Girls Field Hockey Team Wraps Up Record-Breaking Season

As another exciting season wraps up for Colts Neck athletics, one particular team made the news. The girls field hockey team made Colts Neck history, winning the Section 2, Group 3 championship title: the first sectional championship for Colts Neck’s field hockey program.

The 1 seed Cougars faced off the formidable defending champions Freehold Borough, who were the 7th seed going into the tournament. However, the girls managed to carry their momentum of a strong 16-1-1 season, only giving up 12 goals in the 18 game span.

Two goals came early in the game for the Cougars. Alie Royle found the first goal with help from Jenna Filingeri, and not far after came another goal from Aryana Muscara. At the end of the first half, the Cougars were up 2-0. Unsurprisingly, those two goals were all that were needed as the Cougars’ strong defense and goalkeeping posted the 12th shutout of the season. Notably, Madison Bellows, at center defense, had an exceptionally strong game, and goalkeeper Stephanie LoNano stopped all Borough’s goal-scoring opportunities, racking up four saves.

The Cougars then advanced further into the State’s competition, meeting their match against No. 7 seeded Warren Hills High School. Despite a goal in the first half by Taylor Schandall, the Cougars only had two shots in the game, while Warren Hills had 35 goal-scoring opportunities. This translated to the scoreboard where the underdog Cougars had a tough loss of 10-1.

All in all, the field hockey program at Colts Neck can’t complain about its strong performance, setting the bar high for seasons to come. The team now parting with its ample senior leadership must look towards the Juniors (and Coach Merlucci’s guidance) to carry on this impressive legacy in seasons to come.