Field Hockey: Johnson Crusaders Captains All Score to Take Down Blair Academy HS

CLARK, NJ-  The Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders varsity field hockey team came into the 2018 season with a lot of changes, but the biggest one of all, the schedule in front of them. The 2017 season saw Johnson play schools like Governor Livingston, Union, Westfield, Mt. St. Dominic and Newark Academy, but a newer slate of opponents awaited them.

This challenging schedule featured being moved into the Essex/Union Red Division (with Oak Knoll, West Essex, Montclair, Kent Place and Summit) and out-of-conference games including those of Montclair Kimberley Academy, Delaware Valley, Newton, Pingry, Somerville and Mt. St. Mary Academy. The main goal has been to clear the hurdle of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 Semifinals, a round where the Crusaders’ past two seasons ended, one-goal losses the past two years.

With the tougher slate in place, Johnson has also relied on the leadership of senior captains Alyssa Colicchio, Kaylee Parkhill and Amanda Zambrana to lead the way. They had to do a little more than that with a shorthanded starting lineup and a matchup with the undefeated Blair Academy High School Buccaneers Monday afternoon.

Alyssa Colicchio talking to junior Taylor Turek before stepping into position on the field before the play gets resumed. Photo Credit: Daniel Collins

The Crusaders got goals from Colicchio, Parkhill and two from Zambrana as they defeated the Buccaneers 4-2 Monday afternoon in Clark.

They’ve embraced every challenge that’s come their way in this new season, which involved the amount of traveling spiking up more than in past seasons, especially trips to Delaware Valley and Newton in the past weekend, trips to Hunterdon and Sussex Counties.

“The travel’s been a lot tougher for us, but you have to play,” Johnson head coach Katrina Poskay said. “There are a lot of different adversities when you are in the hunt for a championship. Our approach is that whatever the case may be, whatever the day may be, whoever’s sick [or] whoever’s injured, we just got to play.”

“We’ve just got to play as a team. We’re good enough to do that,” she added.

After splitting that past weekend slate, a 2-0 loss to Delaware Valley on Friday and a 3-0 win at Newton on Saturday, they went right back to work, determined to build another winning streak.

It took a little more than seven minutes for the Crusaders to get started. After denying Blair on a few occasions where they showed off their speed, the Crusaders got into the Buccaneers zone. With a little tic-tac-toe style passing and an immediate shot on net, Alyssa Colicchio banked home the game’s opening goal, giving her team the 1-0 lead at 7:20 of the first half.

The goal was Colicchio’s team-leading seventh goal of the season, allowing Johnson to grab an early lead over a tough competing team recently added to the schedule. The assist went to freshman Tatum Dobbins.

The Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders varsity field hockey team celebrating senior Alyssa Colicchio’s first half goal. She leads the team with six now on the season. Photo Credit: Daniel Collins

“The loss on Friday made us realize we have to go 100% every minute of every game,” Colicchio said. “Del Val was an upset, but losses like that are what pushes a team to work even harder at practice and during games.”

Parkhill got into the mix with her fourth goal of the season later in the half, the assist going to junior Taylor Turek at 20:26 of the first half, doubling Johnson’s lead as they cornered the Buccaneers in their zone, generating pressure and ultimately capitalizing. It allowed the game plan to be implemented differently, as compared to closer games where they are played more tightly.

The score remained 2-0 Johnson at halftime, which did not come without major pressure from Blair Academy in the final two minutes of the opening half, featuring two close chances (one off the post) and two consecutive corners that went past the net or were cleared until the final seconds ticked off and halftime came.

Arthur L. Johnson High School senior Kaylee Parkhill (#3) scored a goal in the first half. She has four tallies on the season. Photo Credit: Daniel Collins

“I feel that we came out strong on offense and kept control of the ball for most of the game after we adjusted to their speed,” Colicchio said of her team’s play in the first half. “The defense plays great as a unit and the defenders and the goalie [Ally Renda] made some great saves today.”

With the second half underway, Johnson went right to work in the Blair Academy zone and just after a series of chances generated by pressure missed, a Blair Academy player intentionally pushed a ball out of play with her hand. The Crusaders were awarded with a penalty stroke at 2:15 of the second half. Zambrana took the chance and connected, expanding her team’s lead to 3-0.

Amanda Zambrana Penalty Stroke Shot in Second Half

Arthur L. Johnson High School senior Amanda Zambrana credits her team’s adjusting to missing a few key players and scoring four goals in the win. Photo Credit: Daniel Collins

In a time span of 43 seconds, the Crusaders got three straight corner chances, ending with Zambrana’s second tally of the afternoon, an unassisted goal, making the game 4-0 Johnson at 7:00 of the second half. The three captains’ work on the afternoon paid off, especially with finishing chances against a tougher team with not as many players in their original starting lineup able to play.

“They’ve been a part of a lot of change in our program and our program has come a long way in four years,” Poskay said of her captains. “A lot of it can be attributed to their hard work that they put in.

“I couldn’t be more proud of them. I think they’re great leaders,” she added. “They’re not very flashy leadres, any of them. They are just solid leaders who got the job done and today’s a good example of that.”

Blair Academy got both their goals in the second half, coming at 8:55 and 20:10 respectfully.

The Crusaders were happy to capture another win, one that had a little more meaning with a shorthanded bench.

“It was great to see that we could adjust while missing some players,” Zambrana said. “We came together strong as a team and worked well to get the win.”

The Johnson Crusaders (5-1) remain home to play Cranford HS in their Senior Night game Wednesday night at 7:00 p.m. Photo Credit: Daniel Collins

In net, Johnson senior goaltender Ally Renda made 14 saves off 16 shots in the win. Blair Academy sophomore goaltender Olivia Kreider made 12 saves on 16 shots in the loss.

Arthur L. Johnson High School senior goaltender Ally Renda made 14 saves on 16 shots. Photo Credit: Daniel Collins

The Johnson Crusaders (5-1) remain home for their Senior Night game, when they take on Cranford HS at 7:00 p.m.

The Blair Academy Buccaneers (5-1) head back out on the road to play at Wallkill Valley Thursday afternoon at 4:15 p.m.