E-Edition
Sign up for email newsletters
to submit an obituary
To place an obituary ad, please contact obits@trentonian.com or 610-235-2690.
Sign up for email newsletters
E-Edition
PENNINGTON – Genevieve Vallieres did not want to take any chances, so the Pennington School field hockey team senior set the tempo early with a goal just 77 seconds into the game.
Vallieres and the top-seeded Red Hawks continued to work and controlled the flow of play and now are headed to the Prep B state final after a 6-0 win over No. 4 St. Elizabeth on a magnificent fall Monday in Pennington.
Putting on a clinic, Vallieres widened the Red Hawks’ lead in the second when she scored three more to give them a 4-0 halftime advantage.
Pennington faces the winner of No. 2 Montclair Kimberley and No. 3 Morristown-Beard for the Prep B state title. The game is scheduled for Monday.
Montclair Kimberley has been a nemesis for the Red Hawks as it defeated them in the 2023 and 2024 state final and have beaten Pennington three other times in the Prep B Tournament.
“It meant so much for us to come out strong,’’ said Vallieres, who is headed to Louisville next season. “We have been working for this all season and we have been focused on working as a team and communicating. I feel so proud of the team.’’
She connected on her first two goals off laser shots to the backboard and the last two were ball lofted softly over the Panthers goalie.
Pennington (13-2), which has won six straight games, has a game with Somerville on Tuesday and then on Thursday welcomes Colonial Valley Conference champion Allentown in a game that will have some local bragging rights on the line.
During the six game winning strea, the Red Hawks have allowed just one goal and have outscored the opposition, 31-1.
“Getting on the board early is monumental,’’ said Pennington coach Kristin McCarthy. “We had some good connections and there were some things we didn’t like, but we’ll work to fix them. Every time we step on the field it’s a learning process. We are super excited.’’
After a scoreless third period, the Red Hawks went back to work in the fourth getting a pair of goals from freshman Clara Meccage.
Vallieres’ four goals give her 29 on the season and that is a career high and she had two assists and now has 16 assists this year and that is also a career high. She has 82 career goals and 31 career assists for 195 career points.
Meccage is having quite a season with 18 goals and nine assists. The Red Hawks also got assists from Dilyn Elmore and Sierra Squire.
The standout for St. Elizabeth (8-10) was the goalie, Emma Carnivale, with 13 saves.
“It means so much to be going to the finals,’’ said Vallieres. “It shows that all the work we put in, all the effort and all the training is leading up to this moment. So we are gearing up and so pumped to be in this situation.’’
Being in the final is not a new spot for the Red Hawks, but what is new is that the game will be played at Pennington this year.
“It’s huge to be going back to the finals,’’ said McCarthy. “We went the last two years and lost so we have had this date circled on our calendars since last year. We do matchup pretty well, but we are going to have to play our best game.’’
Once again, it would be good to use the Vallieres method: score early and often.
St. Elizabeth (8-10) 0 0 0 0 – 0
Pennington (13-2) 1 3 0 2 – 6
Goals: P: Vallieres 4, Meccage 2. Assists: P: Vallieres 2, Meccage, Elmore, Squire Shots: St. E: 2. P: 19. Saves: P: Carnivale 13, P: Chiaravolloti 2.
Copyright © 2025 MediaNews Group