Allentown High School is driving towards an NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group 3 sectional tournament field hockey championship.
The Redbirds earned a bye in the first round of the state sectional tournament.
And then they beat Northern Burlington County Regional High School, 1-0, on Oct. 25 in Allentown. That victory set up a sectional semifinal match with Burlington Township High School that was scheduled for Oct. 30 in Burlington.
Burlington Township is seeded second and Allentown is the third seed. The top seed in the section is Moorestown High School, which played fifth-seeded Toms River High School South in the other semifinal on Oct. 30. The sectional title game is set for Nov. 1.
Moorestown is the defending Group 3 state champion.
On Oct. 25 against Northern Burlington, Allentown showed why it has gotten this far, and why it could still go even further. The game was way more lopsided on the field than it was on the scoreboard.
Allentown led for most of the game and kept the pressure on Northern Burlington goalkeeper Aida Ingram, outshooting the Greyhounds 23-12. Ingram was fantastic, communicating loudly with her defenders and kicking various Allentown shots away from the net. She made 18 saves in all, and were it not for her, the Redbirds probably would have won going away.
“We were all on offense. We just didn’t connect as much as I wanted us to,” Allentown coach Mary Ellen McCarthy said after the game. “They had a really good goalie. But I’m very proud of our team.”
McCarthy had reason to be proud of her Redbirds. They made a 1-0 lead stand up by complementing their offense with stout defense.
The Greyhounds from Northern Burlington may have gotten outplayed, but they were no pushover. They created plenty of their own chances, too, especially at the end of the game when they were trying to force overtime.
But Allentown withstood the fast breaks into the box. Defender Carleigh Delaney blocked a shot on the goal line. Goalkeeper Grace Leard dove left to deflect a ball away from the net. Leard also stopped and kicked away multiple rebounds.
The sophomore stepped up in her first sectional start, making nine saves.
“I definitely think that Grace stepped up,” Delaney said. “Our communication was on point. That certainly helped us make sure we knew who was getting the ball at all times.”
“The more intensity we play with, the better we play. I feel like that really showed today,” Leard added. “Putting up a strong force and being aggressive to the ball kind of puts them off and helps us maintain possession.”
Leard was describing most of Northern Burlington’s drives toward the box on Oct. 25. Before the final minutes, Allentown’s defenders aggressively attacked the ball, took it away and worked it back upfield.
Allentown dominated the midfield and constantly pushed the ball into Northern Burlington’s box. In the first half, the pressure led to the game’s only goal.
Gabrielle Leach passed the ball to Morgan Vaccaro, who slapped it past Ingram. It was the only goal Allentown would need.
“My forwards really moved the ball well today,” McCarthy said. “Lots of give and go’s and tons of shots.”
Senior Kennedy Munster did not score Allentown’s goal. But she was the biggest reason why the Redbirds kept the ball on Northern Burlington’s side of the field.
“Kennedy is quick. She’s moving the ball well,” McCarthy said. “And she is complemented by Gabby (Leach) on the side.”
“We’ve pushed the ball in every game,” McCarthy added. “We just have to connect. We need a little bit more time to connect.”
Fortunately, Allentown will get a chance to connect and score more goals. It will get a chance to play the best field hockey it is capable of playing.
“Winning this game today (against Northern Burlington) really helped with our confidence,” Munster said.
“We could really go all the way,” Delaney said. “Especially with the way we’ve been going on that field with all that intensity.”
