The Middletown High School South field hockey team will be looking to extend its season this afternoon when it visits Ocean in the semifinal round of the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group III playoffs.
Sheila Clabby and Alexis Massa scored two goals apiece to pace the Eagles’ 5-1 triumph over Holy Cross on Friday in the tourney’s opening round. The win upped Middletown South’s record to 12-6-2.
"The girls really wanted that game and it showed in their play," Coach Donna Bower said. "Our players were always the first to the ball; they just didn’t want it to be their last game. They’ll have to play the same way against Ocean."
Second-seeded Ocean, 13-2-5, is coming off a 3-0 opening round success against St. John Vianney of Holmdel. The Spartans edged sixth-seeded Middletown South, 2-1, during the regular season in a hard-fought contest.
The Eagles enter the game healthy and with Clabby and Massa, who have scored 18 and seven goals respectively, rolling. South’s other forward, Becky Bowen, contributed an assist to the victory. Bower noted that center-midfielder Candice Hilbert played a dominating role in the Holy Cross win. Midfielder Erin Wheeler, fullback Allison Oliver and goalie Jill Green, who has 10 shutouts this season, also had strong games. In addition, Middletown South is a robust 6-2 over its last eight games.
"It’s difficult to single anyone out because the entire team played very, very well on Friday," Bower added. "They went out there with one thing in mind, to win the game. And that’s what they did."
The Eagles’ coach acknowledged a visit to Ocean is no walk in the park, but she noted that her team played well against the Spartans. "We know we can play with them," Bower said. "Ocean has a higher seed, and they’re a very tough and talented team. We just have to go out there and play. We have nothing to lose."
Red Bank Regional, the ninth seed, will visit Toms River South, seeded fourth, in the other semifinal game. Elsewhere in Central Jersey Group I action, the Keyport Red Raiders are set to make their first appearance in the state tournament since the program was restarted in the early 1990s. The Red Raiders, at 10-5-2, will play Florence today as the lone representative from the Shore in the CJ Group I tournament.
—Warren Rappleyea