Highs and Lows for Montgomery Athletics: Soccer and Field Hockey Victories Offset Volleyball Loss
Nicholas Mistretta
MHS ’79 Cougar Sports Correspondent
Montgomery Field Hockey Edges Mount St. Mary’s 2–1
The Montgomery Cougars field hockey team secured a narrow 2–1 victory over Mount St. Mary’s on Monday, improving their record to 4–4 on the season.
The first half was scoreless, with both defenses holding strong. In the third quarter, Elli Pizzuli broke the deadlock for Montgomery, only to see Mount St. Mary’s Courtney Carew answer back later in the quarter to tie the game at 1–1.
Montgomery regained the lead in the fourth quarter, with Pizzuli scoring her second goal of the day, providing the eventual game-winner. Pizzuli finished the match with two goals and four points, highlighting her impact on the field.
The Cougars dominated offensively, taking 17 shots on goal to Mount St. Mary’s seven and recording six penalty corner attempts. Goalie Phoebe Rounds added five saves to help preserve the win, while Mount St. Mary’s Kelly Naughton made 11 saves in a tough outing for the visitors.
Montgomery Boys Soccer Edges Phillipsburg in Overtime Thriller
The Cougars boys’ soccer team battled to an intense 1–1 tie in regulation before clinching a hard-fought 2–1 overtime victory over Phillipsburg on Thursday, improving their record to 6–2–1.
The Cougars struck first in the opening half, with Sid Goyal netting the game’s first goal. Phillipsburg responded to tie it 1–1 before halftime, as Wayne Maresch scored for the Stateliners with an assist from Joseph Firetto.
The game remained tight through the second half, with both goalkeepers holding strong. Montgomery’s Alex Acot recorded three saves while Phillipsburg’s Aidan Neyra turned away five Cougar shots.
In overtime, Sid Goyal came through once again, scoring the game-winning goal to seal the victory. Christian Truppi assisted on the decisive play, giving Goyal a total of two goals for the match and further cementing his impact on the game.
Montgomery outshot Phillipsburg 7–4, with a total of five points generated by Goyal and Truppi combined.
Montgomery Girls Soccer Falls to Undefeated Ridge in Hard-Fought Match
The Cougars girls’ soccer team battled unbeaten Ridge to the wire on Wednesday afternoon but came up just short, falling 2–1 in a tightly contested Skyland Conference matchup.
After a scoreless first half in which both defenses held strong, Ridge (7-0-1) broke through in the second with back-to-back goals. Maddy Landes opened the scoring with an assist from Nicole Gebert, and teammate Daphne Georgiades added insurance shortly after to put the Red Devils up 2–0.
Montgomery (5-4) refused to go quietly, with forward Emma Radley cutting the deficit in half with a late penalty kick to make it 2–1. Despite a late push from the Cougars’ attack, Ridge goalkeeper Ava Yiu turned away all but one of Montgomery’s seven shots on goal to preserve the win.
Montgomery’s goalkeepers were tested throughout the afternoon as Ridge peppered the net with 14 shots on goal. Victoria Formica recorded 8 saves and Nuvika Shah added 4 more to keep the Cougars within striking distance.
Montgomery Volleyball Falls to Hillsborough in Straight Sets
The Cougars girls’ volleyball team dropped a straight-set decision to rival Hillsborough on Thursday, falling 25–17, 25–14 to move to 2–7 on the season.
Despite the loss, several Cougars turned in strong individual performances. Pooja Venkat anchored the defense with nine digs, while Maya Flores added six digs and two aces. At the net, Polar Zacherau recorded a team-high three kills, and Anna Braem contributed two kills and two aces.
Hillsborough, now 6–3, was powered by Abigail Fenton, who tallied 10 kills and seven digs, while Cynthia Lei directed the offense with 18 assists and four aces. The Raiders controlled play throughout, recording 19 kills and 16 aces as a team.
Photo Credit: Nicholas Mistretta/headlinenewsmontgomery.com