the case in 2019, to another finals appearance is the Lions' speedy 1-2 punch of junior Lauren Masters and Anderson, who have combined for 76 of the team's 143 goals.

Masters, a Louisville commit, owns program records for career goals (99) and points (236), and her 43 goals this season surpassed the previous mark held by Beth Gromlowicz (35 in 1986). Masters scored a career-best six goals in a 16-0 win over West Windsor North in a first-round game and she has logged 11 goals in the team's three sectional wins.

Anderson, whose father, Tim, won two sectional titles as a star wrestler at North and placed fourth in the state at 158 pounds in 1984, is perhaps the Lions' best all-around player. An assists machine, Ryan has logged a team-high 21 and holds the program's career mark with 71, including a single-season record of 26 in 2019. She enters the sectional final with 193 career points.

"I'm looking forward to it," said Anderson, who has decided to end her playing career after high school but is planning to attend college at a to-be-determined school in Arizona. "We said freshman year that our senior season would be the year. Now it's finally come and it's mind-blowing that it's actually happening for us. It's surreal."

Ava Laible

But the offense doesn't stop with those two outstanding players. Seniors Olivia Reeder (nine goals, 13 assists), Ava Laible (13 goals, nine assists) and Katie Roberts (10 goals, nine assists), along with junior Sara Roberts (14 goals, 10 assists) all present problems for opposing defenses. Laible was the MVP in North's HWS Tournament title game win over Warren Hills, and sophomore Molly Claus, who figures to be a big part of the offense in 2022, has chipped in with five goals, including one in the postseason against Summit, and six assists.

"Everyone can score this season, not just one person," said Anderson, who needs three goals to own second place on the school's all-time list. "It makes us more competitive as a team."

"I'm very lucky as a coach to have so many girls who can put the ball in the cage," said Chrisman, whose team has outscored its three previous sectional opponents, 32-3. "Sometimes, they're a little too unselfish and we have to tell them to take shots. Everyone is happy when the other girls do well."

North is expecting a big crowd for Tuesday's contest as it continues the ultimate mission of winning a state championship. The 1986 and '93 teams did not get that opportunity after losses in the state semifinals.

"The students have really embraced it," Chrisman said. "We've had a few hundred people every game, which is nice." 

Sectional and state schedule

Tuesday, Nov. 9

Public sectional finals 

Group 4

Phillipsburg (12-9) at Middletown South (17-4), 2 p.m.

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)

Wednesday, Nov. 10

Non-Public sectional finals

North

Kent Place (18-3) vs. Oak Knoll (19-3)

South

Bishop Eustace (16-6) at Camden Catholic (20-2)

Saturday, Nov. 13

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.