By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
On X @tortreports
CHERRY HILL — The Camden Catholic High field hockey team isn’t used to trailing much, but that’s exactly the position the Fighting Irish found themselves in on Saturday.
Camden Catholic, ranked No. 2 in the state by nj.com, trailed No. 1 West Essex, 1-0, entering the fourth quarter and lacked offensive momentum.
What separates the best of the best from each other is the ability to show up when it matters most, and the Fighting Irish did just that.
In a game between the two best teams in New Jersey — and both defending state champions — Camden Catholic edged West Essex, 3-2, behind three fourth-quarter goals in a non-league pre-playoff thriller on Saturday morning.
There’s a new No. 1 team in the Garden State.
Savannah Freeland, a junior in her first season with the Irish after transferring from Lenape, notched the game-winning strike with 2:19 remaining in the game (see video below). The shot was assisted by Sophia Stazi, who scored first for the Fighting Irish earlier in the quarter. Freeland now has a career-high 25 goals in her first season wearing green and white, while Stazi has a team-leading 32.
“I thought it was a really big team win,” Freeland, a University of Massachusetts commit, said. “I thought that all of our players played really well together in this game. Everyone played their role and did what they were supposed to do. It was a corner and we were doing a 1-4-3 formation. I had to go play pads and put my stick down, it came and it went in. This means a lot to me personally considering that I transferred this year from Lenape. It’s really exciting for me to be on this team with all these really good players.”
Said Camden Catholic coach Mark Vittese, “Savannah wants to play D1, wants to start as a freshman. Obviously playing all the (Pennsylvania) schools, MAX (Invitational), the three games in New Jersey against all the top teams. We’ll get her ready. She’s picking up how to play.”
Isabella Moore gave Camden Catholic its first lead on a one-on-one shot opportunity against the goalie after Freeland’s excellent defensive play set it up. West Essex tied it back up within 30 seconds, but Freeland’s goal in the final two minutes prevented any potential rally from the Knights.
“We had to take advantage of all the opportunities we had,” Moore said. “Savannah pulled the girl out wide and it was just a 1-v.-1 with the goalie. I had to take the opportunity.
“(West Essex) is a really awesome team, so it’s good competition getting ready for the last games of the year,” the senior continued. “It’s really exciting. (Being No. 1) just means that everyone’s coming for you. You just have to keep on your toes and keep on going. Play like we know how to.”
Coach Vittese was his typical honest self after the statement victory, saying his team still has room for improvement.
“We were asleep for three quarters,” he said. “Couldn’t trap a ball. Decision making was suspect.”
Vittese knew it wouldn’t be a cakewalk against a championship program like West Essex, though.
“Listen, our games with them are always competitive. We played three times in the preseason,” he said. “They beat us here, we beat them there, we tied at Madison. Last year we tied. We schedule this at the end of the year and it’s a great prep for the both of us going into the playoffs, which is why we do it.”
Senior Sophia Sisco scored both goals for West Essex, and believes this loss is what the Knights needed before the postseason starts on Monday.
“I think it was a tough loss but we definitely played as good as we could’ve,” she said. “There were definitely things that we could have fixed, but we played as a team. I think they’re just a great team, they have a lot of standout players. In the first half I think we definitely dominated, but they’re a second-half team too. This was a great lesson to learn before the playoffs. I feel like losing gets us that comeback and more energy to come into the states and play as hard as we can.”
The loss broke West Essex’s 20-game in-state winning streak, but that didn’t bother coach Jill Cosse.
“Being No. 1 is certainly an honor and a privilege, and I appreciate that people give us that nod,” she explained. “It gets heavy. It is a heavy cape to wear for the entire season. I’m immensely proud. We lost five senior starters last year who were great. The kids that we’ve plugged in have to take advantage of the opportunity better. That’s really what it came down to.
“This is a fantastic game to have before the playoffs. I truly do not care about ranking. It’s about how we play. Playing earns where we go. I think it’s a very important game to have right now, because when you go into states, everyone is throwing their best game at you because they know it’s their last 60 minutes. I think this game was a fantastic prep for the state run.”
West Essex (17-3, 5-0 Essex/Union Red) and Camden Catholic (15-2-1, 4-0 Olympic National) will be searching for their sixth and third consecutive NJSIAA state titles in the group 2 and Non-Public fields, respectively, when the state tournament starts on Monday.
GAME NOTES: Camden Catholic junior goalie Madelyn LaForm reached her 100th save this season in the feat.
Click this link to watch the ‘Sideline Snippets’ series, where correspondent Brian Tortella hands a Go-Pro video camera stick to players after the game and they talk about the victory:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DB4LjGpvSmb/?igsh=MnkyNml2MGRnbXYx
Contact Brian Tortella: btortreportssj@gmail.com.
