Field Hockey: Bridgewater-Raritan wins ninth consecutive county title

WATCHUNG – The last time the Bridgewater-Raritan High School field hockey team did not win the Somerset County Tournament final, head coach Alyssa Dragon Frazier was a senior on the team. The winning tradition that’s been forged over the last decade continued on Saturday afternoon.

Jumping out to an early three-goal lead, the top-seeded Panthers cruised to a 5-0 victory over second-seeded Pingry in the SCT final at Mount St. Mary Academy. The county title is the Panthers’ ninth consecutive Somerset County title.

“You don’t want to be the team that loses that winning streak, that’s one thing that’s always in the back of our minds,” Frazier said. “We don’t want to be the first team in nine years to not win the final, so it does put a little added pressure on them, but I think they play well under pressure. It helps them stay focused.”

The Panthers took a 3-0 lead within the first 12 minutes of the game thanks in large part to junior Rachel White. White scored twice within the first seven minutes of the first half and then assisted senior Sarah Dimock on a goal as the Panthers took a 3-0 lead with 18:11 left in the first half.

“We knew it was going to be a good game and that they were going to be pumped,” White said. “But we were pumped too, and we were ready to play from the first whistle.”

White scored her third goal of the game about 10 minutes later as the Panthers took a sizeable 4-0 leading into halftime.

Having played against Pingry twice this season, with both games resulting in wins, the Panthers were more than ready to face a familiar opponent.

“This was our third time playing Pingry, and we knew they were going to be a tough team,” Frazier said. “Coming into this game, we knew were going to have to be a two half team for a full 60 minutes. We came out hard and got three earl7 goals and kept the momentum going.”

Winning county tournaments has become almost routine for the Panthers, but the feeling of winning is just as sweet the ninth time around. For seniors like Ally Mastroianni, who has played on the varsity squad for four seasons, each county title has its own identity.

“To be here every single year winning the title, it feels special every year, we never take it for granted,” Mastroianni said. “It came down to heart, and it just feels great to see all our hard work pay off. Every time we get that trophy, it’s a brand new feeling.”

Staff Writer Daniel LoGiudice can be reached at dlogiudice@gannettnj.com. Follow him on Twitter @danny_logiudice.