South Jersey field hockey notes

With the field hockey playoffs in full swing and higher-seeded teams playing on their own fields, which are sometimes artificial turf, they would seem to have an advantage over opponents that play on natural grass.

"It's truly a different game," West Deptford coach Linda Decker said of the synthetic grass. "If you are not [usually] playing on turf, it's a huge disadvantage. It is a much faster game [on turf]. You will see a lot more pushing rather than hitting the ball, so it changes the timing of the game. There's a difference in the timing and rhythm of the game as opposed to when it's on [natural] grass."

Rancocas Valley coach Julie Thornton agrees with Decker. However, she isn't overly concerned for her team.

"We are not a turf team, but we are a good turf team," Thornton said. "Our kids play all year round. Almost 50 percent are in Futures or on club teams, which play on turf."

On and off turf fields, the Red Devils have excelled under Thornton and cocoach Jean Marie Seal. When Rancocas Valley tied Moorestown for the Burlington County League Liberty Division title, it marked the first time in school history that the Red Devils had won the division crown. To accomplish that, RV beat Moorestown, 2-1, the second time the teams met, on Sept. 29. That marked another first because RV had never defeated Moorestown.

Playoff schedule. Finals for Groups 1 and 2 are scheduled to be held on Monday, and the Group 3 and 4 championship games are set for Tuesday at the higher seed. Rain dates are Tuesday and Wednesday, respectively.

The state semifinals are scheduled to be held next Thursday with a rain date of Nov. 12 at a predetermined site. Group finals are set for Nov. 14, rain or shine, at Toms River East's artificial turf field. Group 4 is at 10 a.m., Group 2 at 12 noon, Group 3 at 2 p.m. and Group 1 at 4 p.m.

The Tournament of Champions semifinals are scheduled for Nov. 17 at a site to be determined, and the finals are set for 11 a.m. on Nov. 21 at the College of New Jersey.

Early knockouts. Burlington City, Gloucester Catholic Haddon Heights and Woodbury were all defeated in the first round of the Central Jersey Group 1 tournament.

Central Jersey Group 1 was the only group in the area to have a first round instead of going straight to the quarterfinals because there were more teams in the bracket. Teams with records under .500 had applied for admission.

"We seeded only to eight teams because there were too many lopsided games, and it was difficult to get quality officials. But the main reason was lopsided games," said Kim Cole of the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.

"If there were eight with a .500 or better record and other teams with less than a .500 record who wanted in, we extended the bracket," Cole said. "We allowed others in who said they wanted to do that, in order of winning percentage."

A learning experience. When Haddonfield visited Camden Catholic on Oct. 26 for a nonleague game, each team wanted a highly competitive game that would benefit them in the playoffs, which began on Tuesday.

They got it.

Camden Catholic won, 2-1, on a pair of goals by freshman Futures Elite player Tara Vittese, who at the time led the Irish in scoring with 17 goals. What Vittese and her teammates learned from the game was that they needed to brush up on their corner shots.

The Irish had 14 corner opportunities and just converted one.