Once again, the quality and depth of talented teams and student-athletes, who play field hockey in the Cape Atlantic League (CAL), was strong in 2019.
Among the squads that stood on top in the CAL this season was the Middle Township High School program.
The Panthers completed their season with an overall record of 18-4-1, and they were 12-0 against CAL National Division competition. Against all CAL opponents, they went 14-0-1. Middle advanced to the championship game of the NJSIAA South Jersey Group I Sectional Tournament, but lost to Woodstown 2-1.
“Our most significant win was definitely versus Ocean City (3-2, Oct. 9),’’ head coach Janina Perna said. “We are thrilled to get the chance to play such a talented team, and the girls are always pumped to play them. The girls had to dig deep for that win, and it was definitely the hardest fought game they played all season.’’
The class of 2020 proved to be strong leaders for the Panthers.
“The team looked to our seven seniors(McKenna Super, Michaela Graham, Ava Karimalis, Caroline Gallagher, Veronica Johnson, Amber Howatt and Kate Hand) for leadership,’’ Perna added. “The seniors set the tone from the beginning and demanded a lot of their teammates. They were great role models, especially to the freshmen, and always led by example. They will definitely be hard to replace.’’
Several players on the roster improved their field hockey skills consistently this fall.
“Amber Howatt, our varsity goalie, really improved from the beginning of the season to the end,’’ Perna said. “She emerged as one of our key players this season and was a huge factor in our success. Another player that really improved was Dakota Ludman.
“Even though Dakota was a starter last season as a sophomore, she had a breakout season this year. She ended third on the team in scoring and scored some of the most important goals of the season. It was amazing watching how good they were at the end of the year, compared to how they started.’’
To no surprise, there’s plenty of momentum around the Middle Township field hockey program moving into the future.
“There is a lot of excitement surrounding the field hockey team at Middle,’’ Perna said. “We are seeing a lot of enthusiasm from our middle school feeder programs, and there are several that will come into the high school next year and make an immediate impact.
“Also, the returning players are all very talented, and I know they will work hard to continue the successes we had this season.’’
