Field Hockey: East Brunswick Upends South Plainfield, 4-0, Thursday

SOUTH PLAINFIELD, NJ - Senior midfielder/back Samantha Arnold scored a hat trick, all on assists from senior forward/midfielder Yana Popova, as East Brunswick defeated South Plainfield, 4-0, at home Thursday. Arnold scored two of her goals in the first half enroute to a 3-0 halftime advantage. The Bears (11-0) have outscored their opponents this season, 51-4 and have recorded eight shutout wins. South Plainfield (7-7) finally saw their long five-game road trip conclude. During that span, they went 0-5 including four shutout defeats after a six-game win streak. "It was a tough battle yesterday against East Brunswick. We knew that an away game against them would be challenging, but the team worked hard, and in the second half, we were able to really put the pressure on. As we look ahead to next week and the start of the GMC tournament, our focus is on ensuring everyone stays healthy and refocused on our postseason goals," said South Plainfield head coach Melissa Zurawiecki. After the weekend off, the Tigers return home for two games next week starting with Piscataway at 4 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 15 and Middletown South at 6 p.m., Friday, Oct. 18. "We’ll close out our regular season conference play against Piscataway and then face Middletown South, where we can work on what we need to prepare for the tournament. Plus, we’re looking forward to celebrating our incredible seniors on Senior Night on October 18," said Zurawiecki. "It’ll be great to be back on our home turf, with our fans supporting us as we continue to build momentum. We’ve had a timid start in our past few games, so our goal is to put on the pressure from the beginning, play with confidence, and support each other for the full 60 minutes. We’re excited about the upcoming weeks, and I have full confidence in this group to step up and put forth the effort needed to be successful."

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