By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
On X @tortreports
WOOLWICH TOWNSHIP — Karlie Mertz likes to use anger as fuel and motivation when it comes to rebounding after mistakes.
Tied at one, the Kingsway senior missed a penalty stoke at the beginning of the second half that would’ve given second-seeded Kingswaythe lead over No. 7 Eastern in the quarterfinal round of the South Jersey Group 4 playoffs on Wednesday.
Missing a one-on-one opportunity against the goalie and hitting the crossbar is uncharacteristic for Mertz, but it was ultimately what she used as fuel for the rest of the game as the St. Joseph’s University commit rallied for two second-half goals to help Kingsway edge Eastern, 4-2. Kingsway moves into the sectional semifinals, where the Dragons will meet No. 6 Cherokee on Monday. The championship game is next Wednesday at the highest remaining seed.
“Obviously, I was really mad about the stroke, but it’s just a mindset,” she said. “You just have to put the anger into the game.
“They scored, but we had to fight to bring it back to the 4-2 win. They gave us a run for our money, but of course Kingsway can always finish.”
Eastern’s Christiane Johnson gave the Vikings a 1-0 lead early in the second quarter, and Kingsway sophomore Reese Samra made the score even at the break.
Shortly after Mertz’s missed stroke, junior Isabella Sanchez gave Kingsway its first lead of the game, and the Dragons never looked back.
“I think that we came off a little weak in the first half,” Sanchez said. “We usually try to start off how we end our last game, because we always play better in the fourth, but it didn’t really work. We knew this was a beatable team. We just had to prove it and show it out on the field, which we were able to do by the end of the fourth.
“This was a really good opportunity for us to move forward, especially with a lot of newbies in our backfield that are getting the experience they need to continue in the playoffs.”
Sanchez, also a St. Joe’s commit, has played alongside Mertz since youth field hockey. It’s only fitting that the longtime teammates and best friends combined for three of the Dragons’ four goals.
“Karlie looks like a little figure skater out there with the stick skills,” coach Dana Ott said. “She’s just so smooth, makes things happen. She sets the tone in our attacking circle. Her best buddy Isa (Sanchez) they really flow off of each other. They don’t even have to direct each other. They know where each other is going to be in the circle. Karlie is the leader of setting up that success.”
Defeating Eastern always feels a little sweeter for Ott and Kingsway, as she was often on the losing side of Eastern’s national-record 21 consecutive state championships from 1999-2019, as both a player and a head coach. In 2022, though, Kingsway beat Eastern in sectionals on its way to winning the state championship.
“It brings back memories of all the times we have faced them in the past,” she said. “It brings back the faces of the people that won the titles against Eastern.
“I think we responded well,” she continued, speaking of the slow start Wednesday. “It’s anybody’s given game, any day. If they score first, it’s just nice to see a response and a rebound and we locked in and played our game.”
Kingsway is one win away from booking a ticket back to the South Jersey Group 4 championship for the sixth time in the last seven seasons (there was no postseason in 2020 due to COVID-19).
“We’re just excited to be here,” Ott said. “We’re really humbled to be in this position. You know, it’s not easy, the schedule has not been easy. To see us here in this position, we’re excited to play anybody at this point. We’re really just focusing on us. We have to focus on us and our team right now.”
Click this link for the full postgame interview:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DCDDsN_y4EV/?igsh=MWx6djUzem5iMmt6aw==
Contact Brian Tortella: btortreportssj@gmail.com.
