Power move

Monday roundup: DiGregorio goal lifts Woodstown over Schalick in key Diamond Division field hockey game, also includes boys soccer, girls tennis

MONDAY’S SALEM COUNTY SCORES
FIELD HOCKEY
Gloucester Catholic 4, Pennsville 0
Salem 8, Clayton 0
Woodstown 1, Schalick 0
BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove 6, Clayton 0
Salem Tech 1, Wildwood Catholic 0
Woodstown 2, Pennsville 0
GIRLS SOCCER
Wildwood Catholic 8, Salem Tech 1
Woodstown 6, Pennsville 1
GIRLS TENNIS
Washington Twp. 3, Pennsville 2
Woodstown 4, Kingsway 1

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – Whenever a new coach comes to town there are bound to be changes within the organization. One of the first decisions Bryanna Roberts made when she got the Woodstown field hockey job – after looking at the personnel, of course – was move Braeley DiGregorio to wing and it dramatically changed the Wolverines’ offense.

DiGregorio banged home her ninth goal of the season – and 10th of her career – with just under three minutes left in the third quarter Monday and it carried Woodstown to a 1-0 victory of Schalick in the first of their Tri-County Diamond Division showdowns. The win gave the Wolverines (6-1) sole possession of first place in the division.

“We’ve been anticipating this game for a while,” Roberts said. “To finally get to this game and win it just shows all the hard work and effort the girls have been putting forth this whole season.”

For the first two years of her varsity field hockey career DiGregorio was assigned to a more defensive posture as a reserve outside mid. But Roberts was impressed with the way she moved on the outside and pulled her up to forward wing.

There was uncertainty at first, but once the junior figured it out “I really took off running with it.” Now she leads the team in goals and is second in Salem County in goals and points. The Wolverines have outscored their seven opponents. 32-6.

“Braeley has really worked hard to get to where she’s at,” Roberts said. “She’s really shown all the hard work she’s been doing in the off-season.

“We bumped her up to that wing spot because she has that big ball from the side and she finds a way around the goalie and gets her stick on it, so this is new for this season. During the preseason I talked with the coaches and we all agreed that with the way she was moving down the field and moving inside the circle it was the best move for her and she’s shone through it.  It’s awesome to see it work. It was a great move all around.”

DiGregorio’s latest goal came as the Wolverines amped up their attack in the second half. The Cougars dominated the first half outshooting Woodstown 7-2 and collecting six penalty corners, but they couldn’t find the back of the net.

Woodstown turned up the heat after a spirited halftime talk shook the players from their doldrums and the momentum shifted. The Wolverines outshot their hosts 7-1 in the second half and had four penalty corners.

Megan Donelson almost got them on the board five minutes into the second half, but Emma Cheesman was there to turn her away with a defensive save.

“We definitely dominated the first half and then the second half we were flat on our feet,” Schalick coach Heather Cheesman said. “We looked like we were tired, which gave them a lot of opportunities.”

“I always tell them that you have to find that will inside and they did,” Roberts said. “This win truly shows that the girls want it and they’re out here to play.”

The Wolverines finally broke the stalemate with 2:59 left in the third quarter. Kayla Brown’s initial shot was blocked by Schalick goalie Lydia Gilligan, but the rebound came right to DiGregorio, who squeezed her shot through a six-inch space between the keeper and the left post. They almost got a second goal in the closing seconds of the quarter but Gilligan came off her line to make a sliding save on Hannah Hitchner.

“I just happened to be there to finish it,” DiGregorio said of her goal. “It’s always very hit or miss with that (rebound) and you’re just lucky when you get a chance and it’s always exciting.”

But not totally surprising. The Wolverines have scored 20 of their goals this season in the second half.

SALEM 8, CLAYTON 0: Autumn Foote and Rhionna Timmons each scored a pair of goals as the Rams (6-1) bounced back from their first loss of the season in a big way.

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 4, PENNSVILLE 0: The Rams took control of the game with three goals in the first quarter. Bridget Taney scored twice in the game.

Boys soccer

WOODSTOWN 2, PENNSVILLE 0: Kaleb Gerace scored his first goal of the season and Blake Biaklecki scored his second goal in as many games – both in the second half — to extend the Wolverines’ winning streak to seven games and snap the Eagles’ three-game streak.

Freshman Ayden Ellis got his first career assist (on Bialecki’s goal) and Ben Stengel posted the Wolverines’ third shutout. 

The game opens a three-game week of county opponents for the Wolverines. They play at Penns Grove Thursday and host Schalick in a 7 p.m. game Saturday in the football stadium in a rematch of their season-opener and Woodstown’s only loss. They are 4-1 against in-county competition this season. 

PENNS GROVE 6, CLAYTON 0: Sebastian Hernandez scored the first of his two goals in the opening two minutes of the match and Ashton Harris scored twice in a three-minute stretch later in the half as the Red Devils scored their second win of the season to snap a five-game winless streak. Theus Berrios and Frankie Juarez Reynoso scored their other goals.

SALEM TECH 1, WILDWOOD CATHOLIC 0: In one of their gutsiest performances of the season, the Chargers (3-6) overcame playing most of the second half one man down and won in overtime. Graham Fields buried a penalty kick in overtime for the game’s only goal. Joshua Trinidad and Cody Messina combined for the shutout. All three of the Chargers’ victories this season have been by shutout.

Girls soccer

WOODSTOWN 6, PENNSVILLE 1: Talia Batavia had two goals and two assists as the Wolverines (4-5) snapped a two-game shutout slide. Emma Morgan, Lia Covely, Delaney Walker and Bailey Arnold Peters scored their other goals. Molly Gratz found the back of the net for Pennsville (2-6-2), which had been unbeaten in its last three.

Girls tennis

WOODSTOWN 4, KINGSWAY 1: The Wolverines go into Tuesday’s state tournament seeding meeting 10-0 after this latest victory and the projected fourth seed in South Jersey Group I.

Their No. 2 doubles team of Molly Curtis and Julianna Lindenmuth won a second-set tiebreaker to keep their match alive and then won the third set 10-6 to give the Wolverines a sweep in doubles. No. 1 doubles team of Vivian Ward and Camille Osborn won a first-set tiebreaker to set up their straight-set win.

Abigail Melle and Cara Delia won singles points in straight sets.

WASHINGTON TWP. 3, PENNSVILLE 2: Megan Morris and Lily Edwards won straight set matches for Pennsville, the projected 8 seed in SJ Group I.

Cover photo: Woodstown’s Braeley DiGregorio (R) and Schalick’s Sophia Longo battle for a ball near midfield in their field hockey game Monday afternoon.