Tuesday, September 15, 2009

By Rich Barton
NJS.com Staff Writer

Nicole Modak (left) scored on this shot, her first ever varsity touch, and then added three more goals in Wayne Hills' 5-0 win over N/V Demarest.

WAYNE – Wayne Hills’ Nicole Modak was disappointed when she did not make the varsity field hockey team as a sophomore and she was faced with two options. Either she could feel sorry for herself, or work hard every single day to get better and make an impact when she got the opportunity on the varsity level. That opportunity came in Monday’s season opener against Northern Valley/Demarest when Modak wasted little time in exceeding all expectations, even her own.

Modak scored on her first varsity touch and never looked back. Less than 10 minutes into the game, Modak had a hat trick and tacked on a fourth goal early in the second half as Wayne Hills cruised to a 5-0 victory in Wayne.

“This was the offensive outburst we’ve been waiting for,” said Wayne Hills head coach Jen Badami. “Our defense has been great in our scrimmages, but we have struggled at times offensively. We lost a lot of key players up front and in the midfield from last year. Modak worked really hard this summer and she has a nose for the ball. She always gets a stick on the ball and she made the most of her chances today.”

Just over a minute into the game, Wayne Hills’ Kate Fresswick’s shot was saved by Northern Valley/Demarest goaltender Amanda Fierro. However, Modak was right there to stuff home the rebound to put the Patriots in front, 1-0.

Speedster Brittany Gullone then took the ball all the way the right side and centered a pass for Modak. She collected it and put it in the back of the cage to make it a two-goal lead. Just 87 seconds later, Modak redirected Emily Spazante’s shot past Fierro to complete her first-ever hat trick and give Wayne Hills a 3-0 lead just 9:06 into the game.

“I wanted to play well and get off to a good start, but I never imagined this,” said Modak. “I worked really hard over the summer with my softball coach (Lauren Hertzberg), who is also a personal trainer. My teammates did a great job today. I was just in the right place at the right time. Once I got the first goal, our offense got a lot of confidence and we wanted more.”

The Norsewomen regrouped and played well for the remainder of the first half, but the reality was that they were still down three goals and a comeback looked bleak.

“This is a rebuilding year for us and we got off to a really rough start,” said Northern Valley/Demarest head coach Jessica Alcorta. “We only have three seniors who start and don’t have the experience we’ve had the past few years. This isn’t a good feeling right now, but the kids don’t feel good about the result today either and they don’t want to feel like this again. We’ll continue to work hard and we’ll learn a lot from this game.”

Modak tacked on her fourth goal early in the second half and Jacquelynn Giametta rounded out the scoring.

Remarkably, Modak scored four goals on just five shots. Stephanie Zygmunt needed to make just three saves to earn the shutout for Wayne Hills (1-0). Gullone helped set the tone offensively with a career-high three assists for the Patriots.

Fierro finished with 21 saves for Northern Valley/Demarest (0-1).

Wayne Hills, the defending North 1, Group 3 champs, were expected to have a bit of a rebuilding year. But with an impressive showing in yesterday’s opener, the Patriots appear to be on their way to another solid season.

“If our offense can be consistent and play as well as we did today, we will be a tough team to beat,” added Badami. “We scheduled tough scrimmages for a reason and that was to prepare our team for what they would face this season. Our defense is the strength of our team. If we can put two goals in per game, I’m confident in our chances of winning. For Nicole (Modak) and the rest of the offense to the job that they did today is a good sign. They worked really hard and were rewarded for it.”

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