Within reach

Pennsville closing in on first division title in 32 years, Price scores twice in Schalick return, Ayars scores first hat trick

BOYS SOCCER
Pennsville 1, Wildwood 0
Schalick 4, Pitman 0
Woodstown 3, Overbrook 0
Penns Grove 1, Glassboro 0
Salem at Salem Tech

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News 

PENNSVILLE – Derek Foglein can’t quite wrap his hands around the trophy yet, but the 29-year-old Pennsville soccer coach can feel it and he says “it feels really good.”

The Eagles took a big step towards securing their first Tri-County Classic Division title in 32 years Monday when they edged Wildwood with a second-half own goal, 1-0.

The Eagles (8-4, 7-0) still have three division games remaining, but are the only undefeated team in the group and everyone else has at least two losses. They have won 13 straight Classic Division games over the last two seasons.

Interestingly, all eight of Pennsville’s wins this season have come via shutout.

“At this point we would need to lose to Clayton (8-4) and then lose to either Gloucester Catholic (4-6) or Salem (0-9) and Wildwood would have to clean out the rest of the way to go 8-2,” Foglein said. “I don’t see it happening, but I can’t call it official.

“I think getting a result on Tuesday night at Clayton on their turf on their Senior Night is going to be another huge battle for us, but I think if we win that one then we can pretty definitively say that it’s ours.”

How long has it been? Foglein wasn’t even on the planet when the Eagles last won a division in 1993. Assistant coach Joe Mecholsky was two years removed from graduating as a member of their 1991 division champions and could be part of the school’s first father-son soccer division champs if son Jackson and Friends pull it off.

“I could cry right now, I’m so happy,” stopper Steve Fatcher said. “When we go in the gym and we look in the soccer bleachers, (the banner says) it hasn’t been done since 1993. This is something that’s been waiting for generations now. Finally.

“It was the goal last year, but Wildwood came out shooting. It feels like a big weight is lifted off my shoulders and this team’s shoulders.”

The Eagles dominated the tempo in the second half and had several good chances to score that just missed the target. They finally got one in the net on an own goal credit to Sam Hassler with 21:28 left.

It came off another monster thrown in by Fatcher from the far sideline and was going to come right to Hassler when a Wildwood defender headed it into the top corner of the goal. 

“We came into this game knowing my throw-ins are a big weapon,” Fatcher said. “A lot of the corners and throw-ins to Wildwood work because they don’t mark up straight out; they wait for you to come in.

“It seems like when they tried that they lost a lot of people in the box. The best chances we had were the throw-in or the corner kicks. We honestly should’ve had three or four more, but I don’t care how many chance we miss as long as the end result is a win.”

Funny how those crazy bounces have a way of evening out. The Eagles lost a 1-0 game earlier this year on an own goal and now they get their biggest goal of the year to date because of one.

“I said after the Glassboro game that was one I felt didn’t bounce in our favor,” Foglein said. “We got one to bounce in our favor today and probably the more important of the two we got to bounce in our favor today. I’m never going to complain about that.”

Especially not when it gets them so close to a title.

SCHALICK 4, PITMAN 0: Luke Price returned to the Schalick lineup after missing five games in concussion protocol and scored two goals in the Cougars’ fifth straight win.

“It was amazing,” the junior forward said of his return. “It’s great to be back. It’s a great group of boys to play with. I was happy to be with the team and contribute.”

Price sustained his concussion in the first half of the Cougars’ Sept. 20 loss to Bordentown and watched his mates go 4-1 in his absence. He got cleared for athletics Saturday and participated in practice that day.

He came off the bench Monday and scored his first goal since Sept. 18 off a cross from Josh Stecher after being in the game about five minutes. He scored his second goal in the second half to make it 3-0.
 
“I was really hoping for a goal just to get back into the groove,” he said. ”It was great scoring those.”

Tyler Vanlier, the freshman who took Price spot up front while he was out and scored four goals, scored the Cougars’ other two goals against the Panthers. Evan Sepers posted the shutout, his third in a row and fifth of the season.

WOODSTOWN 3, OVERBROOK 0: Bryce Ayars scored his first high school hat trick. Nick DiTeodoro assisted on two of the goals and Blake Bialecki assisted on the other.

Ayars has scored a goal in each of the Wolverines’ eight wins this season. They have won 17 straight and 22 of the last 23 in which he has scored a goal.

“It’s definitely an achievement that I’ve been driven to make this year, but it couldn’t be done without my teammates,” Ayars said. “This season feels different and the teamwork we have made this hat trick possible. Hoping this is the first of many, but I’m definitely going to remember this one.”

PENNS GROVE 1, GLASSBORO 0: Juan Ortiz scored the game’s only goal in the first half and Dwayne Guzman Silva made it stand in the goal, including a great save on a header off a corner kick in the first half. The Red Devils are 3-0 in one-goal games this season.

SALEM AT SALEM TECH: The Rams were looking for their first win of the season. The Chargers were looking for a season sweep.