On a cold and windy Tuesday afternoon, Bernards wasn’t quite sure what to expect as it faced Montgomery in a Skyland Conference Raritan Division tilt.
Both teams entered undefeated, and both were 1-0 in the division.
“We knew it was going to be a really scrappy and tough game, so we wanted to come out with a lot of energy,” Bernards’ Kendall Schmerler said. “We knew it was going to be cold too.”
The Mountaineers took the cold and the wind in stride and jumped out to an early lead en route to a 14-10 victory. The win put Bernards atop the division at 2-0, while the Cougars fell to 1-1.
Montgomery entered Tuesday’s game averaging over 13 goals a game with wins against Peddie, Phillipsburg, North Hunterdon and Princeton. Bernards entered at 2-0 with wins over Ridge and Hillsborough.
“We knew they had some really strong players, we’re really going to have to play gritty today,” Bernards’ Kayla Davi said. “It’s not going to be all about the flash, it’s not going to be the same players scoring, it’s about getting everyone involved.”
Bernards managed to do just that, as the Mountaineers jumped out to 5-0 lead in the first quarter with five different players contributing goals and assists. Keenan Metro got the scoring started with an assist from Davi, then freshman Mia DeRosa scored two-straight for a 3-0 lead.
Alexa Paterno then scored on an assist from Caroline Burke, and Davi closed out the quarter with a goal for a 5-0 lead after one.
Bernards kept it going in the second quarter, outscoring the Cougars 4-3 for an 9-3 halftime lead. During that span, Schmerler recorded her 200th career point on a goal with 23.4 seconds left in the quarter.
“It’s so awesome, senior year, I’m really happy,” Schmerler said. “My teammates really put in the work and were looking for me to make good plays, and I was appreciative of that and it was awesome.”
Things changed in the third quarter as Montgomery came out firing. Sophomore Sophia Soron scored twice in the span of just over a minute on assists from Lexi Sambol and Lexi Lopez to cut the lead to 9-5 with 8:41 left.
DeRosa scored again for Bernards on an assist from Davi for a 10-5 lead, but a goal from Elliana Pizzulli made it a 10-6 game with 6:35 to play.
“Our attitude was definitely a shift, we started getting a little chippy with each other at some points because I feel like even though we were winning, we started playing like we were losing,” Davi said of the third quarter. “We took a second, we reflected and we regrouped and we got back out there which was really helpful for us.”
Bernards then scored three goals in the final 4:22, with two coming from Schmerler, and led Montgomery 13-7 after three.
The Cougars then outscord Bernards 3-1 in the fourth quarter for the 14-10 final.
“I think our defense, for the past few games, has been playing really, really well, really molding well together,” Schmerler said. “Today I think it was no different, especially in the beginning, we were really solid. Great communication, great slides from everyone across the board.”
For Montgomery, Soron led with four goals and seven draw controls. Pizzulli contributed a hat trick, one assist and six draw controls, while Kennedy Dexter added two goals and one assist. Emma Scrudato chipped in one goal and three draw controls.
Schmerler led Bernards with five goals and nine draw controls. Davi had two goals and three assists, while DeRosa finished with a hat trick. Alexa Paterno recorded two goals and five assists, Burke totaled one goal and two assists and Metro chipped in one goal and one assist.
“I feel like we’ve been doing a really good job of spreading out on attack, getting past the 12, and that’s been huge,” Davi said. “We have a low attack, Alexa Paterno shoutout again, who’s been assisting really well, and even others who are dodging or driving. It’s just acknowledging where you are on the field and I feel like everyone’s been starting to really know where the space is and know when to cut, which has been huge.”
Lauren Knego may be reached at [email protected]. Follow her at @laurenknego
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