BY WARREN RAPPLEYEA
Staff Writer
After graduating seven starters, the Middletown South field hockey team had been hovering around the .500 mark until two straight losses made it a long shot for the Eagles to qualify for the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV tourney.
Coach Sarah Boyce’s team is 3-6-1 overall, with four of the losses coming by one goal. With three games remaining before the state cutoff: yesterday at home against Ocean, tomorrow at Toms River North and Monday when Manasquan comes to visit — the Eagles need to win them all to get in.
“We’re in a tough position,” Boyce acknowledged. “The team really hasn’t played that badly. We could use more goals, so we need to finish a little better, but every game has been close.”
Forward Lisa Bennett and promising sophomore midfielder Chelsea Keelen lead the team with four goals apiece. Brianna Marzigliano has three goals to her credit and sweeper Beth McLaughlin has scored twice.
Defense has been a strong point with junior Michelle Salvati emerging as the No. 1 goaltender. Rachel Clabby, Melanie Miller and sophomore Michelle Irwin are the mainstays at fullback. Laura Boudreau and Renee D’Amore do a good job in the middle, the coach said.
“Most of our seniors have been together for three years and they’ve provided us with good leadership,” Boyce said. “It’s disappointing to have so many one-goal losses because you come away feeling you could have won or tied. The girls are hanging in there though; they’re not about to give up.”
Notes … With the state playoff deadline rapidly approaching, there aren’t many bubble teams among the local squads. Along with the Eagles, the Holmdel Hornets entered the week in need of some clutch wins to secure berth in the upcoming North II, Group III tournament.
Holmdel entered the week at 4-6, with games scheduled for Tuesday against Raritan (1-10), and a home-and-home series with Freehold Borough (10-0-1) yesterday and today. The two games with the Colonials is a tough break for a team in desperate need of some wins, but sometimes desperation can spur success, even in the most extreme circumstances.
Meanwhile, the Middletown North Lions and St. John Vianney Lancers, though assured of state playoff berths, also find themselves in the midst of some tight division races.
The Lions entered the week at 8-1-1, but are 7-1 in the A North standings, just one game behind 7-0-3 Ocean Township. They were scheduled to take on Freehold Township (9-2-1, 6-2) yesterday in their final divisional game of the season. With a win, and a loss by Ocean either yesterday against Middletown South or Friday against Manalapan (1-9), the Lions could earn a share of the title.
As for Vianney, the Lancers are putting together a very solid season under first-year coach Kara Kopach. They entered the week at 8-3-1, with a 7-1-1 mark in the A Central division, one game back of undefeated Red Bank Catholic (9-0, 8-0).
They were scheduled to take on RBC yesterday with the division title on the line. With a win, the Lancers could put themselves in position to gain a share of the title.
Vianney’s three losses have come to three of the top teams in the Shore — RBC, Rumson-Fair Haven and Middletown North — and they were all close games. This is a team that will certainly benefit from playing a tough schedule once the postseason rolls around.
The only other local team that is definitely heading to the state tournament is the Keyport Red Raiders. Keyport entered the week at 8-4, an excellent mark when you consider the type of schedule the Raiders have played this fall.
Playing in the B Central Division, the Red Raiders have faced the likes RFH (10-1-1), Shore Regional (8-1) and Henry Hudson (6-5) all playoff teams as well, while also playing a challenging out-of-conference schedule.
Keyport is another team that bears watching one the state playoffs get under way.
The same local teams will also be anxious to see the results of the Shore Conference Tournament seeding meeting, which will be held tomorrow night. Teams must have a .500 record by the end of play tomorrow to qualify.
First-round games will be held Monday, with second-round games split between Wednesday and Thursday. The quarterfinals are set for Oct. 24, with the semifinals on Oct. 26, and the finals on Oct. 28 at Raritan High School.
Ocean Township is expected to be the top seed, followed by RBC, Freehold Borough, Toms River North and Shore. Middletown North is the likely sixth seed.