Friday, September 8, 2007

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

ALLENDALE – For the past two years, the Northern Valley/Old Tappan field hockey team has consisted mainly of young, inexperienced players and the end result of the learning process was two disappointing seasons. With eight starters returning, most of them seniors, the Golden Knights figure that this is their year to turn the corner.

Their first test came on Friday against a Northern Highlands team that has beaten them handily in recent years. Through the first 20 minutes of the game, it appeared it would be a carbon copy of years past with the Highlanders dominating the action. But as the game wore on, the Golden Knights’ confidence began to build. This was especially true for senior netminder Maria McMahon, who picked a good time to play the best game of her career.

She made 17 saves, including one on a penalty stroke late in the second half, as Northern Valley/Old Tappan was able to hold on for a 0-0 tie in the season opener for both teams.

“This is definitely a big game for us, it almost feels like a win,” said McMahon. “I faced a lot of shots early and I think that helped me a lot. I had to focus right from the beginning and I was able to maintain that throughout the entire game.”

Northern Highlands came out firing right from the opening whistle and it seemed like just a matter of time before it would take the lead. The Highlanders were so dominant that they took six shots on goal and shaved 18 minutes off the clock before the Golden Knights even crossed midfield. But once the Golden Knights were able to get near the Northern Highlands cage, the momentum shifted in their favor.

They got off a pair of shots in the final two minutes of the half and their strong play carried over into the second half. Old Tappan’s best opportunity to score came in the first 90 seconds of the second half when they had three consecutive corners and got shots off of two of them. However, Northern Highlands’ goaltender Chelsea Abplanalp came up two huge saves to keep the game scoreless.

Throughout the second half, the game went back and forth until the Highlanders finally got the break they were searching for. During a scramble in front of the net, McMahon fell on top of the ball; which is an infraction resulting in a penalty stroke.

The Highlanders felt comfortable sending up their two-time all-county midfielder and senior captain, Jessica Mazza, with 3:50 remaining in regulation. Mazza tried to flick the shot into the top corner, but McMahon was able to get a piece of it and come up with the key save that sent the game into overtime.

“I was just focusing on the ball and nothing else,” added McMahon. “I wasn’t trying to guess where she was going or anything. I would do whatever it took to make sure that ball didn’t get past me.”

The two teams headed into a 10-minute overtime period and the Highlanders quickly took control. The only true scoring chance for either side came four minutes into the extra session with the Highlanders pounding the cage. They got off four shots in succession from point-blank range, only to be turned away each time by McMahon as the two teams would settle for a tie.

“We got the shots we wanted, we just couldn’t finish,” said Northern Highlands head coach Rich Smith. “I thought we played really well in spots, but their goalie was outstanding today. We obviously would have liked to get a win here, but it wasn’t a loss either so that’s a good thing. We’ll learn from this game and hopefully it will help us down the road now that we know what we need to improve on.”

Northern Highlands (0-0-1) held a 17-8 advantage in shots, but Old Tappan (0-0-1) had a 7-5 edge in corners. McMahon and Abplanalp both played well in between the pipes for their respective teams.

“This is a game we would have lost last year, so I think it’s a moral victory for us,” said Northern Valley/Old Tappan head coach Katie Fritz. “We came in prepared and once we shook off the jitters in the first half, we played pretty well. Maria (McMahon) was great today and we had a few other players who definitely stepped up. I think we can build on this result, knowing that we can be competitive with the other teams in the county.”

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