At 3-3, Robbinsville hockey enters playoff race

By: Sean Moylan
   On September 19th, the Robbinsville High field hockey team won "the battle of the birds" when the Ravens grounded the Lawrence Cardinals, 1-0, in an away game.
   The game featured a great head-to-head match-up as Robbinsville’s goalie Megan Leach, with help from her defense, shut down Lawrence’s great attacker Melissa Casale.
   "I thought my goalie did a great job of handling Casale," said Robbinsville Coach Judy Goldstein, who also had her defense, led by sweeper Christie Wham, come at Casale from all angles. "We knew Melissa Casale was a big threat and Megan (Leach) took her on."
   While each side took just five shots in the defensive struggle, Leach came up with five brilliant saves to earn the shutout.
   Emilie Taylor provided the only offense the Ravens would need when she scored late in the first period off a Courtney DeAngelis feed. Although she had set up some of her team’s best goals of the young season, it was Taylor’s first varsity tally. And it couldn’t have possibly come at a more opportune time.
   Robbinsville found out, first hand, how important Wham was to its success when it lost its super sweeper to a case of mono and dropped a 4-1 decision to West Windsor-Plainsboro South last Thursday at Robbinsville.
   "Readjusting our defense without Wham has been very hard," said Goldstein, whose team uncharacteristically surrendered two goals in each half.
   In the second half, Taylor scored the Ravens’ lone goal. And Leach kept the game from getting out of hand by stopping nine of West Windsor-Plainsboro South’s 13 shots. Robbinsville collected six shots in the contest.
   From the hour and a half bus ride to a crazy game clock, nothing went right for the Ravens in a 3-2 loss at Riverside this past Monday. The Ravens were so late for the contest they only had 10 minutes to get off the bus and run on the field for a warm-up.
   But to make matters worse, the clock was not working properly.
   " We played an extra 16 minutes! We played an extra six minutes in the first half and an extra 10 minutes in the second," said Goldstein. "I think it would have been a 2-2 tie because their last goal was scored during those last 10 minutes."
   In out-of-league games teams have the option of not playing overtime. Molly Welsh stroked both of the Ravens’ goals. Taylor and Jamie Hipple each delivered fine passes to set up Welsh’s first-half goal. And Courtney Stewart had the assist on Welsh’s second-half tally, which gave her team a temporary 2-1 lead. Leach had a good game in goal, but it was not enough for her club to come away with the win.
   Yet even with the tough loss at Riverside, Robbinsville is 3-3.
   Robbinsville was scheduled to have played at Steinert this past Tuesday. Today (Thursday) Robbinsville is scheduled to host Hamilton. It is scheduled at West Windsor-Plainsboro North next Tuesday.
   AHS

   With two losses and three games cancelled, the Allentown High School field hockey team finds itself in a very unique position entering the final week of September.
   After winning the Center Jersey Group II title three years in a row, Allentown has to first find a way to get into the playoffs before it can dominate them.
   At 2-2, Allentown is hardly in a dire situation. Then again, two losses was the total for all of the 2005 season.
   This past week, Allentown managed a win and a loss. It defeated Notre Dame, 2-1. Brianna Gaum and Paige Weatherbee scored goals.
   Caitlyn Crane, assisted by Michele Najecki, scored in a 2-1 loss to West Windsor North.
   Allentown was scheduled to face West Windsor Plainsboro South this past Tuesday. Allentown will host Hightstown at 4 p.m. today and Moorestown 3:45 p.m. on Friday. On Tuesday, Allentown will play at Hamilton at 4 p.m.