Friday, September 25, 2015

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Fiona Walley led a stout Northern Highlands defense, which matched Pompton Lakes' defenders in a scoreless draw on Thursday afternoon.

POMPTON LAKES – Pompton Lakes and Northern Highlands have gotten off to strong starts this season with a combined 10-1 record going into their field hockey matchup on Thursday. However, both teams were still searching for that one signature win to solidify them as title contenders for both their respective county and state sectional tournaments.

While neither got what they were looking for, both teams came out of the game feeling like they took a big step toward where they ultimately want to be come tournament time.

The teams had a physical battle throughout two periods and a 10-minute overtime session, but neither team was able to find the back of the cage as the Cardinals and Northern Highlands played to a 0-0 draw at Hershfield Park in Pompton Lakes.

“It's always a tricky kind of game on the grass here where it really becomes a 12th man for them,” said Northern Highlands' head coach Rich Smith. “Pompton Lakes played excellent defensively and we had to make some adjustments to try and create some offense. We tried to change our angle of attack, but we couldn't connect the way we have earlier in the season. This was a good test, though, and a game that will make us a better team in the long run.”

Pompton Lakes made a couple of early rushes forward, but were turned away on a pair of key plays in the defensive third from the Highlanders' junior sweeper Fiona Walley.

The teams appeared to be gauging one another in the first half before a more physical and intense effort in the second half. Northern Highlands had a golden opportunity to pull ahead when the Cardinals were issued a five-minute yellow card followed by a 10-minute yellow card to give the Highlanders a lengthy two-man advantage. It prompted Pompton Lakes head coach Eileen Allan to call timeout and re-configure her defensive alignment.

Samantha Lorenc was in the middle of an outstanding defense effort by Pompton Lakes, which killed off a long 2-man disadvantage to help keep the game scoreless.

Her players certainly listened in the huddle. Despite being down two players, they allowed just one shot and no short corners during that span. Leading the way was a stellar effort by Pompton Lakes' Sam Lorenc who made play after play to keep the Highlanders at bay.

“We just worked on marking those first couple passes when they got into our zone and making sure we cleared it out at all costs,” said Allan. “I thought we defended the long ball very well and it made it tough for them to find their rhythm.”

Northern Highlands started to facilitate its offense through long balls from Walley. The junior hits the ball as hard as anyone in North Jersey and it nearly created all of the Highlanders' scoring chances after halftime. The best of those coming with 8 minutes left in regulation when Gabby Pontone got a stick on one of those long balls to deflect it. Cards' goalie Lisa Schrage was right there to make the save and the teams headed towards overtime.

Northern Highlands controlled most of the overtime period, but the Cardinals had a chance in the final minute to sneak out a win on a corner. One last time, Walley was there to make a play and clear the circle as time ran out and both teams had to settle for a hard-fought tie.

Schrage made nine saves to earn the shutout for Pompton Lakes (6-0-1). Lily Scheer was a solid player on both ends of the field for Northern Highlands (4-1-1). Victoria Marino made eight saves for her fourth shutout of the season.

Pompton Lakes will have to make a quick turnaround as they go on the road today to face defending Passaic County champion Wayne Hills. Although the Cardinals have outscored their opponents by a whopping 16-1 margin this season, they know that there is still plenty of work left to be done before they get to where they want to be.

“Northern Highlands is always a really tough team and we needed our best effort against them,” added Allan. “Offense wins games but defense wins championships. I think we showed today that we're a tough team mentally and physically. Wayne Hills will be a tough test just like today was. We're looking forward to see how we do against them.”

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