2005 Summit Women's Soccer 2005 Summit Women's Soccer
Freshmen
  Date  Time Opponent   Varsity  (6-10-2)  JVarsity (12-1-3) 
Fri 09/094:00PMMorris Hills H Lost 2-0 On a perfect day for soccer, the Lady Hilltoppers opened their 2005 campaign with a disappointing loss to Morris Hills at Memorial Field. After three weeks of practices and scrimmages the girls were anxious to return to the varsity field, and while they had the better of play, the ball just didn’t bounce their way. Morris Hills first goal was slammed in after a scramble in front of the net, but then Summit forwards Gina Scioscia and Emma Nitzberg put continued pressure on an excellent Morris Hills goalie. Summits defense was solid, led by Hannah Stuckey at sweeper and sophomore Sarah Boak and freshman Suzanne Bell at defender. The girls came out hard in the second half and really took over the majority of the chances, but with 5 minutes to go, Morris Hills scored on a 35 yard shot that just squeezed in under the crossbar. The Hilltoppers showed great fight, and Emily Steffen and Cristina Maurizi anchored the middle of the field, but couldn’t get a shot to go in. A frustrating day was culminated when Summit failed to convert a penalty kick opportunity in the final 3 minutes. Calle McGeough, Rachel Ardington and Katherine Bearden all had strong games. The ladies next game is Thursday against a tough West Essex team. (Reported by John Reid)Won 5-0 The Lady Hilltopper Junior Varsity got off to a great start in their 2005 season, downing Morris Hills. The team displayed excellent balance and a terrific controlled passing game as coach Bohan used her entire bench effectively in a dominating performance. The goal barrage started with a goal by forward Ariel Lefkowitz on a strong cross from Allison Snyder. The second goal by Erica Faria was set up on a cross from the right side by Courtney Kern. The first half scoring was closed out by Alex Reid who knocked one in over the goalie’s head after a nice feed by center mid Lexi Zalk. Their was no letdown in the second half as Lauren Smith scored on a nice unassisted opportunity and Chrissie Ost scored on a beautiful assist from Abbie Costiera. The goaltending tandem of Deanna Nelson and Carrie Winter turned away all the shots fired at them effortlessly as the defense, anchored by sophomore Meaghan Carey at sweeper, never let up a good scoring opportunity.(Reported by John Reid)
Thu 09/154:00PMWest Essex A Lost 1-0 Facing a difficult challenge on many fronts, the Lady Hilltoppers lost a valiant fight in the waning minutes of the game away at West Essex. The game was delayed for over an hour because of rain and lightning. The game was played on the West Essex stadium field, a very fast turf field that the Summit girls have little experience on. And they were playing in a new formation that they had only three days to practice on. Even so, the girls fought hard, as the defensive backs Suzanne Bell, Sarah Boak, Hannah Stuckey, Katherine Bearden and Christina Maurizi set up a formidable wall to turn back the constant pressure from the West Essex forwards and midfield.

After a scoreless first half, the lady Hilltoppers put on a final push, but scoring opportunities created by Emma Nitzberg, Katelyn Allocco and Gina Scioscia were turned away. Finally in the last minutes, a shot by West Essex from the right side missed the goal but was one touched into the net for the only score of the game. Keeper Rebecca Velez turned back over 20 balls flawlessly in a fabulous performance. Summit midfielders Emily Steffen, Rachel Ardington and Liz Mormak played well on the hard, fast turf field. (Reported by John Reid)

Postponed due to wet field
Sat 09/1710:00AMDover H Won 4-0 Emma Nitzberg scored once in each half. Liz Mormak and Rachel Ardington each scored a goal to complete the scoring. Sarah Baker had 4 saves in goal. Dover is 0-4  Won 5-0 The Junior Varsity played a terrific game against Dover, controlling the ball virtually the entire game with terrific communication and controlled passing. The team put constant pressure on Dover from the wings, and quickly scored on a great shot from the right wing by Allison Snyder assisted by Erica Faria. The second score came minutes later, as Lexi Zalk took a pass from Lauren Smith after a great rush. The first half scoring was completed when Ariel Lefkowitz broke free on a ball set up by Annie Rush and Allison Mion. The defense of Allison McGuire, Caroline Peck, Michelle Rickley and sweeper Meaghan Carey was rarely tested and keepers Deanna Nelson and Peck were terrific in goal. The second half saw more scoring from Snyder and Lefkowitz as Courtney Kern, Megan Osmulski, Jordan Prinzen, and Alex Reid set up numerous scoring chances for the Hilltoppers.
Mon 09/194:00PMParsippany Hills A Lost 5-1 Playing against a veteran squad, the lady Hilltoppers lost decisively in a tough game. Par Hills scored four unanswered goal by their junior midfielder before Summit responded with a goal by Liz Mormak. The goalies for Summit, Rebecca Velez and Sarah Baker played a good game and had little chance on any of the scores by Par Hills. While the defense worked hard, the offense had a tough time getting through the Par Hills defense as they played a deep sweeper, and they controlled the midfield for most of the game. Parsippany Hills is 2-1-1. (Reported by John Reid)Won 2-1 The JV Hilltoppers traveled to Parsippany today and met a talented squad from Par Hills in the best game of the year so far. The teams were evenly matched and the action was back and forth all day. Summits goalkeeping tandem of Deanna Nelson and Megan Osmulski kept them in the game, with each making numerous hard saves on rushes by Par Hills. Osmulski took a huge hit in the first half on a strong shot that hit the crossbar but held on to prevent a score, and Nelson made numerous runs to thwart attacking players who were sending balls long and running to try to score on breakaways all game. But the day belonged to Junior Lauren Smith. In the first half she finished a corner kick by Abby Costiera with a strong blast into the upper left corner. A great rush by Allison Snyder and Erica Faria set up the kick. In the second half, with Par Hills gaining momentum, she ran through a long clear, faked left, and while falling down slammed a ball just inside the left post that proved to be the game winner. The defense, led by Michelle Rickley, Caroline Peck, Allison McGuire and Meaghan Carey, worked hard all game against a large fast forward line for par Hills. Near the end of the second half some great defensive work by Peck and Alex Reid, who turned a sure corner kick opportunity into a goal kick for Summit with two minutes left, held off Par Hills.(Reported by John Reid) 
Wed 09/214:00PMChatham H Lost 3-1(Lost 3-1) Summit rebounded today with a strong effort at Memorial Field. Taking the action to a favored Chatham team from the start, the Lady Hilltoppers took a 1-0 lead off a corner kick play that resulted in a nice feed from Christina Maurizi who got the ball to Liz Mormak for the first score 15 minutes into the game on a header. Summit continued to put good offensive pressure on them, led by Emma Nitzberg and Gina Scioscia. The momentum seemed to shift in the final 5 minutes of the half and with a minute to go off a direct kick Chatham scored. This seemed to deflate the Summit and give Chatham great momentum which they turned into a quick goal starting the second half. Summit played well from there on but couldn’t get the ball past a very accomplished goalie from Chatham. A stacked defense led by Hannah Stuckey and Sarah Boak worked hard under intense pressure, but the midfield was controlled by Chatham which kept the ball in the Summit end near the end of the game. (Reported by John Reid)Won 2-1 In a gritty performance, the JV girls held on for a tough win at Memorial field today. The squad was buoyed by the arrival of Rachel Boylan, who played left defender, and allowed Caroline Peck to move over to play a very aggressive stopper. Alex Reid opened the scoring at the 15 minute mark with a nice left foot shot off a great feed from the other side of the field by Allison Snyder. The rest of the half was well balanced, with both teams having good chances, with keeper Deanna Nelson turning away all their chances. Allison Mion, Megan Osmulski and Lauren Smith on the left side did a great job keeping the ball down at Chatham’s end. In the second half with the sun in their faces, Summit had a harder time controlling the action. Chatham scored on a high shot that was lost in the sun, and then kept the pressure on. But the Hilltoppers fought back, and Annie Rush, Lexi Zalk, Abby Costiera, Erica Faria, Jackie Apostolik and Courtney Kern made a number of runs down the field that resulted in Summit getting off some excellent shots. After missing some open nets by drawing the goalie away from her line, Summit finally got the game winner on a through ball by Nelson that Ariel Lefkowitz converted with a low shot into the left corner of the net for the winning goal. (Reported by John Reid)
Fri 09/234:00PMMendham A Lost 4-0 Finishing up a tough week, the Lady Hilltoppers lost to highly ranked Mendham away. Mendham’s all state seniors controlled the ball for long periods of time which tired out the summit girls. Summit played hard and was only down 1-0 in the first half when Mendham scored on a high ball with just over a minute left in the half. It was more of the same in the second half as Summit couldn’t mount an offensive answer to Mendham. Sophomores Sarah Boak and Hannah Stuckey worked hard all game as Mendham usually sent 6 girls down on offensive attacks. Showing a lot of fight in the second half, Summit kept trying to push the ball forward and Suzanne Bell, Callie McGeough, and Chelsea Daugherty all had good penetration into Mendham’s defense. The keeper tandem of Sarah Baker and Rebecca Velez handled a lot of chances during the game under the Mendham attack.(Reported by John Reid)Tied 0-0 On a hard, fast, short field, the JV remained undefeated scratching out a tie with Mendham away. This game was tough all 80 minutes, as Mendham’s speedy strikers and Summit’s strong, tough defense battled it out all day. The strong play all game of keeper Deanna Nelson limited Mendham to just one shot and keyed our offensive response. Forwards Allison Snyder, Ariel Lefkowitz and Annie Rush all made good runs into Mendham territory only to be rebuffed by their goalie. Finally at the 20 minute mark Freshman Alex Reid banged in a ball from the 18 off a corner kick scramble, only to have the referee call it back for a hand ball away from the play. The rest of the game belonged to Summit's midfield, who kept the ball down in the Mendham end most of the game. Allison McGuire, Meaghan Carey, Lexi Zalk, Jackie Apostilik and Courtney Kern all did a great job stopping clears and sending through balls to Summit wings Megan Osmolski and Lauren Smith. A great game by sweeper Abby Costiera and strong play from defenders Caroline Peck, Michelle Rickley, Allison Mion and Adele Molina kept Mendham at bay. Summit had a couple of good scoring opportunities near the end of the game as the substitution work by Coach Bohan left the girls fresh at the end, but none of the shots found the net. (Reported by John Reid)
Tue 09/274:00PMHanover Park H Won 3-1 The Lady Hilltoppers rebounded from a tough week with a solid victory over Hanover Park. The game was controlled by Summit early, as stopper Sarah Boak was all over the field, carrying to space and distributing, stopping clears from Hanover Park, and playing her best game of the year. Summit’s pressure and good passing opened up a back pass by Liz Mormak to an open Katherine Bearden who blasted a shot from the 25 into the upper left corner. Summit then followed with another goal 20 seconds later as Emma Nitzberg carried the ball downfield and passed to Gina Scioscia who blasted a low ball past the keeper. The rest of the half was played between the 18’s as neither team could muster a great scoring chance, although keeper Rebecca Velez handled some long shots cleanly while looking directly into the sun.

After a goal by Hanover Park to start the second half, the Hilltoppers responded with a nice goal by Scioscia on a cross by Freshman Suzanne Bell. Some good efforts by Nicole Langworthy, Rachel Boylan and Katelyn Allocco helped Summit to control the game, and middies Christina Maurizi and Emily Steffen did a good job of spreading the field. (Reported by John Reid)

Won 2-1 In a much tougher game than expected, the JV Lady Hilltoppers scratched out a 2-1 win at Memorial Field. The first part of the game was dominated by Summit, and early on a nice goal by Megan Osmulski with her left foot staked Summit to a 1-0 lead. But that seemed to wake up the Hanover Park team, and they battled back and gave the girls all they could handle the rest of the half, scoring with a few minutes remaining to tie the game. Some solid play by Ariel Lefkowitz, Annie Rush, Michelle Rickley and Jackie Apostilik and some good goaltending by keepers Deanna Nelson and Caroline Peck, who volunteered to give Nelson some rest, kept the girls even. In the second half, the girls came out and played well, unlike some of their recent games where they were flat at the start of the second half. With Lexi Zalk, Meaghan Carey and Allison McGuire dominating the middle, Hanover Park’s only offense came from their outside wings, who were fast and had good shots. Summit had numerous direct kicks and corner kicks, and most were taken well by Abbie Costiera, who missed a couple of goals by inches. At the 15 minute mark to go, her last corner kick found the leg of Alex Reid swooping in from the left side, and she blasted the game winner by a helpless Hanover Park keeper. The Hilltoppers saved some of their best soccer for last and kept a lot of pressure on Hanover Park, never really allowing them to rush down the field. Allison Snyder had some great carries down the middle of their defense, and Erica Faria and Chrissie Ost kept pressuring from the wings, helping Summit get off numerous shots until time expired.(Reported by John Reid)
Thu 09/294:00PMParsippany A   
Sat 10/019:00AMMorris Hills / JV at 10: ALost 3-2 In perhaps their toughest loss in a tough season, the Lady Hilltoppers seemed to be on the verge of victory when Morris Hills scored two unanswered goals for the victory in overtime. Morris Hills opened strong and looked to be playing better than they did in their victory over Summit on 9/9. Putting pressure on our wings, they crossed a perfect ball to an unguarded striker for a 1-0 lead. Continued pressure forced Nicole Langworthy to save a sure second goal when she cleared a ball inches from the goal line. Some offensive pressure started to build by Summit as Gina Scioscia, Emily Steffen, Liz Mormak and Emma Nitzberg carried the ball into the opponents end. This seemed to spark the Hilltoppers as they had the better of play starting the second half. On one of the prettiest lays of the year, Scioscia took a ball at midfield, got it outside to Nitzberg, who got it back to a flying Scioscia who crossed to Rachel Ardington for the score. Now the Hilltoppers really had the better of play and looked like the team that everyone figured would be a force in the Iron Hills conference. Midfielder Emily Steffen drove the ball down field into the corner where Nitzberg retrieved it and dribbling along the goal line got the ball to an open Scioscia for a great goal. Taking a 2-1 lead with 17 minutes to go and having the momentum bode well for Summit’s fortunes, but the team retreated to a more defensive posture and lost the momentum. Morris Hills kept putting on more and more pressure and Summit was unable to mount any offensive counter. Defensive stalwarts Hannah Stuckey, Sarah Boak and Rebecca Velez kept Summit in the lead with their great effort and with 2 minutes to go a failed clear on a goal kick resulted in a wide open shot for the tying goal. Battling Morris Hills even in the first overtime, the Hilltoppers looked tired and spent by the second overtime as many of the girls had played the whole game and Morris Hills had some fresh players. With just more than 3 minutes gone in the second half Morris Hills carried the ball almost 50 yards without being checked and crossed it to the far wing for an easy winning goal. (Reported by John Reid)Won 5-1 The Junior Varsity Lady Hilltoppers displayed their strength today n a terrific performance at Morris Hills. Coming in for a rematch with a team they dispatched easily in their first meeting, they received a wake up call early when three Morris Hill’s girls broke through on a long direct kick which looked offsides but without a whistle led to a 1-0 deficit, the first time the JV had trailed in any game this year. Immediately the momentum returned to Summit, and some great pressure by Allison Snyder resulted in a goal when an attempted clearing ball ricocheted off Snyder into the goal for a 1-1 tie. Soon thereafter Snyder rocketed a 45 yard ball towards the goal which was mishandled by the Morris Hills goalie for a 2-1 lead and the game changed dramatically from then. Only a few long direct kicks that seemed to always go Morris Hill’s way were trouble for the girls, and the rest of the day was spent in the opponents end. Coach Bohan gave her starting Goalie, Deanna Nelson, a lot of field time, and she responded with her best game in the field, dominating the middle, and dishing off to Ariel Lefkowitz for a nice goal to make it 3-1. Coach was able to get every girl some good playing time, and great hustle by Chrissie Ost, Allison Mion, Jordan Prinzen and Sarah Klassen helped control the game. In the second half some aggressive midfield work by Lexi Zalk resulted in a corner kick that Zalk got to the foot of Courtney Kern for a pretty one touch goal, and then a header by Nelson to defender Rachel Boylan was turned into a beautiful through ball to Zalk who split the defenders and carried it twenty yards and blasted it by the goalie. Defensive work by Caroline Peck, Meaghan Carey, Adele Molina, Carrie Winter and Jackie Apostilik kept the Morris Hills team in check the rest of the way. (Reported by John Reid)
Thu 10/064:00PMUnion HWon 3-0 The Lady Hilltoppers registered a much needed victory today at memorial Field with a convincing 3-0 win over Union. Summit appeared energized from the start, leading to a corner kick by Sarah Boak that found the foot of Gina Scioscia for a 1-0 lead. With Emily Steffen, Katherine Bearden and Nicky Nelson controlling the middle, Summit took the play to Union and had a nice score when Steffen headed a ball to Emma Nitzberg who scored from the left side. Steffen completed the scoring with a great goal to start the second half. Union put pressure on the defense anchored by Christina Maurizi, Suzanne Bell, and Nicole Langworthy near the end of the game but was unable to score against the goaltending tandem of Sarah Baker and Rebecca Velez. (Reported by John Reid)Won 3-2 Showing some rustiness after a 5 day layoff from games and a day off from practice, the gritty JV girl’s registered a 3-2 win over a Union team that never gave up. After a scoreless and uneventful first 15 minutes, the girls began to pressure the Union with a number of quality shots, set up by the strong midfield play of Allison McGuire and Lexi Zalk. At the 20 minute mark a great cross from deep in the Union end by Abby Costiera to Annie Rush who crossed it to the far left post where striker Alex Reid was able to slam the ball into the net for a 1-0 lead. The girls seemed to be maintaining the better of play, with Jackie Apostilik, Michelle Rickley and Meaghan Carey anchoring a solid defensive wall, when a Union player broke free at the 20 yard line and shot a perfect low shot into the left corner for a tie. This seemed to reinvigorate the JV girls as they absolutely dominated the play in the second half. Constant shots and corner kick opportunities led to an obvious hand ball called against the Union defender. Coach Bohan chose an experienced penalty kicker in McGuire to take the kick and the sophomore justified the confidence slamming an unreachable goal into the left corner for a 2-1 lead. The JV was operating on all cylinders now with Megan Osmulski, Allison Snyder, and Courtney Kern pushing the ball down the field from the wings and Caroline Peck, Deanna Nelson and Erica Faria keeping the ball in the Union end. Center Mid Zalk stole a ball, took her space and centered a hard ball into the box to Lauren Smith who made a great move to screen off the on rushing goalie and turned and fired a hard ball into the right corner for a 3-1 lead. A late goal by Union on a rush that split the defenders made it interesting at the end. Great all around play by Adele Molina and Chrissie Ost sealed the victory. (Reported by John Reid)
Sat 10/082:00PMKent Place (Varsity Only) A  rain 
Fri 10/144:00PMDover A  rain 
Mon 10/17 4:00PM Rahway A
UCT

JV vs Elizabeth

 Lost 1-0 In another close, tough loss, the Varsity Lady Hilltoppers lost a very competitive contest 1-0 to a normally high scoring Rahway squad. In a great first half of soccer, Summit took advantage of the wind and sun and took the play to Rahway all half. This game marked the long awaited arrival of striker Liz Curtin, who sat out the first 30 days after transferring to Summit. This enabled Gina Scioscia to drop back to center mid and she dominated her midfield and set up her forwards for more quality shots. The defense had a terrific game, with sophomore Hannah Stuckey having a great game at left defender, and with Sarah Boak, Suzanne Bell and Christina Maurizi, completely shut down Rahway’s two leading scorers. In the second half, with the sun and the wind against us, the game momentum changed. Some fine play by Rachel Ardington, Liz Mormak and Emily Steffen helped keep us close, but Rahway converted on a corner kick play at the 75 minute mark for the winning score. Keeper Rebecca Velez had a terrific game, turning away all their shots until the corner kick was converted where she had no chance.
 Won7-0 After an 11 day layoff the JV Lady Hilltoppers met an overmatched Elizabeth team in the first round of the Union County Tournament. This one was over in the first 15 minutes, as the ball never reached the Summit side of the field. A long 40 yard clear by sweeper Meaghan Carey found the foot of Ariel Lefkowitz for a quick score at the 2 minute mark, and Erica Faria notched goal number two on a nice feed from Abbie Costiera. Adele Molina fed left middie Alex Reid who hit a nice left foot 20 yard shot into the upper right corner, and the rout was on. A nice corner kick by Lexi Zalk led to the 4th goal, and subsequent goals by Annie Rush, Allison Snyder and Chrissie Ost on a long shot completed the scoring. Deanna Nelson was rarely challenged all game. Coach Bohan used all her players in various positions to keep the score down, and to get the girls ready for a big game Tuesday against Parsippany Hills.
Tue 10/184:00PMParsippany Hills H Lost 5-1 The Varsity Lady Hilltoppers bounced back from a tough loss the day before and came out on fire against Par Hills. With constant pressure up front fed by Gina Scioscia and Katherine Bearden, they raced to a quick 1-0 lead on a nice goal by Liz Mormak. Normally a first goal can propel you to a second, but Par Hills used their deficit to put a lot of pressure on Summit. Keeper Sarah Baker turned away numerous attempts but was finally passed on a hard shot to tie the game up 1-1. Solid defensive work by Sarah Boak, Suzanne Bell, Hannah Stuckey and Christina Maurizi kept the game close in the first half, but Par Hills broke through for more scores in the second half to ice the game. Summit generated good pressure up front with Scioscia, Emily Baker and Emily Steffen feeding Liz Curtin and Emma Nitzberg, who made numerous forays into the Par Hills end, but couldn’t get many quality shots off against a tough defense.Tied 0-0 In an outcome that is hard to believe, the JV Lady Hilltoppers tied Par Hills today in a perfect soccer day at Memorial. In their most dominating defensive performance of the year, the defense, led by the steel wall of Michelle Rickley, Allison McGuire, Caroline Peck and Meaghan Carey, barely let Parsippany Hills into the Summit end the entire game, and the goalies, led by Deanna Nelson, Megan Osmulski and Carrie Winter rarely even touched the ball. Summit’s offensive pressure was constant, with great pressure put on by Annie Rush, Abbie Costiera, Ariel Lefkowitz, Alex Reid, Allison Snyder, Lexi Zalk, Jordan Prinzen, Lauren Smith, Erica Faria, and Nelson. Costiera, Rush, and Lefkowitz all got off good shots in a frantic last twenty minutes when Summit must have forced the Par Hills keeper to save 20 balls. She was up to the task and it was just one of those games where the ball didn’t bounce Summit’s way despite all the great chances they had. 
Thu 10/204:00PMChatham ALost 4-3 Chatham took a 3-1 lead in the first half with Summit's goal coming from Emma Nitzberg. Nitzberg made it 3-2 in the 2nd half. With 5 minutes left Gina Scioscia scored off an assist from Cristina Maurizi to tie the score. A minute later Chatham scored the game winner.Tied 3-3 In a very competitive high scoring game, the undefeated Junior Varsity Lady Hilltoppers kept their streak alive by fighting Chatham to a 3-3 draw. Chatham opened the scoring, but the JV fought back with a lot of pressure on the Chatham defense until Summit generated a corner kick. Off the corner kick play, Annie Rush knocked in the first goal. Continued good play by Summit’s midfield of Lexi Zalk, Allison Snyder, Alex Reid and Abby Costiera kept Chatham on their heels, and a nice pass by Costiera to Ariel Lefkowitz resulted in a 2-1 halftime lead for Summit. Chatham tied the score on a breakaway to start the second half, and then both teams traded their best soccer in great action until Chatham was charged with an illegal tackle in the box resulting in a penalty kick for Summit. Snyder calmly rammed the shot home for a 3-2 lead with little time left. Chatham responded with pressure on us and a Chatham player tripped inside the summit box resulting in a questionable penalty kick. The Chatham player took her shot and missed, but the referee awarded her another chance as he hadn’t blown his whistle. Given a second opportunity she was able to just get the shot by the diving keeper Deanna Nelson to tie the game. Great work by outside defenders Caroline Peck and Michelle Rickley kept the speedy wings of Chatham at bay the entire game. 
Sat 10/22 New Providence

UCT 2nd Round

 Won 3-2 On a cold, rainy, sloppy Memorial Field, Summit JV continued its march in the UCT with a thrilling 3-2 come from behind victory against New Providence. The slippery field allowed New Providence to get to a quick 2-0 lead as keeper Deanna Nelson had all sorts of trouble keeping her footing in a very wet goal area. Facing their largest deficit of the season to date, the JV Lady Hilltoppers responded with a goal closing the first half. A hard shot by Annie Rush hit the post and bounced out, where junior Lauren Smith closed on the ball, made a quick move, and shot it by a startled New Providence goaltender. Opening up the second half, Summit put on a great display of power soccer by controlling the midfield line with defenders Meaghan Carey, Allison McGuire, Caroline Peck, and Michelle Rickley kicking back any attempts by New Providence to clear the ball. A great corner kick by Abbie Costiera resulted in a clear shot for Ariel Lefkowitz who tied the score 2-2. With the rain and wind pounding the field, the JV refused to slow down, paced by the great play of Allison Snyder and Deanna Nelson in the middle of the field. A lead pass by Erica Faria right to freshman Alex Reid resulted in Reid driving down the field and generating a corner kick for Summit. The corner kick by Costiera was high and Reid and Faria both tried to knock the ball in but a heads up play by Lexi Zalk, who stole the ball and banged in a hard shot, proved to be the game winner. Keeper Megan Osmulski made a couple of good saves to seal the victory
Mon 10/24 4:00PM Dover H Won 3-0 In a strong performance against a team that has improved greatly this season, the varsity Lady Hilltoppers scored a 3-0 victory over Dover. Summit opened the game controlling the midfield with Sarah Boak and Katherine Bearden keeping control of the ball and finding open wings Gina Scioscia and Rachel Ardington for good penetrating runs. Scioscia had numerous shots from the right side but the Dover goalie was always in a good position. Finally a Scioscia shot hit the side post and striker Emma Nitzberg was there to put in the rebound. The strong play by Nitzberg and Liz Curtin kept Summit in the Dover end with lots of shots, but a few unfortunate off sides calls negated any real scoring opportunities. In the second half more pressure was applied as fresh players like Katelyn Allocco, Emily Steffen, Nicole Nelson and Emily Baker, which opened the field up and Scioscia was able to convert 2 shots for the 3-0 margin. Some nice play by keepers Rebecca Velez and Sarah Baker kept the Dover team off the board, but it was a terrific defensive play by Chelsea Daugherty that stopped a sure goal in the last two minutes which was the defensive play of the game. Won 3-0 On the coldest field they have played on to date, the JV Lady Hilltoppers methodically beat Dover 3-0. Abbie Costiera had a terrific all around game for the JV, and she opened the scoring at the 5 minute mark to stake Summit to a 1-0 lead. It looked like a rout was on but Dover played the JV even the rest of the first half. Some nice work by Allison Mion, Deanna Nelson, Allison Snyder and Allison McGuire in the middle helped keep Summit in the Dover end for a number of shots, but nothing clicked. In the second half Coach Bohan experimented with a number of line-up changes and the JV began to dominate the field. They generated numerous corner kick opportunities thanks to great runs by Lauren Smith, Chrissie Ost, Jordan Prinzen and Lexi Zalk, and finally Costiera hit a perfect left footed kick from the right corner that hooked into the goal for her second tally on the best corner of the year. More good play by Jackie Apostilik and Adele Molina kept the pressure on, and finally a great cross by Costiera from the right side found the left foot of Alex Reid who blasted it in on the hop into the right corner of the goal for the final goal of the game. Dover made one last attempt to score and earned a penalty kick with two minutes left, but the intimidating Megan Osmulski in goal thwarted the Dover players attempt to preserve the shut out.
Tue 10/254:00PMMendham HTied 1-1 The Lady Hilltoppers could not have picked a better way to play their inaugural game at Metro Homes Field. They tied the 15-1 and #8 state ranked Mendham team 1-1 in a thrilling game in the cold and the rain. Playing their best game of the year, the girls fought a very tough team to a 0-0 draw at halftime as keeper Rebecca Velez kept them in the game with some nice saves and the defenders Christian Maurizi, Liz Mormak, Suzanne Bell, Gina Scioscia, and Hannah Stuckey bent a little but would not break. Mendham possesses one of the top ranked offenses in the state and some blistering shooters but could not score. Starting the second half, the Hilltoppers came out and took the game to Mendham catching them flatfooted. A terrific play by Suzanne Bell got the ball to Liz Curtin who made a great gap pass to Emma Nitzberg who beat her defender with speed and hit a great low shot to the far left corner for a 1-0 lead. In past games the Hilltoppers retreated into a defensive mode but kept the pressure on for the next ten minutes and had the better of play as Katherine Bearden, Sarah Boak, and Rachel Ardington were winning 50/50 balls. But with some good substitutions that rested their best players during that time, the Mendham team brought back their stars with about 25 minutes left and the game flow changed. They controlled the middle and took some wicked shots until the 15 minute mark when behind a screen of 3 or 4 players a Mendham player rocketed a shot over the screen and under the post just out of the reach of keeper Velez who barely had time to see it. Summit sent in Katelyn Allocco, Nicky Nelson, Emily Baker and Emily Steffen to help change the momentum, and for a short time Summit appeared the stronger team. But Mendham attacked again. Then with 7 minutes to go the Lady Hilltoppers picked this time to play flat out their best soccer of the season. They put tremendous pressure on Mendham from the right side, with Scioscia, Curtin and Nitzberg controlling the action and sending crossing balls to Ardington and Bearden looking for a clean strike. Mendham was lucky to get out with a tie as the whistle sounded the end of regulation. In the overtime the Summit girls were visibly tired but with great encouragement from their captain Scioscia they held on for the 20 minutes of overtime for an inspiring tie. 
Thu 10/274:00PMHanover Park ATied 2-2 Perhaps suffering a slight let down from their previous game, the Lady Hilltoppers tied HP, a team that they had beaten 3-1 previously. Staked to leads on goals by Liz Curtin on a nice assist from Emma Nitzberg, and Gina Scioscia which made it 2-1, the girls could not hold on and let in the tying goal with 20 minutes left in the game, and despite numerous attempts could not find the net for the winning goal.
 
Sat 10/28 West Essex H Lost 2-1 on a cold dreary day at Memorial Field, the Lady Hilltoppers found themselves quickly behind 2-0 after two nice plays off of a direct kick and a corner kick by West Essex. Some great early runs by striker Emma Nitzberg, who split the defenders and ran away from them, for some good shots on goal, did not close the gap. Nice work by Sarah Boak and Suzanne Bell on the defensive line, and a great job by Hannah Stuckey who was marking West Essex’s fastest striker, kept the score within the reach of Summit. The second half started out all West Essex, but then some timely substitutions that brought in Chelsea Daugherty, Emily Baker, Katelyn Allocco, Emily Steffen and Hillary Lohmann seemed to change the momentum to Summit’s favor. Gina Scioscia, Liz Curtin, and Rachel Ardington were flying at the ball, and generated enough pressure to earn a direct kick. Christina Maurizi hit a great kick toward the far post where Nitzberg was in the perfect position to slam it into the back of the net. With the crowd urging the ladies on, Summit seemed to forget their passing game and the two teams traded long balls and long easy shots on goal for the last 20 minutes. With seconds left, thanks to some nice work by Bell and Boak, Summit got one last direct kick, but they were not able to complete the comeback.
Sat 10/29 Scotch Plains

Union County JV Tournament Semifinals

 Won 1-0 In their most exciting game of an exciting season, the JV Lady Hilltoppers won a hard fought tight battle against a very good Scotch Plains JV on a muddy cold field at Union Catholic High School. A large contingent of Summit fans including many of the varsity players came out to root the JV on and they responded early. Some strong play by midfielders Allison McGuire, Allison Snyder and Lexi Zalk kept the ball in the Scotch Plains end early. Some great runs by Abbie Costiera, Megan Osmulski and Annie Rush kept pressure on a very good SP goalie. Finally a break by Alex Reid on the left side got the ball to Zalk who pushed the ball to her left and rocketed a left foot shot over the goalie into the right corner for Summit’s goal. The rest of the half was won by Summit on the field but despite some good plays by Erica Faria and Lauren Smith the ladies couldn’t convert a second goal. The second half was a much different story as SP came out playing a very good game of controlled soccer, passing amongst their defenders and starting their rushes from the wings. Time and again they would carry the ball down the field, and only some great plays by Michelle Rickley and Caroline Peck kept them from shooting. At the 20 minute mark a terrific kick by Scotch Plains banged the far post but did not go in, and the game took on a heightened sense of excitement. With fans cheering from both sides urging the JV on, the fine play of Meaghan Carey at sweeper and especially keeper Deanna Nelson kept Scotch Plains away from Summit’s goal as time expired for a great win. Summit now plays Saturday, November 5th for the Union County JV championship.
Mon 10/31 3:30PM Parsippany H Won 1-0 The Lady Hilltoppers deployed a new starting line up today as Coach switched around a lot of girls and their positions as the season is winding down. It took a while for the girls to get accustomed to the new positions and players, and it showed in a lackluster first half. A great save looking directly into the sun by keeper Rebecca Velez was the highlight of the half. But in the second half the girls started to gel. Some nice mid field play by Emily Steffen, Emily Baker, Nicky Nelson and Chelsea Daugherty seemed to turn the momentum in Summit’s favor, and some good speed on the wings by Katelyn Allocco, Rachel Ardington and Katherine Bearden created some goal scoring opportunities. Ten minutes into the half, striker Liz Curtin split the defenders with a great move and came in all alone on the goaltender. Taking her time, she waited for the goalie to commit and then slid a nice shot into the lower left corner for a 1-0 lead. This seemed to inspire the opposition who played much better from then on. Some nice defensive work by Rachel Boylan and Suzanne Bell helped stop several rushes. With darkness creeping in and time running down, Parsippany had one more rush and their forward broke free into the corner where she was taken down by Summit resulting in a direct kick. Parsippany sent it right into the box and in the scramble appeared to score the tying goal as keeper Sarah Baker was shielded from the play by what looked like the entire Parsippany team. But out of the goal emerged the referee, who waved off the goal citing a hand ball against Parsippany, as the game ended for a controversial win but a win nonetheless. Won 5-0 Playing for the first time at Metro Homes field, the Junior Varsity Lady Hilltoppers scored a resounding victory against an overmatched opponent 5-0. The girls were aggressive from the start, and although they were guilty of many offsides infractions, some of that could be attributed to a good trapping defense and some to a view of 50 yards of undefended field! There were so many times the strong defense of Allie McGuire, Allison Snyder, Meaghan Carey, Michelle Rickley and Caroline Peck sent through balls to forwards Lauren Smith, Annie Rush and Ariel Lefkowitz that they were too many to count. Finally center mid Lexi Zalk decided to take the game into her own hands and twice broke through for breakaway goals. The first resulted off a nice feed from Erica Faria and the second was unassisted off a goal kick. Both goals by Zalk were hard shots into the corner against a helpless keeper. Summit’s midfield bottled up Parsippany’s forwards all day, and created a nice opportunity when a punt by keeper Deanna Nelson was one touched by Lefkowitz to Alex Reid, streaking down the right sideline, who hit a powerful shot into the upper left corner for a 3-0 lead. Abbie Costiera finished the first half scoring with a great individual effort, eluding two defenders in the left corner and blasting a shot in from 25 yards out. The second half was much like the first, with middies Jordan Prinzen, Carrie Winter, Megan Osmulski, Chrissie Ost, Courtney Kern and Allison Mion all creating great opportunities for Summit. Defensively, Sarah Klassen had her best game, as did Adele Molina and Jackie Apostilik. Erica Faria finished the scoring with a goal off a breakaway, but perhaps the most exciting play was keeper Nelson getting a chance to show her talents on the field, where she dribbled through half the Parsippany defense and blasted a shot just inches over the goal bar. As darkness settled onto the field, the referee’s final whistle was the signal that the JV had completed a terrific undefeated regular season.
Wed 11/01 4PM Parsipanny A Won 2-0 Summit concluded their 2005 campaign with a solid victory over Parsippany at Memorial Field. Liz Mormak had an outstanding game, assisting on the first goal which was scored by Emma Nitzberg, and scoring one herself on an assist from Gina Scioscia. Sarah Baker recorded the shut out for Summit.
Fri 11/04 Westfield @ Williams Field, UCT JV Finals Lost 3-1 The Summit JV Lady Hilltoppers took their undefeated record and high hopes to Williams Field in Elizabeth to face the top ranked Westfield Blue Devils in finals of the Union County Tournament for JV Girls. From the outset it was evident that these were the two top teams in Union County, and the initial play was won by Westfield, who kept the ball in Summits end for the first ten minutes. Some key substitutions by Coach Bohan seemed to change the momentum, and the rest of the half was played even. Summit relied on the long ball from defenders Meaghan Carey and Allison McGuire to free their forwards Erica Faria, Annie Rush, and Lauren Smith. Westfield relied on their center middies to control the ball and pass to two speedy wings to bring the ball down the sidelines, putting pressure on Summit’s defenders Michelle Rickley, Jackie Apostilik and Caroline Peck. Finally Summit was the first to give ground, as a high loose ball bounced into the box and a Westfield player pounced on it and smashed a high hard shot into the upper left corner that keeper Deanna Nelson had no chance on. Summit tried to counter and had the better of play as Abbie Costiera, Megan Osmulski and Jordan Prinzen forced the ball down the field, but the half ended before Summit could tie the score. Whatever coach told the girls during halftime seemed to work as Summit came out on fire. Some great moves by Allison Snyder and Ariel Lefkowitz put a lot of pressure on Westfield in the first few minutes of the half, with Summit getting three corner kicks in a row. Finally a nice centering pass found the foot of center mid Lexi Zalk who got the ball to the left foot of striker Alex Reid who blasted a great shot into the left corner of the net for the tying goal. All the momentum was in Summits favor now and they kept taking it to Westfield, with Courtney Kern, Allison Mion and Carrie Winter pushing the play. But a long ball into the right corner that Westfield got to first was all it took to turn the tide of the game, as the ball was centered right in front of the Summit net and banged in for the go ahead goal. Some good work by Summit in the last ten minutes produced many opportunities, as coach sent in wave after wave of fresh players to try for the equalizer, but it was to no avail. A meaningless direct kick goal with less than a minute to play made the final score 3-1. The JV girls left the field with their heads down, but they had nothing to be ashamed of, as they left everything out on the field and allowed Westfield only 5 shots on goal the whole game.