By LESLEY GRAHAM
The Ocean City field hockey team closed out the regular season with a convincing 10-0 victory over Absegami on Saturday.
The win improved Ocean City’s record to 17-2 (14-1 conference), while Absegami dropped to 3-12 (3-11 conference). It also secured Ocean City as co-champions of the Cape Atlantic League, sharing the title with Egg Harbor Township.
Eight different Red Raiders got in on the scoring on the afternoon. Leading all scorers for the Raiders were Carly Hanin and Tricia Nicoletti with two goals and an assist apiece.
The balanced attack also included two goals from Camryn Flynn and one goal from Andi Helphenstine.
Julia Neff and Brooke Hanley each had a goal and an assist, while Olivia Vanesko had one goal and two assists. Racheli Levy-Smith rounded out the scoring with an assist. Goalie Taryn Dolka had two saves on the afternoon.
Ocean City jumped out to an early lead, scoring five goals in the opening quarter of play.
As the game progressed, the Red Raiders settled into a rhythm, allowing for even scoring in the remaining three quarters of the game.
Head Coach Kelsey Burke liked the intensity and energy she saw from her squad.
“I really thought we played well all around today. The energy was high. The girls were communicating and we were hungry in the circle,” Burke said.
The Red Raiders were able to get 32 shots on cage. Absegami goalkeeper Vivian Jiang had 22 saves.
Ocean City is preparing to move into the playoffs on Wednesday as the No. 1 seed in the South Jersey Group 3 tournament. The Red Raiders will face Timber Creek, the 16th seed.
“Wednesday is playoffs and we are looking forward to it and know that every single day counts. We are hoping to keep up the energy and continue to improve day to day,” Burke said.
