Watchung Hills Fall In Season Opener

In their opening game, the Watchung Hills Warriors fell to the Hillsborough Raiders 7-6. 

Down by one with 12 seconds left, Ryan Cunningham broke for the net. After swerving through the opposing defense, he shot at the goal, but the ball hit the post bouncing away, leaving the Raiders with the victory.

“Tough loss, we will get around it and move on. It’s not about how you start, it’s about how you finish. On to the next one,” said Captain Matt Rozmerski on the tough loss. 

Sophomore Sean Mullaney scored the first goal for the Warriors, with John Tekin adding the next two. At the end of the first, the Warriors held a 3-2 lead.

The Warriors were close to multiple goals, but the team’s opposing goalie, made some quick saves to give Hillsborough the win.

Dillon Zimmerman accumulated three goals for the Raiders, including the 13th (seventh for Hillsborough) goal leading his team to victory.

After going scoreless in the second before Cunningham scored in the third. The next two came from junior, Alec Orazietti, who also added two assists, both of which were to Tekin. Tekin also had two assists in the game.

The defense was solid for the Warriors, stopping Hillsborough on multiple occasions. “The defense, as a unit, worked hard against Hillsborough and battled it out through the game. There’s always room for improvement of course, but those adjustments will be made and we will be stepping forward,” said Captain and defenseman Danny Phillips.

The team showed teamwork throughout the game, not being selfish with the ball. The multiple passes led to the team scoring five of their six goals, as the last one came off a rebounded shot.

Discussing the opening game, Head Coach Jamie Lovejoy said, "It's difficult to drop a conference match up, especially on the first outing of the season. We are young and inexperienced in some facets of the game, which was evident at times today, but we have strong leadership amongst our players, which will serve us well. These young men have demonstrated great work ethic and a willingness to improve. I am confident that we will respond appropriately and maintain our focus while continuing to development. It's a long season and our goal is to hit stride when it counts most."

The team will look to take home win number one in their first home game Saturday, March 29 against Holmdel.

Game 1: (G) Mullaney 1, Tekin 1,2, Cunningham 1, Orazietti 1,2

               (A) Furlong 1, Orazietti 1,2, Tekin 1,2