Shore Regional High School appears to be a contender for field hockey tournament championships once again.
Shore Regional could not have played a better game on Sept. 15 at home in West Long Branch against Allentown High School.
The Blue Devils kept the ball near Allentown’s goal for the whole first half and most of the second half, ripping shot after shot and building a huge lead. Shore Regional scored three goals in the first 10:00 and nine in the first half. Allentown did not register a shot of its own in the opening half.
Coach Kelly Koenig’s team won by a score of 11-0 and outshot Allentown, 42-4. The Blue Devils cranked 37 of those 42 shots on goal.
Seven Shore Regional players scored goals. Four Blue Devils, Taylor Cannon, Libby Doehner, Lily Santi and Isabella Saponaro, each scored twice. Santi also had three assists. Maggie Lamb added two assists.
Allentown goalie Jordan Watson made 26 saves, which is a credit to both Watson and the Blue Devils.
“We talked about the level we wanted to play at this season. So I was quite happy with the girls’ overall level of play,” Koenig said. “Many different people were able to score for us, which shows we want to play a balanced game. Everybody can contribute.”
“Coming out today and winning by 11 is very exciting and impressive for us,” Doehner said.
With the victory, Shore Regional improved to 3-1 in 2018. The Blue Devils have outscored opponents 27-6, including another 11-0 victory, which came against Hamilton High School West on Sept. 4.
Shore Regional looks ready to maintain the school’s lofty field hockey standard, which goes back decades.
Nancy Williams started Shore’s program in 1970 and retired in 2014 as the winningest high school field hockey coach in the country, going 839-67-56 in 44 seasons.
In the past four years, Koenig has upheld that standard, winning NJSIAA Group 1 championships in 2014 and 2015.
To make a mark on Shore Regional’s illustrious field hockey history, the 2018 Blue Devils will have to improve in Shore Conference play. Those two 11-0 victories were against non-conference opponents. Shore Regional’s conference games have been much more challenging, a 3-0 loss to Rumson-Fair Haven High School on Sept. 8 and a 5-3 victory over Red Bank Catholic High School on Sept. 13.
Shore Regional can definitely score, as evidenced by its non-conference victories. But it does not have one player to carry the team on a bad day. So, it is essential for the Blue Devils to pass to open players and attack the net.
“We made a big point of stepping out with energy and intensity in practice this week,” Doehner said.
“We just had the mentality (against Allentown) of playing really hard, working really hard and staying together as a unit,” said Shore Regional midfielder Kayla Bartram.
Shore Regional did not have to play much defense against Allentown, but the Blue Devils proved they can play defense when they have to. Late in the second half, on an Allentown breakaway, Shore goalie Abby Kopec charged out of the circle and blocked the shot with her leg pad. Her teammates on the bench cheered wildly, even though they had a huge lead.
Kopec stopped all four Allentown shots on Sept. 15.
Between a stonewall defense and an electric offense, Shore Regional did not show any holes against the Redbirds. Koenig knew her players were capable of that.
“Yes, yeah, absolutely,” Koenig said, nodding her head. “They have a strong commitment to each other. They know their goals and they are going to commit to reaching those goals.”
Now, the challenge for the Blue Devils is staying this good.
“When you have a team that’s trusting like that, you know you can have the commitment to be successful together,” Koenig said.