By Andy Loigu

The Phillipsburg High School field hockey team, under the guidance of Rachel Phillips, won the program’s first Skyland Conference Delaware Division championship this fall and has reached the semifinal of the Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex championship tournament. They will be facing an old, familiar foe on October 22 at North Hunterdon in that semifinal, the North Hunterdon Lions.

The Stateliners outlasted the Lions 1-0 in overtime to clinch the Skyland Delaware title. It was their first win against the North Hunterdon Lions since September of 2023. “It was a really important game for us,” said Phillips, who moved up from assistant coach to head coach last year.

When field hockey games go into overtime, the number of field players decreases from 10 to six for each team, creating more surface area in which a team’s top scorers and stick handlers can maneuver.

P’burg junior Jackie Miller advanced a pass toward a cutting Payton Doering, a sophomore, who scored the golden goal with a knock into the right side of the cage, “There was open space,” Miller said, “so I knew I’d find somebody, it’s been awhile since we’ve beaten North.”

Now, after that redemptive win, the second seeded Liners (now 10-5 overall and 8-1 in conference play) and Lions have another big game awaiting them.

To reach the H/W/S semi, the Liners needed to win a game in which the defenses were tough, over the tradition-rich Warren Hills Blue Streaks. On Saturday, October 18, Avery Butler scored the only goal in another 1-0 P’burg win. Both goalkeepers and both defensive backlines performed admirably. Jordan Nonnemacher earned the shutout with four saves, while Warren Hills’ Emma Fraumeni also turned away four shots on goal.

Earlier, P’burg won a 5-0 shutout at Hackettstown on October 13 and a 3-2 struggle at Notre Dame of Lawrenceville, on October 9.

It’s been “Garnet October” for the Stateliners, who have shined in big games against high quality foes.

Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.