Voorhees field hockey edges South Plainfield in double overtime
LEBANON TOWNSHIP - Down late, the Voorhees High School field hockey team kept its composure and came away with an overtime victory on Wednesday.
The second-seeded Vikings defeated third-seeded South Plainfield 2-1 in double overtime in the semifinals of the NJSIAA North 2 Group II Tournament, courtesy of a goal from Isabelle Houser. Voorhees will face off against top-seeded Madison in the final on Friday.
With just under eight minutes left in the second overtime period, Hannah Shiavo lifted a ball into the circle and the errant shot found a wide open Houser, who raised her stick and deflected the ball into the cage.
“Hannah had a really great shot,” Houser said. “I got the perfect tip on it.”
The game-winner came after Voorhees finally penetrated a stingy Tigers defense, which seemed to deflect every Vikings shot, with less than four minutes left in the game. Keeping the pressure on the defense all game long, Kat Roncoroni finally scored to tie the game 1-1 for Voorhees.
“That’s what we’re most proud of, people had to show up for 73 minutes and be persistent,” Voorhees coach Taylor Vidak said. “We needed to work the ball to find the spaces behind the defense and get a better shot on cage.”
Voorhees took shot after shot early in the game, but the South Plainfield defense matched it with equally dominant play. Tigers goalkeeper Steph Bohn was a brick wall, making 12 saves while Rebecca Ng and Mary McNeil each made two goal line saves.
“They played outstanding today, I’m really proud of the effort they gave today,” South Plainfield coach Melissa Szeliga said. “My goalie played out of her mind as well as all three of my senior backs. They dug a little deeper and played with so much heart today.”
After Meghan Hughes assisted Nicole Zultowski to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead with under 11 minutes to play in the second half, it seemed like they’d be making a trip the final. The Vikings, however, kept the pressure on.
“There was never a point where we thought we couldn’t get it back,” Roncoroni said. “We all want it so much in regulation, but as soon as it gets to overtime, it keeps upping our intensity.”
That intensity showed and Vidak hopes this performance will carry over to the final.
“I love that this was such a difficult game,” Vidak said. “It’s preparing you for the next game because you know it’s not going to get any easier.”
Madison, which advanced to the final with a 4-0 win over No. 4 Bernards, defeated Voorhees in overtime during the regular season 2-1 on Sept. 24. The Vikings hope to claim a sectional title and get some revenge in the process.
“We’d love to play Madison again,” Roncoroni said. “We’d really like to get some redemption."
Staff Writer Daniel LoGiudice: dlogiudice@gannettnj.com