Our debut of the Hunterdon-Warren-Sussex rankings comes in a big week with the 1 vs. 2 showdown between Voorhees and Warren Hills on tap for Friday in the 61st meeting of that storied rivalry, along with the county tournament seeds and pairings set to be released at some point on Wednesday.
Check back here for all of the tournament information as the ninth annual event gets underway on Saturday with the six preliminary matchups.
Voorhees (6-1) sits atop our first rankings as the Vikings are once again among the top teams in New Jersey, with their only loss to date being a 2-1 decision at perennial powerhouse West Essex on Sept. 9.
Warren Hills (5-1), by comparison, dropped a 6-1 decision to West Essex at home on Friday. It was the Blue Streaks' most lopsided regular-season loss since a 10-1 waxing at the hands of Eastern on Sept. 27, 2014.
First-year coach Josie Potter's team will be looking to avenge two losses to Voorhees a year ago -- 1-0 in overtime at home and 3-1 on the road -- that decided the Skyland Conference Raritan Division title. The Vikes own a 33-21-6 edge in a series dating to 1975. This is a huge week for the Streaks, who also have games against Madison (Wednesday) and unbeaten Hackettstown (Saturday).
Now, onto the rankings.
1.
Voorhees (6-1) -- Sophomore forward
Cassie Boyce (11 goals, 6 assists) is the team's leading scorer and had a hand in every goal scored through the first seven games. Sophomore forward
Brooke Hyland (4 goals) and senior forward
Erin Shaw (7 goals, 3 assists), along with senior midfielder
Lauren Chen (4 goals) also help anchor a well-balanced attack. The defense, always a strength, allowed has pitched four shutouts.
Up next: Warren Hills at home on Friday; at Bridgewater-Raritan on Tuesday.
2.
Warren Hills (5-1) -- Blue Streaks were overwhelmed in a 6-1 loss to West Essex at home on Friday, but rebounded with wins over North Hunterdon (7-0 on Saturday) and Hillsborough (4-1) on Tuesday. Senior forward
Rebecca Sigman (7 goals and 7 assists) and sophomore forward
Sam Dugan (9 goals, 3 assists), along with senior midfielder
Tali Popinko (6 goals, 3 assists) are ones to watch.
Up next: Madison at home on Wednesday; at Voorhees on Friday; at Hackettstown on Saturday.
3.
Hunterdon Central (4-1-1) -- Red Devils stumbled a bit out of the gate, going 1-1-1 before rattling off road wins against Ridge (3-0 on Sept. 12), Princeton (3-0 on Saturday) and Montgomery (3-1 on Monday). Senior forwards
Brittany Bill (3 goals, 4 assists),
Kali Huck (4 goals) and
Colleen Barrett (3 goals) are the main threats for an offense that has produced three or more goals in four games thus far. The defense has been pretty solid outside of the 4-1 loss to Warren Hills on Sept. 9.
Up next: at Hillsborough on Saturday; North Hunterdon at home on Tuesday.
4.
Hackettstown (5-0) -- Tigers have overwhelmed the competition so far, but coach Stephen Speirs' team will get its first major test at home against Warren Hills on Saturday. Hackettstown, which is 4-41-3 all-time vs. the Blue Streaks, including a 4-0 loss on the road last year, has outscored its opponents 24-1 through five games. Junior forwards
Kayla Cichar (8 goals),
Ashley Zellars (4 goals) and
Jordan Vandermark (3 goals), along with junior midfielder
Madison Hoskins (3 goals, 4 assists) anchor the offense.
Up next: Lenape Valley at home on Wednesday; Warren Hills at home on Saturday.
5.
Phillipsburg (3-2-1) -- Stateliners are off to a solid start under first-year coach Toni Popinko, a former star player at Warren Hills, scoring a 3-0 win over Belvidere on Monday behind a pair of goals by junior midfielder
Gabby Dudek, who leads the team with six overall. In their opener, the 'Liners earned a 2-2 tie with Hunterdon Central, which handed P'burg a 5-0 loss a year ago. Senior forward
Melissa Kosar (4 goals) also has a nose for the ball, while senior goalie
Lauren Viscione is a veteran in the cage.
Up next: at Lenape Valley on Thursday; at Hillsborough on Tuesday.
6.
Wallkill Valley (6-0) -- Rangers are off to their best start since opening 5-1 in 2009 en route to a 14-win season. The 1-2 punch of senior forwards
Morgan Carr (11 goals) and
Fiona Blake (2 goals, 3 assists) is the main reason for the early success, as the offense totaled 17 goals in its six wins, while the defense allowed just three as senior goalie
Kristina Yakkey recorded three shutouts. Coach Irene Chernati, who is closing in on 390 wins, has her team primed for a showdown with Newton on Wednesday, which could go a long way in determining this season's NJAC Colonial Division title.
Up next: Newton at home on Wednesday; at Hackettstown on Tuesday.
7.
Delaware Valley (6-0) -- Terriers, off to one of the best starts in recent program history, are picking up where they left off after a 10-win season in 2016. Offense has been the key for their resurgence, as sophomore forward
Madeline Bill (2 goals, 5 assists) and junior forwards
Kelsey O'Connor (4 goals) and
Megan Donnelly (3 goals, 5 assists), along with freshman
Kristen Bill (5 goals) have helped lead a unit that produced 22 goals in six games.
Up next: South Plainfield at home on Saturday; at Bernards on Tuesday.
8.
Belvidere (3-3) -- County Seaters are coming off a tough 6-1 loss at Bernards, which is favored to win the Skyland Conference Valley Division, on Tuesday. Coach Beth Franceschino's team has suffered back-to-back losses -- also dropping a 3-0 decision to Phillipsburg on Monday -- after a 3-1 start that included a 3-0 win over Skyland Conference Mountain Division rival South Hunterdon in the season opener. Junior forward
Abby Bronico (3 goals) and junior midfielder
Melanie Clark (3 goals) lead an offense that is still searching for consistency.
Up next: at Sparta on Friday; North Plainfield at home on Tuesday.
9.
Newton (4-2) -- Braves were hit hard by graduation coming off three straight North 1, Group 1 titles. But veteran coach Lisa Bechtel's team has reeled off three consecutive 5-0 wins after a tough start, which included a 1-0 loss to Mountain Lakes in a rematch of last year's sectional final. On Monday, senior forward
Morgan Mendel scored three goals in a win over Kittatinny, giving Bechtel her 400th career victory. Mendel (5 goals, 3 assists) and junior forward
Lauren Barbato (3 goals, 4 assists) anchor the offense, while the defense has recorded four shutouts.
Up next: at Wallkill Valley on Wednesday; Sparta at home on Saturday.
10.
South Hunterdon (1-4) -- Eagles are off to a slow start, but they got into the win column with a 3-0 victory over North Plainfield on Thursday. Senior forward
Brooke Tumler scored a pair of goals in that one as the offense looks to improve. Junior goalie
Kerry Coleman made two saves for the shutout.
On the bubble: Vernon (2-3-1); High Point (1-3); Lenape Valley (1-1-1).
