Playing for their coach, Pennsville field hockey grabs share of first division title since 2021; Eagles’ Bass surpasses 100 career soccer points; Weber’s golden goal lifts Schalick boys over Audubon; includes TCC Classic, Diamond Division girls soccer all-star teams
TUESDAY’S SCORES
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville 6, Clayton 1
Woodstown 7, Glassboro 1
BOYS SOCCER
Schalick 2, Audubon 1
GIRLS SOCCER
Pennsville 7, Paulsboro 0
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
CLAYTON – The Pennsville field hockey team had just dispatched Clayton 6-1 with one of its most complete games of the year to win its first Tri-County Conference Classic Division title since 2021. The players had taken their victory team picture, shared a group hug and were on the bus home when they started making telephone calls.
Who was the first person the Eagles called?
Head coach Lisa Doran, of course. Doran, the Pennsville Hall of Famer who is retiring at the end of the season, has been away from the team since Oct. 23 for health reasons and the players have been playing with her in mind.
As the bus was making its way back to Pennsville, the players got Doran on a FaceTime call and gathered around to share in a group chat. She is expected to be recovering at home the rest of the week, but everyone hopes she’ll rejoin the team for its South Jersey Group I tournament opener at second-seeded West Deptford Tuesday.
They did speak briefly after Monday’s win at Gloucester Catholic that put them in position to grab a share of the division title here, but it was just to say hello. Tuesday’s conversation was a lot longer and gave the coach a chance to tell her players how proud she was of them and how bad she wants the success for them.
“It was awesome,” said assistant coach Cass Kirk, who has been directing the team in Doran’s absence. “It was awfully good to see her face and see her home and to see her normal smile. It was really good. I’m sure we’re helping her recover right now with having this win under our belt. We were all so excited to see her and make sure that she’s OK.”
“It basically makes us want to play harder and do it for her and make her happy,” said forward Gracie Mease, who scored two goals in the game, including the one deemed the game-winner.
Kylie Harris scored three more goals since her midseason move to forward and Kendall Hoyt scored the other goal.
“We came out knowing what we wanted, we wanted that win, but we also wanted to make sure we were playing as a team today and that’s exactly what we did,” Kirk said. “We passed the ball a ton, got every single person on the team on the field. It was really good to get everybody out there and working together. One of the things I said to them was make each other look better.”
The Eagles are 3-0 in Doran’s absence, including two big division wins the last two days. Harris has scored 16 goals since moving to the top, five in this emotional three-game winning streak.
“Doran being gone lit a fire under us; it was like she’s not here so we need to work extra hard for her to make her proud,” Harris said. “She does so much for us, working hard and winning was kind of our way of giving back to her knowing she couldn’t be there and experience it with us.”
The win left the Eagles 10-8-1 in the regular season, guaranteeing them a winning season. More importantly, it drew them into a tie with Gloucester Catholic for the division title.
“Now we have our names up on the board (of division champions); that’s pretty cool, especially when there hasn’t been one up there in years” Mease said. “We’re all working together as a team to win the division and it’s nice when we won the division for Doran’s last year.”
WOODSTOWN 7, GLASSBORO 1: Shyann Higinbotham had two goals and three assists and Estella Hitchner scored the first two goals of her career as the Wolverines (10-7-1) won their third straight. Lexi Taylor, Zoe Lipovsky and Kendall Young scored their other goals.
Pennsville 6, Clayton 1
| Pennsville | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1- | 6 |
| Clayton | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0- | 1 |
First quarter
P: Kendall Hoyt (unassisted), 9:23; P: Gracie Mease (unassisted), 6:10; C: Dayna Leithead (Madisyn Paclen), 5:03.
Second quarter
P: Kylie Harris (Aubrey Manowitz), 14:20.
Third quarter
P: Kylie Harris (Gracie Mease), 11:03
P: Gracie Mease (Kylie Harris), 3:00
Fourth quarter
P: Kylie Harris (Laura Tamberella), 3:17
Boys Soccer
PITTSGROVE – Jaxon Weber’s golden goal in the first overtime lifted the Cougars (13-3-2) to victory in their final regular season game in a battle between projected 2 and 3 seeds in the upcoming South Jersey Group I tournament.
Audubon (13-3-1) took a 1-0 halftime lead, but Michael Nelson got Schalick’s equalizer when he headed home a free kick from Anthony Sepers.on a header in the second half.
Girls Soccer
PENNSVILLE – Taylor Bass recorded a goal and two assists to go over 100 career points and Karson Cooksey and Marley Wood both scored and spent time in goal as part of Pennsville’s seventh shutout of the season, 7-0 over winless Paulsboro.
Bass assisted on the Eagles’ first two goals to reach 99 points, then reached the milestone with her 43rd career goal 7:43 before halftime to give them a 3-0 lead.
Sloan Marquette, Cameron Robbins, Reagan Wariwanchik and Maura Widener scored Pennsville’s other goals. Tatiyonna Crawford started in goal for the Eagles.
TCC Girls Soccer Teams
| (Based on coaches vote) |
| DIAMOND FIRST | DIAMOND SECOND | ||
| F | Kyleigh Cutler, Schalick | F | Taylor Bass, Pennsville |
| F | Emma Perry, Woodstown | F | Hailey Kucharczuk, Woodstown |
| F | Gianna Simon, Overbrook | F | Olivia Vanacker, Schalick |
| MF | Cali Fisler, Schalick | MF | Gina Murray, Woodstown |
| MF | Amina Brown, Glassboro | MF | Victoria Bupp, Overbrook |
| MF | Emma Morgan, Woodstown | MF | Molly Gratz, Pennsville |
| MF | Quinn Berger, Schalick | ||
| B | Emily Miller, Schalick | B | Delia Hahn, Woodstown |
| B | Delaney Walker, Woodstown | B | Brooke Valentine, Schalick |
| B | Kassaday Sickler, Schalick | B | Reagan Wariwanchik, Pennsville |
| B | Sianna Wedderburn, Glassboro | B | Sanaa Thomas, Glassboro |
| GK | Ellie Wygand, Woodstown | GK | Marissa Pasquarello, Glassboro |
| CLASSIC FIRST | CLASSIC SECOND | ||
| F | Alexa Battaglia, Glou Cath | F | Nicole Lemon, Clayton |
| F | Deondria Simon, Clayton | F | Carly Razze, Pitman |
| F | Aubrey Bradway, Wildwood | F | Teagan Canna, Pitman |
| MF | Emery Sharpnack, Pitman | MF | Kaitlyn Capalbo, Glou Cath |
| MF | Madi Traister, Clayton | MF | Mollie Farrell, Wildwood |
| MF | Alexa Kostiuk, Pitman | MF | Ana Yucis, Glou Cath |
| MF | Mikaela Scuibba, Clayton | ||
| B | Audrey Duffield, Pitman | B | Elizabeth Burgo, Glou Cath |
| B | Leigh Ann Nage, Clayton | B | Lily Atkinson, Wildwood |
| B | Olivia Pisano, Glou Cath | B | Kendal Renshaw, Clayton |
| B | Alyssa Shinskie, Clayton | ||
| GK | Danielle Fredo, Salem Tech | GK | Lauren Narolewski, Glou Cath |