In mid-September, the Southern Regional field hockey team was missing junior midfielder Mackenzie Sininsky when it went to Howell and lost a 2-1 contest to the Rebels. On Nov. 9, Sininsky was on the field.

“We had to get them back,” said Sininsky, who scored the first goal of the game to help the Rams to a 2-0 victory during the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 4 semifinals. “We had to come into this game with confidence and play as if we had something to earn back. We knew we were capable if we put a lot of shots on goal, and the plan was to put constant pressure on their defense.”

Not only did the Rams tally 15 penalty corners and 21 shots, they put 16 of those shots on goal, forcing opposing goaltender Molly Nagy to make multiple big saves just to keep the Rebels in the game. The sustained attack on offense began immediately, within the first minute, and didn’t let up until about the final two minutes.

After nearly nine minutes of continued pressure on Howell’s defense, Sininsky delivered the eventual game-winning goal with 5:49 to play in the first quarter, corralling a loose ball in the circle, some 10 yards from the cage, and snapping a shot through traffic and past Nagy for a 1-0 advantage.

The top-seeded Rams (13-7-1) piled on the corners in the second quarter, racking up six and peppering Nagy with another five shots on goal. However, the fifth-seeded Rebels didn’t yield, and Southern took the one-goal lead into the second half, which was more of the same – Southern kept up the pressure, and Howell hardly countered.

“The difference between the last time we played Howell and today is that the team chemistry is a lot better,” said senor midfielder Kai Angelozzi. “After that loss, we started getting super excited for each other and bonded a lot more. For this game, we wanted to keep the ball in their end as much as possible, and if you pass the ball enough and get enough shots, eventually the ball is going to go into the goal.”

TOTAL FOCUS: Southern Regional junior Mackenzie Sininsky sends a pass to the outside during the third quarter of the Rams’ sectional semifinals win against Howell.

With 1:30 to go in the third quarter, Angelozzi broke through. After Paige Shaw played the ball through the circle on a corner, Sininsky whipped a shot toward the Howell goal, but a defender blocked it. However, the ball skipped directly onto the stick of Angelozzi, who was parked at the right post, and she buried it to make it a 2-0 contest.

From there, the Southern defense closed out the game with a goose egg. Rams goaltender Makayla Lutz didn’t even need to make a save, despite several Howell corners during the final two minutes.

“All our girls truly stepped up today and played a beautiful game,” said head coach Denise Newill. “Our defense was outstanding.”

The Rams played another outstanding game on Nov. 4, when they bounced eighth-seeded Cherry Hill East, 2-1. Southern scored once in the first quarter and once in the second. Sininsky and Shaw contributed the goals, and Faith Bruther recorded an assist. Lutz registered four saves while the Rams again totaled 16 shots on goal.

BIG SHOT: Southern Regional senior Paige Shaw delivers a shot on goal during the second quarter of the Rams’ 2-0 win on Nov. 9. Southern advanced to the sectional final for the third time in program history.

“I’m so grateful that I get to have at least one more game with my people,” Angelozzi said. “I believe we can accomplish anything if we work hard enough. We just need to bring the energy and effort, and anything’s possible. This entire season, our goal was to prove everyone wrong, and I think we’ve done that.”

Southern will need an incredible effort on Wednesday, Nov. 11, when the Rams square off with second-seeded Kingsway, which has scored at least six goals in all three of its state tournament games thus far, including a 6-0 bruising of third-seeded Eastern in the semifinals. The Dragons are 14-7, but play one of the toughest schedules in the state.

“Two years ago, Kingsway made passes we had never seen before, and we were not expecting that at all,” Sininsky said, referring to the 10-0 beating the Rams experienced in the sectional final in 2024. “We’re such a different team now, but our defense is going to have to be outstanding again. We have to keep our energy up, and our offense has to do everything possible to finish on the opportunities we get.”

Newill said there’s no secret formula on how to beat Kingsway.

“I don’t have a magic potion,” she said. “We’re going to see fast, true, skilled hockey, and we have stick to basics and do what we do, and we’ll make adjustments as needed. Our girls will have to play the best game of their lives, and we’ll see if that works.”