Thursday,
November 15, 2012
By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer
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Lindsay Roller scored both of her team's second half goals in a 3-1 win over Wayne Hills on Wednesday in the North 1, Group 3 state sectional final. |
WAYNE – What a difference a month can make. In the midst of a four-game losing streak in October, the West Morris Central coaching staff and players were in a bad way. After an upset loss as the No. 2 seed in the Morris County Field Hockey Tournament, the Wolfpack had to figure out a way to atone for a lost opportunity and become a championship team. The only remedy was to get back to basics and regroup for a run at a section title.
After defeating top-seeded Morristown in the North 1, Group 3 state section semifinals on Monday, the Wolfpack had an equally tough task in the final. They had to go on the road once again and figure out the mystery of Wayne Hills’ stout defense, which had allowed just six goals all season and just one in its last eight games including a pair of state playoff shutouts. Back during their mid-season slump, West Morris Central might have dreaded the thought of of facing a brick wall of a defense, but on Wednesday they relished the chance and walked away with a trophy to prove it.
Lindsay Roller scored late in the first half to snap a tie and then scored early in the second half as fourth-seeded West Morris Central won its second North 1, Group 3 title in three years with a convincing 3-1 triumph over second-seeded Wayne Hills in Wayne.
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Wayne Hills' Elizabeth Yorey tied the game at 1 in the 20th minute. |
“I can’t tell you how bad we wanted this one, especially after the adversity we went through this year,” said West Morris Central senior forward Caroline Boyland. “Beating Morristown was huge and that gave us a lot of confidence coming into this game. We attacked them right from the beginning and we played loose because we had nothing to lose.”
The Wolfpack asserted themselves early by pushing forward and earning one corner after another. It paid off near the midway point of the first half. Boyland used one of those corner stroke opportunities to slam home a shot after a scramble in front to give West Morris a 1-0 lead.
Wayne Hills was not able to muster much of an offense in the first half but made the most of their best opportunity. Off of a corner, Nicole Gullone hit Elizabeth Yorey at the top of the circle. She touched around a defender, and then ripped a backstick shot inside the right post to tie the game in the 20th minute. While the West Morris players were a bit stunned by the goal, it turned out to be the wake-up call they needed.
“It’s mentally exhausting to feel like you’re in control and then give up a goal in that situation,” said West Morris head coach Courtney Bertos. “We have gone through too much this season to let one goal make or break our spirit. Our offense was our best defense today. We had to get back and try to a goal before the half to regain control.”
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Caroline Boyland scored WMC's first goal and set up its last one. |
West Morris went right back to work and scored the go-ahead goal off of – what else? -- another corner. This one, the Wolfpack’s tenth of the half, also got knocked around in front before Lindsay Roller knocked it home with 6:05 left to give West Morris a 2-1 halftime lead.
That momentum carried over into the second half where they added an insurance goal early created on a hustle play from Boyland. Alyssa Perkalis sent a long shot into the circle that was collected by a Wayne Hills defender just in front of the net. But instead of getting rid of the ball out wide immediately, she hesitated for a split second, which proved to be one second too long. Boyland raced in to tie up the defender and eventually poked the ball loose and back in front of the net. Roller was waiting to tap it in and give West Morris some breathing room with a 3-1 lead.
“We have had our struggles this year, but we have always had heart and effort on every play and it showed on that goal,” added Bertos. “I challenged them at halftime to play the best 30 minutes that we have had all season. The reality is if we did, we were going to leave the field as champions. If not, anything could have happened. I thought we stayed loose but also stayed focused throughout, that’s just how our team has been all season.”
Wayne Hills had one chance to get back in it midway through the second half when it had a pair of corners in a 45-second span. The first one was cleared and West Morris goaltender Christina Eichelosdoerfer saved the second off a shot by Delaney Burns. From there, the only suspense left was how the Wolfpack would celebrate after the final whistle sounded. The answer was with pure jubilation as they mobbed one another to mark the team’s second section title in three years and also the second in school history.
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Nicole Gullone got the assist on Wayne Hills' lone goal. |
West Morris (13-6-1) held a 13-3 advantage in shots and 12-5 in corners. Roller’s two goals were her 14th and 15th of the season, which is a team-high.
Christine Fabiano finished with 10 saves for Wayne Hills (15-4-2). The Patriots had a successful season overall reaching both the section final and the Passaic County final, where they lost 1-0 to Lakeland.
West Morris moves onto the Group 3 semifinals where it will face North 2, Group 3 champion Warren Hills, a 4-1 winner over South Plainfield. The only common opponent for the two teams is Chatham, whom the Wolfpack split their two meetings with this year and Warren Hills defeated in a slugfest, 6-3, in the North 2, Group 3 semifinals.
Win or lose, the Wolfpack’s mission of ending the season on a high note has been met. That losing streak is well in the rear-view mirror and, more importantly, they learned from that rough stretch and became closer as a team because of it.
“This is an amazing feeling to win our section,” added Boyland. “When we were on that losing streak, we didn’t know where our season was going. But we kept on working hard and we started to get on a roll. Losing is contagious and it’s not a good feeling at all. Winning is contagious too though and you start to go into every game thinking that you’re going to win. We kept working hard towards our goal and it has totally paid off.”
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