The South Jersey Group 2 field hockey final was scoreless late in the first half Tuesday, and Haddonfield goalie Maura Trotman kept it that way when she faced a West Deptford shooter one-on-one in front of the cage.
Trotman made the save with her left glove.
"I saw there was another girl off to my right, and I knew if I didn't stop and clear that ball, she might get one in," said Trotman, who finished with five saves. "It was do or die."
Haddonfield immediately took advantage of Trotman's clutch play.
The host Bulldogs went down the other end, and forward Kat Thomas scored with just 1 minute, 6 seconds left before intermission. They held West Deptford scoreless for the remainder of the contest as Haddonfield took its second straight sectional crown with a 1-0 victory.
"It wasn't the prettiest game, but both teams gave everything they had," said Bulldogs coach Lindsay Kocher, whose squad had two regular-season wins over West Deptford. "We were lucky enough to put one in before they did, and just keep them out of our end."
The Bulldogs (22-1) will move on the state semifinals against Camden Catholic, a 4-0 winner over Collingswood in Tuesday's Central Jersey final. Last year, Haddonfield fell to Bishop Eustace after advancing.
West Deptford's season ended with a 15-5 mark. The Eagles had eight shots and five corners, and goalie Dahlia VanDorick played a fine game with eight saves. Haddonfield collected 11 corners to go with six shots.
"We started slow, and I thought we needed to start fast," Eagles coach Linda Decker said. "And we didn't.
On her goal, Thomas took a pass from Maddie Betley and found the net from the left side.
"I saw Maddie bringing it up, and I knew she was going to cross it," Thomas said. "She got a little touch on it, just enough to get it around the defender, and I swept it in. It was a really good feeling to show that we could do it again."
West Deptford 0 0 – 0
Haddonfield 1 0 – 1
Goal: H-Kat Thomas.
Saves: WD-Dahlia VanDorick 8; H-Maura Trotman 5.
Contact staff writer Kevin Tatum at 215-854-2583
