Krystina, Ali bring competitive fire to all fields
By: Rudy Brandl
Krystina and Ali DeLuca have always been competitive. It doesn’t matter what sport or game they’re playing. They want to beat you.
The DeLuca sisters bring that competitive fire to the Hillsborough High girls’ lacrosse team. It’s not simply about how many times they score and both sisters have surpassed the special milestone of 100 career goals but the DeLuca magic has more to do with the incredible brand of intensity and desire they bring to the field each day.
This isn’t something that just started in high school, a time in which the DeLuca girls have become mainstays on the scholastic athletic scene. Competitiveness was born into these young ladies.
"Between me and Ali, it’s always been there," said Krystina, a senior who will continue her lacrosse career at Brown University in the fall. "When we played kickball when we were little kids, we’d be getting in fights, biting neighbors. That’s where it comes from."
"You can tell how competitive we are in games," added Ali, a junior second home. "When I get checked, I get so mad. I guess it’s just instinct."
HHS third-year head coach Beth Murrin certainly appreciates what the DeLuca sisters bring to the field every day. Whether it’s a practice session, a blowout victory or a close contest, the DeLucas work hard and push the rest of the team.
"They bring it up a level and they expect that from everyone," Murrin said. "They’re hungry and they work hard in the off-season. That sets the tone."
The dynamic DeLuca duo has been incredibly productive and consistent on the lacrosse field the past few years. Ali burst on the scene as a freshman and set the school record with 37 goals. Krystina spent the first two years of her varsity career as a defensive player but moved up to attack wing with amazing results last spring.
Krystina broke her sister’s record for goals in a single season, denting the net 69 times last year. Ali wasn’t far behind with 64 goals, which put her over 100 in just two years of action.
This year, the DeLucas are on pace to shatter more records. Ali leads the way with 52 goals and 23 assists, bringing her career totals to 153 goals and 59 assists. She surpassed the 200-point plateau last week. Krystina, who still spends much of the game defending and checking, has connected for 49 goals and eight assists to run her career numbers to 123 goals and 25 assists.
Despite all their success, the DeLucas don’t get caught up in reading their own press clippings. All they want to do is lead their team to the Somerset County title. That quest begins next Monday when the team hosts either Montgomery or Bernards in the quarterfinals.
"Both Ali and I want it for everyone," Krystina said. "It’s all about the team. Everyone on this team is so tight. I have best friends on this team."
This will be Krystina’s last chance to win a county title in high school. Ali helped lead the basketball team to a county crown this past winter, but she’s really hoping to hoist a county trophy with her sister in a few weeks.
"Even though I have an extra year, this is the year I want it the most," Ali said. "I have my sister here and I definitely think this is our year. All the components are here to win it. I think this is our year."
The DeLucas helped the HHS program take another big step last week when they combined for 10 goals in the team’s 15-3 rout of Hunterdon Central. Entering the season, the Hillsborough girls were looking to knock off a traditional power. Although the Red Devils aren’t having a huge year, they had owned Hillsborough until this year. The Lady Raiders knocked them around and beat them for the first time in school history.
Hillsborough scored early and often and took Central out of the game by the late stages of the first half. The biggest goal of the game came when Krystina checked Central standout Mandy Malzberg off the ball and started the transition the other way. Krystina found Ali, who drilled a blistering shot into the cage for a 3-1 lead. The HHS girls were off and running.
"Our biggest thing is transition," Ali said. "That’s our whole game. We have plays where I cut around the goal. There are a lot of options."
Ali connected with Krystina in the second half after Krystina set up Ali earlier in the win over Central. The DeLuca duo has hooked up 13 times this year, with Ali setting up 10 of Krystina’s goals.
"She definitely has the assists," Krystina said. "She can see the whole field. I like to play both sides of the field. I like to fast break. We’re definitely different lacrosse players."
Ali has really enjoyed playing on the same team with her older sister the past three years. She’s starting to get recruiting letters from places like Brown, Duke and Princeton. Right now, Ali just wants to enjoy one final month of playing with Krystina.
"I appreciate everything she does," said Ali, who also has played varsity basketball since her freshman year. "She’s an amazing player. Playing with her is a reward for me."
Krystina was also a standout gymnast who competed in the NJSIAA Championships four straight years. She earned one varsity letter in basketball as a sophomore before deciding to concentrate more on lacrosse. That hard work has paid dividends for both Krystina and the Hillsborough program, which has gone from losing games 25-2 to earning recognition in the state’s top 20 poll.
"I’m happy to be part of a program that’s gone from a defeated record to an almost undefeated record," Krystina said. "I saw the program at its lowest and now we’re doing so well. It’s great to be a part of that."
Thanks to the DeLuca girls, the HHS girls’ lacrosse program has officially arrived on the state scene.

