There’s no place like home.
Bridgewater-Raritan High School’s field hockey team, which plays its home games on the turf field directly behind its campus’ 1000 Building, can certainly attest to this statement.
Heading into the final weekend before this fall’s state tournament, that quote might have served as appropriate foreshadowing from Bridgewater-Raritan’s math department, which just served up a landslide Halloween Costume Theme Contest victory via its building and faculty members all dressed to the theme of The Wizard of Oz.
Perhaps it also served as a fitting tribute to senior members of the Panthers’ Class of 2027, who have won all three of their previous state tournament openers on the road in upsets, but had never previously earned the opportunity to play a postseason game on their home turf.
Until Monday, Novmber 2.
“This is very special, especially being a senior,” said Bridgewater-Raritan senior Teagan Hughes: a four-year letterwinner and one of the Panthers’ captains. “We have had a rough season going into the state tournament, but we thrive in the state tournament, and we thrive when we play at home where we are comfortable.”
“I think it was shown in today’s game.”
Given this officially ended up being the Panthers’ final home game after all of the remaining games in New Jersey on Monday night went final, their sendoff for what they hope is an extended business trip could not have been better.
That was because eighth-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan (7-11-1) struck first and never trailed against ninth-seeded Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School (9-9) just under halfway into the first quarter, when sophomore Leela Dixit netted the Panthers’ first goal of the game – one that proved to be all Bridgewater-Raritan needed.
Even though the visiting Raiders continued to threaten to the tune of four penalty corners and a defense that made the Panthers work, Bridgewater-Raritan also matched this feat while allowing just three shots on goal.
Amongst the 13 shots taken by the Panthers, who also collected four penalty corners, sophomore Kaitlyn Wedekind and freshman Kendall Skakum also scored in the second and fourth quarters, respectively, to help the Panthers defend their home turf. Sophomore goalie Zahra Abraham (three saves) also posted her fifth clean sheet of the season to punctuate a 3-0 shutout victory by Bridgewater-Raritan in the first round of the NJSIAA North Jersey, Group 4, state sectional tournament Monday, November 2, in Bridgewater.
“The energy of being at home and winning the game makes this even more special,” continued Hughes, who also tallied an assist in the Panthers’ victory: her fourth first-round triumph in as many postseasons in a Bridgewater-Raritan uniform. “We never know if we’re going to have a ‘next practice’ with our team, but our dynamic is really special. Everyone on the team is my best friend, and we play every game like it is our last. This really brings out the heart of our team, and it shows through our intensity, never giving up, and going to the ball.”
“It’s great being able to have the opportunity to make it far, go on the road, and hopefully get another upset.”
There may not be any Lions or Tigers left in the Panthers’ state playoff bracket, as North Hunterdon Regional High School: New Jersey’s No. 7 ranked team, along with Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Tournament runner-up South Plainfield High School will compete in the North, Group 3 and North, Group 2 sections, respectively.
However, a tall task in the top-seeded Bears now awaits behind the curtain of the unknown.
Whether the opponent is the Lions, Tigers, or Bears (oh my), or anybody in between, Bridgewater-Raritan will certainly be ready.
Eighth-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan, which is the lowest-seeded team remaining in the North, Group 4 playoffs after all eight home teams in the first round of this bracket won their state tournament openers, will now travel to GMC Tournament champion and top-seeded East Brunswick High School (20-1) next at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, November 4, in East Brunswick.
The last time the Panthers traveled to East Brunswick almost exactly one year ago, Hughes produced two of her team’s three goals as part of a 3-2 comeback victory on the Bears’ turf.
After its statement victory over Scotch Plains-Fanwood on Monday night, to say the Panthers will ride a wave of confidence and momentum into Middlesex County is an understatement.
That is because Bridgewater-Raritan wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, as senior Angelina Carey delivered a pass in transition to members of her squad, which successfully held off the visiting Raiders’ opening attack. That ball was kicked away by Scotch Plains-Fanwood junior goalie Liviana Guarino (10 saves), but Dixit put the Panthers on the board via the ensuing rebound with 7:54 left in the first quarter.
“You always need to be ready for the ball and those rebounds no matter what,” shared by Dixit of what was her first career postseason goal.
“Scoring and then celebrating with your team is such a great feeling.”
On the other end of the Panthers’ home turf, Abraham responded with two quick saves over the next two-and-a-half minutes, with the first coming on a penalty corner attempt by Scotch Plains-Fanwood. Ultimately, Bridgewater-Raritan took a 1-0 cushion into the second quarter, and it was not done.
After the Panthers drew their first penalty corner just under five minutes into the second period, the Raiders’ defensive penalty corner unit looked to escape unscathed, but Bridgewater-Raritan’s offensive unit got a mulligan via a second whistle. This time, the home team cashed in on the tail end of the resulting barrage, when Wedekind found an opening with 9:30 left in the second quarter to double Bridgewater-Raritan lead to 2-0.
“It’s amazing just seeing it hit the back of the net, and it’s a great feeling celebrating with your team afterwards,” Wedekind said of what also was her first career postseason goal.
“That set the tone for the rest of the game.”
With her team leading 2-0 heading into the third quarter, Abraham swatted away another penalty corner shot by Scotch Plains-Fanwood with 5:15 left in the third period, and that proved to be the final shot allowed by the Panthers’ defense. However, Guarino continued to help keep her Raiders squad within striking distance, particularly given her emphatic save of an equally impressive shot from short range by Bridgewater-Raritan senior Makenzie Harris with 1:45 left in the third quarter.
Guarino collected another save in the closing seconds of the third quarter to keep Scotch Plains-Fanwood’s deficit at 2-0, which remained the score for the majority of the fourth quarter.
That was the case until the final two minutes of regulation, when junior forward Emma Shurina delivered a shot that eventually led to another successful putback by Bridgewater-Raritan. Skakum’s resulting goal, which was also her first career goal in postseason play, capped off the Panthers’ scoring with 1:35 to go to seal her team’s 3-0 victory.
“Moving up a division was very difficult, but we just have to stick together as a team” Wedekind went on to say of Bridgewater-Raritan playing in the mighty Skyland Conference Delaware Division, which consists of seventh-ranked North Hunterdon, 15th-ranked Pingry School, reigning North, Group 4 champion Phillipsburg High School: the No. 5 seed in the Panthers’ state sectional playoff bracket, to round off the top half of the regular-season division standings.
“There is very good competition all around that has definitely set us up for states, but looking up to our upperclassmen, they set the tone for all of us.”
Warren Hills Regional High School and Hillsborough High School, which edged 10th-seeded Columbia High School, 5-4, at home as the No. 7 seed in North, Group 4 in the opening round, are the Skyland Conference Delaware Division’s remaining squads – all of which finished above Bridgewater-Raritan in the division standings. The Panthers’ lone victory amongst their 10-game division slate in the regular season was also their first triumph of 2026, when Bridgewater-Raritan defeated Hillsborough, 3-0, back on September 15.
Hillsborough returned the favor with a 3-0 victory of its own over the Panthers in Bridgewater exactly one month later. Ridge High School, which swapped divisions with Bridgewater-Raritan in the offseason and is the No. 6 seed in North, Group 4, denied the Panthers their first Somerset County Tournament finals berth under coach Strathern with a 2-0 victory over Bridgewater-Raritan on October 21 in the semifinal round.
Pingry defeated Ridge, 2-1, to repeat as Somerset County Tournament champions as a further testament to the Skyland Conference Delaware Division.
“They are a very great group and have taught me so much since I have been here,” praised Dixit of the Panthers’ nine graduating seniors: Adriana Hoppe, Maria Perrusquia Bernadez, Hazel Kampel, Alyssa Pock, Teagan Hughes, Angelina Carey, Makenzie Harris, and team statistician Izzie Knapp, who were honored on Senior Night four nights earlier. “I’ve known them for so long, so it’s sad that they are about to leave, but getting to play with them has been amazing.”
“I’m so excited to see what the future holds for them and for Bridgewater-Raritan.”
For now, they will get to play at least one more game on Wednesday evening, but past history bodes well for this group.
Against top-seeded East Brunswick, eighth-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan will now try to match another feat it has accomplished in each of its previous three state tournaments under the direction of their fourth-year head coach Sami Strathern.
Producing at least one upset victory on the road in the postseason.
As the No. 13, No. 12, and No. 9 seed in the NJSIAA North New Jersey, Group 4, Field Hockey Tournament in 2023, 2024, and 2025, respectively, the Panthers have pulled off first-round upset victories at fourth-seeded Montclair High School, fifth-seeded Livingston High School, and eighth-seeded Princeton High School to launch each of these corresponding postseasons.
“It definitely felt good, especially because it was a really tough season for our girls,” concluded Strathern, whose team is now 4-0 in state tournament openers under her leadership. “We’ve been playing some of the top teams in the state after moving up a division, so there were definitely times throughout the season where they were struggling mentally. But being able to play at home in the first round of states and show people that we’re in the top of the bracket instead of the bottom just really meant a lot to me and our girls. I’m so proud of them and their hard work, especially from our senior class over the past four years.”
“Their hard work, dedication, and culture changing has really paid off.”
While Bridgewater-Raritan was eliminated in the second round of the North, Group 4 playoffs each of the previous three seasons, all of these results were delivered by members of the Skyland Conference Delaware Division: Ridge in both 2023 and 2024, and Phillipsburg in 2025.
Ridge and Phillipsburg went on to win North, Group 4 in 2023 and 2025, respectively, and a member of the Skyland Conference Delaware Division has advanced to the state sectional finals in each of the previous three years.
Amazingly, all four of the quarterfinals matchups in North, Group 4 taking place Wednesday, November 4, feature one team that has been a member of the Skyland Conference Delaware Division in at least one of the past two seasons. In each of these four matchups, the team from the Skyland Conference is the road team, as seventh-seeded Hillsborough will travel to second-seeded Morristown High School, sixth-seeded Ridge will travel to third-seeded Montclair High School, and Phillipsburg will travel to fourth-seeded Morris Knolls High School.
The winner between eighth-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan and top-seeded East Brunswick will advance to the North, Group 4 semifinal round Monday, November 9 against either Morris Knolls or reigning champion Phillipsburg.
The two surviving teams out of the semifinal round will square off for the North, Group 4 trophy Wednesday, November 11. The Group 4 state finals pinning the North and South champions will be contested at 4 p.m. Saturday, November 14, at Bordentown High School in Bordentown.