This week has seen exciting matchups across the country. However, for this Weekly Rundown, we are excited to be highlighting the talented teams in the New Jersey region.
Camden Catholic wins Inaugural South Jersey Tournament of Champions.
In its first year, the South Jersey Tournament of Champions has already been one of the most exciting events in recent NJ field hockey history. The final was between two powerhouses, the 11-5 Camden Catholic Irish and the 15-3 Clearview. Camden Catholic is led by a pair of Rutgers commits in senior Lauren Iaccio and Top 10 junior Sophia Stazi. They faced off against future Scarlet Knights teammate Ella Gandy and star freshman Blair Eber.
It was a back-and-forth game to start the first quarter, but Camden Catholic’s offense exploded in the second quarter with two unanswered goals. The first, a stroke from Lauren Iaccio, followed by a corner goal from Katherine Gillern. In the second half, Gandy worked tirelessly to answer back against the Irish, but was stopped by Irish goalie Madelyn LaForm. The scoreline would remain 2-0 for the rest of the match, and Camden Catholic were crowned the inaugural tournament champions.
West Essex falls to Hill in interstate battle.
On October 15, North Jersey powerhouse West Essex faced off against one of Pennsylvania’s best in the Hill School. The match took place at Hill, and was definitely one to watch. Going into the game, West Essex was led by Senior and Villanova commit, Adie Minella, who is the only active player in NJ to have more than 100 goals and 100 assists. In the match, West Essex was put on their heels as Hill took the early lead. However, the Knights were able to rally back with a goal off the stick of Angelina Tartara. Hill ended up taking this match by a score of 3-1, but the Knights showed that they can compete with the top teams no matter the location.
Oak Knoll continues to dominate.
The Oak Knoll Royals have held steady at the top of the NJ rankings after beating former number 1 West Essex on October 7 and shutting out former number 3 Camden Catholic on October 11. Oak Knoll is undefeated against New Jersey teams, with their only loss coming against Emmaus High School in Pennsylvania. Currently, they boast wins against 6 teams ranked in the regional top 20, and hope to improve on their 11 game winning streak as they head into the Union County tournament. One thing is for sure: The Royals are a force to be reckoned with in New Jersey and across the country this season.
