Warrior loss ends another stellar season
BY MIKE WHITE
Staff Writer

PLUMSTED - Defending a Group title is never easy. Now imagine trying to defend the championship four consecutive years. Not an easy thing to do.

The law of averages finally caught up with the New Egypt field hockey team. Last week Bishop Eustace snapped the string of consecutive titles by handing the Lady Warriors a heartbreaking 2-1 overtime loss in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group I championship game.

"This was a very tough one for us," New Egypt coach Patti Nicholson said. "Both teams were pretty much evenly matched. We anticipated it was going to be a close game. They are a very well-coached squad."

Sophomore Laura Sandford scored New Egypt's lone goal. Sandford was making her varsity debut.

"What a way to get her feet wet," Nicholson said.

In a defensive struggle, the game ended in regulation tied at 1-all. Eustace notched the game winner in the extra session to set off a wild celebration.

"There weren't a lot of scoring chances for either team," Nicholson said. Both squads did an excellent job of limiting shots on goal and of defending their half of the field. I felt we got the better of the play, but we didn't put the ball in the goal."

The loss closes New Egypt's season with a 12-7 overall mark. The Lady Warriors, who won the Burlington County Freedom Division again, raced to a 7-0 start at the beginning of the season. However, Nicholson loaded the schedule with top-notch, out-of-conference teams in preparation for the state tournament. During the regular season, New Egypt suffered setbacks to Eastern and Moorestown, both of whom captured state titles this past week.

"My philosophy is that you need to play the best teams out there in order to get better," Nicholson said. "That's what we try to do. I want my kids squaring off against the better teams in the state. It is only going to help us in the long run."

In the semifinals, Molly Dixon scored the only goal as New Egypt posted a 1-0 shutout over Audubon High School.

New Egypt's defense shined in the postseason. That is partly due to freshman goaltender Katie Francis, who was brilliant in both games. Francis took over the job as the starter against Robbinsville.

"She was playing with the junior varsity and doing very well," Nicholson said. "In practice she showed that she was the one we needed in the goal. We gave her a shot and it turned out to be a good decision. Some people might question using a freshman in those high-caliber games. She did great for us."