Category: FIELD HOCKEY

Starting fast

Tuesday’s roundup: Woodstown field hockey parlays quick start into victory over Salem, Schalick tennis advances to SJ Group I semifinals, and more

TUESDAY’S SALEM COUNTY SCORES
FIELD HOCKEY
Schalick 3, Pennsville 0
Woodstown 2, Salem 0
GIRLS SOCCER
Pennsville 3, Overbrook 2
Woodstown 5, Penns Grove 0
GIRLS TENNIS
Salem 5, Gloucester Catholic 0
NJSIAA South Jersey Group I Tournament
Quarterfinals
Haddon Twp. 3, Pennsville 2
Gateway 3, Woodstown 2
Schalick 5, Audubon 0
VOLLEYBALL
Washington Twp. 2, Salem Tech 0 (25-4, 25-7)

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – For the longest time this season the Woodstown field hockey team was pretty much a second-half team. The Wolverines were doing most of their scoring in the second half of games and while it was producing wins, it was becoming somewhat of a concern as the games became more intense and more important.

Now, the Wolverines are getting off to quicker starts and it couldn’t be coming at a better time.

They scored a little more than three minutes into Tuesday’s game with Salem and carried that momentum to a 2-0 victory. It was as if their victory over Delsea Friday, their first win over the Crusaders in 11 years, flipped a switch.

“Since our big win against Delsea we started just coming on from the get-go,” Woodstown coach Bryanna Roberts said. “Even this game they came out and scored right away, so it just showed me they’re out there to play and ready to go, which was a huge piece.

“It was super exciting just to get that (first goal) because coming into a game like this we’re all super anxious and you never know how the girls are going to come out. They came out ready to play. By scoring that first goal it just kind of showed they were ready to come out here and get another win under their belt.”

In their first seven games of the season the Wolverines (9-2) scored 20 of their 32 goals in the second half and went 6-1. They started leveling the ledger in a lop-sided win over Deptford, but over the last three games they have scored three of their four goals in the first half and two of them in the first quarter.

They scored both of their goals against Delsea in the first half and have now scored 21 goals in the first half and 24 in the second.

Their first goal against the Rams (8-3) started and ended with Kayla Brown, who always seems to be around when a goal gets scored. The senior forward got the play started with a corner. Megan Donelson blasted a shot from just inside the 16 that Salem keeper Dominique Lewis stopped, but Brown was right on Lewis’ pads and flicked the rebound home with 3:11 gone. It was her seventh goal of the season.

The Wolverines scored just as quickly to open the second half. Tulana Mingin punched in an insurance goal 3:15 into the third quarter.

“It just really sets the tone for the rest of the game for us,” Brown said of scoring quickly. “It was always a little discouraging when we would go through by the second half without a goal yet. We had to change that. We want to start off strong and end strong, and since that Delsea game it’s been going really well for us.”

The win, with its accompanying power points, vaulted the Wolverines into second place in the South Jersey Group I standings with a big match coming up against current No. 3 Schalick at home Friday.

SCHALICK 3, PENNSVILLE 0: Phoebe Alward scored her 12th goal of the season, Luciana Virga notched her seventh and Caylen Taylor her eighth. Lydia Gilligan posted her sixth shutout.

Girls soccer

WOODSTOWN 5, PENNS GROVE 0: Emma Perry scored her team-leading sixth goal, Alyssa Baber scored the first of her career and Taylor Sparks scored her first of the season after converting to center back for the good of the team. Blair Baldi and Calista Hunt scored the Wolverines’ other goals.

“Taylor stepped up in a big way for us to fill the role as a defender,” Woodstown coach Kieran Keyser said.

PENNSVILLE 3, OVERBROOK 2: Karsen Cooksey and Anikka Macalino scored second-half goals as the Eagles rallied from a 2-1 halftime deficit. Riley Bowman scored Pennsville’s first goal and assisted on Macalino’s game-winner. The Eagles (4-7-2) are 4-2-1 in their last seven games.

Girls tennis

GATEWAY 3, WOODSTOWN 2: The Gators won pro set tiebreakers at No. 1 and No. 3 to sweep singles and upset third-seeded Woodstown in the South Jersey Group I girls tennis tournament, handing the Wolverines (12-1) their first loss of the season.

Morgan McNally rallied from dropping the first set to win 6-0, 10-4 at No. 1, while Allison Eckstein bounced back from dropping the second set to win her pro set 10-5. The Wolverines swept the doubles matches.

In the other tournament matches involving Salem County teams, Schalick swept Audubon, 5-0; and Pennsville took top-seeded Haddon Twp. to the wire before falling 3-2.

Schalick’s Nos. 2 and 3 singles, Grace O’Neill and Allyson Green, won their matches without dropping a game. Lily Edwards and the No. 1 doubles team of Emma Cornette and Fanta Kone scored Pennsville’s points.

Schalick now hosts No. 6 Gateway in the sectional semifinals. The Cougars (16-2) have won seven in a row, six of them by 5-0 sweeps.

Clearing the air

Monday roundup: Salem field hockey team opens up after loss to Gloucester, Woodstown boys soccer bounces back with draw with Gateway, and more

MONDAY’S SCORES
FIELD HOCKEY
Gloucester City 4, Salem 1
Schalick 2, Our Lady of Mercy 1
BOYS SOCCER
Gateway 2, Woodstown 2
Paulsboro at Salem
Washington Twp. 7, Schalick 1
GIRLS SOCCER
Washington Twp. 3, Schalick 2
Woodstown at Audubon
GIRLS TENNIS
Schalick 5, Haddon Heights 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – The Salem field hockey team has gotten off to a rousing start, but it’s heading into the home stretch of the regular season (and presumably the playoffs) and after a hiccup Monday afternoon it felt a meeting was necessary.

After the Rams fell to Gloucester City 4-1 in the Monday matinee, the team gathered behind the auxiliary bleachers behind the bench. It was discussion first-year coach Shanna Scott called “productive” lasting through the first 10 minutes of the junior varsity game to set in motion the wheels going forward.

“Things like this, I’ll use myself as an example, I like when I’m challenged and I face trials because how I respond to that reveals a lot what’s in my heart,” said Scott, who leans on her faith for direction in such things. “I like that we went through this and it was challenging, it was hard, and we kind of had a little bit of a breakdown as a team, but that exposed a lot of things within our team, so in order for those things to be exposed we have to go through it.

“It’s uncomfortable, but in order to grow in those things that’s what we need to do to push through it. I think it revealed a lot about us and a lot of things we need to work on “

Scott gave the players their space and everyone had a chance to have their say. She’s had similar meetings when called to convene them.

“They deserve to be heard, their opinions are valid, if something is happening and they’re hurt I want them to know about it,” she said. “You want to pick each other up because if you spiral, then you’re going to crumble, you’re going to fall.”

It was only the second loss of the season for the Rams (8-2), but they gave up almost as many goals in the match as they had all season. They outscored their previous nine opponents 48-5 and their only other loss was a 1-0 overtime affair with Schalick.

They entered the game seventh in South Jersey Group I power points, one point behind Gloucester. They remained seventh after it ended, while the Lions rose into a tie for third with Woodstown. The Rams play Woodstown Tuesday and if they beat Gloucester Catholic next Monday they’ll clinch the Classic Division title and sweep their division for the first time since 2016.

In Monday’s game they had opportunities, but couldn’t capitalize on them. Through three quarters they had 11 penalty corners to Cumberland’s 3, but trailed 3-1.

The Rams tied the game on leading scorer Morgan VanDover’s 10th goal of the season from just inside the top of the arc with 9:31 left in the third quarter, then gave up three straight goals. Lauren Parry’s second goal of the game 67 seconds after VanDover’s score put the Lions (9-1) ahead for good. Kaelyn Zearfoss and Ryleigh Hunter banged home insurance goals.

“We’ve been struggling a little bit playing as a team so today was definitely big for us,” Lions head coach Alyssa McFerran said. “To come together and put four goals in the cage is awesome.”

Zearfoss has scored at least one goal in every Cumberland game this season; McFerran, also a first-year head coach, called her a “feisty” player who works hard.

Parry’s goals were her first since Sept. 15. Her first goal came 71 seconds after Rams keeper Dominique Lewis began serving a two-minute penalty for being improperly equipped (missing mouthguard).

“She’s a starter for us and sometimes she does struggle on the left post, which is a hard position to play,” McFerran said. “Two goals today was good for her. She definitely needed it.”

“I hadn’t scored in a while, so it felt pretty good to put it in and get out of that funk a little bit,” Parry said. “I hadn’t been able to receive the ball as much as usual, I’ve been having issues with that, so it was good to have those goals right off the pass.”

SCHALICK 2, OLMA 1: Ava Scurry and Sophia Longo each scored a first-half goal for the Cougars (8-4).

Cover photo: Salem’s Morgan VanDover winds up for the shot that produced the Rams’ game-tying goal in the third quarter against Gloucester City Monday.

Gloucester 4, Salem 1

Gloucester (9-1)1021 –4
Salem (8-2)0010 –1

Goals – G: Lauren Parry (4), 8: 39 1Q; S: Morgan VanDover (10), 9:31 3Q; G: Lauren Parry (5), 2:05 3Q; G: Kaelyn Zearfoss (16), 2:05 3Q; G: Ryleigh Hunter (4), 5:17 4Q. Penalty corners: Gloucester 7, Salem 12. Shots on goal: Gloucester 13, Salem 7. Goalie saves: Gloucester 6, Salem 9.

Boys soccer

WOODSTOWN 2, GATEWAY 2: The Wolverines were looking to bounce back from a loss to rival Schalick on an emotional Saturday. They were down several starters and didn’t get a win, but coach Darren Huck was encouraged by the things he saw.

Jacob Garrett scored the game-tying goal on a penalty kick 12 minutes into the second half and the two seven-win teams battled even the rest of the chilly morning matinee.

For the second straight game the Wolverines (7-2-1) held leads of 1-0 and 2-1, but couldn’t close the deal although they had several strong chances to break the tie, including a sharp header by Jack Morris is overtime Gators keeper Alex Horwitz just got over to clear.

“Today I would say I got resiliency, I think that’s the word,” Huck said. “These guys were resilient, they came back. I’ve been around the game for quite a long time now and I’ve seen other schools, other teams, where they’ll come off a big win or a really tough loss and they’re still not the same the next game. I was happy to see what we had today.”

Blake Bialecki opened the scoring three minutes into the match, but Gateway’s Colin Hojnowski got the equalizer a minute later. Adrian Ibarra gave the Wolverines a 2-1 lead with an assist from Bialecki four minutes before halftime.

The penalty kick came on a somewhat soft foul in the back of the box, but Garrett, one of South Jersey’s most prolific scorers, was true on his kick for his 13th goal of the season. Before the half ended, though, Ibarra and Bialecki both had good chances to score.

“That (penalty kick) didn’t stop them from continuing the fight and work hard and play hard,” Huck said. “Yeah, we were down three or four starters today and we showed a lot.

“That was important  for me to see as a coach because you can say what you want and they may be hearing you but are they really listening and today they were listening and they responded well.”

Woodstown 2, Gateway 2

Gateway (7-5-1)110 –2
Woodstown (7-2-1)200 –2

Goals – W: Blake Bialecki (3), 3′; G: Colin Hojnowski (3), 4′; W: Adrian Ibarra (16), 36′; G: Jacob Garrett (13), 52′. Shots on goal: Gateway 12, Woodstown 14. Goalie saves: Gateway 10, Woodstown 10.

Girls tennis

SCHALICK 5, HADDON HEIGHTS 0: The Cougars (15-2) won all five matches in straight sets to score their sixth win in a row. They’ve lost only two individual matches during the winning streak and 16 all season.



This week’s schedule

Here is the high school sports schedule for Salem County teams for the week of Oct. 9-14; to submit corrections or alterations email al.muskewitz@gmail.com

Oct. 9
FIELD HOCKEY
Gloucester City at Salem, noon
Our Lady of Mercy at Schalick, 4 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER
Gateway at Woodstown, 10 a.m.
Paulsboro at Salem, 4 p.m.
Washington Twp. at Schalick, 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick at Washington Twp., 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Audubon, 7 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS
Schalick at Haddon Heights, 4 p.m.

Oct. 10
FIELD HOCKEY
Schalick at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Salem, 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Pennsville at Overbrook, 4 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS
Gloucester Catholic at Salem, 4 p.m.

NJSIAA South Jersey Group I Tournament
Quarterfinals
Pennsville at Haddon Twp.
Pitman at Middle Twp.
Gateway at Woodstown
Audubon at Schalick

VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Washington Twp., 4 p.m.

Oct. 11
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Highland Regional, 6 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER
Clayton at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Salem at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Wildwood at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m.
Pennsville at Pitman, 7 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Overbrook at Salem, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Pitman, 5 p.m.
Schalick at Clayton, 4 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at West Deptford, 4 p.m.

CROSS COUNTY
Salem County Championship at Schalick, 3:30 p.m.

Oct. 12
FIELD HOCKEY
Schalick at Glassboro, 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Paulsboro at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS
Gloucester Catholic at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Salem at Overbrook, 4 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Highland Regional, 4 p.m.

Oct. 13
FOOTBALL
Pennsville at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m.
Schalick at Cumberland, 7 p.m.
Woodstown at Haddonfield, 7 p.m.

FIELD HOCKEY
Salem at Gloucester Co. Tech, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Woodstown, 4 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER
Audubon at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Clayton at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
Glassboro at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Salem at Wildwood, 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Salem Tech at Clayton, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Glassboro, 4 p.m.

VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Camden Academy, 4 p.m.

Oct. 14
FOOTBALL
West Deptford at Salem, noon

FIELD HOCKEY
Gloucester City at Woodstown, 1 p.m.

Cover photo of Woodstown’s Anthony Ford Dale looking for running room against Woodbury by Ellen Sickler.



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

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.

This week’s schedule

Here is the schedule for Salem County high school sports for the week of Oct. 2-7

Oct. 2
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Salem at Clayton, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Schalick, 4 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER
Clayton at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS
Kingsway at Woodstown, 4 p.m.

Oct. 3
BOYS SOCCER
Glassboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Salem, 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Overbrook at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Salem at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Schalick, 4 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS
Penns Grove at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Salem, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Pennsville, 4 p.m.

Oct. 4
FIELD HOCKEY
Deptford Twp. at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Salem at Pennsville, 4 p.m.

Oct. 5
FIELD HOCKEY
Cumberland Reg. at Schalick, 4 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER
Salem Tech at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Salem at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.

Oct. 6
FOOTBALL
Overbrook at Pennsville, 7 p.m.
Penns Grove at Glassboro, 7 p.m.
Schalick at Bishop Eustace, 7 p.m.
Woodbury at Woodstown, 7 p.m.

FIELD HOCKEY
Salem at Audubon, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Williamstown, 4 p.m.
Woodstown vs. Delsea at Total Turf, Pitman, 5:45 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown at Delsea, 4 p.m.

Oct. 7
FOOTBALL
Paulsboro at Salem, noon

BOYS SOCCER
Schalick at Woodstown, 7 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick at Our Lady of Mercy, 4 p.m.

Milestone in OT

Two of the highest scoring field hockey teams in region play to scoreless tie in regulation, then Schalick gets game-winner on rebound in OT, hands Salem first loss, Cheesman 100th win

THURSDAY’S RESULTS
FIELD HOCKEY
Pennsville 8, Deptford 0
Schalick 1, Salem 0 (OT)
Woodstown at Gloucester Catholic, ppd.
GIRLS SOCCER
Clayton 5, Penns Grove 0
Highland Regional 1, Woodstown 0
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown 5, OLMA 0
Vineland 3, Schalick 2

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

SALEM – Heather Cheesman couldn’t tell you her Schalick field hockey team’s record in overtime games or even if they were going to play one Thursday as regulation was winding down, so when the Cougars went to extra time she came up with the fastest strategy that came to mind.

Put the players who had been playing the best in the game and just have at it.

What is it they say? The first instinct is usually the right one? After the teams played to a spirited scoreless tie in regulation, Phoebe Alward banged home a doorstep rebound just over two minutes into sudden death overtime giving the Cougars a 1-0 victory over Salem and handing Cheesman her 100th career victory.

It was the first overtime game either team has played this season, a testament to their dominance over their opponents this year. The Cougars (6-2) had played three previously since the sport went to a four-quarters format in 2020 and were 1-1-1 in those games.

“I put our most skilled players in, they weren’t actually our most skilled, but they were the kids who were playing really well today,” Cheesman said. “I think our team is very skilled, but I picked the girls who were having a good game today and then we took it from there.”

With only 10 extra minutes to get something done, you have to be aggressive and the Cougars were. They never gave the Rams a chance.

“That’s the way I am,” Cheesman said. “I said if we win the toss to get possession; we want to start off with the ball. We have to beat them to the ball. Once we get in the circle we’ve got to shoot and we’ve got to get a stick on it.”

The goal came just that way. Caylan Taylor sent a ball to Ava Scurry who had gotten well behind the defense. Scurry broke in alone on the goal, Salem keeper Dominique Lewis stood her ground and made the initial save with her pads, but the rebound came right to Alward and she sent it back into the cage for her county-leading 10th goal of the year.

It took all of 2 minutes and 3 seconds of sudden death.

Both teams are among the most prolific-scoring squads in the region, but curiously they couldn’t put one home in regulation. That’s not to say they didn’t have chances on the windy, blustery day. The action was end-to-end and both goalies were excellent in keeping their opponent out of the net.

Schalick finished with 14 shots and 12 penalty corners. Salem had 11 shots and 11 corners. Cougars keeper Lydia Gilligan made 12 saves and got help from defensive stops by Hanna Widdifield and Ella Cheesman. Lewis has 14 saves.

The one that got through was only the second goal the Rams (5-1) have allowed this season. They’d outscored their first five opponents 33-1. 

“I think we were pretty evenly matched,” first-year Salem coach Shanna Scott said. “We were capitalizing on their weaknesses and they were capitalizing on ours.

“Our goalie played great. This is the best she’s played.”

Reaching the milestone victory was special for Cheesman. She’s been coaching at Schalick 10 years and reached the mark in her eighth season as head coach.

“It was amazing,” she said. “It helped me reflect on all the athletes present and previously who played for me (and) all the triumphs and heartbreaks we experienced as a team.”

It’s been a good 24 hours of overtime experience in the Cheesman household. The night before her daughter Emmi scored the game-winner for her Cedar Crest College team in a penalty-stroke shootout.

“I watched it, they stream everything; it was exciting,” Heather said. “Now I’m going to have to call her and be like, ‘We went to overtime.’”

PENNSVILLE 8, DEPTFORD 0: Sophia Marandola had a hat trick and Isabelle Saulin had two goals and an assist as the Eagles (2-6) won their second straight. 

Schalick’s Ava Scurry (R) tries to advance the ball against Salem’s Michele Brittingham during Thursday’s field hockey game.

Girls tennis

WOODSTOWN 5, OLMA 0: Gabby Kurpis prevailed in a third-set tiebreaker 10-2 to win at No. 2 singles and complete the undefeated Wolverines’ sweep. The Wolverines (9-0) have won each of their last five matches 5-0.

VINELAND 3, SCHALICK 2: Once-beaten Vineland (12-1) snapped the Cougars’ six-match winning streak. No. 3 singles Allyson Green and the No. 1 doubles team of Katelyn Little and Emma Adams won matches for Schalick (9-2).

This week’s schedule

Here is the high school sports schedule for Salem County schools for the week of Sept. 25-30

Sept. 25
FIELD HOCKEY
Timber Creek at Schalick, 4 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
Salem at Clayton, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Overbrook, 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Overbrook at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Pennsville, 4 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS
Glassboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Salem, 4 p.m.

Sept. 26
FIELD HOCKEY
Overbrook at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Clayton, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Glassboro, 4 p.m.

CROSS COUNTRY
Tri-County Batch Meet, Kingsway

GIRLS TENNIS
Pitman at Salem, 4 p.m.
Vineland at Schalick, 4 p.m.

Sept. 27
BOYS SOCCER
Gloucester Catholic at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Salem at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Wildwood at Schalick, 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Wildwood, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville at Pitman, 4 p.m.
Wildwood at Salem, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.

Sept. 28
FIELD HOCKEY
Deptford Twp. at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Salem, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Highland Regional at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Penns Grove at Clayton 4 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS
Our Lady of Mercy at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.

Sept. 29
FOOTBALL
Pennsville at Cumberland Regional, 6 p.m.
Lindenwold at Schalick, forfeit
Salem at Woodstown, 7 p.m.

BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Haddon Twp., 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Paulsboro, 4 p.m.
Salem at Haddon Heights, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Palmyra, 4 p.m.

GIRLS SOCCER
Salem at Pennsauken Tech, 3:45 p.m.

GIRLS TENNIS
Penns Grove at Overbook, 4 p.m.
Salem at Pennsville, 4 p.m.

Sept. 30
FOOTBALL
Paulsboro at Penns Grove, noon

CROSS COUNTRY
Shore Coaches Invitational, Holmdel Park

Cover photo by Heather Papiano

Friday roundup

Roundup features boys and girls soccer, field hockey and girls tennis; Schalick’s Miller continues her goal-scoring tear

By Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – A long hard week caught up to the Pennsville soccer team in the end.

The Eagles tried to mount an attack Friday, but three grueling matches in five days left them with nothing in the tank and they lost to Haddon Heights 4-0.

The Garnets (5-1) scored a pair of goals in each half. Evan Rasicci, known for his powerful throw-ins, was credited with a pair of goals, including one that deflected in off a Pennsville player. Jack Kominos and Nolan Lachall scored their other two goals.

In their three games this week, the Eagles lost a one-goal game at Woodstown after opening a 2-0 lead, then suffered shutouts to Glassboro and Haddon Heights on consecutive days.

“I think Coach Joe (Mecholsky) put it on the head really well at halftime,” Eagles head coach Derek Foglein said. “If you looked at our schedule this week … our schedule was not our friend. 

“We had a really, really tough schedule, but we’re going to come back out and we’ve got three big games next week – hopefully, three winnable games. Penns Grove is going to be a fight, it always is, but then we look at positives later in the week with Salem and Paulsboro, so we could very easily turn around and go three wins in a row next week. That’s what I’m positive about and that’s what I’m looking forward to.”

The Paulsboro game will have a little extra incentive for the Eagles head coach. It’ll be the fourth installment of the Foglein Bowl, the head-to-head matchup with his brother Doug.

“It’s going to be a fun one,” Derek said.

GIRLS SOCCER
WOODSTOWN – Emily Miller put on a dazzling display of speed and skill, scoring five goals, including a natural hat trick in the second half, to lead Schalick to its third straight shutout win, 6-0 over Woodstown.

Miller scored the Cougars’ first two goals, then collected three in the second half. Cali Fisler scored their other goal in the first half, on an assist by goalie Carly Hayman

The Cougars have outscored their last three opponents 19-0. Miller has scored 12 of her 18 goals in those games.

“Emily is a dynamic player who uses her technical ability to beat players,” Schalick coach Will Kemp said. “She is clinical in front of the net and has finished her opportunities when given one.”

FIELD HOCKEY
Salem 8, Bridgeton 0: The Rams scored their fifth straight victory, fourth shutout and third in a row. Morgan VanDover had two goals and two assists and seven players scored in total. Dominique Lewis posted nine saves in recording the shutout. The Rams (5-0) have outscored their five opponents this season 33-1.

Washington Twp. 6, Schalick 0: Meghan Sheldrick and Ava Porreca scored two goals each for the Minutemen.

GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville 5, Glassboro 0: Regan Witt took a hard-fought 6-4, 6-2 win over Ella Killelea at No. 1 singles to send the Eagles on their way.

Woodstown 5, Salem 0: The Wolverines improved to 7-0, dropping only four games the entire match. Nos. 1 and 2 singles, Abigail Melle and Gabby Kurpis, both won 6-0, 6-0.

Wednesday roundup

FIELD HOCKEY
Woodstown 9, Overbrook 0: The Wolverines erupted for five runs in the third quarter to pull away from a 3-0 halftime lead. Seven players scored goals in the game with Megan Donelson and Kayla Brown each getting a pair. The Wolverines (3-0) have outscored their three opponents this season 22-1.

Salem 4, Gloucester Catholic 0: Rhionna Timmons scored two goals in the first quarter and Morgan VanDover had the other two to help keep the Rams unbeaten (4-0). The Rams have outscored their opponents 25-1.

Schalick 5, Deptford Twp. 0: Phoebe Alward scored twice, Ava Scurry had a goal in two assists and the Cougars (3-1) posted their second straight shutout since suffering their first loss of the season.

GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown 5, Glassboro 0: The Wolverines ran their record to 6-0 with a straight-set sweep. No. 2 doubles team of Alyssa Berry and Nathalie Neron won 6-0, 6-0.

Pennsville 5, Gloucester Catholic 0: The Eagles (5-1) swept their second straight opponent and fourth of the season.

Salem scores again

UPDATED
Rams field hockey team has scored 15 goals in two games, Schalick, Woodstown open their seasons with a win; cross country off and running

TUESDAY’S FIELD HOCKEY SCORES
Salem 5, Pennsville 1
Schalick 5, Gloucester Catholic 1
Woodstown 9, Deptford 0

By Riverview Sports News

SALEM – Shanna Scott’s tenure as Salem’s field hockey coach certainly has gotten off to an explosive start.

Scott was elevated to the head coach this year. In her first two games her Rams have presented her with two explosive victories. They beat Pennsville Tuesday 5-0.

The Rams rushed right out of the gate, scoring four goals in the first quarter. Tamya Driver, who assisted on Boggs’ goal that opened the scoring, scored in fourth quarter to make it 5-0.

Isabella Saulin scored Pennsville’s goal.

The Rams peppered Pennsville keeper Kylie Harris with 33 shots. They took 29 shots in their win over Clayton.

“Our goal is to work hard and do our best,” Scott said. “It sounds cliche, but coach Kayla Chapman and I spend a lot of time laying a firm foundation of what is expected on and off the field, how we aim to carry ourselves as a team, together and in unity. In order for us to prosper, we must be united as one and we must respect one another.

“While our aim is to come out aggressive with anticipation of winning, it is also important to do so humbly … We don’t expect to be perfect and we may not always do the best, but how the girls respond to that is what is important to us … We are very proud of them so far and cannot wait to see what the remainder of the season looks like.”

SCHALICK 5, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 1: Phoebe Alward had a hat trick, and Ava Scurry and Lucianna Virga had the other goals as the Cougars opened their season with a victory. Caylen Taylor assisted on the Cougars’ first two goals of the game and Ella Shimp had the assists on Alward’s last two goals. Lydia Gilligan made five saves in posting the shutout.

WOODSTOWN 9, DEPTFORD 0: Braeley DiGregorio had a hat trick and Tulana Mingin scored twice as the Wolverines opened their season in a big way.Hannah Hitchner, Kayla Brown, Megan Donelson and Val Treijo had the other Woodstown goals.

Cross country

SEABROOK – Schalick junior Jordan Hadfield and Kingsway freshman Ryan Duffy were first across the line in their respective races in Tuesday’s Tri-County Batch Meet at Cumberland Regional.

Hadfield won the girls race in 19:56.32, eight seconds ahead of Williamstown senior Alyssa Boucher. Woodstown freshman Lillian Norman was ninth in the race (21:19.99).

Duffy won the boys race in 16:25.69. Schalick’s Charles Fuerneisen was ninth (17:44.46).