x
  1. Home
  2.  News
  3.  Sports

Highlanders lose, 2-1, in county final

WEST MILFORD. The field hockey team has bowed to Pompton Lakes in the past three PCT finals, all by a 2-1 score.

West Milford /
| 30 Oct 2024 | 08:07
    Brodie Loveland of West Milford reaches up to knock down a pass made late in the fourth quarter of the Passaic County Tournament final Saturday, Oct. 24 at Passaic Tech. Pompton Lakes won, 2-1, taking the title for the third year in a row. (Photos by Glenn Clark)
    Brodie Loveland of West Milford reaches up to knock down a pass made late in the fourth quarter of the Passaic County Tournament final Saturday, Oct. 24 at Passaic Tech. Pompton Lakes won, 2-1, taking the title for the third year in a row. (Photos by Glenn Clark)
    Vivian Sirnik of West Milford steals the ball at midfield with seconds remaining against Pompton Lakes.
    Vivian Sirnik of West Milford steals the ball at midfield with seconds remaining against Pompton Lakes.
    As the West Milford bench watches, Lily Kreutzer plays out the final few seconds.
    As the West Milford bench watches, Lily Kreutzer plays out the final few seconds.
    Addy Seidner of West Milford controls the ball at midfield while surrounded by Pompton Lakes defenders.
    Addy Seidner of West Milford controls the ball at midfield while surrounded by Pompton Lakes defenders.
    Vivian Sirnik of West Milford winds up for a strong drive toward the Pompton Lakes goal late in the game.
    Vivian Sirnik of West Milford winds up for a strong drive toward the Pompton Lakes goal late in the game.
    West Milford’s Brodie Loveland tries to disrupt the Pompton Lakes stall tactic with one minute remaining in the game.
    West Milford’s Brodie Loveland tries to disrupt the Pompton Lakes stall tactic with one minute remaining in the game.
    West Milford’s Vivian Sirnik chases the ball along the sideline.
    West Milford’s Vivian Sirnik chases the ball along the sideline.
    West Milford players console one another after their heart-breaking loss to Pompton Lakes in the county championship.
    West Milford players console one another after their heart-breaking loss to Pompton Lakes in the county championship.

The West Milford High School field hockey team again came tantalizing close to earning its first county championship in seven years but bowed to top-seeded Pompton Lakes, 2-1, in the Passaic County Tournament final Saturday afternoon, Oct. 26 at Passaic Tech in Wayne.

West Milford, the second seed, has bowed to Pompton Lakes in the past three PCT finals, all by a 2-1 score.

The Highlanders have won four county titles, with their most recent one in 2017. The title is the fourth straight for Pompton Lakes (15-2) and 18th overall.

West Milford (16-2) struck first when Brodie Loveland connected off a feed from Addyson Seidner with 12:11 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Pompton Lakes received goals from Krista Lilienthal and Rylee Callahan later in the final stanza to pull out the victory.

Emmeline Kreutzer made four saves in net for West Milford, which has suffered both of its losses this season to Pompton Lakes.

The Highlanders will close out their regular season with a home game against Northern Highlands at 4:15 p.m. Friday, Nov. 1.

Here’s how other West Milford teams fared last week:

Cross country

The Highlanders swept the top three spots in leading West Milford to a second-place overall finish at the Passaic County Championships on Thursday, Oct. 24 at Garret Mountain in Woodland Park.

Ciara Clinton earned gold with a time of 20:07.00 followed by Amanda Harvey (second place in 20:10.00) and Brenna Traverso (third in 20:34).

Other finishers included Chloe Mirkovic (24th in 24:04.00), Willa Zachar (25th in 24:06.00), Lola Novak (36th in 24:50.00) and Elise Easter (43rd in 25:22.00).

Matteo Balestrieri was 15th with a time of 18:38.00 to lead the boys contingent. Other finishers were Massimo Balestrieri (22nd in 19:20.00), Evan Lynch (27th in 19:27.00), Tyler Meier (38th in 19:54.00), Ben Torres (42nd in 20:04.00) and Brody Scully (44th in 20:10.00).

Next for West Milford are the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) sectional championships on Saturday, Nov. 2 at Woodland Park.

Boys soccer

Noah Christian scored twice and Julian Pierre added a strike as West Milford downed Highland Park, 3-2, there Oct. 26.

Will Dent, Nick Bognar and Lorenzo Andrade each added an assist for the Highlanders, which received four saves apiece from Donovan Ford and Dominic Lenoir.

West Milford (12-2-3) was set to play at Verona at 4 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 31.

Girls soccer

Sara Wardlaw scored for the Highlanders, which bowed to Hawthorne there Oct. 26.

Wardlaw has 11 goals and six assists this season, trailing only Lindsay Wittner (12 goals, seven assists) for the team lead in scoring for West Milford (6-10-2).

Girls volleyball

The Highlanders earned a 25-15, 19-25, 25-17 victory over Lakeland at home Oct. 24.

The team was led by Amanda O’Brien (two kills), Lindsey DeLorenzo (two digs, three aces, one block), Skylar Locke (three digs, one assist), Ally Gruber (three kills, one block, three digs, five assists, one ace), Kaitlyn Clarke (three kills), Alexa fritz (four kills, one block, one dig), Alyssa Krol (three aces, one kill), Hailey Gruenler (10 assists, nine digs, five aces, three kills), Victoria Van Tassel (three kills), Julia Sabyan (three assists, two digs, two kills, one ace), Kailyn Schweighart (one ace) and Sienna Franklin (one dig).

West Milford (8-10) was set to play at Ridgefield Park at 4:15 p.m. Oct. 31.