Allentown High School runners are off a running on at the New Balance Shore Coaches Invitational cross-country meet held on a soggy Holmdel Park course on Oct. 3. FRANK GALIPO Allentown’s field hockey team, off to a 7-0 start, can solidify its bid for a Colonial Valley Conference Freedom Division championship on Oct. 7 when it travels to Robbinsville.
“We have to keep communicating together and keeping everyone on the same page,” Allentown first-year head coach Dana Wells said. “Every team is different so adjustments have to be made in terms of clearing the ball and moving the ball.”
The division championship usually is at stake when both teams have met over the years and Robbinsville brings into the week a 6-0-2 record with five straight victories. It has not allowed a goal in the last two games.
Allentown has scored an uncustomarily high number of goals in field hockey – averaging five goals a game and outscoring opponents 35-6 with three shutouts by goalkeeper Katie White. The most recent in a 7-0 victory over Lawrence on Sept. 30 in the last game coming into this week. Kayla Peterson scored twice and Melanie Scibilia, Shaelyn O’Leary, Rachel Dau, Sydney Pado and Hope Narozniak put in the others.
The Redbirds also had a tough challenge this week before Robbinsville, playing a 4-3- 2 Hopewell Valley team scheduled for Oct. 5.
“It’s all about the team concept.” Wells said of the scoring balance, which also was the philosophy of her predecessor — Hall of Fame coach Mary Ellen McCarthy. “We set a high level of expectation. Our goal is to win the Mercer County Tournament championship after losing in the semifinals the last two years. Allentown has had success in field hockey and it’s a matter of how much the players want to continue that success. The seniors have done a good job of leading the young players.”
Wells credits Paige Zytkowicz and Olivia Pozza for helping to keep the ball moving while contributing goals.
“We have some big players,” Wells said. “A lot of times teams have been going to certain players but the great thing we have is depth. The midfield has done a great job of taking the ball to the attack. We don’t put just one shot and then we’re done but we get rebounds.”
As for the defensive end, Wells said goalkeeper White “is definitely athletic. She’s working hard but she has a lot to learn. She definitely has a bright future for her junior and senior years.”
Scibilia has supported White as a “force” on defense, says Wells.
Peterson, who has scored in six of the seen games, and O’Leary led a 6-2 victory over Nottingham on Sept. 28 with two goals each. Caitlin Noon and Melanie Scibilia put in the others.
Girls’ soccer A disallowed goal scored by Alyssa Sloan with 12 minutes left in the second half kept the score tied at 1-1 and Notre Dame scored four minutes later for a 2-1 victory on Oct. 1 that ended Allentown’s seven-game unbeaten start. Coming off its fourth straight shutout, 3-0, over Hightstown on Sept. 29 and a 24-5 scoring ratio coming into the game, Allentown had a 1-0 halftime lead over Notre Dame on a goal by Carly Roche who followed in a shot by Sloane that was deflected out. A corner kick started that series. Note Dame tied it early in the second half on a short-range goal when Allentown’s defense struggled to clear the ball out.
“It was a terrible call,” said Allentown coach Kim Maurer of the goal that was called off by the referee. The series started when Notre Dame’s goalkeeper was lying down with an injury but the play continued as Sloane hammered in a goal from 40 yards out. “The referee said he blew the whistle (to stop play) but we didn’t hear it and 21 girls were still playing. “We out-shot them, 9-4, and they scored two goals inside the six (yard line).”
Notre Dame scored the game-winner when a player carried the ball down the right sideline and chipped it over to the far post where a teammate beat Allentown goalkeeper Ali DeSalvatore.
Veronica Gotilla, Delaney Matthews and Sydney Regina scored in the victory over Hightstown.
The Redbirds play four games in five days this week, starting with an Oct. 5 game against struggling Hamilton West followed the next day by a Colonial Valley Conference Freedom Division showdown against Hopewell Valley (8-1-1), which is unbeaten in the division but has a tie with Notre Dame. After that are games on the road against West Windsor-Plainsboro South on Oct. 8 and Trenton on Oct. 10.
Kali Hartshorn returns to the line-up against Hopewell Valley after sitting out three games with a concussion. Maurer hopes her team can bounce back with Hartshorn back.
“I hope so,” Maurer said. “We have skill players but Kali gives a physical presence. They can score and we have to stop three Hopewell forwards who can score; one of them is leading the league in goals and points.”
Football
Allentown (2-2) will look to bounce back from a 20-14 loss to Nottingham two weeks ago and comes off a bye week as it travels to Lenape(3-0)onOct.9fora7p.m.WestJersey Football League Colonial Division battle. Lenape is the only NJSIAA Group V team on the schedule for Allentown, a Group III school.
“They’re extremely tough and physical up front,” Allentown coach Jay Graber said. “They’re diverse on offense — they can run and throw and are conservative but explosive and don’t make mistakes. They have only given up 14 points (a 92-14 ratio). They’re stout on defense.”
Despite struggles on defense, Graber said there are no changes planned in formation or personnel. “They’ve been in the right spots. They have to execute better,” Graber said of his team.
As for the offensive end steered by the hard running quarterback, Jordan Winston, who is nearing 1,000 yards, Graber said they need to avoid mistakes they’ve made in their losses, which Trenton did when Lenape won on Oct. 2, 27-7, in a showdown of unbeaten division teams. Quarterback Bryce Long threw touchdown passes of 11 and 1 yard and scored twice on runs of 42 and 5 yards.
Cross-country
Nat Byrnes was the top finisher for Allentown — running the Holmdel Park 5K course in 18 minutes for 54th place — as Allentown’s boys finished 13th in Varsity B in the New Balance Shore Coaches Invitational on Oct. 3. Tom Bethea was Allentown’s next finisher, 20 seconds behind in 66th place and Matt Gregor was 66th in 18:22. Freshman Charles Casey was 77th in 18:39 and Hunter Mulryne was 88th in 18:54, followed by Matt Kaminstein in 19:01 for 93rd.
“We had a very good meet,” Allentown boys coach Brian Harshman said. “We have a very young team and we’re improving. A number of them had their personal bests and Byrnes was exactly a minute faster than he was at this meet a year ago. I think we’re doing very well. Charley Casey is doing phenomenal for his first time in any competition.”
Allentown will run in the Fall Classic Invitational at Jamesburg’s Thompson Park on Oct., 10 and the Colonial Valley Conference division meet at Mercer County Park on Oct. 14 and the following big meet is the Mercer County Championships on Oct. 23 at Mercer County Park.
On the girls side, Sophomore Devon Hoernlein led Allentown in the Shore Coaches Invitational Girls B with a 20:05 time for 15th place. Sara Gutter was the next finisher in 21:17 for 59th place. The girls are 4-4 in CVC dual meets.
In the boys Junior Varsity B race, Jeff Venaci was 34th in 19:28 as Allentown finished fifth in the team standings. Three Redbirds were bunched after that — Sean Kirgin (57th, 20:19), Garrett Murphy (58th, 20:30) and Colion Harvey (59th, 20:28).
Boys’ soccer
Allentown slipped to 2-4-1 as Max Allen scored in a 2-1 loss to Notre Dame on Oct. 1. Hightstown beat the Redbirds, 6-0, on Sept. 29.