South Jersey Times field hockey notebook: Woodbury snaps 50-game losing streak

Woodbury goalie Ania Holland makes a save in a game against Paulsboro last season (Al Amrhein | For NJ Advance Media)

Woodbury goalie Ania Holland makes a save in a game against Paulsboro last season (Al Amrhein | For NJ Advance Media)

Their sticks went flying in the air and they all huddled as a group and cheered.

Woodbury, after almost three years and 50 games, broke the state's longest losing streak on Sept. 11 when it defeated Lindenwold, 7-0, behind two goals each from Jamileth Ramos, Kahlani Williams and Rhianna Wilke-Rone and one from Jazzlyn Abbatelli.

It was the first time the Thundering Herd had won a field hockey game since a 3-2 victory over Palmyra back on Sept. 29, 2014. The Lindenwold victory snapped a 50-game losing streak, after the program went 0-19 in 2016, 0-18 in 2015 and 1-19 in 2014. The Thundering Herd was 1-4 entering this week.

"That was huge, not just on the field but mentally as well," said Woodbury coach Ariel Comer, who is in her third season. "Winning was awesome for them. As soon as the first goal went in, you could see everyone's spirits go up and see how on track they were. They knew about the (losing) streak.

“After the game, they chanted how they broke the streak.”

Woodbury is not a team devoid of talent. Abbatelli and Kyarra Williams have been strong leaders, Comer said, keeping the team’s attitude right despite the defeats. Kahlani Williams is an outstanding runner on the track team and is a potent offensive threat. Wilke-Rone has made a successful transition from defense to offense.

Hidden under the streak has been the exceptional play of senior goalie Ania Holland, a four-year starter who can reach 1,000 saves this season.

Holland is so good she was a first-team all-league last year on a team that finished 0-19.

“There were days when the losing did get frustrating, but this group has stayed with me and kept going, no matter what,” Comer said. “Ania loves playing field hockey in high school. She is on pace to make around 1,000 saves by the time she’s done.”

CUMBERLAND FRESHMAN MAKING  AN IMPACT
Cumberland's Taylor Rossiter has been a nice building blocks for new head coach Alysse Smith. The Colts are 2-3 this season, thanks to Rossiter, a freshman who has made an immediate impact.

“Taylor knows her technique and knows her awareness on the field,” Smith said. “She’s a voice on the field who plays with confidence. That gives me confidence to trust her to make the right calls at one of the most important positions, if not the most important position. Taylor has also been eager to learn. She lets a goal in and she’ll come up to me and ask what she did wrong. We’ll work on it and talk about how to correct it the next time.”

Rossiter also has that innate ability not to dwell on a goal she gave up.

“Taylor is a very aggressive goalie who is not afraid to come out on a breakaway,” Smith said. “She looks at it positively and never gets down on herself, which is a great quality for a goalkeeper.”

SUAREZ PICKS UP SPORT QUICKLY
Before last year, Schalick junior Desiree Suarez had never picked up a field hockey stick.

In a year’s time, it is safe to say, she has learned the sport quickly.

Coach Heather Cheesman saw Suarez make a drastic improvement, now she is the starting right back for the Cougars, who entered this week 2-1-1 overall and 1-0-1 in the Tri-County Conference's Diamond Division.

“Desiree is aggressive, she never gives up,” Cheesman said. “Desiree knew some people on the team and they convinced her to try it. She liked it, and I don’t see her coming out anytime soon. Field hockey is not an easy sport. You need a lot of patience in learning the sport, but even though she doesn’t have a lot of experience, she’s picked up fast.

“Desiree tells her teammates where to go. She couldn’t even drive a ball last year. The only thing we’re working on now is getting her feet out of the way. Maybe by this time next year, she can definitely go on and play in college.”

HIGHLAND REMAINS POSITIVE
Highland has gotten off to a rocky first month, starting the season 0-4 overall. But Tartans' coach Samantha Hannah has had one gleaming positive in the play of junior midfielder Cienna Bosher, who scored one of Highland's two goals in its first four games.

“Cienna plays hockey all year round and it really shows in her game,” said Hannah, who is in her second year. “Cienna’s stick skills are great, her hits are great and her passes are great. Her defense is great and her overall game is very good. We have two freshmen in the starting lineup and we’re young, trying to figure it out still.

“We’ve been in games and Cienna has been a reason for that. She plays defense very well. Once she gets her sights on you, you can’t get past her. She has good speed and she’s very good at getting the ball away from the other team.”

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