HAMMONTON—A year after winning a conference title, St. Joseph Academy’s field hockey team has picked up where it left off, opening this season with four-straight wins, including three last week.
Playing at home for the first time this season, St. Joseph blanked Absegami 4-0.
The Wildcats were in control from the start, pushing the ball quickly downfield and putting constant pressure on the Braves’ defense.
After missing a few early scoring chances, St. Joe took the lead late in the first quarter on a goal from Giavanna Fox.
Fox, a talented junior forward, slipped a shot past Absegami goalie Vivian Jiang as several players fought for the ball in front of the goal.
In the second quarter, Macie Jacquet scored, assisted by Grace Gonzalez for a 2-0 lead and just before halftime, Cassidy Perri took a pass from Brogan Heilig to put St. Joe ahead 3-0 at the break.
Absegami had no answer for St. Joseph’s aggressive offensive style and the Braves only advanced past midfield once in the first half.
“We don’t let up. We’re never complacent. We’re always hungry for the ball, hungry for the goal. We jeep pushing and we’re really big in that high pressure,” St. Joseph coach Corinne Veight said.
Veight is in her first season at St. Joseph and has quickly put her mark on the program.
“It’s been an easy transition. We have a lot of talent, we brought in a lot of talent this year, some good freshmen. Strong upperclassmen, we’re just working to flow together and build chemistry. We have the stick skills we just need to fine tune everything,” Veight said.
Leading 3-0 in the final period against Absegami, St. Joe sealed the win on a goal from Elizabeth Dainton.
The Wildcats opened play last week with a 6-0 win at Lower Cape May. The Wildcats scored four times in the first quarter of that matchup.
Heilig gave the Wildcats a 1-0 lead and Fox quickly followed with another goal. Jacquet and Perri added goals for a 4-0 lead.
In the third quarter, Indy Lewis scored for the Wildcats and their final goal came in the fourth quarter from Fox.
Goalie Bella Davis, who did not record a save against Absegami, had five in the win at Lower Cape May, while Katie Canova added two.
St. Joe’s week ended with a hard-fought 1-0 win against Glassboro.
Sophia Kenelia scored in the second quarter for the game’s lone goal.
Davis played well in the cage for the Wildcats, stopping three shots as St. Joe recorded its fourth-straight shutout win.
Veight has been happy with her team’s play this season but still sees room for improvement.
“We’re still working out the kinks, the passing lanes, working out all those things. But these girls are resilient, they’re working hard they’re getting where they need to be,” Veight said.
Earlier this week, St. Joseph hosted games against Gloucester Catholic and Cedar Creek, but they ended too late for this edition. On September 22, the Wildcats play at Oakcrest at 4 p.m.