Rams’ football rivalry with Penns Grove will be played at Walnut Street Field Saturday with crowd limitations
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
SALEM – The football rivalry between Penns Grove and Salem will be played as scheduled Saturday at Salem’s Walnut Street Field but with restrictions on the number of fans who can pass through the gates.
The game, which will be the final high school game played on the field before the Rams move into their on-campus stadium in October, is scheduled to kickoff at noon.
“We are able to go ahead and get the game in,” Salem athletics director Darryl Roberts said.
Administrators from both school districts met Monday to talk about tickets, access and operations for the game after reports of a threat surfaced after last week’s Camden-Salem game and recommendations were made by local police.
The schools plan to put out a statement Tuesday regarding the particulars about spectators, but Riverview Sports News has learned students from either school with proper ID will be admitted and the schools will do a Salem-heavy 60/40 split on 500 presale adult tickets. Officials said there is really nothing they can do about spectators lining the fence outside the gate.
The Salem School District’s statement read in part “Due to a set of incidents in the community, the school district is going to limit the number of fans from the general public.”
Tickets for entry will be provided by the Athletic Directors or coaches representing each school. Attendance will be limited to three groups of people: Staff, currently enrolled Salem and Penns Grove High School students, and Parents/Grandparents of players.
No one else from the general public will be permitted on the premises.
The idea of playing the game without fans in attendance Roberts said was “something that was suggested, but just an idea considering some of the concerns that were out there.”
He declined to comment on those concerns.
The police presence at the field is expected to be similar to a normal game day operation.
Because of the Rams’ stadium project, the game – Salem’s home date – was moved to Penns Grove’s stadium, but it was officially moved back to Walnut Street earlier this month after city officials got the facility back into shape.
Penns Grove football coach John Emel played on the field as a Salem High starter during his high school career, as did most of his football-playing family members.
Both teams will be looking for their first victory of the season. It will be Salem’s Diamond Division opener.
Here is the schedule for Salem County high school sports for the week of Sept. 11-16
Sept. 11 BOYS SOCCER Penns Grove at Woodstown, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Schalick, 4 p.m. Salem at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER Salem Tech at Salem, 4 p.m. Schalick at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Glassboro at Salem, 4 p.m. Penns Grove at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Sept. 12 FIELD HOCKEY Pennsville at Salem, 4 p.m. Schalick at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Deptford Twp., 4 p.m.
Sept. 13 BOYS SOCCER Clayton at Pennsville, 4 p.m. Penns Grove at Salem, 4 p.m. Schalick at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Salem Tech, 4 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Gloucester Catholic at Schalick, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Clayton, 4 p.m. Salem at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Salem Tech at Woodstown, 4 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Overbook at Penns Grove, 4 p.m. Pennsville at Salem, 4 p.m.
Sept. 14 FIELD HOCKEY Pennsville at Glassboro, 3:45 p.m. Salem at Deptford Twp., 4 p.m. Schalick at Clearview, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS Penns Grove at Palmyra, 4 p.m.
Sept. 15 FOOTBALL Gateway at Pennsville, 7 p.m. Riverside at Schalick, 7 p.m. Woodstown at Deptford Twp., 7 p.m.
FIELD HOCKEY Cumberland at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER Buena at Schalick, 4 p.m. Pitman at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER Gateway at Salem, 4 p.m. Woodstown at Cherry Hill West, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS Woodstown at Cumberland, 4 p.m. Sept. 16 FOOTBALL Penns Grove at Salem, noon
Defending state champ Woodbury scores four first-quarter touchdowns, sends Penns Grove to third straight loss By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
WOODBURY – Coaches will tell you no one single play in a game as one-sided as Saturday’s Penns Grove-Woodbury matchup is any more important than another, but you still have to wonder how things might have changed had Penns Grove’s Kylee Goodson brought down that interception in the end zone in the first quarter instead of having it slip through his hands.
Woodbury 42, Penns Grove 6 NEXT: at Salem, Saturday, noon
The game was still scoreless when the heavily favored Thundering Herd lined up at the 6 after being pushed off the 1 by a penalty. Goodson, a sophomore in his first year of football, got perfect position between Herd quarterback Donta Viccharelli and the receiver. He had his left hand on the ball, but couldn’t to bring in and it fell harmlessly incomplete.
With a new life, the Herd scored on the next play on AJ Reagan’s 6-yard touchdown run and added three more touchdowns in the 47-minute quarter on the way to a 42-6 victory.
In the game of what-ifs, had Goodson made the pick, perhaps the early momentum would have swung towards the Red Devils (0-3), who were needing something good come their way, and maybe put some doubt in the minds of the defending state champions for allowing a team to hang around.
“I thought that, too,” Goodson agreed. “I was so close, but unfortunately I dropped it.”
There’s no blame there, just a missed opportunity. After Reagan ran it in for the first touchdown of the game, the Thundering Herd (2-0) stopped the Red Devils’ offense on a pair of three-and-outs and a first-snap fumble and converted all three into touchdowns.
Reagan scored on a 62-yard run, Viccharelli ran in from 18 yards out and then hit Jayden Johnson with a 12-yard touchdown pass for a 26-0 lead. And there were still more than two minutes left in the quarter.
“When you’re playing a team that good, you can’t miss any opportunities,” Penns Grove coach John Emel said. “Those are the kinds of plays you have to make if you’re going to upset somebody, that’s for sure, and there’s no doubt about it they’re a big favorite.”
Woodbury coach Anthony Reagan wouldn’t call the missed pick a game-changer, but he agreed the Herd caught a break.
“That’s the thing about life,” he said. “As you’re going through these seasons you look back on certain points and you do see where good fortune goes in your favor and in that moment it did
“When you’re playing in a football game early on both teams believe so if you give anybody the opportunity to stay in the football game you never know what the outcome will be. For us to be able to capitalize on that allowed us to be able to build on the momentum moving forward in the game.”
AJ Reagan rushed for 105 yards in that big first quarter and had 149 yards in the game. Viccharelli threw for 190 yards and three touchdowns – two to Marquis Taylor – and accounted for four touchdowns altogether.
On the two scoring throws to Taylor, the receiver lunged over a defensive back in the end zone to pull down one and the other he caught in stride over the middle. Viccharelli had a fourth touchdown pass wiped out by a penalty in the fourth quarter.
“It was great for us to get out to a fast start,” Anthony Reagan said. “We wanted to be better than what we were last week, so for us to be able to come out and really execute what we wanted to do early on was a great sign for us.”
Penns Grove nearly doubled its offense in the second half that was played with a running clock and went faster than the first quarter. The Red Devils got most of their yards on a 60-yard Bryce Wright run that opened the half and freshman KaRon Ceaser’s 55-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.
The Red Devils look to end their losing streak next week at Salem. Even though both teams are winless, but because the teams play in the tough WJFL Diamond Division Emel likens the game to a playoff qualifier. Penns Grove opened last season 1-6 and still made the playoffs even though it didn’t win in a game in the division.
“We’ve just got to go win games,” Emel said. “We play a tough enough schedule. The winner of next week’s game is getting in. We’re not looking for anything else but the game next week.”
Woodbury 42, Penns Grove 6
PG (6)
WOOD (42)
8
1st Downs
14
20-152
Rushes-yds
23-178
6-12-1
Passes
10-13-0
60
Passing yards
217
3-2
Fumbles-lost
1-0
2-39.5
Punts-avg
1-33.0
5-40
Penalties-yds
8-63
Penns Grove (0-3)
0
0
0
6 –
6
Woodbury (2-0)
26
8
8
0 –
42
Scoring plays W – AJ Reagan 6 run (run failed), 9:40 1Q W – AJ Reagan 62 run (pass failed), 6:55 1Q W – Donta Viccharelli 18 run (pass failed), 3:42 1Q W – Jayden Johnson 12 pass from Donta Viccharelli (Jayden Johnson pass from Donta Viccharelli), 2:20 1Q W – Marquis Taylor 38 pass from Donta Viccharelli (Doran Dunbar from Donta Viccharelli), 3:33 2Q W – Marquis Taylor 61 pass from Donta Viccharelli (Donta Viccharelli run), 1:40 3Q PG – KaRon Ceaser 55 run (kick failed), 10:42 4Q
Top photo: Woodbury quarterback Donta Viccharelli (L) and running back A.J. Reagan (C) had big games against Penns Grove. (Photo by Jada Sayers. Jada’s photos on South Jersey football can be found on her Instagram platform: @flicksbyj4)
Penns Grove running back Bryce Wright (1) breaks through the line looking for yards against Woodbury. Wright had the Red Devils’ biggest gain of the game, a 60-yard burst to open the second half.
Woodstown’s Bump Carter lives a lineman’s dream, returning a fumble for a touchdown in Wolverines’ road win
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PAULSBORO – When Bump Carter saw the football fly into his hands and saw all that green grass in front of him, he thought exactly what you’d expect of a lineman who had the dream of a lifetime laid out in front of him.
“I was just thinking about trying to get in there for a touchdown, and try not to get tackled,” he said. “I tried not to fall over when it fell into me. I couldn’t really believe it at all.”
Woodstown 28, Paulsboro 7 NEXT: at Deptford, Friday, 6 p.m.
The 5-foot-6, 200-pound junior reached lineman nirvana Saturday when he chugged 12 yards with a fumble in the closing seconds of the first half to score the first touchdown of his high school career in Woodstown’s 28-7 win over Paulsboro.
It couldn’t have unfolded more perfectly. The Red Raiders had just turned the Wolverines away on an end zone interception, but defensive end Corbin Walz broke in and stripped Paulsboro quarterback Roman Onorato. The ball never hit the ground. It landed right in Carter’s hands and the defensive tackle took off for the goal line.
Carter would often joke with his linemates about scoring a touchdown, but in reality he thought the only way he’d ever get close to scoring in a high school game was by getting in on a safety, but he checked all the boxes on the elements that concerned him once the ball landed in his hands. He did have a front-row seat when senior DL Shawn Gerrity returned a fumble for a touchdown in a scrimmage last year against Camden.
“Earlier in the game Bump almost picked off a screen and would’ve had a touchdown there, too,” Woodstown coach John Adams said. “He just tipped it and couldn’t come down with it and we were like ‘aw, he’s so close to scoring a defensive touchdown’ and then he comes away with one at the end of the half.
“It’s huge for the whole defensive line unit. I tell those guys from Day One we have to be the hardest workers on the field and we have to set the tone every game. We literally did that drill two days ago and it was textbook execution that came to life today on the field. It was pretty neat to see that and for Bump to get that, he’s just a great kid for that ball to bounce the right way into his hands.”
Woodstown fans celebrate as lineman Bump Carter (71) carries the fumble he recovered across the goal line for a Wolverines’ touchdown at Paulsboro. Top photo, the players celebrate with him in the end zone. (Photos by Ellen Sickler)
Covering the 12 yards to the end zone he said felt “like I was running on air.” Once he got in to extend the Wolverines’ lead to 21-0, he was mobbed by his teammates. As he passed Adams coming off the field there might have been a side-eye suggestion about having him help out the running backs until James Hill returns to that side of the ball in a couple weeks.
“It was great,” Wolverines running back Bryce Belinfanti said. “I’ve been waiting for it all year, really, and I watched it happen right in front of my eyes (from his outside linebacker spot). We were all hyped.”
A lot of Wolverines were having fun. Quarterback Max Webb ran for 45 yards and a 1-yard touchdown that capped a 96-yard drive and passed for 57 yards. Belinfanti rushed for 180 yards and two touchdowns, including a 67-yard burst in the fourth quarter with moves that had folks comparing him to Hill, a 3,000-yard career rusher due to return from knee surgery next week.
“I came down and James gave me a high-five and I was like ‘I looked like No. 22 out there,’” Belanfanti said.
It was the second game in a row Belinfanti proved to be reliable option in the running game as the Wolverines wait for the return of Hill. He had 132 yards and two touchdown in the season opener against Haddon Heights.
“I know we only have two running backs right now, me and Alex Torres,” Belinfanti said. “We knew we had to step up and we knew that we could and we were the guys to do it. A lot of the fans and people were nervous about not having James but the team knew what we had to do the first couple weeks and we did it and continue to do it.”
Woodstown 28, Paulsboro 7
Woodstown (2-0)
7
14
7
0 –
28
Paulsboro (0-2)
0
0
0
7 –
7
Scoring plays W – Bryce Belinfanti 6 run (Jake Ware kick) W – Max Webb 1 run (Jake Ware kick) W – Walter Carter 12 fumble recovery (Jake Ware kick) W – Bryce Belinfanti 67 run (Jake Ware kick) P – Sharif Green 43 pass from Roman Onorato (PAT kick)
Bryce Belinfanti led the Woodstown running game for the second week in a row, this time going for a career-high 180 yards and two touchdowns. In the last two weeks he has rushed for 312 yards (Photo by Ellen Sickler)
Here’s a quick look at Friday’s soccer and field hockey action involving Salem County teams
GIRLS SOCCER PITMAN 4, WOODSTOWN 1: Emery Sharpnack scored a hat trick and Alaina Williams had two assists as Pitman won the consolation game of Deptford’s Spartan Kickoff Tournament. Calista Hunt scored the Wolverines’ goal in the second half. BRIDGETON 5, PENNSVILLE 1: Adelina Wilks scored a hat trick and had a hand in all five Bridgeton goals. Karsen Cooksey scored the Eagles’ goal in the second half.
FIELD HOCKEY GATEWAY 8, PENNSVILLE 0: Eagles coach Lisa Doran was hoping for better things in her team’s second game in two days, but was disappointed. Gateway dominated play and squeezed eight goals into the first three quarters. Bella Fini had a hat trick and Angie Zagone had two goals and two assists.
WILDWOOD – Schalick went on the road for the first time this season looking to find a complete game. The offense got closer but still has a little work to do, but the defense played what coach Mike Wilson called its best game in his four years with the program.
Schalick 25, Wildwood 0 NEXT: vs. Riverside, Friday, 7 p.m.
The Cougars posted their first shutout of the season and fifth in Wilson’s four years as their coach, 25-0, over Wildwood.
It was their first shutout since last October, when they blanked Bishop Eustace 52-0, and their first shutout on the road since last Sept. 30 (50-0 at Lindenwold). It was their sixth shutout in the series they now lead 15-1.
They held Wildwood to 89 yards of net offense. Riley Papiano had a team-high 5.5 tackles and Jermaine Loney had 4.5 tackles and a sack.
“The defense played amazing tonight, probably the best defensive game since I’ve been here,” Wilson said. “The kids executed the game plan flawlessly.
“We contained No. 2, Junior Hans, that quarterback who’s the real deal. He probably had maybe two meaningful scrambles. We kept him in the pocket. We defended their passing game very well. We stopped the run. We played well all game. The kids did amazing. Tonight they did their job; they trusted everybody. Honestly, they executed as well as you could draw it up on the board.”
The defense collected a pair of takeaways, including an interception by Jake Siedlecki to set up the first of Reggie Allen’s three touchdowns. The pick came early in the second quarter, shortly after the Cougars misfired on a fourth-and-goal pass from the 4.
Levi Feeney-Childers scored the Cougars’ other touchdown. Allen finished with 144 yards rushing on 25 carries and Feeney-Childers had 103 yards on 12 carries.
The Cougars led only 7-0 at halftime, then put up more points in the second half they had in either of their previous two games.
“Offensively, it’s the same problem as the first two games,” Wilson said. “We look great in one drive and then we sputter the next drive. The offense is befuddling me right now. We’ve got to clean it up.”
The win was their third straight to open the season and left them 3-0 for the first time since 2016.
Schalick 25, Wildwood 0
SCHAL (25)
WWOOD (0)
16
1st Downs
4
43-237
Rushes-yds
21-57
2-6-0
Passes
5-19-2
18
Passing
32
0-0
Fumbles-lost
0-0
2-27.5
Punts-avg
NA
4-59
Penalties-yds
9-67
Schalick (3-0)
0
7
6
12 –
25
Wildwood (1-1)
0
0
0
0 –
0
Scoring plays S – Reggie Allen 2 run (Hunter Dragotta kick) S – Reggie Allen 6 run (run failed) S – Reggie Allen 8 run (kick failed) S – Levi Feeney-Childers 17 run (pass failed)
Cover photo: Riley Papiano gets in position to make a tackle in Schalick’s game with Pitman two weeks ago. Papiano was the Cougars’ leading tackler in their shutout of Wildwood Friday night. (Photo by Heather Papiano)
After an impressive opening night, Pennsville falls flat in home opener, losing to Lower Cape May
ROYAL DIVISION SCORES Lower Cape May 28, Pennsville 7 Cumberland 6, Pitman 0 Collingswood 19, Gateway 14
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – A rousing win in the season opener had the Pennsville football team brimming with confidence and feeling pretty good about the season ahead. But those good vibes didn’t carry over to their home opener.
Lower Cape May 28, Pennsville 7 NEXT: vs. Gateway, Friday, 7 p.m.
In a time frame when tradition says teams make their most improvement, the Eagles fell flat against a much better team than they faced the week before and lost to Lower Cape May 28-7 Friday night in Lou D’Angelo Stadium.
“I think the whole team is sad,” said Malik Rehmer, a junior receiver who scored the Eagles’ only touchdown. “We came off a big win last week high and mighty and then we just get wrecked right now.
“This team (the Capers) came in with more heart. They were more conditioned. They just outworked us.”
The Eagles (1-1) allowed their visitors too many big-yardage plays in the first half while falling behind 21-7. Their offense, meanwhile, managed only 147 net yards total and just 43 on the ground.
Sky Eppes had 53 yards rushing on 20 carries. Rehmer caught six passes for 41 yards, including his 4-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter on a route he hadn’t run before this year to get the Eagles within 14-7.
Lower Cape May’s Isaiah Wing was the game’s leading rusher with 137 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries. Impressive receiver Braswell Thomas caught four passes for 78 yards and had an interception on defense.
The Capers (2-1) scored on three of their first four possessions and were approaching the 10 on their final drive when the half ended. Of their first 13 plays on offense, seven went for 10 yards or more and two others went for at least eight. They had three more in a row on their third scoring drive of the half.
“We were flat,” Pennsville coach Mike Healy said. “We just didn’t come ready to play and they did and that was the big difference. They’re a good football team and against a good football team if you don’t come ready to play and play every play that’s what happens.
“Man for man they beat us up tonight. It’s a combination of us being flat and just not executing. We just didn’t come ready to play tonight. It was definitely disappointing. I had much higher expectations for us.”
The Eagles did much better in the second half, defensively at least, giving up only 86 yards and one touchdown after halftime. But it was hard to take solace in that when the offense continued to struggle, mustering only 71 yards in the second half.
“We played better defensively, but it’s such a small school, everyone playing both ways, you hope that carries over so it’s hard to be happy about one when we struggled some much on the other,” Healy said.
Lower Cape May 28, Pennsville 7
LCM
PMHS
18
1st Downs
11
32-217
Rushes-yards
31-43
10-18-1
Passes
9-25-1
124
Passing yards
104
0-0
Fumbles-lost
0-0
4-36.5
Punts-avg
3-31.3
14-120
Penalties-yards
3-35
Lower Cape May (2-1)
14
7
7
0 –
28
Pennsville (1-1)
0
7
0
0 –
7
Scoring plays LCM – Isaiah Wing 12 run (Dennis Serra kick), 8:52 1Q LCM – Logan Haggerty 1 run (Dennis Serra kick), 4:23 1Q P – Malik Rehmer 4 pass from Robbie McDade (Jackson Leino kick), 8:35 2Q LCM – Hunter Ray 25 run (Dennis Serra kick), 3:12 2Q LCM – Isaiah Wing 24 run (Dennis Serra kick), 8:55 3Q
Lower Cape May’s A.J. King (40) wags his finger at Pennsville’s Hayden Sherman (6) as if to say “Not today” during Friday night’s game. (Photo by Lorraine Jenkins)
Salem wins big, Pennsville falls in their season openers
SALEM COUNTY SCORES Thursday’s games Gloucester Catholic 6, Pennsville 1 Salem 10, Clayton 0 Schalick at Woodstown, ppd.
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News PENNSVILLE – It wasn’t the kind of opener Pennsville field hockey coach Lisa Doran was expecting or the team she was expecting to see.
The Lady Eagles opened their season Thursday with a disheartening 6-1 loss to Gloucester Catholic.
The Lady Rams scored two goals in the first quarter, including one right before the buzzer, to take control and then put it away with three in the fourth quarter.
“I don’t know if it was the first day of school or nerves or what, but we just weren’t the team we saw at the last scrimmage,” Doran said. “Hopefully, the next game is going to be a little better.”
Pennsville scored its only goal with 1:41 left in the third quarter when Kendall Hoyt collected a lead pass from Cara Hoyt, dribbled into the goal area, then crossed it to Sophia Marandola, who banged it in from the left side.
“(Kendall) is a back and she never played that position,” Doran said. “Right before we put her in she was like, ‘I don’t play midfield,’ because she’s new and she got in there and hustled her butt down there and made the cross and that’s what we needed, so it was perfect and Sophia put it in.”
Bridget Taney scored two fourth-quarter goals for Gloucester Catholic. Kenzie Biondi had two assists.
SALEM 10, CLAYTON 0: Marissa Bower and Julliana Love scored two goals apiece and Autumn Foote had a goal and three assists as the Lady Rams opened the Shanna Scott era in a big way. Scott was the team’s assistant last year before being elevated to the head coaching spot.
The goals came fast and furious for the Lady Rams. Bower scored her two goals four minutes apart in a four-goal first quarter. She also assisted on the first goal of the game less than two minutes into the season. The Lady Rams scored their 10 goals on 29 shots.
The 10 goals were Salem’s most in a game since an 18-0 rout of Penns Grove in 2020. It was the 13th time since 2015 they have shutout Clayton.
Schalick wins its season opener, but all other county soccer teams come up short
SALEM COUNTY SCORES Thursday’s games BOYS Glassboro 1, Penns Grove 0 (OT) Overbook 2, Pennsville 1 Pitman 6, Salem 1 Schalick 4, Woodstown 2 GIRLS Spartan Kickoff Tournament at Deptford Timber Creek 7, Woodstown 1 Deptford 2, Pitman 1
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News GLASSBORO – Mano Massari admitted he was a little bummed when the schedule came out and he saw who the young Penns Grove soccer team he had inherited as the new head coach had to face in the opener.
It was the team that knocked the Red Devils out of the playoffs in double overtime last year and has become a veritable thorn in their side the last couple years.
The Red Devils suffered another tough loss at the hands of new nemesis Glassboro Thursday, 1-0 in overtime, but for the first time in a long time Massari didn’t feel crummy about a loss.
“My team just gave me new life with this group of guys,” Massari said. “It’s unbelievable what I saw them do on the field today with the heavyweight Glassboro is.
“We lost three-quarters of our team last year and we were taking it to them the entire game. We just couldn’t finish. I have a new life and fire in me and so do these boys. It’s unbelievable. I can’t wait to see them (Glassboro) in Penns Grove in a couple weeks.”
Every time the teams have gotten together the last couple years it’s been a dogfight. Last year they split two one-goal games and had a 1-1 tie. Seven of their last nine meetings have been one-goal games or draws and they’re 4-4-1 in the stretch.
The only goal in Thursday’s season opener came about five minutes into overtime when Atakan Ozdemir collected a 25-yard free kick in the box and before the Red Devils could adjust found the back of the net for his golden goal.
Sophomore keeper Dwayne Guzman did a nice job keeping the Bulldogs off the board until then. Massari called him “the best keeper I’ve seen coaching Penns Grove within the last 8-10 years.” He also was excited about the play of new outside backs Ricardo Vichi Torres, a freshman, and Eddie Tino, a junior first-year player, both of whom solidified their positions “for the foreseeable future.”.
“If this is at the end of the year it’d be very different, but because this is the first game, I don’t want to sound corny, I’m fired up,” Massari said. “The guys were bummed out but I think everyone has a fire in their belly now. They saw the beast inside of them and they’ve just got to pull it out.
“I really don’t think I’ve been this excited after a loss in a long time. When we got the schedule there was a little bit of a frustration level that we opened the season with Glassboro because I was kind of throwing my kids into the fire there, but now I’m thrilled we have them because know I know for sure we have it.”
Glassboro 1, Penns Grove 0
Penns Grove (0-1)
0
0
0 –
0
Glassboro (1-0)
0
0
1 –
1
GOALS: 1. Atakan Ozdemir, G.
OVERBROOK 2, PENNSVILLE 1: The Rams won only four games last season, didn’t win their first until Game 5, lost to Pennsville late in the season last year and you’ve got to go beyond 2010 to find the last time they won a season opener, but they put all that behind them by taking down the Eagles on the road.
David Ayala-Revas looped in a 25-yard free kick in the first half and Angel Mejia-Castro scored from the top of the box in the second to give the Rams a 2-0 lead. Pennsville’s Stone Mumink was dragged down on a breakaway and put away a red-card penalty kick to make it a one-goal game with 15 minutes left, but the Eagles couldn’t get the equalizer.
“The reality is obviously this is a game we wish we would’ve won,” Pennsville coach Derek Foglein said. “Opening at home, you always want to go get those wins, but I do think there’s a lot of good positives.
“Our over-the-top ball is where knew we were going to be strong and that’s where we got our (goal). Stone and Shane (Puckett) are phenomenal strikers, so once we get them more involved in the game I think it’s going to be really positive.”
Overbrook 2, Pennsville 1
Overbrook (1-0)
1
1 –
2
Pennsville (0-1)
0
1 –
1
GOALS: 1. David Ayala Revis, O; 2. Angel Mejia, O; 3. Stone Mumink, P (PK).
SCHALICK 4, WOODSTOWN 2: The Cougars erupted for three second-half goals to pull away from a 1-1 halftime tie and win their season opener.
Anthony Sepers scored the go-ahead goal on an assist from Donimic Bassano, then Bassano scored to extend the lead. The Wolverines made it a one-goal game again before Bradford Foster put the game away.
Schalick 4, Woodstown 2
Woodstown (0-1)
1
1 –
2
Schalick (1-0)
1
3 –
4
GOALS: 1. Luke Price, S; 2. Adrian Ibarra, W; 3. Anthony Sepers (Dominic Bassano), S; 4. Dominic Bassano, S; 5. Woodstown; 6. Bradford Foster, S.
PITMAN 6, SALEM 1: Charlie Duffield and Jake Bowen-Ashwin scored goals one minute apart early in the first half to give Pitman control of the match. Jose Vilalplando got Salem on the board early in the second half.
TIMBER CREEK 7, WOODSTOWN 1: The Wolverines young team got a rude welcome to varsity soccer in the first half of their opener of Deptford’s Spartan Kickoff, but the whole experience gave them a baseline off which to work for the rest of the season.
Woodstown started six underclassmen in the game – five sophomores and a freshman – and fell behind 4-0 at halftime. It was 5-0 before Lia Covely converted a pass from Bailey Arnold Peters in the 58th minute for the Wolverines’ goal.
Ava Stowell had three of Timber Creek’s first five goals for her third straight Spartan Kickoff hat trick. Adiat Dickson had a goal in each half.
The Wolverines had a couple other scoring chances by Talia Battavio and Gianna Pearlingi in the second half and had four corner kicks total, but couldn’t finish them. Keeper Ellie Wygand was peppered throughout the night and came up with 12 saves.
“We do have a very young team,” Woodstown coach Kieran Keyser said. “It was a good game to open up with because their a non-division game and it gave us an avenue to what we need to work on the rest of the season.
“It gave us the opportunity to see girls in new positions. It gave us the opportunity to see what mistakes we’re making and how to correct them. You want to move on and learn from losses like this. Yes, you want to forget them in a sense, but it’s a learning opportunity for our younger players and for me as a coach.”.
The Wolverines will play Pitman in Friday’s 5:30 p.m. consolation match. The Panthers fell to host Deptford 2-1.
Timber Creek 7, Woodstown 1
Timber Creek (1-0)
4
3 –
7
Woodstown (0-1)
0
1 –
1
GOALS: 1. Adiat Dickson (Ava Stowell), TC; 2. Ava Stowall (unassisted), TC; 3. Billie Frazier (unassisted), TC; 4. Ava Stowell (Karissa Coleman), TC; 5. Ava Stowell (Billie Frazier), TC; 6. Lia Covely (Bailey Arnold-Peters), W; 7. Adiat Dickson (unassisted), TC; 8. Sophie Willingmyre (Madison Freedman), TC
