South gets an unlikely split in last two games

By: Lance Manion
   The way Danielle Matlack figures it, her South Brunswick High field hockey team deserved to split its past two games last week. She just didn’t expect the results to play out the way they did.
   Last Friday, the Vikings dominated Old Bridge for much of the game but came away with nothing to show for it in a 1-0 defeat.
   Five days later, South Brunswick was outplayed by East Brunswick, but somehow managed to go unscathed against 18 penalty corners en route to a surprising 1-0 victory.
   Not exactly the way Matlack drew it up, but a satisfying outcome nonetheless.
   "We outplayed Old Bridge like crazy and we lost," Matlack said. ""And against East Brunswick, we didn’t have any business winning that game. We got lucky."
   Perhaps, but credit Rebecca Dahl for getting the job done in the face of one of Middlesex County’s top teams. Not only did Dahl post her second shutout in three games, the sophomore kept Jessica Todoroff, the GMC’s leading scorer, out of the scoring column.
   Nicknamed "Rock," Dahl has been rock solid for the Vikings since getting the varsity call-up last week. In just her second start, Dahl made five saves and pitched a shutout to send South Brunswick to a 2-0 win over Monroe on Sept. 27.
   She played well in defeat against Old Bridge, letting the lone goal trickle through two minutes into the contest before blanking the Knights with six saves the rest of the way.
   But the East Brunswick victory was her shining moment as she pushed back six saves, including one against a penalty corner in the final seconds to preserve the upset victory.
   "Rebecca had a great game," Matlack said, "especially considering it was only her third or fourth varsity start."
   The win moved the Vikings’ record to 4-5, and could serve as the spark for a team still hoping to contend for the GMC crown as well as earn a berth to the NJSIAA Tournament this season.
   South Brunswick has won three of their last five overall thanks to a balanced offense that saw Ashley Wandishin and Courtney Stephens each smack the back of the cage in last week’s win over Monroe. It was Wandishin who also struck the game-winner against East Brunswick, drilling a first-half goal off a feed from Jenn Sisco.
   "I think (the East Brunswick win) is a big confidence boost," said Matlack, whose club has four games to play in its quest to post a .500 record and earn a state bid by next week’s cutoff. " It’s kind of like last year when we beat South Plainfield. It’s the kind of win that shows the kids that we can win these games against the best teams in the county.
   "Hopefully it’ll allow us to turn the corner."