Patriot field hockey back in postseason

BY TIM MORRIS Staff Writer

Not making the postseason last fall stung the Freehold Township field hockey team.

The Patriots had become accustomed to playing deep into October, but last year they missed both the Shore Conference Tournament (SCT) and NJSIAA playoffs by one game.

That didn’t sit well with the Patriots and they went about doing something about it. Coach Anne Kuras pointed out that the players went to camps and played in field hockey leagues to make sure they didn’t repeat 2006’s disappointment.

They didn’t. With the deadline to be .500 or better to qualify for the Central Jersey Group IV playoffs, the Patriots are in with a sparkling 10-3 record.

“They are very excited [about the playoffs],” said Kuras. “It’s a huge accomplishment.”

The SCT began Friday and the Patriots were the No. 13 seed, drawing Rumson-Fair Haven in the first round.

The Pats’ goals in both tournaments are to make their presence felt and not just be a one-game participant. They have the talent, Kuras remarked, to do it.

“The team is playing very well together,” she said. “We’re stringing short passes together. Our offense is very strong.”

Freehold Township’s offensive prowess begins in the middle with its four midfielders. Made up of seniors and juniors, it’s a quartet that has experience playing together and it shows by the way they develop the Patriots attack. In the middle are Brittany Schram and Bridget Monahan. On the outside are McKenzie Berry and Cole Callahan.

Benefiting from their midfielders creativity are forwards Melissa Brightman, Kristian Gomes and Kara Cronin, who have been very productive finishing their scoring opportunities. Cronin, a sophomore, is the only newcomer on the forward line.

The strength of the midfield and forward lines has been balance. Everyone has been chipping in.

Of course, teams are looking at the playoffs without defense and it is in the back where Freehold Township has its most experience. Sarah McKenna, Morgan Fiore and Cara DeCristofaro are all seniors as is goalie Brittany Mara. Like the midfielders, they are a very tight unit that plays well together. They make very few mistakes.

In 2006, the Patriots were a young team not quite ready for the challenges that confront a winning team. A year later, they have been.

“A year’s maturity helped a great deal,” said Kuras.

The Pats let everyone know that they are not just going to be postseason participants Friday when they beat Rumson, 2-0. Callahan and Brightman scored for the Pats, and Mara stopped six shots for the shutout.

Freehold Township moved on to the next round where it plays No. 4-seeded Wall yesterday.

The Pats were one of three Freehold Regional District teams in the SCT. Freehold Borough and Howell were the others.

Freehold Borough (11-3-1) opened with a 4-0 win over Lacey. Viki Ahlers scored two of the goals for the 11th-seeded Colonials. Karly Duven and Brittany McCormick also scored for Freehold. Meghan Gibson assisted on three of the scored, and goalie Alli Koch stopped nine shots.

Next up for Freehold was St. John Vianney, the sixth seed, yesterday.

Howell (6-5-2) fell to Jackson Memorial, 2-1.

Both Freehold Borough and Freehold Township have secured state playoff heading into today’s deadline, with Howell sitting in a good position as well.