By Mike White
Staff Writer
The Jackson High School girls’ field hockey team reached a milestone last Saturday when it qualified for the Shore Conference Tournament for the first time in school history.
The Lady Jaguars used back-to-back victories over Brick Memorial last week to clinch a berth in the event, which opened with first-round games Wednesday.
"We were really excited about the fact this team got in," Johnson said. "We talked about the possibility of this group earning the right to be included in the tournament. They have worked really hard in the last few weeks to make this happen."
In fact, a bid in the state tournament is still a possibility if Jackson can get a win either Wednesday versus its SCT first-round opponent or Friday in a regular-season game against Manchester.
"It’s been awhile since this program has qualified for the states," Johnson said. "We still have a shot at it. If we stay focused and play consistently, we could still get in."
Following a 2-0 win over Brick Memorial Friday, Jackson was in a position to clinch a berth if they could knock off the Lady Mustangs for the second consecutive day.
Johnson’s group responded with a 3-0 win on Saturday.
Jackson’s offense, which struggled early in the season to score goals, did a solid job of creating scoring opportunities, Johnson said.
The Jaguars outshot the Mustangs by a 36-4 margin over the course of two games.
"We’ve been starting to come around at the offensive end of the field," Johnson said. "The scoring chances have been coming more frequently. I think the girls are playing with more confidence at that end of the field and it has translated into scoring chances."
In addition, Johnson made a switch that has helped spark the offense.
Junior Covington Muir was moved from defense to right wing. Muir has made an immediate impact, scoring three goals in three games.
In the pair of wins over Brick Memorial last week, Muir scored a goal in each game.
"It’s been a very good move for our team," Johnson said. "One of the girls on our team had mentioned that she used to play forward as a freshman. I decided to give her a shot on offense, and she has answered the call. We put her at right wing three games ago and she hasn’t moved since. Hopefully, she can continue to help in the goal-scoring department."
Johnson cited a 4-1 loss to Toms River North as a turning point in the season. Since that time, Jackson has won four of its last five games and qualified for the Shore Conference Tournament.
"I think the girls were really frustrated after that loss," said Johnson, whose team is 6-5-1 overall. "Since then we have been a different team. We are playing much better. We knew this group was capable of playing better that it had at the start of the season. It is a good time for us to be gaining momentum."