Field hockey: HWS scoring leaders

   (Through Wednesday's games)

   Minimum 9 points

Player	School	Goals	Assists	Points
Natalie Rivas	Newton	18	13	49
Morgan Carr	Wallkill Valley	16	4	36
Dani Profita	Warren Hills	14	6	34
Brittany Bill	Hunterdon Central	6	12	24
Nicole Rizzo	Newton	5	13	23
Jordan Vandermark	Hackettstown	10	2	22
Rebecca Sigman	Warren Hills	9	4	22
Nikki Freeman	Hunterdon Central	9	3	21
Brooke Hyland	Voorhees	10	0	20
Kate Barbato	Newton	7	6	20
Madison Hoskins	Hackettstown	8	4	20
Kayla Cichar	Hackettstown	9	0	18
Morgan Mendel	Newton	7	3	17
Gabby Dudek	Phillipsburg	7	3	17
Brittany Schumann	Newton	5	7	17
Alyssa Appleby	Warren Hills	8	1	17
Carly Leary	South Hunterdon	6	4	16
Abby Bronico	Belvidere	7	2	16
Cassie Boyce	Voorhees	7	2	16
Jacqui Hallack	Sparta	6	4	16
Tali Popinko	Warren Hills	4	7	15
Ann Bill	Delaware Valley	5	4	14
Riley Ferrara	Delaware Valley	4	6	14
Sarah Babcock	Delaware Valley	5	4	14
Molly Gorczyca	Hackettstown	5	3	13
Hannah Schiavo	Voorhees	6	0	12
Liza Higley	Hunterdon Central	5	2	12
Mikayla Dugan	Warren Hills	4	4	12
Fiona Blake	Wallkill Valley	5	1	11
Victoria Docherty	Newton	4	3	11
Kristen Rafferty	Lenape Valley	4	3	11
Emily Brandt	Hunterdon Central	5	1	11
Colleen Barrett	Hunterdon Central	4	2	10
Megan Donnelly	Delaware Valley	4	2	10
Lindsay Fritz	Voorhees	4	2	10
Ashley Zellars	Hackettstown	5	0	10
Kate Shaffer	South Hunterdon	4	2	10
Jeanne Harabedian	Delaware Valley	4	1	9
Ali Sturchio	Pope John	4	1	9
Kelsey Little	High Point	4	1	9
Tyra Wingle	High Point	4	1	9
Shannon Gambuti	Vernon	4	1	9

Field hockey: HWS schedule for Oct. 10-15

Monday, Oct. 10

(All games 4 p.m., unless noted)

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

Wallkill Valley at Kittatinny, 7 p.m.
Jefferson at Newton, 7 p.m.
Pope John at Morris Hills
Mount Olive at Sparta

Skyland Conference

Phillipsburg at Voorhees, 5:30 p.m.
Montgomery at Warren Hills, 5:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Oct. 11

(All games 4 p.m.)

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

Kittatinny at Mountain Lakes

Independent

Notre Dame-East Stroudsburg (Pa.) at North Warren
South Hunterdon at Stuart Country Day
Hackettstown at Delaware Valley

Wednesday, Oct. 12

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

Sparta at Lenape Valley, 6 p.m.

Independent

Blair Academy at Wallkill Valley, 4 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 13

(All games 4 p.m., unless noted)

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

Pope John at Jefferson, 6 p.m.
Morris Hills at Sparta

Skyland Conference

Delaware Valley at South Hunterdon, 3:45 p.m.
Phillipsburg at Montgomery, 3:45 p.m.
Watchung Hills at Voorhees, 3:45 p.m.
Somerville at Belvidere, 6 p.m.
North Hunterdon at Warren Hills, 6:30 p.m.

Independent

Hunterdon Central at Oak Knoll

Friday, Oct. 14

(All games 4 p.m.)

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

High Point at North Warren
Vernon at Kittatinny
Lenape Valley at Wallkill Valley
Hackettstown at Newton

Saturday, Oct. 15

(All games 10 a.m., unless noted)

Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament 

High Point at Warren Hills, 1 p.m.
Hunterdon Central at Voorhees, 3:30 p.m.

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

Boonton at North Warren, 9:30 a.m.
Vernon at Morris Hills, 11 a.m.
Sparta at Parsippany Hills

Skyland Conference

North Hunterdon at Belvidere

Field hockey: HWS scoring leaders

   (Through Saturday's games)

   Minimum 7 points

Player	School	Goals	Assists	Points
Natalie Rivas	Newton	14	10	38
Dani Profita	Warren Hills	14	6	34
Morgan Carr	Wallkill Valley	13	4	30
Brittany Bill	Hunterdon Central	6	11	23
Jordan Vandermark	Hackettstown	9	2	20
Nikki Freeman	Hunterdon Central	9	1	19
Kayla Cichar	Hackettstown	9	0	18
Morgan Mendel	Newton	7	3	17
Nicole Rizzo	Newton	4	9	17
Brooke Hyland	Voorhees	8	0	16
Gabby Dudek	Phillipsburg	7	2	16
Carly Leary	South Hunterdon	6	3	15
Kate Barbato	Newton	5	5	15
Ann Bill	Delaware Valley	5	4	14
Madison Hoskins	Hackettstown	6	2	14
Riley Ferrara	Delaware Valley	4	5	13
Abby Bronico	Belvidere	5	2	12
Cassie Boyce	Voorhees	5	2	12
Brittany Schumann	Newton	3	6	12
Tali Popinko	Warren Hills	3	5	11
Rebecca Sigman	Warren Hills	4	3	11
Fiona Blake	Wallkill Valley	5	1	11
Molly Gorczyca	Hackettstown	4	3	11
Sarah Babcock	Delaware Valley	3	4	10
Jacqui Hallack	Sparta	4	2	10
Colleen Barrett	Hunterdon Central	4	2	10
Alyssa Appleby	Warren Hills	5	0	10
Hannah Schiavo	Voorhees	5	0	10
Jeanne Harabedian	Delaware Valley	4	1	9
Ali Sturchio	Pope John	4	1	9
Liza Higley	Hunterdon Central	4	1	9
Victoria Docherty	Newton	3	3	9
Kristen Rafferty	Lenape Valley	3	3	9
Samantha Dugan	Warren Hills	4	0	8
Megan Donnelly	Delaware Valley	3	2	8
Jessalyn McKenna	Lenape Valley	4	0	8
Danielle Seabeck	Wallkill Valley	2	4	8
Angie Santini	Belvidere	3	1	7
Kelsey Little	High Point	3	1	7
Lindsay Fritz	Voorhees	3	1	7
Mikayla Dugan	Warren Hills	2	3	7
Sarah Matyas	Voorhees	3	1	7
Caitlyn Mizeski	Wallkill Valley	1	5	7
Missy Way	High Point	3	1	7

Field hockey: HWS schedule for Oct. 3-8

Monday, Oct. 3

(All games 4 p.m., unless noted)

Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament

Sparta at High Point

Skyland Conference

Belvidere at Phillipsburg, 3:45 p.m.

Independent

Pope John at Blair Academy

Tuesday, Oct. 4

(All games 4 p.m., unless noted)

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

Lenape Valley at Mount Olive
West Morris at Hackettstown, 6:30 p.m.
Sparta at Wallkill Valley, 7 p.m.

Independent

Glen Ridge at Vernon, 4:30 p.m.
Pennington at South Hunterdon

Wednesday, Oct. 5

(All games 4 p.m., unless noted)

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

High Point at Lenape Valley
North Warren at Newton
Hackettstown at Vernon

Skyland Conference

Delaware Valley at Somerville
Hunterdon Central at Voorhees, 3:45 p.m.
Bridgewater-Raritan at Phillipsburg, 3:45 p.m.
South Hunterdon at Belvidere, 3:45 p.m.
Pingry at Warren Hills, 6 p.m.
Hillsborough at North Hunterdon, 3:45 p.m.

Independent

Kittatinny at Northern Highlands, 6 p.m.

Thursday, Oct. 6

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

Pope John at Sparta, 4 p.m.

Skyland Conference

Warren Hills at North Hunterdon, 5:15 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 7

(All games 4 p.m., unless noted)

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

Morris Hills at North Warren

Independent

High Point at Delaware Valley (Pa.), 7 p.m.
Belvidere at Kittatinny, 3:45 p.m.
Delaware Valley at Lenape Valley

Saturday, Oct. 8

(All quarterfinal games 10 a.m., unless noted)

Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament 

Newton at Warren Hills, 11 a.m.
High Point at Delaware Valley, 12:30 p.m.
Belvidere at Hunterdon Central
Hackettstown at Voorhees

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

Morris Hills at Vernon, 11 a.m.
Kittatinny at Lenape Valley, 10 a.m.

Independent

South Hunterdon at Princeton, 11 a.m.

Field hockey: Vikes stun rival Blue Streaks in OT

WASHINGTON TWP. -- What would the 59th meeting between rivals Voorhees and Warren Hills be without another overtime classic? You almost come to expect it.

Senior midfielder Hannah Schiavo picked the right time for the first game-winning goal of her high school career, a nifty dodge-and-go with 4:46 left to give Voorhees a thrilling 1-0 win on Tuesday night in a Skyland Conference Raritan Division clash at Warren Hills School District Stadium.

For the second straight year, Voorhees (7-2, 7-1 division), ranked No. 2 in the area by Open Mike, knocked off No. 1 Warren Hills on its home field. The Vikings scored a 2-1 win early last season before the Blue Streaks, the two-time defending Group 3 state champions, turned the tables with a 2-1 win on strokes in the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament semifinals.

"It's good to get that first win and against a big team like this is great for us," said sixth-year coach Taylor Webb, now 5-7 overall vs. Warren Hills. "We've had a competitive schedule so far [with losses against state powers West Essex and Bridgewater-Raritan]. We worked on a lot of things based on those two losses [both on grass]. This was on turf."

Warren Hills (7-1, 6-1) came into game having reeled off six straight shutout wins and had yielded just one goal in its first seven games -- a 2-1 win over Hunterdon Central on Sept. 10. The Streaks, now 21-32-6 overall in the series dating to 1975, were without star forward Dani Profita, whose senior season ended abruptly with an ACL injury sustained in a 6-0 win over Phillipsburg on Thursday.

Voorhees, now alone in first place in the division, was well aware of Profita's injury, but Schiavo said it didn't alter the game plan.

"I feel so bad [for Profita], it's the worst thing that can happen," said Schiavo, who plays club hockey with several of the Warren Hills players. "We didn't really think about her not being there. They're still a really strong team, so you don't think about it. These games are so intense. It steps up everyone's game."

Voorhees certainly stepped it up in the seven-aside overtime period. Schiavo and her teammates took control right away, creating two penalty corner opportunities in the first two minutes. Schiavo got off a shot on the first one, while outstanding Warren Hills goalie Jackie de Raismes made a great play by coming up to the top of the circle to deny another surge.

After that save, Warren Hills came right down the field as junior Tali Popinko got loose on a breakaway down the left sideline. But the momentum was fleeting as Voorhees stopped the drive and proceeded to bring it back up the field.

Inside the circle, Schiavo collected the ball and made a great dodge to her right to get around de Raismes, tucking the ball into the right corner of the cage to set off a wild celebration.

"I got a really good pass from [senior midfielder] Danika [Berman] and I knew [de Raismes] was going to come out and the defense wasn't back there," Schiavo said of her first goal in this rivalry and her fourth of the season. "I anticipated and it worked."

As a midfielder, Schiavo hasn't had as many opportunities to score, especially with Kathryn Roncoroni, the school's all-time leading scorer who is now at American University, doing major damage on the forward line the previous four years. But Webb made a move that smart coaches tend to make -- putting her best player in position to impact the game by moving her up in the seven-on-seven.

"We want her up by the goal and possessing the ball," Webb said. "She's a strong, confident and experienced player. She wanted that goal."

A defensive struggle for the most part, Voorhees finished with 3-0 edge in shots in OT and 5-2 for the game, which was the third in the last seven meeting to go overtime. Vikes goalie Annie Weiler made two key saves, including a rifle shot by Mikayla Dugan off the pads on a corner in the first half.

"We had a lot more scoring opportunities, and we haven't been scoring as many goals as we need to," Webb said. "Our seven dominated in overtime. We had really clean skills in the open field. Our corner defense was very strong today.

The teams will get a rematch at Voorhees on Thursday, Oct. 20. As the top two seeds in the HWS Tournament, they could very well meet a third time in the championship game two days later at Hackettstown High School. No. 1 seed Warren Hills has won the last three tri-county titles, including a 5-0 win over Voorhees in 2014.

"It's always good to get the first one over with," Schiavo said. "The second one will be like a new start. You have to take it like you didn't win at all."

Voorhees (7-2, 7-1)                        0                0              1    --    1
Warren Hills (7-1, 6-1)                   0                0              0     --    0

Scoring

Overtime -- V, Hannah Schiavo, 4th, 4:46.

Shots -- Voorhees 5; Warren Hills 2.

Saves -- Annie Weiler 2 (V); Jackie de Raismes 4 (WH).

Penalty corners -- Voorhees 6; Warren Hills 5.

Field hockey: No. 1 vs. 2 highlights HWS rankings

With the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament underway, the season is starting to heat up. And it will get a lot hotter on Tuesday night when No. 1 Warren Hills hosts No. 2 Voorhees at 6 p.m., in the one of the best rivalry games in the state and a key Skyland Conference Raritan Division matchup.

Warren Hills (7-0), which has won six of the last nine in the series, including a 2-1 victory on strokes in the HWS semifinals last year, will enter the 59th meeting at less than full strength. Outstanding senior forward Dani Profita will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL, while junior defender Sydney Moskal also missed Saturday's 2-0 win over Ridge with an injury.

Voorhees (6-2), which owns a 31-21-6 edge in a series dating to 1975, is coming off a tough 2-0 loss to perennial Group 4 finalist Bridgewater-Raritan at home on Saturday. A pair of freshman forwards -- Brooke Hyland (six goals) and Cassie Boyce (four goals) -- have helped pick up the offense, which was a question coming into the season with the loss of Kathryn Roncoroni, the school's most prolific scorer.  The Vikes stunned the Streaks, 2-1, in Washington last year in a regular-season clash before dropping the rematch in the HWS semis. Four of the last six meetings were decided by one goal.

Great to see the teams back in the same division this season, guaranteeing at least two meetings this season and a very strong chance for a third in the HWS final, with Warren Hills the top seed and Voorhees the No. 2.

Here is the first set of our area rankings:

1. Warren Hills (7-0) -- Blue Streaks have stormed out of the gate in pursuit of a third straight Group 3 state championship. Profita entered the week as the area's leading scorer with 14 goals, and the rest of the offense must step up to make another title run. The defense, anchored by senior goalie Jackie de Raismes, has produced five straight shutouts, including a 6-0 win over No. 10 Phillipsburg on Thursday.

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

2. Voorhees (6-2) -- Vikings went 2-1 last week, including a 2-0 win over Ridge, which also dropped a 2-0 decision to Warren Hills on Saturday. Senior midfielder Hannah Schiavo scored in back-to-back wins over Ridge and Montgomery (3-1 on Thursday). Vikes' two losses are to state powers West Essex (3-0 on Sept. 10) and Bridgewater-Raritan (2-0 on Saturday).

Up next: at Warren Hills on Tuesday; at Pingry on Thursday; at North Hunterdon on Saturday.

3. Hunterdon Central (5-2) -- Red Devils, who drew the No. 3 seed for the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament, have won four in a row. They went 2-0 last week with wins over Montgomery (5-0 on Tuesday) and Hillsborough (6-0 on Thursday). Junior forward Brittany Bill scored four goals in those wins, while senior midfielder Nikki Freeman had a two-goal game against Hillsborough. Senior forward Liza Higley has scored in four straight games. Central looks to snap an eight-game skid against nemesis Bridgewater on Tuesday.

Up next: at Bridgewater-Raritan on Tuesday; Watchung Hills at home on Thursday.

4. Newton (6-0) -- Braves drew the No. 8 seed in the HWS Tournament due to a low power-point total and having only four of the maximum six games played before the cutoff. Senior forwards Natalie Rivas (nine goals, seven assists) and Kate Barbato (four goals) are off to strong starts, while junior forward Morgan Mendel (four goals) has helped balance the offense. The defense has yielded only two goals through six games.

Up next: Wallkill Valley at home on Monday; at High Point on Wednesday; Wallkill Valley at home on Saturday in HWS Tournament.

5. Delaware Valley (5-1-1) -- Terriers are off to fast start with their highest ranking in our poll since its inception in 2009. They enter the week off a 1-1 tie with Bernards, which snapped a five-game winning streak. Senior forward Riley Ferrara has led a balanced offensive attack with four goals and five assists, while senior midfielder Ann Bill (four goals, four assists) and junior forward Sarah Babcock (three goals, four assists) have chipped in. Light week with only No. 8 Belvidere on tap.

Up next: Belvidere at home on Tuesday.

6. Belvidere (5-0-1) -- County Seaters, who drew the No. 6 seed in the HWS Tournament, won their first four games before a 2-2 tie with Bernards on Tuesday. They bounce back with a 4-0 win at North Plainfield as sophomore Abby Bronico, who leads the team with five goals, notched her second assist. Sophomore forward Angie Santini has chipped in three goals, while sophomore goalie Anya Logan has anchored the defense with four shutouts.

Up next: at Delaware Valley on Tuesday; Hackettstown at home on Friday; Phillipsburg at home on Saturday in HWS Tournament.

7. Hackettstown (5-2) -- Tigers have won three in a row, including a 2-1 win over No. 7 High Point on Wednesday in an important NJAC Freedom Division clash. They closed the week with a 4-1 win over Kittatinny in the preliminary round of the HWS Tournament. With opponents keeping an eye on senior midfielder Molly Gorczyca (three goals), sophomore forward Jordan Vandermark (six goals) and sophomore forward Kayla Cichlar (six goals) have boosted the offense.

Up next: at Lenape Valley on Monday; Kittatinny at home on Wednesday; South Hunterdon at home in HWS Tournament.

8. High Point (4-2-1) -- Wildcats, who went 7-12 a year ago, have relied on defense through the first seven games and some timely offense. Credit veteran coach Bev Keur for going out and getting No. 3 Hunterdon Central on the schedule -- a 3-1 road loss on Sept. 17. Senior forward Kelsey Little leads the offense with three goals after scoring a total of five in 2015. Little had the lone goal in a 2-1 loss to No. 6 Hackettstown on Wednesday. Big week with No. 5 Newton at home on Wednesday.

Up next: at Vernon on Monday night; Newton at home on Wednesday; Sparta at home on Saturday in HWS Tournament.

9. Wallkill Valley (4-3) -- Rangers have had a bit of an up-and-down season, with losses to No. 5 Delaware Valley (3-2 on Sept. 10), No. 8 High Point (1-0 on Sept. 15) and No. 7 Hackettstown (2-0 on Thursday). Junior forward Morgan Carr leads the offense with 12 goals, while the return of senior forward Danielle Seabeck (four assists), who missed all of 2015 with an ACL injury, has helped bolster the unit.

Up next: at Newton on Monday; at Vernon on Wednesday; at Newton on Saturday in HWS Tournament.

10. Phillipsburg (2-4-1) -- Stateliners are coming off a 1-1 week, dropping a 6-0 decision to No. 1 Warren Hills on Thursday before rebounding with a 3-0 win over Pope John in the preliminary round of the HWS Tournament. Forward Julia Dalrymple scored two goals and sophomore midfielder Gabby Dudek added a goal and an assist in the win over the Lions.

Up next: at North Hunterdon on Tuesday; at Ridge on Friday; at Belvidere on Saturday in HWS Tournament.

On the bubble: South Hunterdon (4-3); Sparta (3-4).

Field hockey: HWS schedule for Sept. 26-Oct. 1

Monday, Sept. 26

(All games 4 p.m., unless noted)

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

North Warren at Kittatinny
Hackettstown at Lenape Valley
Wallkill Valley at Newton
High Point at Vernon, 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday, Sept. 27

(All games 4 p.m., unless noted)

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

Roxbury at Pope John

Skyland Conference

Belvidere at Delaware Valley
Hunterdon Central at Bridgewater-Raritan, 3:45 p.m.
South Hunterdon at Franklin, 6 p.m.
Phillipsburg at North Hunterdon, 5:15 p.m.
Voorhees at Warren Hills, 6 p.m.

Wednesday, Sept. 28

(All games 4 p.m.)

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

Newton at High Point
Kittatinny at Hackettstown
North Warren at Lenape Valley
Wallkill Valley at Vernon

Thursday, Sept. 29

(All games 4 p.m., unless noted)

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

Pope John at Montville
Sparta at Morristown
Roxbury at Kittatinny

Skyland Conference

Voorhees at Pingry, 3:45 p.m.
Warren Hills at Bridgewater-Raritan, 3:45 p.m.
Watchung Hills at Hunterdon Central, 5:30 p.m.

Friday, Sept. 30

(All games 4 p.m., unless noted)

Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament

Wallkill Valley at Newton, 6 p.m.

Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference

North Warren at Blair Academy, 4:15 p.m.
Vernon at Academy of St. Elizabeth

Skyland Conference

Phillipsburg at Ridge, 3:45 p.m.
Voorhees at North Hunterdon, 6 p.m.

Independent

Hackettstown at Belvidere, ppd.

Saturday, Oct. 1

(Both first-round games 4 p.m.)

Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex Tournament

Phillipsburg at Belvidere
South Hunterdon at Hackettstown

Skyland Conference

Montgomery at Warren Hills, ppd.