West Deptford, Eustace to face off in state hockey semifinal
Jamie Robinson put her field hockey stick to good use Monday.
She used it to score two goals as West Deptford defeated Holy Spirit, 4-2, in the championship game of the South Jersey Group 2 tournament.
She also used it as a make-shift crutch to walk across the field after sitting out the final 10 minutes with a bruised left knee.
"She'll get up; she always gets up," West Deptford coach Linda Decker said of Robinson's availability for Thursday's state semifinals against Bishop Eustace.
Bishop Eustace won the Central Jersey Group 2 championship Monday with a 2-1 victory over Rumson-Fair Haven.
Lauren Boegly and Jenna Grady also scored goals for West Deptford (20-1), which captured its first sectional title since 2003. The Eagles have won 16 games in a row.
Katie Hehre and Joanna Persiano scored goals for Holy Spirit (18-2).
"Credit to West Deptford," Holy Spirit coach Kathy Biglin said. "They were very aggressive. They beat us to the ball on many occasions.
"It's hard playing in our area because we don't see teams like this all the time. We don't see this kind of competition on a day-in and day-out basis."
Robinson generated her goals in the first half to spark the Eagles to a 2-0 lead. She is among South Jersey's leading scorers with 35 goals.
"I have the whole team behind me," Robinson said. "We have each other's backs 100 percent."
Robinson said winning a South Jersey title was a thrill for the Eagles.
"It's amazing," Robinson said. "There's not many words to describe it."
Hehre's goal with 25 minutes, 41 seconds remaining cut West Deptford's lead to 2-1. But Boegly scored on a nice feed from Rachel Krott to make it 3-1, and Grady scored on a scramble in front to make it 4-1 with a little more than eight minutes to play.
"We made it a little too exciting," Decker said. "Winning a sectional title is always a big deal. It's a big step."
Robinson was hurt when a Holy Spirit player inadvertently hit the West Deptford attacker on the left knee with a stick. The impact was loud, and Robinson fell to the ground in obvious pain.
Robinson was helped off the field and watched the rest of the game with an ice pack on her knee. Decker said Robinson probably would rest the knee for 24 hours.
"I'm pretty sure she's going to be all right," Decker said.
Asked what would keep her out of Thursday's state semifinals, Robinson said, "Hopefully nothing."
Holy Spirit 0 2 - 2
West Deptford 2 2 - 4
Goals: WD-Jamie Robinson 2, Lauren Boegly, Jenna Grady. HS-Katie Hehre, Joanna Persiano.
Saves:WD-Brooke Heininger, 4; HS-Amber D'Ambrosio, 9.
Contact staff writer Phil Anastasia at 856-779-3223 or panastasia@phillynews.com.









