By Scott Stump - Senior Editor


     ALLENTOWN - Holmdel senior Owanate Briggs flicked a penalty stroke into the back of the cage during a penalty stroke shootout against Allentown on Monday, yet as she walked back to her teammates in the tense silence, she didn't know how to react until the official confirmed that she just cemented an accomplishment that had never occurred in the history of the Holmdel field hockey program.
     The Hornets outlasted the Redbirds, officially taking home a 2-1 victory in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group II championship game thanks to a 3-1 victory in a penalty stroke shootout after a pair of scoreless overtimes. Following Briggs' brief pause, she erupted along with her teammates into a jumping, hugging frenzy in celebration of the Hornets' first state sectional title in school history.
     "That was a terrible stroke, honestly,'' Briggs said before smiling. "I saw it go in, but I wasn't sure if that was the game. I just wanted to be sure before I celebrated (in case) it was tied.''
     They can be forgiven for not knowing quite how to react at first, because this is uncharted territory for the Hornets (12-4-4), who will now face South Jersey Group II champion Camden Catholic, in a Group II semifinal. The game will be played at 6 p.m. on Thursday at Bishop Eustace Prep in Pennsauken, Camden County.
     "There's no end for us,'' said senior Nicole Sepulveres, who played an oustanding defensive game and also converted a penalty stroke in the shootout. "We're going all the way.''
     First they had to get by the Redbirds (18-4), a perennial state playoff power, and helping them get there was outstanding sophomore goalie Alex Diekmann. She saved two of the first three strokes she saw in the shootout, including the opening stroke for either team, which immediately gave the Hornets some momentum.
     "It's just another ball coming at you,'' Diekmann said about her mindset going into the shootout. "(Holmdel coach Karen Baldwin) said, 'I believe in you, and we all have faith in you,' and I believe in myself.''
     "Huge,'' Baldwin said about Diekmann stopping the first stroke. "When we did the coin toss, I wanted to attack first and take the first stroke. (After losing the coin toss), I was still extremely confident that Diekmann stopping the first one was going to bode very well for us.''
     After Diekmann denied Allentown's Brittany O'Brien on the opening stroke of the shootout, Sepulveres drilled her attempt into the back of the cage for a 1-0 advantage. Allentown's second stroke attempt went wide left of the cage, and Kristen Davila provided a 2-0 edge for Holmdel by converting her stroke. The Redbirds cut it to a 2-1 lead when Briana Gaum converted her stroke, but after Holmdel missed its next attempt, Diekmann again came up big by stopping a shot by Paige Weatherbee. That meant Briggs could end it all, and after playing an outstanding game on defense for 80 minutes against a speedy Redbirds attack, it was only fitting that she brought it home for the Hornets.
     "She's a stud,'' Baldwin said. "She's been so consistent and so strong for us this entire season. It's perfectly good for her that she scores that game-winning stroke.''
     "I have faith in all the players,'' Diekmann said about standing and watching as Briggs converted the winner.
     During regulation, the Hornets struck first, grabbing a 1-0 lead with 19:32 left in the first half when Kay Gonzalez deflected in a shot by Sepulveres off a penalty corner. However, the host Redbirds retaliated with a goal of their own with 10:44 left in the first half when Kasie Nurko scored on a breakaway.
     That's the way it would stay for another 50 minutes of play, as Briggs, Melissa Martorelli and Heather Katz led a defensive effort that forced the shootout. At one point, with about 15 minutes left in regulation, the Redbirds had four straight penalty corners, but the Hornets held them off. In the two overtimes, both teams had their chances, as Holmdel had a combined four penalty corners and Allentown had two, but neither side could get off a great shot. Allentown ended up with a 14-10 shot advantage and a 12-10 advantage in penalty corners in the game.
     As time was winding down in the second overtime, it was hard not to think that Holmdel would have the advantage going into a shootout because of the presence of Diekmann.
     "That may have crossed my mind a couple times,'' Baldwin said before smiling. "We did our share of attacking in overtime as well, but when you get to the last three minutes of the secon overtime, it was, 'Get the ball out of our defensive end and outlast, (and) go into strokes.' Penalty strokes are something that we practice every single day, so going into them I was extremely confident in my strokers and especially my goalie.''
     That confidence was certainly justified by a nerves-of-steel performance in the shootout by a team that had never played in a game where the stakes were that high.
      "My stomach was jumbling, my heart was pounding and my hands were shaking,'' Sepulveres said about the shootout. "You just have to tell yourself to calm down, but your emotions are running wild.''
      After Briggs brought it home, it was time to let the emotions out of the cage, as the Hornets added another highlight to a season full of them, as they won the Class A Central public title during the regular season and reached the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals for the first time in school history. A big reason has been the presence of Baldwin, who in just her second season as head coach has taken the program to new heights by refusing to allow her team to settle for anything less than a championship.
      "She's made it contagious,'' Briggs said. "That's how all of us are now. Don't settle for what you have. We can do anything.''
      "Since the beginning (of Baldwin's tenure) we became a different team,'' Sepulveres said. "Last year, we built the foundation, and this year we're continuing to grow.''
      Holmdel is now one of three Shore Conference teams left standing in the state playoffs, as perennial power Shore Regional picked up a 2-1 victory over Pingry on Monday in the North II, Group I final by winning a penalty stroke shootout of its own and will now face Oak Knoll in a Group I semifinal at 2 p.m. at West Essex High School on Thursday. Holmdel joins Freehold as another program that won its first state sectional title in the program's history this year.
      "I couldn't possibly be more proud of these girls and what they've done for the program,'' Baldwin said.
      It certainly was a great feeling and one that had never been felt by any Holmdel field hockey players, even if it took a little while to sink in.
      "It's amazing,'' Diekmann said before smiling. "It hasn't even hit me yet. Give me a few minutes.''

E-mail: stump@digitalsports.com

Box score
Holmdel 2, Shore 1
(Holmdel wins a penalty stroke shootout, 3-1)

Holmdel (12-4-4)  1 0 0 0 1 - 2
Allentown (18-4)  1 0 0 0 0 - 1

Goals: (H) Gonzalez (Sepulveres) 10:28; (A) Nurko (Gaum) 19:16. Saves: (H) Diekmann 7; (A) Winkle 9. Shots: Allentown 14-10.
Shootout goals: (H) Sepulveres, Davila, Briggs; (A) Gaum.