Soccer teams remain undefeated

Boys, girls defeat Hunterdon Central

By: Rudy Brandl
Although the Hillsborough High football and field hockey teams lost their Saturday games to Hunterdon Central, both Raider soccer units and the gymnastics squad defeated their Delaware Division rivals from Flemington to give HHS a 3-2 edge in the overall school head-to-head battle.
The Hillsborough boys and girls ran their soccer records to 3-0 with 3-1 triumphs over the Red Devils. Both varsity games were played at Central since the Auten Road School field, the intended site of the boys’ game, was soaked from the previous day’s rain.
Hillsborough’s boys and girls entered yesterday’s soccer games vs. Warren Hills with perfect records in the division. HHS has defeated North Hunterdon, Franklin and Hunterdon Central in soccer action so far.
Here’s a closer look at Saturday’s soccer and field hockey games, as well as an update on the HHS girls’ tennis team:
Fedorczyk, Lombardi
get girls going fast
Sara Fedorczyk and Nina Lombardi scored 18 seconds apart to propel the HHS girls’ soccer team to a big 3-1 victory at Central.
The Lady Red Devils roared back in a big way during the second half, but the Hillsborough defense held strong. Senior captain Becky Dmuchowski and junior goalkeeper Katie DiGiovanni (13 saves) anchored a stingy defense that kept Central from coming back.
"We knew it was going to be a hard game and we were ready for it," Dmuchowski said. "We really wanted this game."
Fedorczyk cashed in on a feed from Danae Risoli at 5:02 and Lombardi converted a cross from Natalie Inman at 5:20 and the Lady Raiders were off and running.
Still down by two goals at the half, Central stepped up the pressure after the break and made it 2-1 on a goal by Kristen Schreiber eight minutes into the second half. Central controlled the action for the next 30 minutes but DiGiovanni didn’t allow the equalizer.
"Katie came up big and preserved the win for the team," HHS head coach Cindy Vacacela said. "She was put under a lot of pressure by their outside midfielders and forwards."
Inman nailed a penalty kick late in the second half to restore the two-goal margin and the Lady Raiders enjoyed a happy bus ride home.
In other action, Risoli netted a hat trick to ignite a 5-2 victory over Franklin. She scored twice in the first 11 minutes but Franklin tied the game before the end of the half. Second half goals by Fedorczyk, Risoli and Kaitlin Wagner (penalty kick) secured the victory.
Boys become
road warriors
The Raider boys won their third consecutive soccer match on the road with a solid 3-1 triumph at Central.
For the second straight time, Hillsborough used a strong second half to produce the victory. After Drew Dzvileski beat Franklin on a goal with 13:03 to play in regulation, three of his teammates scored within a five-minute span in the second half to knock off Central.
Hillsborough caught the highly-touted Red Devils by surprise on their home turf, firing home three goals in a five-minute span. Lamar Spencer scored the game’s first goal and set up the third score that put the game out of reach. Spencer’s shot from the 18-yard line ripped off the inside post for a 1-0 lead. Tony Flores made it 2-0 before Scott Visnic redirected a Spencer cross for a 3-0 bulge.
HHS goalkeeper Rob Szymanik made nine saves but missed a chance for his third straight shutout when standout striker John Vastino finally got loose for a late goal.
The Raiders have received excellent play from defensive stalwart Eric Stickle, who marked Franklin’s Marc Bernstein and Vastino in last week’s victories. Szymanik has also been fabulous, allowing just one goal in three games while making some great saves.
Freshman Chad Barbieri made his presence felt by recording the assist on Thursday’s game-winner at Franklin. Barbieri fired a bullet that was deflected to Dzvileski, who hammered it into the net.
Flynn: We can
play better hockey
HHS field hockey coach Kim Flynn knows her team can play much better than in Saturday’s 2-1 loss to Hunterdon Central. For that reason, Flynn is confident that her Raiders can turn the tables when the teams meet again in October.
The Raiders played Central evenly and at times carried the action in the first half, but the Red Devils dominated the second half and finally broke through for two goals within less than two minutes. Hillsborough avoided the shutout when Jenn Geigert connected off a Colleen Yancheck feed with 11 seconds left.
"We didn’t play our best game," Flynn said. "It’s unfortunate because we could have beaten them. I don’t know what happened in the second half. They took advantage of our sloppiness. They used their skills and our support just wasn’t there."
Central broke through when Stephanie Scibilia scored off a loose ball scramble with 12:01 remaining in regulation. Lisa Witkowski slammed in a penalty stroke with 10:08 to play for a 2-0 lead.
"We ran ourselves into the ground," HHS junior center link Lauren Kloss added. "We lost our spark for a little while. We started feeling tired, but we still came back. It was just too late."
Hillsborough never stopped fighting and didn’t enjoy the momentum until there were only seconds left on the clock.
"This team has been able to come back," Flynn said. "When they’re at a deficit, they keep fighting back."
No comebacks were needed in Thursday’s 8-0 blowout at Franklin. Geigert completed her hat trick in the first half, while Kelly Chan scored twice before the intermission when HHS took a 6-0 lead. Kloss scored once in each half and Erin Crawford netted a goal in the second half to cap the scoring.
Single assists were posted by Yancheck, Kloss, Alex Janos, Amanda Morrison and Julia Carbonetta. Franklin managed just one shot on the HHS cage, where senior Dana Scarantino and sophomore Sarah Brennan combined for their first shutout.
Girls’ tennis team
blanks P’burg
The HHS girls’ tennis team made it two in a row with last week’s 5-0 victory over Phillipsburg. Hillsborough’s five positions swept all the matches in straight sets and only surrendered nine games.
Katie Merriam defeated Corrine Dochney 6-0, 6-1, Catherine Kinrade shut out Jacquine Toth and Kristen Shoop beat Sarah Gasparetti 6-2, 6-2 in singles action.
Sara Lavell and Erin Aiello posted a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Jen Stanley and Kristen Brown, while Jen Wagner and Carolyn Chen notched a 6-1, 6-0 decision against Jen Torrone and Kelly Sheridan.
The schedule became much more difficult this week, with the likes of Hunterdon Central and Watchung Hills on the horizon.