The Blue Streaks have outscored three opponents 23-2 since a 2-1 loss to Voorhees.
Rachel Phillips and here Warren Hills Regional High School field hockey teammates needed a little motivation at halftime on Monday afternoon.
After all, the Blue Streaks were clinging to a slim 2-1 lead over Phillipsburg in a Skyland Conference Raritan Division game at the P’burg Athletic Complex.
It was the same P’burg team that Warren Hills, the defending NJSIAA Group 3 champion, had trounced 10-0 last season on the Blue Streaks’ turf field. Warren Hills found the going much tougher this time around.
“The coach (Kate Rothman) pretty much said just to get more shots off,” said Phillips, a senior defender and one of the team captains. “We pretty much did that in the second half. In the first half we were just standing around in the circle.”
Leading 2-1, Phillips scored on a penalty stroke with 21:15 remaining to get the Blue Streaks back on track. Dani Profita, Rebecca Sigman and Tali Popinko added goals from there as Warren Hills pulled away for a 6-1 victory.
“We adjusted and played our game, Phillips said.
Warren Hills has outscored its three opponents by a combined 23-2 since suffering its only loss, a 2-1 setback to Voorhees last Tuesday.
As heartbreaking as it was, Phillips feels the loss has served as a rallying point for the team.
“It was a tough loss, and it’s been our motivation, pretty much,” Phillips said. “We didn’t play our best (against Voorhees). We didn’t play badly either. Since then we’ve just been doing whatever it takes to win.”
Phillips made it clear that the Blue Streaks didn’t come in overconfident despite last season’s lopsided win over the Stateliners.
“We take every game serious,” she said. “We play every game like it’s Voorhees or Eastern. We don’t take anyone lightly.”
Once the Blue Streaks (5-1 overall, 2-1 division) got rolling, P’burg (3-2, 1-1) didn’t stand much of a chance.
“Our game is pretty much a passing game,” Phillips said. “(In the second half) we were pretty crisp. We had a lot of open lanes and there was hardly any dribbling. That’s Warren Hills field hockey.”
Phillips is confident the Blue Streaks’ best field hockey is ahead of them.
“We lost a lot of good players (to graduation), but the chemistry from last year is still there,” she said. “We’ve been able to build off that. I really think we’re on our way to another state championship.”
Tom Hinkel may be reached at thinkel@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @TomHinkelLV. Find Lehigh Valley high school sports on Facebook.