Hammonton takes down rival St. Joseph

HAMMONTON—A pair of fourth quarter goals helped Hammonton High School’s field hockey team break open a close game as the Blue Devils topped rival St. Joseph Academy 3-0 on September 16.

Hammonton entered the first matchup of the season for the rivals undefeated, but was well aware of the chance they could drop a key Cape Atlantic League American Division game.

“All of the numbers in the Cape have been up and down, and nothing was really making sense at all, so I didn’t really know what to think coming into this. I knew that they [St, Joseph] were going to be well trained and talented, and they definitely put up a fight. And they gave us the biggest battle inside of our own circle that we’ve seen all season,” Hammonton coach Kristen Silvesti said.

St. Joe pressured the ball all day, frustrating Hammonton’s offensive attack and limiting the Blue Devils scoring chances.

“They knew exactly how to take us out of our own game. I just kept trying to reiterate at every break, ‘You know what our style of play is, and you know, the game plan. You need to execute the plan. Do not let them stop you from executing the plan.’ For a second, we got a little frantic, maybe more than a second,” Silvesti said.

St. Joseph’s defensive pressure kept the Wildcats in the game for most of the first three quarters. The Wildcats had few chances to score, as Hammonton moved the ball well and kept the game in front of the St. Joseph goal.

Emma Longo put Hammonton on the board midway through the first quarter, and the game stayed that way through the next two periods as St. Joseph’s defense continued to hold tight.

Hammonton ousthot St. Joe 9-2 and held a big advantage in penalty corners. Those numbers meant little for the Blue Devils against an aggressive Wildcats defensive effort.

“They [St. Joe] work hard to get under your skin a little. And I think they were definitely in our heads today. It’s tough with a rivalry like this because the kids start thinking about the game at like nine in the morning and it just builds all day and by the time the game starts, they’re worn out mentally,” Silvesti said.

Hammonton may have been tight for three quarters, but the Blue Devils finally settled down in the final period when they broke through for two goals that sealed the win.

The first came with 12:46 remaining, as Gabriella Teti took a pass form Gabrielle Childs and scored to put Hammonton up 2-0. With 8:52 left in the game, Childs scored to put the game

out of reach.

“I felt like I was not breathing for three quarters of that entire game. When we scored those two goals, I was able to relax a little,” Silvesti said.

The game was closer than the final score, and Silvesti admitted she did not think her team would win by that large a margin.

“Expect this? Not at all,” she said.

While St. Joseph played well defensively, Hammonton also turned in a strong performance, limiting the Wildcats to just two shots on goal and denying the ball to St. Joe’s leading scorer, Emmah Devlin, who only managed one shot. Hammonton goalie Kelley Crescenzo made three saves to earn the shutout.