By: Carolyn M. Hartko
Like all the other high school teams in New Jersey, the South Brunswick High School field hockey team is dealing with a little forced time off, courtesy of Mother Nature. The Lady Vikings have had one rain make-up delayed for a second time, and as the seeding meeting for the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament looms on the horizon, everyone is scrambling to finish up conference matches.
However, the Vikings can use the rest. They are coming off a four-game winning streak where all four games went to overtime. Even though that streak was snapped last Friday by Sayreville, those overtime outings took a toll, mentally and physically. The Lady Bombers rolled over South Brunswick 4-0, after the two teams had played a much closer match earlier in the season. Sayreville won that one too, but the score was 3-2.
"We didn’t play as bad as the score indicated, but still, it was not good," Viking coach Danielle Matlack said. "I think having the previous four games go to overtime, we were very flat. We just hit a wall.
According to Matlack, her squad hardly noticed the first winning streak since the sport was revised had come to an end.
"We’re not even thinking about that," the coach said. "We were just disappointed with how we played."
The score had been 1-0 at half-time, but Sayreville erupted for three goals in the second half. The Bombers outshot the Vikings 13-7. Viking keepers Alicia Langone and Marci Winiarz split the time in the cage, with Langone posting four saves. Winiarz had two.
As of press time, the remainder of the Vikings’ schedule was still in disarray. With South’s field hockey field under water, Tuesday’s game with Piscataway was a washout.

