The Columbia High School Field Hockey squad ended their 2014 season this week after a strong showing in the NJSIAA North Jersey Section1, Group 4 State Playoffs.
Entering the tournament as the number 8 seed, the Cougars hosted a tough team from North Hunterdon for the second straight year. The outcome, however, was very different this year, with Columbia playing well on both offense and defense, blanking the Lions 2-0 to advance to the second round and face number one seed Ridge High School.
Senior Tri-Captains Sarah Rittgers and Eve Besom combined for the first goal with junior Peyton Hassler also scoring for the Cougars. Strong performances by senior captain Renee Peters, joined by Aileen Sartori on defense, helped Columbia advance in the extremely competitive bracket.
Although the outcome was disappointing, the Cougars played a solid game against the Red Devils in Basking Ridge on an overcast Halloween afternoon. Unfortunately, goals by senior Kristen Masnyj, on an assist by classmate Nora Barry, and a late tally by junior Emily Grew were not enough to combat well-placed shots by Ridge who prevailed 5-2. Backed up by solid performances from Maddy Jaworski and Katherine Camara on the back lines, senior forwards Olivia Calabrese, Isabel Camara, and Katherine Verhoff helped Columbia keep pressure on the Ridge defense until the final horn.
Click on any photo below to start a slideshow of photos from Jim Calabrese:
