TITLE CHASE: Hun School girls’ soccer player Ashley Maziarz, left, chases down a ball last Thursday against Peddie in the state Prep A semifinals. Senior star and Lehigh-bound Maziarz contributed a goal as top-seeded Hun topped No. 5 Peddie 4-1. Hun, now 12-4-1, hosts second-seeded and perennial Prep A champion Pennington in the title game on November 5. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Ashley Maziarz and her teammates on the Hun School girls’ soccer team were determined to leave it all on the field when they faced Peddie last Thursday in the state Prep A semifinals.

“We knew this was our last chance to win something,” said senior star and co-captain Maziarz, noting that Hun came into the contest having lost to Allentown in the Mercer County Tournament quarterfinals and Lawrenceville in a regular season contest in its last two outings.

“We just wanted to go out there and give it all we got and show them the team we can be.”

Top-seeded Hun didn’t waste any time showing fifth-seeded Peddie that it meant business as Jess Sacco and Maziarz found the back of the net early in the first half to give the Raiders a 2-0 lead.

“We knew we couldn’t come out flat because we have done that before and gotten ourselves into a hole,” said Maziarz, reflecting on Hun’s quick start. “We tried to come out as strong as we could and get a couple of goals early.”

Showing her strength in the air, Maziarz’s tally came on a header assisted by freshman Nicole Apuzzi.

“It was great service by Nicole, I was lucky because I almost second-guessed myself,” said Maziarz. “Luckily I went with my gut. I thought the ball was going to drop sooner so I almost didn’t head the ball.”

While Peddie narrowed the gap to 2-1 early in the second half, Hun added two unanswered goals by Kennedy DeBow to post a 4-1 win in setting up a championship game against second-seeded and perennial Prep A champion Pennington on November 5.

“I was a little concerned, they came out hard as we knew they would,” said Maziarz.

“We seemed flat in the beginning. I was happy that we were able to pull it together and continue to work as a team and get a couple of more goals.”

Although the Lehigh-bound Maziarz has distinguished herself as a skilled defender for Hun over her career, she has been taking a greater role in the Raider attack as she heads down the homestretch of her senior campaign.

“The last couple games coach [Joanna Hallac] has put me at outside mid so I think she is trying to get me more involved in the offense,” said Maziarz. “I enjoy going up.”

Maziarz is enjoying her senior year, savoring the team camaraderie as much as the wins.

“We are trying to get as many games that we could,” said Maziarz. “It is sad that the season is coming to the end. It has been a great team and I love playing with each and every one of them. I am going to miss them a lot next year.”

It is fitting that the season will end with an appearance in the Prep A title game.

“It feels great to be back there, especially our senior year with this being our last shot at it,” said Maziarz. “We are really excited being home and having all of our fans here. Hopefully we can win this one.”

Hun head coach Joanna Hallac was excited by the way her squad started against Peddie.

“I felt we had a lot of the good pressure in the first half,” said Hallac. “In the first 10 minutes of the second half it was a little panicky. I think Peddie got a little tired after the first 10 minutes or so of the half and we just turned it back on and kept the pressure on.”

Hallac liked the way junior goalie Courtney Arch held up under the pressure.

“Courtney had a great game, she needed it,” said Hallac of Arch, who made five saves in the win over Peddie.

“She had a tough couple of games and I think her confidence was down a little bit so this was a nice game for her.”

The pair of senior co-captains Sacco and Maziarz inspires confidence in Hallac, “They have been just so instrumental,” asserted Hallac. “They wanted so badly to get back to that championship game and have another shot in their senior year.”

In Hallac’s view, Hun has a good shot at breaking Pennington’s 11-year Prep A title streak.

“I think it means a lot to us, it was one of our goals,” said Hallac, whose team improved to 12-4-1 with a 4-3 win over Peddie last Saturday in the regular season meeting between the rivals.

“I think this time around we know what to expect. They have a confidence this year that I don’t think we had last year. I think when we beat Pennington the first time (2-1 on September 30), they truly believed they could do it. I think they know when they play the way they are capable of, there is no other team they can’t beat. I think we have a good shot this time.”

Maziarz, for her part, believes the Raiders will have to produce another all-out effort to dethrone Pennington.

“The mindset is going out there and playing them the way we did the first time,” said Maziarz.

“We know they are a great team so we just have to keep our focus and just because we beat them once doesn’t mean it is definitely going to happen again. It definitely gives us confidence to know that we can play with them and beat them. We just need to make sure that we go out there and work hard.”