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The Boonton Field Hockey Team had a perfect start to their season, reeling off nine consecutive victories.
Heading into the 10th game, there was pressure on the Bombers to maintain that perfect record. Unfortunately, the Bombers suffered a 1-0 loss to Randolph, but it was a non-conference game.
Senior captain Lila Maggio elaborated on the loss.
“I honestly think the team handled our first loss very well,” Maggio said. “I think everyone was disappointed but I also think we were all starting to feel the pressure of being undefeated so this loss took some of the weight off our shoulders.”
The Bombers bounced back after that setback and made it to the semifinals of the Morris County Tournament for the first time in 16 years.
“It felt so surreal,” said Carmella Campanelli, one of the senior captains. “I knew we were doing well this year and we’ve been taking the season day by day but I was so happy to be making our coaches and the school proud. It was very much like a breakthrough for our team.”
However, the Bombers lost 4-1 to Madison in the Morris County Final Four.
The next day, Boonton beat Mountain Lakes 1-0 to capture the NJAC-Liberty Division title. The goal was scored by Maggio and assisted by Elizabeth Harbeson.
“It felt so good,” said Maggio. “Mountain Lakes is a school that we often get very competitive with, given that they are our neighboring town. There is always an unspoken feud between Boonton and Mountain Lakes, so beating them in general is cause for celebration. On top of the win, we also secured the conference title, which made this win 10 times more exciting.”
The Bombers’ goalie, Tayla Szmak, had a perfect game, making eight saves against the Lakers to notch the shutout. Szmak had an outstanding season, finishing with 126 saves. Over the first nine games, Szmak, who has 375 career saves, yielded a single goal.
“Knowing Tay’s in the cage gives us confidence because we know, if the time comes, she’ll be ready,” said junior captain Kaylee Hughen.
The Bombers, seeded third, competed in the NJSIAA North Jersey Group I Tournament.
“I believe our focus will be on clean and consistent field hockey moving forward,” said Hughen prior to the tourney. “In order to go far, we need to bring our ‘A’ game to every game and practice.”
And Boonton did, advancing to the sectional final, where it fell to Shore Regional.
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