Clayton stuns Pennsville girls with three goals in the final 8:30, gets game-winner with 1:12 left; Schalick’s Fisler hits 100 career points; Penns Grove’s Dowe nets four
GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick 5, Pitman 1
Clayton 3, Pennsville 2
Overbrook 6, Salem Tech 0
Penns Grove 6, Salem 0
BOYS SOCCER
Collingswood 1, Pennsville 0
Overbrook 3, Salem Tech 0
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — Eight minutes might not seem like a lot of time to the people in the stands, but for the soccer teams on the pitch it can feel like an eternity.
For the team that’s ahead in the match, the time can’t go by fast enough to get to the victory. For the team that’s behind, there’s never enough time to catch up.
Pennsville’s girls came within nine minutes on its Senior Night Wednesday of moving closer to securing a home playoff game, but Clayton snatched that away, scoring three goals in the final 8:28 to stun the Eagles 3-2.
“Eight minutes,” Eagles coach Casey Slusher said. “The girls played hard, they really played hard. We’re coming off a game being really banged up, we had a lot of injuries and everything, and these girls really dug deep and played hard.”
Deondria Simon scored the game-winner with 1:12 to go, curling a long shot just over the outstretched reach of Pennsville keeper Tatyana Crawford and into the left side of the cage.
“Luck and some praying,” the Clippers’ 50-goal scorer said, explaining how she got such a long shot to go. “Honestly, our girls’ hard work, that’s how that ball went in. We did not give up, even when we were (down) 2-0, 15 minutes left in the second half, our girls just never gave up once.”
Nicole Lemon scored the Clippers’ first two goals. She got them on the board with 8:28 to play and notching the equalizer with 3:18 left when a Pennsville clearing attempt ricocheted off her body and into the goal.
“She just put her body on the line and it ricocheted off her head (and) went past the goalie,” said Simon, who took the initial shot into the box.
Seniors Taylor Bass and Kallie Morrison gave the Eagles (8-7) a 2-0 halftime lead and they had several other good scoring chances they just couldn’t get to go. Molly Gratz hit the left goalpost at the crossbar three minutes into the second half.
The Eagles went into the game ninth in the South Jersey Group I power points standings, three points behind No. 8 Woodstown for the final opening-round home slot, with No. 4 Clayton and Woodstown left before Saturday’s cutoff.
They remained ninth after the loss and actually closed the points gap on Woodstown, but even a win over the Wolverines Friday might not be enough for them to jump. The Eagles haven’t had a home playoff game since 2022.
Clayton (12-4), meanwhile, moved up to No. 3, just 0.31 points behind No. 2 Schalick.
“You always want a home game if you can; it’s just unfortunate for us,” Slusher said. “We have to have a lot of things fall in our favor. Not just our game, but I think other things would have to fall in our favor.”
SCHALICK 5, PITMAN 1: Cali Fisler added another milestone to her career when she surpassed 100 career points with a goal and an assist. Fisler, who set the Cougars’ all-time assist record earlier this season, scored her 28th career goal in the second half and reached the milestone point with her 48th assist on Olivia Vanacker’s final goal of the game. Quinn Berger had two goals and an assist and is now at 91 on the points list.
“Getting 100 points was definitely a huge accomplishment, not only on my part but it’s a total team effort,” Fisler said. “I couldn’t have done it without the girls I’ve been playing with my four years.
“It’s definitely not a feeling that will overcome breaking the assist record because that was something I had my mind set on for a while. However, getting 100 points is nothing short of an example of hard work, determination and excitement.”
PENNS GROVE 6, SALEM 0: Arianna Dowe scored four goals. They were the most goals in a game by a Red Devils player since A’Mani Taylor pumped in five against the Rams in 7-6 loss in 2022.
OVERBROOK 6, SALEM 0: The Rams (9-8) scored five goals in the first half.
Boys games
COLLINGSWOOD 1, PENNSVILLE 0: The Eagles’ bid to get a home playoff game took a hit when Steve Carrillo dropped a volley from outside the box into the bottom corner in the second half and they couldn’t get the equalizer. The loss left the TCC Classic Division champions No. 10 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings with one game to play before the cutoff (at 5-11-1 G2 Gloucester Friday).
Riverview Sports News 