PDS welcomes WW-P North, Allentown hosts hot Hun
The tension has been running a little high around the Hausheer household the last few days.
On Tuesday at 3:45 p.m. on the turf at Princeton Day’s Smoyer Field, Lauren and Lexi Hausheeer will be on opposite ends of the field in a Mercer County Tournament quarterfinal match.
Lauren, the senior goalie headed to Virginia next fall, leads the No. 7 seeded West Windsor-Plainsboro North against No. 2 PDS, which has her sister Lexi in the cage.
“They are both extremely competitive,’’ said Carol Hausheer, the girl’s mother. “I’m definitely going to have to take my blood pressure medicine that game.’’
Even the family dog, Lilly, is confused as she is the mascot for both teams and wears a sweater with the school colors to each separate game.
“Lexi is excited to be playing against her sister,’’ said PDS coach Heather Farlow. “We are excited to make it to the next round.’’
After winning the first nine games of the season the Panthers (12-3) are 3-3 over the last six. North comes in with a 10-7 mark and advanced on strokes over Notre Dame.
The last MCT meeting of these two was in 2012 and North won 1-0 in overtime.
Lauren Hausheer was perfect in the cage with four saves in the shootout with the Irish.
“It’s going to be a big game for us and our parents,’’ said Lauren. “It is going to be so much fun. I have looked forward to playing against her this whole season and I’m so happy and so proud of our team to play them.’’
Being the older sister, Lauren is glad to see how Lexi has progressed, too.
“Seeing her become this good, I’m so proud of her,’’ said Lauren. “It’s going to be a wonderful experience for us.’’
It should be quite a game in front of the goalies, too.
Eva Petschnigg leads the Panthers with 12 goals and 11 assists. Sasha Sindhwani chimes in with 11 goals and Val Radvany is one of the top assist leaders in the state with 18 helpers.
“Our success will be based on how well we move the ball around the pitch,’’ said Farlow. “We definitely want to play our game and create as many offensive opportunities as we can.’’
Lexi Duplak leads North with eight goals, Jaclyn Tarn has five and the Knights have a very talented defense with Hausheer and Sabrina Crichton and Camille Redmond.
It’ll be a battle for bragging rights in Hausheer house and for so much more when it’s tournament time. NO. 11 HUN AT NO. 3 ALLENTOWN, 4 P.M
Allentown (12-2) is the defending Mercer County Tournament champion, and the Redbirds don’t intend to give up the crown easily.
Hun (6-6) has been playing its best hockey of the season and will be looking for another upset after defeating No. 6 Hightstown in the first round.
“At this point of the season you either win or go home,’’ said Allentown coach Dana Wells. “Having the home-field advantage allows you to feel more comfortable and more in tune with each other.’’
Hun and Allentown are very unfamiliar as they only meet come tourney time.
“We have never played Allentown,’’ said Hun coach Kathy Quirk. “It certainly makes it more challenging. We know we have to step it up and play the best field hockey we can.’’
Allentown is led by Mary Bellotti with 18 goals, and Sierra Wojcik controls the midfield. Katie White is sound in the cage.
“It’s always exciting to play against teams that are not in your conference,’’ said Wells. “The game of field hockey has evolved so much and each team we play is unique, providing us with a valuable experience of different scenarios on the field.’’
The Raiders have been a team that has just gotten better and better throughout the season. There has been the growth of goalie M. C. Shea, and the senior leadership has been the guiding force.
Julie Fassl leads with 14 goals and five assists, Kate Davis has eight goals and Sophia Albanese anchors the defense and has seven assists.
“In order for us to be successful we have to play hard for all 60 minutes,’’ said Wells. “We have to make smart decisions as a unit.’’
The winner will meet the Princeton Day and WW-P North survivor on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. at Mercer County College.