NEHS field hockey misses Shore, but still makes big splash in productive week

BY: Sean Moylan Sports Writer
    While this past Monday’s big scheduled showdown between Shore Regional and the New Egypt High girls’ varsity field hockey team never materialized because of a scheduling conflict on Shore’s part, the Warriors did add two more notches to their collective belt with wins over Burlington City and Maple Shade this past week.
    October 1’s game at New Egypt actually went into overtime before Lauren Siegelski scored the game-winner for the Warriors in a 1-0 victory over a surprisingly highly-competitive Blue Devils’ squad.
    In regulation Burlington City did everything it could just to keep New Egypt off the scoreboard, but early in the overtime session the Warriors’ used their huge advantage in overall talent to finally take over the contest.
    “When it opened up to seven on seven, we finished it in a minute and six seconds into overtime. We won the toss. Got the ball all the way up the field and we shot it and scored,” said Warriors’ veteran head coach Patti Nicholson. “We scored on a beautiful shot by Lauren (Siegelski) at the top of the circle.”
    Although Siegelski’s tally was the only goal of the contest, New Egypt dominated many aspects of the game. In fact, Warriors’ goalie Katie Francis had to make just six saves to earn a shutout win.
    “They (the Blue Devils) played over their heads, but everyone plays over their heads when they play against us,” said Nicholson, whose team, because of its phenomenal reputation, always gets the opposition’s “A” game.
    While senior stars Brandi Smith and Jessie Bernstein each scored a pair of goals in the contest, New Egypt’s 7-0 drubbing of Maple Shade at Maple Shade last Friday was a showcase for the Warriors’ young reserve players.
    “It was 7-0 at halftime and I subbed at 3-0,” noted Nicholson. “My freshman Cortney Natalicchio scored her first varsity goal. Natalicchio put it in off the keepers pads.”
    New Egypt sophomore Jamie VanDerTuyn also scored her first varsity goal on a gorgeous low shot and Siegelski also fired in a goal for the winning side. New Egypt peppered the front of Maple Shade’s goal cage with 27 shots. Meanwhile the Wildcats shot just twice, making Francis’ sixth shutout of the season one of her easier wins.
    “I thought we really stepped it up. We ended it early,” said Nicholson, whose Warriors didn’t come alive until the second half in their 7-0 home win over Maple Shade on September 17th.
    Of course, for the past couple of weeks most of the talk has centered around New Egypt’s scheduled clash with fellow powerhouse Shore Regional. Unfortunately, it just didn’t happen.
    “My athletic director called me last week and said that Shore Regional had cancelled because it had to play in a tournament today (Monday),” said Nicholson, whose girls had really been looking forward to the challenge of playing Shore. It would have been a great warm-up for the playoffs.
    New Egypt also posted a very solid 2-1 road win over Northern Burlington on September 29th. Smith and Laura Sandford each fired in a goal in that game.
    “Northern Burlington is a better field hockey team than its record shows,” added Nicholson.
    New Egypt (8-1-1) was scheduled to have hosted a pesky Riverside team yesterday (Wednesday). New Egypt is scheduled at Florence on Friday and at Palmyra next Wednesday.