CLARK, NJ- The Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders varsity field hockey team began their quest in the state tournament facing off against the Keyport High School Red Raiders.
On a day where Johnson spent almost the entire game in Keyport’s zone, the fourth-seeded Crusaders dispatched the 13-seeded Red Raiders 10-1 in the NJSIAA North Jersey, Section 2, Group 1 First Round Tuesday afternoon in Clark.
Seven Johnson players got on the scoresheet during the game, junior Emma Hilton powered the offense with five goals, along with junior Tara Starita and senior Sabrina Diwane adding two goals each in the victory.
Diwane opened the scoring after the Crusaders got into the Red Raiders zone on a rush, taking the 1-0 lead at 6:16 of the first half. After that, the Crusaders continued punching on every opportunity that they worked for in their opponent’s zone.
In a 14-minute span, Johnson scored five more goals, with Hilton instantly securing a hat trick in the half alone. She now has 13 goals on the season.
“I think today was a game that we needed to regain our confidence. The past couple of games haven’t been our best,” Hilton said. “It was really important to come out with a big win because we all needed to regain our confidence and the scoresheet just proved that we are back and ready to go for the state tournament.”
Starita scored one of those five goals as Johnson went into halftime with a 6-0 lead. In the second half, freshman Tatum Dobbins scored less than two minutes into the half, giving her team a 7-0 lead at 1:51 of the second half. Diwane and Starita added a goal each and Hilton added her fifth score of the afternoon. Diwane, Starita and Hilton each tallied another goal later in the half to make it 10-0 Johnson.
