2006 Summit Women's Vollyball 2006 Summit Women's Soccer
Freshmen JVarsity
  Date  Time Opponent   Varsity   (10-9-1)
Sat 09/09 10:00 AMMendham A Lost 2-1 (OT) Summit's Lady Hilltoppers traveled to Mendham on a perfect day for soccer and came up on the short end of a terrific game.  Both teams came out fired up for their opener, and Summit's initial offensive bursts by strikers Emma Nitzberg and Liz Curtin were matched by Mendham’s, who were turned away by sweeper Katherine Bearden, and defenders Suzanne Bell and Hannah Stuckey.  But as the half wore on and Mendham seemed to gain momentum, the defense was bolstered by the outstanding play of keeper Rebecca Velez, who handled many shots flawlessly and kept punting Summit out of trouble. After a scoreless first half, Mendham broke through in the 50th minute and scored on a clear shot from the middle of the box off a corner kick, but that seemed to inspire the Hilltoppers, who began taking the action to Mendham. Using her deep bench Coach Bohan substituted freely and kept fresh players out on the field who stayed aggressive, and it paid off on a rush by Curtin that drew the goalie out of position and allowed Rachel Cohen to sweep in from the left side and bang in the tying goal. A key play occurred late in the half, as Velez went down after colliding with Mendham’s striker.  Deanna Nelson, who played a great game at center mid, was summoned to take over the goaltending chores and made an amazing save on a head ball off a corner kick to keep Summit in the game.  Velez returned and only her diving stop with ten seconds remaining got Summit into overtime. The teams played evenly in OT, with Sarah Boak doing a great job controlling the middle of the field against constant pressure. But a high ball sent down field split the Summit defenders and allowed Mendham to bull their way in alone on goal for the winning shot. The Summit team played inspired soccer and will be looking to avenge the loss when Mendham returns to Summit on October 4th. (reporting by John Reid)
Mon 09/114:00PMWest Essex H Lost 4-1 Summit’s home opener at Memorial found the Lady Hilltoppers on the very short end of a 4-1 game against West Essex.  The game was played from the start fairly evenly, with some nice runs by Rachel Cohen and Emily Steffen to get the ball downfield, and some tough work inside by Liz Curtin.  A bullet from almost 40 yards out hit by the WE Stopper into the upper part of the net seemed to deflate the Hilltoppers, and only some solid work by Sarah Boak and Katherine Bearden in the middle kept the opposition from scoring.  A second goal on a 20 yard high ball by the small and really quick WE striker made it 2-0, but the Summit girls struck back on some aggressive play that led to a break by Emma Nitzberg who blasted a shot past the goalie.  But WE came out on fire in the second half and caught Summit’s defense off guard and scored two quick goals to ice the game. The remainder of the half was marked by some solid play by Katelyn Allocco and Rachel Ardington on the wings and Colleen Laughlin and Nora McGuire in the middle, but Summit could not break through WE’s back 4 defense. (reporting by John Reid)
Wed 09/13 4:00 PMParsippany A

Lost 1-0  Summit suffered a tough loss against a team that they had the better of the play for most of the game.  Parsippany scored their goal on what most observers thought was offsides, but the score counted.  This sparked Summit, and a minute later Liz Curtin broke free for a dead on shot that Parsippany’s goalie made a good save on.  This was a harbinger of things to come.  The second half saw Summit step up the attack and put more girls in the offensive end of the field.  Allison Snyder, Jamie Osmulski, Rachel Cohen and Alex Reid all made good forays resulting in shots on goal.  Longer shots by Sarah Boak and Deanna Nelson also came up short.  Finally Coach Bohan inserted Hannah Stuckey, their most experienced defender, at left striker and she immediately created some great scoring opportunities, including one where the ball was 2 feet from the goal, but Summit couldn’t convert.  Summit left the field frustrated that their effort did not pan out in a win. (reporting by John Reid)

Fri 09/15 4:00PMChatham H Lost 3-0 Rebecca Velez had 11 saves.
Mon 09/18 4:00PMHanover Park A

Won 2-1  The Summit Varsity Lady Hilltoppers staged a gusty comeback in the second half to defeat HP 2-1.  Summit began the game well, with great penetration of HP’s defense by Liz Curtin, Rachel Ardington and Alex Reid, but could not convert.  Strong midfield play by Nora McGuire and Deanna Nelson kept the ball in HP’s side for much of the half, but at the 25 minute mark a wide pass to the HP wing resulted in a blast that goalie Rebecca Velez lost in the sun.  But that was it for HP as Velez shut them down from then on.  The second half was all Summit, as Coach Bohan substituted fresh troops freely and wore down HP in the heat.  An all sophomore front of Rachel Cohen, Jamie Osmulski, Allison Snyder, McGuire and Reid has some good success in getting off a number of shots on goal and keeping the pressure on the HP goalie.  But it was junior Katelyn Allocco who made a great defensive play that turned into a corner kick for Summit that was taken by Abby Costeira, who blasted a great corner 10 feet wide of the far post where Ardington was racing in to bang in the tying goal.  With Summits’ defensive backfield weakened by the loss of Hannah Stuckey to injury, it was up to Katherine Bearden, Suzanne Bell, Sarah Boak, Megan Osmulski and Abby Costeira to hold back HP.  Saving her best save for last, Velez launched herself parallel to the ground to snare a ball in mid air that had been headed in off a cross from HP in as good a save as you will see in high school.  That seemed to give Summit one last charge, and some nice work by Emma Nitzberg in the left corner got the ball free and she passed it to Emily Steffen who set up with a perfect pass Jamie Osmulski who banged home the winning goal. (reporting by John Reid)

Wed 09/20 4:00PMParsippany Hills H Lost 2-1 The Summit varsity lady Hilltoppers took on 17th ranked Par Hills and fought them all game in a physical, fast soccer match. After allowing two goals in the first half, Summits defense of Katherine Bearden, Suzanne Bell and Sarah Boak shut down the high scoring Par hills offense, and a great corner kick by Abby Costeira found the foot of Liz Curtin who banged in Summit’s goal. Despite numerous chances in the second half, Summit couldn’t get the tying goal. Keeper Rebecca Velez had 13 saves. (reporting by John Reid)
Fri 09/22 3:30 PMUnion A

Tied 3-3  Summit fought Union to a 3-3 draw in a game that had amazing ebbs and flows and drama in it.  Union seemed to catch Summit off guard midway through the first half on a high ball over the keepers head and a through ball scored by their midfielder. Summit finally got on the board with a great direct kick by Abby Costeira that shot into the upper part of the goal to bring Summit to a goal behind. Some nice midfield work by Lexi Zalk and Colleen Laughlin in the first half kept the pressure on Union at the end of the half.  The second half was all Summit as Union’s few runs were turned away by Katherine Bearden, Suzanne Bell and Sarah Boak   Summit’s offense got going again with a spark from the bench, with some great work by Jamie Osmulski and Allison Snyder up front found an open Alex Reid on the left who chipped in a nice goal over the heads of the defenders to tie the game at 2. Snyder assisted on the goal.  Soon thereafter a long throw in by Reid put the ball deep in Union’s end and all they could do was kick it out for a corner kick. The scoring duo of Abby Costeira and Liz Curtin struck for the second time this week, with a beautiful kick by Costeira finding Curtin in the middle of the goal mouth and she deftly headed the kick in for a 3-2 lead.  Despite having  the better of play for the rest of the game, Summit allowed Unions goalie to punt a ball deep into Summit’s end and their quick striker dribbled once and turned a solid ball to the far post past keeper Rebecca Velez who had no chance, for a 3-3 tie.  When the whistle blew 5 seconds later the Summit crowd groaned, but the Hilltoppers didn’t let down and held on through two overtimes to secure a tie. (reporting by John Reid)

Man 09/25 4:00PMDover H

Won 3-2 In a must win game on a beautiful day for soccer at memorial, the Summit Varsity Lady Hilltoppers won a game that was only close on the scoreboard.  Holding Dover to only 4 shots on goal, the defense was bolstered by the return of Hannah Stuckey at left defender and sweeper.   Summit on the other hand had well over 30 shots on goal, and probably another 10 that sailed over the crossbar or just wide.  All of the scoring came in the first half, with Dover scoring first on a nice carry by their right wing to point blank range on the Summit goal.  Summit responded quickly at the 16 minute mark on a nice play by Rachel Cohen who fought hard and crossed the ball to a wide open Liz Curtin for the tying goal.  Emma Nitzberg made a solo run down half the field and converted on her breakaway, and Curtin got her second goal on a nice through ball by Alex Reid to make it 3-1.  But a momentary defensive lapse at the 39 minute mark allowed the Dover girl another breakaway and she closed the gap to 3-2 at half.  Summit came out trying to open up a gap and had a number of off sides called on their forwards who were aggressively trying to get the goal.  Megan Osmulski, Allison Snyder and Katelyn Allocco were inserted midway into the second half to give Summit some offense and had numerous opportunities.  Allocco had an amazing throw-in from the 18 all the way into the goal mouth and Summit just missed a golden opportunity.  The midfields Colleen Laughlin, Nora McGuire and Abby Costeira all had solid games. (reporting by John Reid)

Fri 09/29 4:00 PMMorris Hills A

Won 3-0 The Summit Varsity Lady Hilltoppers traveled to Morris Hills and came away with a terrific 3-0 victory.  Summit came out with some line up changes and some renewed energy but most of the play in the first half was between the 18’s.  MH got a good chance halfway through the period but an aggressive play by goaltender Deanna Nelson kept the shut out going.  Some nice play in the middle by Colleen Laughlin and Sarah Boak kept the ball moving forward, and attackers Jamie Osmulski and Allison Snyder created some nice opportunities.  The second half was a different game as Summit began to wear out MH and the Hilltoppers broke through on a terrific play.  The ball was cleared to Emma Nitzberg at midfield, who turned and sent the ball to Abbie Costeira who then sent a ball down the right side to Rachel Ardington. Ardington worked hard to get free and crossed a ball right in front of the goal.  As the ball passed the goalie, Nitzberg, who had made the run all the way from midfield, was there to smash it in the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.  The second goal was similar as Nelson, now playing center mid, headed a ball back into the offense and to the foot of Snyder, who crossed a ball to Liz Curtin who made one move and drilled a low shot into the goal a for a 2-0 advantage.  But 30 minutes remained in the game. The defense took over, with Hannah Stuckey at sweeper playing a flawless game, and Suzanne Bell and Katherine Bearden on the outside turning back the speedy MH forwards.  Finally with only three minutes to play, an indefatigable Liz Curtin scored on as strong an individual play as Summit has had all year. With five defenders around her, she somehow got the ball through and let fire with two defenders literally hanging on her. The ball was hit perfectly and drove into the right corner for her second goal and the winning margin. (reporting by John Reid)

Wed 10/04 4:00PMMendham H Lost 3-1 In a disappointing outcome of a hard fought game, the Summit Lady Hilltoppers came out on the short end against a very tough Mendham team.  Mendham scored first at the 20 minute mark as a striker split Summits defenders and fired point blank on keeper Deanna Nelson.  But in less than 20 seconds Summit knotted the score when on the kick off Abby Costeira lofted a long ball down field to a streaking Emma Nitzberg who beat the left defender and deftly slid a shot past the charging Mendham goalie for a 1-1 game.  Summit had numerous opportunities after that but it wasn’t their day.  A great cross by Nitzberg found three Summit girls at the 18 and Costeira fired a shot that hit the left post and bounced out. Mendham’s offense fired repeatedly at Summits keeper Rebecca Velez in the second half who turned back over ten shots before allowing the final tally.  Hannah Stuckey played a great sweeper all game, and Liz Curtin fought hard at striker while mostly double teamed all game. (reporting by John Reid)
Fri 10/06 4:00 PMWest Essex A

Lost 2-0  A depleted varsity roster did not dampen the determination of the Varsity Lady Hilltoppers who lost a hard fought game at West Essex 2-0 today.  Despite controlling the play for most of the second half Summit was unable to crack through for a goal despite some nice attempts by Rachel Cohen, Liz Curtin, and Nora McGuire.  Some great defensive work by Sarah Boak who played despite being banged up, and Hannah Stuckey kept the speedy strikers at bay, and keepers Deanna Nelson who played most of the game, and Megan Osmulski who played a great last 5 minutes in goal, did a good job in goal. (reporting by John Reid)

Wed 10/11 4:00PMParsippany H Won 5-3  In horrendous conditions at Memorial Field today during a driving rainstorm, the Varsity Lady Hilltoppers broke out of their offensive doldrums and scored 5 goals, avenging an early season loss to Parsippany 5-3. Everyone on the offense played with a renewed spark, and the tone was set early by junior striker Emma Nitzberg, who utilized her speed to carry the ball deep into Parsippany territory and terrorize their goaltender.  Summit scored first on a terrific play when the defense cleared the ball to Liz Curtin, who slid it to Nitzberg, who then found Rachel Cohen making a nice diagonal run towards goal. Cohen’s shot was deflected out to the foot of Colleen Laughlin, who hit a terrific ball from the 15 yard line into the upper reaches of the net for a 1-0 lead after 15 minutes.  But some miscommunication on the defense allowed two quick Parsippany goals and all of a sudden the Lady Hilltoppers found themselves behind 2-1 in a game they were dominating.  But as they have done all year, the girls fought back, and a nice clearing ball by Hannah Stuckey found Nitzberg streaking down the middle of the field and when the goalie came out, Nitzberg slid the ball by her for the tying goal.  With the momentum on their side, Summit struck again on a great effort by Rachel Ardington who had her first attempt blocked but stuck with it and got off a hard high ball just into the high right corner to give Summit a 3-2 halftime advantage.  Summit came out hard in the second half and used some nice runs by Katelyn Allocco and Liz Curtin to get the ball downfield where Emma Nitzberg again found the net on a low drive that squirted out of the goalies soaked gloves and into the net for a seemingly safe 4-2 lead. But in this kind of weather nothing is safe and Parsippany stormed back and shot at close range with the ball deflecting off of a Summit player past goaltender Rebecca Velez who had no chance. This ignited Parsippany who began to move their defenders forward to keep the ball in Summit’s end. Some nice work by middies Emily Steffen, Nora McGuire and Sarah Boak gave the defense some rest as they headed, dribbled or blasted the ball out of Summit’s end. Finally with less than two minutes to go they cleared a ball to the foot of striker Jamie Osmulski, who had a terrific second half, and through sheer strength and determination carried the ball into the goal area and blasted a ball underneath the goalie for the final tally.  (reporting by John Reid)
Fri 10/13 4:00PMChatham A Won 1-0  In the most exciting game of the year to date, the Varsity Lady Hilltoppers played their hearts out and came up with a 1-0 overtime victory on the turf in ChathamSummit came out aggressively from the start, and it showed in the number of 50/50 balls Summit won. Emily Steffen and Colleen Laughlin were getting to every ball, with Steffen drawing three fouls from the Chatham defense resulting in direct kicks for Summit.  Offensive runs by Emma Nitzberg, Alex Reid and Liz Curtin wore down the Chatham defense, and Summit had numerous shots on goal set up by Lexi Zalk and Rachel Ardington against an experienced Chatham defense.  The half ended tied 0-0 and the huge crowd of Summit supporters was looking for Summit to play the same in the second half.  But it was Chatham who came out hungrier at the start and really tested the defense of Hannah Stuckey, Katherine Bearden, and Suzanne Bell, who all played a terrific game.  Coach began substituting to find the right combination, and that seemed to even things out on the field, with Jamie Osmulski, Nora McGuire, Rachel Cohen and Megan Osmulski all providing a needed spark.  The last 20 minutes of the game was nail biting, and only the superior play of goaltender Rebecca Velez, who aggressively came out of net on a number of Chatham drives to snuff out potential shots, kept Summit in the game. By the time regulation had ended both teams had left a lot on the field, but the crowd could sense that Summit had more energy left, buoyed in part by the arrival of their outside mid Allison Snyder, who is out with an injury. Her walk across the field on crutches to be with her teammates seemed to give everyone a second wind, and sure enough the Hilltoppers came out on fire.  Some nice work on the left side by Deanna Nelson, Abby Costeira, Reid and Nitzberg got the ball downfield, and a nice change of field by Laughlin resulted in a throw in for Summit. Coach had inserted Katelyn Allocco into the game for just such an occasion, and the junior midfielder with the team’s most powerful throw in, lofted a long ball from the right sideline that found the right foot of Liz Curtin who turned and drilled a ball into the far left side of the net for the overtime victory. (reporting by John Reid)
Sat 10/14 Kent Place Won 2-0  In front of a packed house on the turf at Kent Place, the Summit Varsity Lady Hilltoppers executed a methodical 2-0 victory over 7th ranked Kent Place in the first round of the Union County tournament. The game was won by the defense, which played their best game in shutting down KP’s two speedy strikers, holding them to almost no shots on goal. Hannah Stuckey, usually the sweeper, was assigned the task of marking KP’s leading scorer and she did an amazing job all game, giving her almost nothing on the field.  Katherine Bearden marked their other striker with equal proficiency.   Suzanne Bell was perfect playing sweeper for the first time this year. The other star on defense was keeper Rebecca Velez who played a flawless game, whether it was coming out to snuff out a through ball or holding her ground on headers off of corner kicks, Velez came up with her best game when it counted. Deanna Nelson and Abby Costeira played tough soccer, keeping the ball in KP’s end and helping to mark the strikers. On offense Emma Nitzberg wowed the crowd with her speed and created numerous shots for Summit, and Liz Curtin carried the ball down field sometimes against two defenders to help Summit’s cause.  Early in the second half off a monstrous direct kick by Stuckey, Rachel Ardington took the ball towards the right corner and got off a high floater that was perfectly placed into the upper left corner for the first goal.  The second goal was Summit at its best.  After another defensive gem from Stuckey, Costeira took the ball in the midfield and after drawing away two defenders found left wing Alex Reid, alone on the left flank.  Reid made a nice move around KP’s defender and drove towards the goal, where she left footed a pass towards the front of the goalmouth where Emily Steffen was running.  Steffen’s shot hit the bottom of the crossbar, bounced down, and striker Jamie Osmulski knocked the carom in for a terrific goal. With a 2-0 lead, Summit continued to apply pressure from outside midfielders Katelyn Allocco and Rachel Cohen who made nice carries downfield.  KP’s last few offensive burst were shut down by Velez to preserve the shutout. (reporting by John Reid)
Wed 10/18 4:00PMHanover Park H Won 5-1 The Varsity Lady Hilltoppers took to the turf at Metro homes seeking to even their record to .500 against Hanover Park.  The opening twenty minutes saw Summit in the HP end the entire time, with middie Megan Osmulski, Deanna Nelson and Emily Steffen doing most of the work keeping the ball in their end. This generated three corner kicks for Summit, and the crowd sensed that a goal was imminent.  In the 23rd minute after more pressure from midfielders Colleen Laughlin and Nora McGuire, the ball ended up on the left goal line where wing Alex Reid got to it, carried it down the line and chipped a pass to the head of Rachel Ardington who redirected the ball into the left corner for a 1-0 lead.  More domination followed, and any offense by HP was turned back by defenders Katherine Bearden, Suzanne Bell and Hannah Stuckey, who worked the ball between them beautifully and then sent the ball downfield to the open player. Summit generated numerous throw in opportunities which for some teams is a neutral play. But in the capable hands of junior Katelyn Allocco and her long throw-ins, it becomes an offensive weapon for Summit.  The last of many of her throws landed at the feet of Liz Curtin, who got the ball to fellow striker Jamie Osmulski, who shot and the rebound was knocked in by Nora McGuire for a seemingly comfortable 2-0 lead at half. Summit came out in the second half looking like a team that knew they would win, but got burned on the one defensive lapse they had all game, giving up a direct kick that resulted in a header that keeper Rebecca Velez had no chance on.  Summit kicked off and got an immediate shot on goal, and that seem to wake the team up. From there they played some of the best ball control soccer of the year. Another throw-in by Allocco resulted in a nice through ball from Curtin to Jaime Osmulski who fought off a defender and goalie and smashed the ball in for a 3-0 lead two minutes after HP’s goal. Summit’s fourth goal came on a nice steal in the defensive end by Reid, who sent a clearing ball to Curtin, whose pass to Osmulski looked like another goal. HP’s goalie made a nice stop but failed to corral the rebound, and Katelyn Allocco knocked in the carom.  Summit came close again on a nice back pass to Abby Costeira, who even though she was 40 yards out blasted a huge kick that just missed going in. Striker Rachel Cohen single handedly kept the ball in HP’s end with her tireless work, and after stealing another clearing attempt by HP, Cohen slid a ball to the left side where Reid took one dribble and hit a low shot with her left foot to the short side and into the back of the net for the fifth goal. Velez had a few key moments, coming out to smother a rush by an HP striker and holding her ground and corralling a head ball off a corner kick to preserve the final margin. (reporting by John Reid)
Sat 10/21 12:25PM Westfield @ Gov. Livingston

Lost 3-1 Playing the second round of the UCT Summit took the turf against 2nd ranked Westfield in Berkeley Heights. The Hilltoppers gave a valiant effort but came out on the short end of a 3-1 loss. Summit came ready to play and took it to Westfield in the first ten minutes. Deanna Nelson, Emily Steffen and Abby Costeira were winning their 50-50 balls and forwards Liz Curtin and Jamie Osmulski were getting good pressure. But it was Westfield who scored first on a quick strike from 25 yards on the right side into the upper right corner of the net at the 11 minute mark. The game was played at a high level after that on both ends, with each team making good runs into the others end. Westfield’s fast wings carried the ball deep into Summit’s end, only to find sweeper Hannah Stuckey, who played a terrific game from sideline to sideline, keeping Westfield away from Summit’s net. As Westfield was putting pressure on Summit from the left side, middie Rachel Ardington hustled back and stole a ball away from WestfieldArdington passed to Osmulski who made a nice move and centered the ball into the front of Westfield’s net.  Left wing Alex Reid beat her defender to the ball, made a touch to the right and stuck a low shot past the goalie into the left corner for the tying goal. But Westfield came back and in the strangest play of the year scored when their right wing lofted a high shot that everyone in the crowd thought was way over the net.  It looked to clear the top of the net, but all of a sudden the referee blew his whistle signifying a goal, with the ball somehow finding the last possible space in the upper left corner, perhaps by the wind blowing against the shot. The second half saw coach mixing up her already depleted lineup trying to find a combination that could tie the game. Some nice plays by Colleen Laughlin, Rachel Cohen and Nora McGuire created some opportunities for Summit, and a nice play by Reid almost knocked the ball away from the goalie.  Westfield was able to sneak a ball past Summit on a screened shot to make it 3-1, and despite some heroic efforts, including an individual play by Emily Steffen, sacrificing her body to try and get a header past the goalie, still came up short.

Wed 10/25 4:00 PMDover A Won 2-0  On the frozen tundra of Dover’s Hamilton field, the Varsity Lady Hilltoppers traveled a long way and came through with a 2-0 win.  With the wind howling in all directions it was a particularly hard goalkeeping day, but Summit’s keeper Rebecca Velez played her position perfectly to record the shutout.  Summit controlled the ball the first 20 minutes of the game and allowed Dover only 2 crosses of the midfield line, but could not score.  Deanna Nelson, who played almost the entire game, was particularly effective keeping the ball in Dover’s end, either heading the ball back in or beating her opponent to the 50/50 ball.  Summit tried to put pressure from the right side with wing Rachel Ardington, and strikers Jamie Osmulski and Liz Curtin must have had 6 shots on goal on feeds from Ardington without finding the net.  Some nice play in the midfield by Nora McGuire, Lexi Zalk and Emily Steffen kept the ball on the offensive, but Dover began to make some inroads offensively, with only some nice work by Sarah Boak, Suzanne Bell and Shannon Murphy kept them away from goal.  The half ended at 0-0 and Summit left the field totally frustrated.  The Hilltoppers came out more aggressively in the second half, and with the wind at their backs began driving the ball towards Dover’s goal.  Any attempt to clear the ball was kept in by Summit, and on one attempt Suzanne Bell stepped in and sent a ball from the right sideline all the way to the left side of the field. Wing Alex Reid made a nice trap and got the ball to Liz Curtin for a shot, and Jamie Osmulski was there to finish the play for a 1-0 lead at the 5 minute mark.  Dover responded with their most aggressive play of the afternoon, and when keeper Velez was knocked down trying to get to a charging Dover striker, Summit’s goal was undefended. But fullback Kylie McKenna, seeing her first varsity action of the year, was there to head out what was surely going to be the tying goal and preserve Summit’s advantage. It was a very senior like play by the terrific freshman player. Coach kept sending fresh players in, and Megan Osmulski and Katelyn Allocco were particularly effective on the offensive end, and Abby Costeira and Colleen Laughlin were solid defensively.  Summit broke through when Rachel Cohen, playing her usual brand of aggressive soccer, stole a ball away from Dover on the left side and centered a ball into the middle.  Maddie Kaplan drew two defenders as she went for the ball, and it slid through to right wing Alex Reid who banged a hard shot high into the back of the net for the final margin. 
Mon 10/30 4PM Ridgefield Park A 1st Rnd Group 2 Sectional Won 2-1 Summit traveled to North Jersey to meet their first round opponent, and on a field that may have reminded the players of their days playing at Franklin School before it was condemned, Summit narrowly gained a 2-1 victory against Ridgefield Park.  The field was dirt, and short from end to end and narrow from sideline to sideline, and the Varsity Lady Hilltoppers needed to make some adjustments to their normal game. In addition, the wind was howling and the sun shone directly into one of the goals. Summit had the wind and the sun in the first half, and played some nice control soccer as they adjusted their passing and through balls to the field dimensions.  Emily Steffen, Abby Costeira and Deanna Nelson each played hard against some large opponents to kept he ball in RP’s end, and Rachel Ardington and Katelyn Allocco made nice moves downfield from the wings. Summits first good opportunity came at the 10 minute mark when Liz Curtin stormed the goal area and ran into the RP goalie, dislodging the ball and getting it to Jamie Osmulski, who drove a ball just over the crossbar.  At the 15 minute mark a nice dribble move by Steffen got her in position to take a low liner that just missed. Finally at the 17 minute mark left wing Alex Reid took a clearing ball back down the left side, cut diagonally towards the middle and from a tough angle got a left foot shot past the goaltender and into the far right corner for a 1-0 advantage.  Many in the crowd sensed that Summit would score a lot more, but despite many more shots from Curtin, Nora McGuire and Nelson, the score remained 1-0 at half.  The second half was a completely different game, as RP now had the wind and keeper Rebecca Velez stared into a setting sun. And sure enough, on a throw that flew almost into goal, RP got a header over Velez’s head for the tie score.  But Summit’s defense tightened, as Suzanne Bell at right defender marked a girl 9 inches taller all game, and Kylie McKenna, a freshman moved up to varsity in the latter part of the season, played a gritty game denying any offensive push down her side of the field.  Sarah Boak, who was called into emergency sweeper duty, played a terrific game, challenging RP by playing up and never letting them down the middle for a break.  RP’s goal awakened Summit, and despite going against the wind, the Lady Hilltoppers really put on an offensive display of tight passing and hitting the open man in the final ten minutes.  RP kept taking their goal kicks from the right side, but he left side of  Maddie Kaplan, McKenna, Nelson, Steffen and Reid kept knocking the ball back in.  As time was running out, and the crowd roaring, a final goal kick sailed out to the head of Reid, who directed it to Curtin on the left middle of the field 10 yards into the midfield. In one move, Curtin wheeled and crossed a ball 40 yards over to the right wing and right to the foot of a streaking Rachel Cohen heading towards goal. Cohen made a great touch, propelling the ball forward and past her defender, and caught a shot flush that glanced off the goalie and into the back of the net for the lead! When the referee blew his whistle to end the game, the fans realized Cohen’s goal came with less than 30 seconds left in the game, and sent Summit to Round 2 of the states.
Wed 11/01 4:00PMMorris Hills H Won 3-0  On senior day at Metro Homes Field, the Summit Varsity Lady Hilltoppers took to the turf and scored a 3-0 victory over an outmatched MH team. Seniors Abby Costeira, Megan Osmulski and Rachel Ardington (Katherine Bearden was out with an injury) played their final home game in front of their fans and all had great games.   Playing on turf to prepare for Thursdays state playoff game, Summit took some time to get their timing down after playing on grass the past two games.  Some nice shots by Liz Curtin and Megan Osmulski from the striker position missed their mark, and despite keeping the ball down at MH’s end, the Hilltoppers could not score. Twice Costeira took great corner kicks only to be thwarted by MH’s goalie. Finally with 8:40 left in the period a clearing attempt off a corner kick by MH rolled smoothly out to the 30 yard line. Left defender Kylie McKenna lined up the ball and took dead aim and with a mighty left foot drilled a shot into the upper left corner for her first goal.  4 minutes later another ball rolled out to the 45 yard line and Abby Costeira, much to the amazement of the crowd, took dead aim at a goal 50 yards away. But with what sounded like a bazooka firing, she blasted a shot so hard that he shot into the upper reaches of the net over the stunned MH’s goaltender!  The second half was a clinic by Summit, who kept the ball controlled for long periods of time and forced numerous goal kicks that middies Deanna Nelson, Emily Steffen, Nora McGuire and Katelyn Allocco turned into scoring chances. If the ball did get by the midfield, the defensive line led by Sarah Boak, Suzanne Bell and McKenna was not to be beaten today.  On a direct kick from Boak, she found Jamie Osmulski streaking down the right side.  Osmulski made a nice long centering pass into the middle of the box and on one bounce her sister Megan Osmulski slammed a ball into the back of the net for one of the prettiest goals of the year and a 3-0 lead.  The Osmulski sisters leapt into each others arms as it was Megan’s first goal of the year!  Not to be outdone on senior day, right wing Rachel Ardington did double duty as wing and striker, and created numerous opportunities for scores with her fine play.  With 13 minutes to kill the Hilltoppers played smart defensive soccer, with occasional runs down the sidelines by Rachel Cohen and Alex Reid to use some clock, and some nice midfield work by Lexi Zalk to keep the ball in the opponents end.  On one play Reid got the ball to freshman Caroline Welsh, who made a terrific move to her left and found herself with a great angle to shoot, and she just missed converting wide on a nice shot. But the play of the game turned out to be a defensive one. Keeper Rebecca Velez, who played a great game in recording her 4th shutout, came out to challenge a streaking MH forward, who got to the ball and smartly chipped the ball over Velez’s head. The ball took one bounce and began bouncing towards the empty net. As the crowd gasped as the ball approached the goal line, sweeper Abby Costeira came from nowhere to reach the ball and somehow kick the ball out from the goal crease and out of bounds saving a goal!  
Thu 11/02 TBA West Essex A Group 2 Sectional Quarterfinals Lost 3-0  The Summit Varsity Lady Hilltoppers traveled to Caldwell for their third meeting with West Essex today and despite some high hopes came away on the short end of a 0-3 game in the second round of the State Tournament. West Essex, having lost only 2 games all season, looked confident when they took the field, and had the better of play at the outset.  After nine minutes a ball popped out to the 30 yard line and a West Essex player drilled a shot under the crossbar for the first goal.  Summit came back from that goal playing hard, with some nice play by Abby Costeira, Liz Curtin and Jamie Osmulski, but Summit’s shots on goal flew over the net on numerous occasions.  Finally in the 31st minute WE scored their second goal on another high shot, and the lead looked insurmountable at halftime.  The injury depleted Hilltoppers showed the crowd great determination and grit as they fought WE the entire second half. Using a variety of line-ups and substitutions, Coach tried to find a combination that worked, and Summit did get more scoring opportunities when the spread the field and used their wings to draw out WE’s defenders. WE played a deep sweeper which took away Summit’s long passing game, but some nice work by Rachel Ardington and Emily Steffen on the right side helped keep the ball on the WE side of the field. Defenders Kylie McKenna and Suzanne Bell worked hard all day chasing down WE’s speedy strikers, and keeper Rebecca Velez registered 9 saves and countless touches as WE got off a lot of shots. But in the end there was too much of a deficit to overcome and Summit’s State Tourney hopes ended with a 3-0 loss.
Sat 11/04 TBA Parsippany Hills A

Lost 1-3  Making up a previously postponed conference game, the Varsity Lady Hilltoppers traveled to Parsippany Hills to take on the highly ranked PH’s team that had reached as high as 13th ranked in the state this year.  PH and Summit fought evenly in the first 10 minutes, but the tide seemed to turn in PH’s favor as they made a number of runs into Summit’s end.  A high shot under the crossbar by PH began the scoring at the 15 minute mark.  But this seemed to give Summit the momentum, as for the next 15 minutes Summit took the game to PH in what was becoming an incredibly physical game. Summit got a number of great opportunities, including one with the goalie out. Emily Steffen took dead aim and shot a sure goal, only to see a defender come out of nowhere to knock the ball away.  A great crossing ball from Rachel Ardington on the right found left wing Alex Reid racing in to the middle and her shot went just wide past a frozen goaltender.  And minutes later, Liz Curtin came in alone on a break and collided with the PH goalie who made a terrific save. Summit’s pressure resulted in three straight throw-ins from the left side that Katelyn Allocco took. Her first two powerful throws were kicked out, but her third sailed long and a failed attempt to head the ball out by PH resulted in the ball skimming all the way over to the right side where wing Rachel Cohen was in perfect position to bang in a shot the PH’s goalie had no chance at. With all the momentum going in Summit direction as half approached, another high shot in the sun by Par Hills snuck in and took a lot of energy out of Summit at half.  The injury riddled Hilltoppers, who played with six players on the bench, just didn’t have enough firepower to mount a tying goal. Senior Abby Costeira and Ardington, playing in their final game, were all over the field trying to help the Hilltoppers cause, but they missed their fellow seniors Katherine Bearden and Megan Osmulski who were out with injuries. The Lady Hilltoppers ended the season 10-10-1, a great improvement from last year and a remarkable turn around considering their 1-5 start.