By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Publisher
OCEAN CITY — The Ocean City field hockey team is so far above its competition in South Jersey Group 3 that winning sectional championships has become routine.
The top-seeded Red Raiders built a 4-0 first-half lead — as four different players scored — before cruising to a 6-1 victory over No. 2 Cumberland Regional on Friday to take home their fifth straight sectional championship.
Senior captain Rialee Allen, who scored the game’s first goal, added two more in the second half and finished with three goals and two assists, becoming the school’s single-season record holder for assists with her 29th and 30th.
“Every time, it still feels the same. We’re so excited that we could make it this far and now that we got this we’re looking forward to states. Obviously, the state semifinals is going to be a tough game, but we’re just taking it one game at a time,” said fellow senior Alexis Paone. “What we talked about coming into this game was we wanted to get two or three goals quickly to give us an edge. We needed that to get the ball rolling.”
Ocean City (20-3) got on the board nine minutes into the game when Allen scored off a corner, and two minute later Julia Herrington blasted a goal from about 10 yards out to push the lead to 2-0.
“We knew Cumberland was going to be a scrappy team. A lot of times our girls rely on skills and doing things right — and I appreciate that — but they need to have that intensity right from the start,” said Red Raiders coach Cory Terry. “One of our goals was to come out hard and score right away, and we did that, so I was happy. I thought we had more opportunities (before our first goal), and one of the things the girls need to realize is they have to capitalize on every opportunity because as the teams get harder, the opportunities are going to be fewer.”
With 13:43 left in the first half, Grace Steele redirected a shot from Allen into the cage to make it 3-0, and Nicholl Fenton added a goal on an untimed corner at the end of the first half as Ocean City took a commanding 4-0 lead. The lead swelled to 6-0 on a pair of goals by Allen before the Colts got on the board with 11 minutes left on a great shot from Alyssa Donato off a pass from her sister, Christina.
Terry is notoriously tough on her players, but said it’s because she knows what kind of potential they have. The Red Raiders have been to four straight Group 3 state championship games, winning twice, and have a talented group of seniors who have a ton of trophies to their credit.
“I don’t do this to win championships. I do this to see these girls be what I can see them becoming. So, all of my craziness comes from that vision that I have for these girls, and their potential, and I just want them to realize and actualize it for themselves. That’s why I am so tough on them,” Terry said. There are tons of pretty things this team does with its passing and creating attack, I just believe in this team so much that I believe they can do a lot more. I know they think I nit-pick about little things, but that’s just because I can see greatness beyond what they are already doing.
“This group has worked very hard together for the past four years. And that’s why I see so much potential in them. I would like to see them actualize what I can imagine for them. If you knew me as a player it’s no different, I’m a little nuts out here. People look at me like I’m crazy sometimes, but it’s because I have that drive and that passion. Winning feels good, but what feels even better is the process and giving all that passion.”
Paone said she’s glad the younger players on the roster this year are getting the chance to experience what the seniors have the past four years.
“I was one of them a couple years ago and it was nice to have such a strong senior group to bring me in. I want to be like that to (the younger players) now and show them what it’s all about,” she said.
Moorestown took down Burlington Township, 3-1, in the Central Jersey Group 3 title game, and that sets up a rematch of last year’s state semifinal, won by Ocean City. The Red Raiders will take on the Quakers on Wednesday at Egg Harbor Township for the right to play in the state championship.
“We have to play the whole game, a full 60 minutes, and be intense from the start. We struggle with that a little bit sometimes because once we get a lead we sit back and let the other team control the game a little,” Paone said. “So, we definitely need to work on cutting to the ball and having a higher level of intensity the whole time.”
For now, though, the Red Raiders will savor their fifth consecutive South Jersey crown, and the chance to win it at home.
“This is our last home game,” Paone said. “It’s a great feeling to get to move on, but I’ll definitely miss playing here in front of our home crowd and friends.”
Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays