As the ball lay helplessly on the freshly cut grass, Tara Vittese's long-sleeve green jersey seemed to blur against the fall foliage in the background as she whipped her stick in a blazing, circular motion.
Out of the small set of bleachers came a gasp, almost hoping to shield opposing players from the ball that sped toward them.
Time and again, Vittese replayed the scenario as she helped Camden Catholic maintain possession with her entry passes while seeming to strike fear in her opponents.
The poise and awareness of the do-everything sophomore helped visiting Camden Catholic down Kingsway, 4-2, Wednesday in a clash of two of the area's top field hockey teams.
"I think everyone can hit the ball hard," said Vittese, who finished with two goals and two assists. "It all depends on how well you practice. Maybe it's intimidating, but I have no idea."
Along with her shot, Vittese has developed a keen set of ballhandling skills, which she displayed throughout Wednesday's contest.
Almost at will, Vittese dribbled through defenders, around defenders, and at defenders as she moved down the field and played a part in all four goals for the Irish (13-4), who are ranked fifth in South Jersey by The Inquirer.
Twice in the game, her stick handling from right to left back to right resulted in a defender tripping to her knees. Almost like a crossover dribble in basketball, but with a stick.
Vittese said she first developed those stick skills on a roller hockey rink as a youth.
After 10th-ranked Kingsway (15-4) tied the score midway through the second half, Vittese took the ensuing tap the length of the field, resembling a hockey player as she seemed to skate gracefully downfield.
Once in the circle, she easily drew a crucial penalty corner. Less than a minute after yielding the lead, Camden Catholic was back on top, 3-2, thanks to a goal from Carolyn Kane.
"We definitely needed to score because the game was tied," Vittese said. "We couldn't let ourselves down, and we came back right after that corner."
Several times, Kingsway goals were called back by the officials, including a would-be tying score late in the second half. The referee signaled that the Dragons player had entered the circle too early on a penalty corner.
Kingsway had taken an early lead in the first half on a goal by midfielder Megan McLaughlin.
Camden Catholic will enter next week's Central Jersey Group 2 quarterfinal against Robbinsville with some momentum. It's their second win in a row, after Monday's overtime victory over Shawnee.
"We've had a lot of good games the last few days," Irish coach Maureen Nelson said. "It gives the girls a lot of confidence."
Along with confidence, they'll also return home to artificial turf. Vittese said Kingsway's grass was much better than other fields.
"The pace of the game is so much different," Vittese said. "It helps being much faster."
Camden Catholic 2 2 – 4
Kingsway 1 1 – 2
Goals: CC-Tara Vittese 2, Carolyn Kane, Alli Murray; K-Meghan McLaughlin, Alexa McIntyre.
Saves: CC-Isabella Dolent 6; K-Kelsey Dominik 7.
Contact staff writer Matt Breen at mbreen@phillynews.com or @matt_breen on Twitter.
