Cougars knock off top-ranked South Jersey Group 3 Hammonton in battle of unbeatens, Woodstown routs Cumberland
MONDAY FIELD HOCKEY Schalick 4, Hammonton 2 Woodstown 9, Cumberland 1
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – Lydia Gilligan is usually a pretty good sleeper, but with a titanic battle on her turf the next day she didn’t sleep very well Sunday night. The Schalick goalie kept tossing and turning, and when she did finally doze off a couple bad dreams shook her awake.
GILLIGAN
In one of the dreams, somebody told her the Cougars were going to lose their game with Hammonton later in the day. In the other, she gave up a goal off the side of her foot at a crucial time in the game.
It’s a good thing for Gilligan and the Cougars dreams don’t always come true.
Phoebe Alward and Ava Scurry both scored twice and Gilligan made 26 saves in goal and successfully stood her ground on a penalty stroke in the fourth quarter as the Cougars took down the previously undefeated Blue Devils 4-2 Monday to remain undefeated themselves.
“This is probably the best I’ve seen them play together as a team,” Cougars coach Heather Cheesman said. “They played really well. They knew we were both undefeated coming into it, they knew it was going to be a tough game. This was the toughest game we’ve had so far this year.”
The game had the attention of the field hockey world, at least in South Jersey. Schalick (8-0) came into the game as the No. 2 team in SJ Group I power points. Hammonton (9-1) was the No. 1 team in SJ Group 3 and had scored enough goals this season to keep even the soundest of sleepers up at night.
“I never have dreams about field hockey; I could barely sleep,” Gilligan said. “I always have a feeling we’re going to lose, but today I didn’t have that feeling and we pulled through.”
She did give up a terrible goal in the first quarter, but it was the only time the Cougars trailed. They rattled off the next three goals and took a 3-2 lead into halftime.
It stayed that way into the fourth quarter. Late in the quarter Gilligan was called for covering the ball in the crease and it set up Hammonton’s Emma Longo for a potential game-tying penalty stroke.
Gilligan hadn’t stopped one all season, but she was successful this time as Longo’s shot missed outside the left post.
“I was about ready to bawl my eyes out; my stroke game has not been good,” she said. “It was so silent after that you could hear a pin drop. I thought it went right into the net and I couldn’t hear it. Then all I see is my defense jump up and I just like fell to the ground.”
It was one of 28 shots the Blue Devils fired Gilligan’s way.
“It’s the most chaotic I think I’ve ever felt playing,” she said. “I don’t think I ever had a moment to rest. There were so many flaws and we still held it together and I was just counting the minutes, counting the minutes. I was always on my toes. I couldn’t shut up. I was either cheering or yelling.”
It remained a 3-2 game until Alward knocked one into the cage just moments ahead of the final horn. It was her 11th goal this year. Scurry, who recently notched her 100th career point, now has 19 goals on the season. She has scored multiple goals in every game this year.
WOODSTOWN 9, CUMBERLAND 1: Brae DiGregorio scored three goals and Sienna Land scored two as the Wolverines (5-2) won their fourth in a row. Hannah Hitchner, Shyann Higinbotham, Megan Donelson and Zoe Lipovsky scored Woodstown’s other goals. The Wolverines have outscored their opponents 25-2 during their current winning streak and have increased their goal production each game.
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Sept. 30-Oct. 5; events start at 4 p.m. unless noted
MONDAY FIELD HOCKEY Hammonton at Schalick Woodstown at Cumberland BOYS SOCCER Penns Grove at Schalick Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic Pitman at Woodstown Salem at Salem Tech GIRLS SOCCER Salem Tech at Salem Schalick at Penns Grove Woodstown at Pennsville GIRLS TENNIS South Jersey Group I Tournament Audubon at Glassboro Salem at Lower Cape May, 3 p.m. Palmyra at Gateway Wildwood at Haddon Twp. West Deptford at Woodstown, 3 p.m. Buena at Schalick, 3 p.m. VOLLEYBALL Timber Creek at Salem Tech
TUESDAY FIELD HOCKEY Pennsville at Clayton Salem at St. Joseph Academy Schalick at Gloucester City Woodstown at Glassboro CROSS COUNTRY Pennsville, Penns Grove, Salem, Schalick, Woodstown at Salem Tech, 3:30 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Cumberland at Penns Grove GIRLS TENNIS Cumberland at Schalick Pennsville at Woodstown
WEDNESDAY BOYS SOCCER Glassboro at Salem Penns Grove at Gloucester Catholic Pitman at Salem Tech Schalick at Wildwood Woodstown at Pennsville GIRLS SOCCER Gloucester Catholic at Penns Grove Pitman at Woodstown Salem at Glassboro Salem Tech at Pennsville GIRLS TENNIS Overbrook at Pennsville VOLLEYBALL Salem Tech at Clearview
THURSDAY BOYS SOCCER Collingswood at Pennsville GIRLS SOCCER Glassboro at Schalick, 6 p.m. FIELD HOCKEY Schalick at Pennsville Woodstown at Salem GIRLS TENNIS Pennsville at Glassboro Wildwood at Salem
FRIDAY FOOTBALL Haddon Heights at Camden Catholic Deptford at Glassboro Penns Grove at Pennsville Pleasantville at Woodstown Sterling at Collingswood West Deptford at Haddonfield Woodbury at Gateway BOYS SOCCER Gloucester City at Salem Tech Penns Grove at Cumberland Sterling at Schalick GIRLS SOCCER Penns Grove at Cumberland
SATURDAY FOOTBALL Schalick at Paulsboro, 10:30 a.m. Clayton at Overbrook, 11 a.m. Middle Twp. at Salem, noon BOYS SOCCER Northern Burlington at Woodstown, 10 a.m. CROSS COUNTRY Schalick, Woodstown at Shore Coaches Invitational, Holmdel, 10 a.m.
Algerian import scores 4 more goals in Wildwood’s soccer win over Pennsville; includes results, details of Tuesday games involving Salem County high school teams
BOYS SOCCER Clayton 3, Salem Tech 0 Penns Grove 3, Pitman 1 Salem 1, Gloucester Catholic 0 Schalick 8, Glassboro 0 Woodstown 1, Overbrook 0 Wildwood 6, Pennsville 1
GIRLS SOCCER Clayton 7, Salem Tech 0 Gloucester Catholic 7, Salem 0 Pennsville 2, Penns Grove 0 Schalick 2, Glassboro 0 Woodstown 3, Overbrook 0
GIRLS TENNIS Woodstown 5, Salem 0 Glassboro at Pennsville Penns Grove at Gloucester Catholic Pitman 5, Schalick 0
FIELD HOCKEY Pennsville 4, Bridgeton 0
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE – You know you’ve got to be living right when a generational talent lands on your doorstep to add to an already generational team.
That’s just how Wildwood soccer coach Sal Zamperri must have felt this summer when Noureddine Bedderi decided to stay in the States, enroll in school and sign on to the Warriors’ soccer team.
“Nunu” has scored at least one goal in six of Wildwood’s first seven games. He scored a career-high four Tuesday – two in each half – as the Warriors overwhelmed Pennsville 6-1 and had several good chances for more.
“Nunu’s a great player, but I would say as a whole we kind of had a generational thing,” Zamperri said. “Nunu’s a new face for us and he just happened upon us and we got lucky with that, but as a class, this senior group that we have I would call generational as a group.
“But Nunu is a fantastic player and we are very fortunate to have come upon him via one of our boys.”
Bedderi had been working in a bike shop right off the boardwalk during the summer and went back to his native Algeria when the Jersey Shore tourist season ended. This year he stayed in town and the Warriors have reaped the benefit.
His impact was felt almost immediately, scoring his first goal in the third minute of the Warriors’ season opener and he hasn’t stopped scoring since. His four goals against the Eagles gave him 12 this season. Their leading scorer last year only had 13 goals.
“I’m really happy about today and there’s more to come this season,” Bedderi said with Warriors center back Ahmed Djellal, his cousin, serving as interpreter. “Over here, I have a lot more motivation to play at the game and I want to go far here. I just want to play.”
The match was arguably the Eagles’ biggest of the season. A win would have kept them in the hunt to win the Tri-County Classic Division crown. Instead, they didn’t answer the bell, giving up two quick goals and falling behind 4-0 in the first 11 minutes.
“The reality is we knew coming in that they jumped on us in the first one and we had to be ready to go; we were down 4-0 in the first 12 minutes of the game,” Pennsville coach Derek Foglein said. “We knew No. 9 (Bedderi) was a player. We had multiple conversations about it. He had four goals and an assist today.
“Those were the things we talked. We didn’t execute on the things we talked about, so we have to get better. We’ve still got a long season ahead of us. We have to keep getting better.”
Maddox Efelis scored the Eagles’ lone goal on a free kick with 4:07 left in the first half. It was his first goal of the season. He has scored one each of the last three seasons.
SCHALICK 8, GLASSBORO 0: Steve Chomo had a hat trick and Anthony Sepers scored twice as the Cougars rolled to their fourth straight win and moved coach Joe Mannella within three of 300 career victories. Nolan O’Toole, Luke Price and Louis Sepers had the other three goals.
PENNS GROVE 3, PITMAN 1: Freshman Juan Ortiz broke a 1-1 tie with a sliding goal of the game with just under 10 minutes left in the first half and Frankie Juarez Reynoso buried an insurance goal in the second half to lift the Red Devils out of a three-game losing streak. Pitman opened the scoring on a penalty kick, but Jayden Murga Santos tied it five minutes later. (See related story)
SALEM 1, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 0: Josthen Jimenez scored in overtime off a Jon Bower corner kick for the Rams’ first win of the season. It was the Rams’ first goal of the season after three straight shutouts and Eric Fizur’s first win as head coach.
WOODSTOWN 1, OVERBROOK 0: Blake Bialecki broke a scoreless tie when he converted a pass from Adrian Ibarra in the second half to lift the Wolverines to their second 1-0 win in a row. Ben Stengel made five saves to record his second straight shutout.
Before the game, the parents of the Woodstown program recognized coach Darren Huck for 25 years as head coach. They erected a banner behind the bench that Huck saw for the first time when he arrived at the field and presented him a plaque after the game. Now in his 26th season, Huck has 290 career wins – all at Woodstown.
Woodstown soccer coach Darren Huck was greeted by this banner commemorating his 25 years in coaching when he got to the bench for Tuesday’s match with Overbrook. The Wolverines won it 1-0.
Girls soccer
SCHALICK 2, GLASSBORO 0: Olivia Devoe and Abby Willoughby scored second-half goals and Eve Berger posted the shutout as the Cougars (4-1) won their fourth in a row.
WOODSTOWN 3, OVERBROOK 0: Talia Battavio scored two goals and Gina Murry scored once for the Wolverines (4-3). Ellie Wygand posted her second shutout of the season. Battavio now has 53 career goals.
PENNSVILLE 2, PENNS GROVE 0: The Eagles (2-5) won their second game in a row.
Field hockey
PENNSVILLE 4, BRIDGETON 0: Sophia Marandola scored two goals and Laura Tamberella and Kylie Harris each scored once as the Eagles (2-5) snapped a four-game losing streak. The Eagles scored a goal in each quarter. Kelsey Cook made seven saves for the shutout.
Pennsville wins fourth straight in Foglein Bowl V between coaching brothers, Pennsville girls give Casey Slusher her first coaching win, and more; this story will be updated
MONDAY’S SCHEDULE BOYS SOCCER Pennsville 3, Paulsboro 1
GIRLS SOCCER Pennsville 3, Paulsboro 1
FIELD HOCKEY Salem 2, Clayton 0 Woodstown 5, Pennsville 0 Schalick 8, Overbrook 1
GIRLS TENNIS Pitman 5, Woodstown 0 Schalick at Pennsville, susp. Cumberland at Penns Grove
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — Derek Foglein won another one in the annual Foglein Bowl between soccer coaching brothers Monday, and this time he won’t have to wait until the Thanksgiving family gathering to enjoy the benefits of his latest success.
Derek’s Pennsville team knocked off brother Doug’s Paulsboro squad 3-1 in Foglein Bowl V. In addition to getting another year of sibling bragging rights, when the family retired to their favorite West Deptford pizza place to revisit the match, it didn’t look like Derek was going to have to go into his pocket.
“We’ll be sitting right next to each,” Doug said. “We’ve got some other friends who were at the game today; I think they’re going to join us. I just know that it’s a good thing I have a black card, even though it has Darth Vader on it, because I think I’ve got the tab tonight.”
“Hey, if that’s the deal, that’s news to me, so I’ll take it,” Derek said. “I like it. I like dinner.”
That’s the fun of what this rivalry has become. It started in 2019 when Doug was at Clayton and both brothers had head coaching job and they’ve made it kind of a red-carpet event. Instead of coming out in coaching attire, they dress for success. Doug was decked out in a dark sport coat, red tie and khakis Monday, while Derek wore a dark suit with a gold patterned tie.
Doug won the inaugural game at Clayton, but Derek has had the best of it since it resumed in 2021 after Doug moved to Paulsboro. The games always made for some good banter at the holiday family gatherings.
“It’s always good fun coaching against him,” Derek said. “Soccer is the thing we’ve grown up with since we were both 5, so any time we get to interact with the game, we love it, but any time we get to interact with the game and interact with each other is even cooler.
“It’s moments like this where we’ll look back on it when we’re sitting down in our old people chairs and telling our grandkids, the next generation of Fogleins, about some of the moments we had and playing in the rain on a random Monday afternoon.”
“Soccer has given so much to my family,” Doug agreed. “A lot of good times, a lot of good memories. We really are a soccer family.”
John Thomas (15) scored two goals in his return to the Pennsville lineup.
Monday’s match was the most competitive game of the series played in misty conditions similar to the inaugural game in 2019. Pennsville scored twice in the first 10 minutes to control the scoreboard, but Paulsboro didn’t fade. The Red Raiders kept the pressure on Pennsville keeper Coen Rinnier and made it a 2-1 game early in the second half before the Eagles got an insurance goal with seven minutes to play.
John Thomas scored two goals for Pennsville in his first game back from a four-game suspension over a red card in the season opener. The senior wasted no time making an impact, scoring the first goal 3:53 into the match on a big bender from 30 yards out. He banged home the insurance goal on a rebound with 7:06 to play.
“I was telling my guys in the locker room it’s great to be back,” Thomas said. “I know I wanted to come out here and I wanted to get a couple goals, and that’s what I really did. I just wanted to accomplish something for my team because I really feel like they missed me a lot in the four games I was suspended.”
“Super happy for him,” Derek said. “Everything with that Wildwood game was pretty messy, but for a senior to learn from his mistakes, to get back on the field the way he should and then not only to do that but to come and take care of business with goals and really hold down the midfield … was really cool.”
As important as the game is to the coaching brothers, the Pennsville side has little time to celebrate the win. The Eagles play an even more important game at home Tuesday, hosting Wildwood in a game they have to win for a chance to win a division title.
“I love Foglein Bowl and I love the fact we can do this together as a family, but the reality is I have to turn my boys around for probably our biggest game of the season tomorrow,” Derek said. “We’ve got to be on tomorrow.”
But tonight was a night to relish another win in the rivalry.
Cover photo: Paulsboro coach Doug Foglein (L) settles up with Pennsville coach and brother Derek after Pennsville won the latest installment of the Foglein Bowl 3-1 Monday.
Pennsville 3, Paulsboro 1
Paulsboro (1-6)
0
1-
1
Pennsville (3-3)
2
1-
3
SCORING PV-John Thomas (Shane Puckett), 3:53 PV-Sam Hassler (Shane Puckett), 10:00 PB-Matt Hill (Brandon Hampton-Beverly), 48:47 PV-John Thomas (unassisted), 72:54
Foglein Bowl (Derek Foglein leads, 4-1)
YEAR
PLACE
WINNER
SCORE
2019
Clayton
Clayton
5-2
2021
Paulsboro
Pennsville
3-1
2022
Pennsville
Pennsville
7-1
2023
Paulsboro
Pennsville
6-1
2024
Pennsville
Pennsville
3-1
Girls soccer
PENNSVILLE 3, PAULSBORO 1: Kallie Morrison and Annabella Manning scored goals in the first half and McKenzie Scott scored in the second half as the Eagles scored their first win of the season, giving coach Casey Slusher the first victory of her coaching career. The Eagles (1-5) were aggressive, pumping 22 shots on goal.
Field hockey
SCHALICK 8, OVERBROOK 1: Luci Virga and Ava Scurry both scored a hat trick as the Cougars (5-0) remained undefeated. Alexis Ship and Lena Virga scored their other goals and Phoebe Alward recorded four assists.
SALEM 2, CLAYTON 0: Juliana Love scored a goal in the last 90 seconds of the first half and the final minute of the game. The Rams are 4-0 for the second year in a row.
WOODSTOWN 5, PENNSVILLE 0: Zoe Lipovsky and Megan Donelson scored two goals apiece. Sienna Land netted the other goal for the Wolverines.
Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Sept. 23-28; all games 4 p.m. unless noted, all football games 7 p.m. unless noted
MONDAY BOYS SOCCER Paulsboro at Pennsville (Foglein Bowl) GIRLS SOCCER Pennsville at Paulsboro FIELD HOCKEY Clayton at Salem Pennsville at Woodstown Schalick at Overbrook GIRLS TENNIS Pitman at Woodstown Schalick at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. Cumberland at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m.
TUESDAY BOYS SOCCER Glassboro at Schalick Gloucester Catholic at Salem Overbrook at Woodstown Wildwood at Pennsville Pitman at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m. Salem Tech at Clayton, 7 p.m. GIRLS SOCCER Penns Grove at Pennsville Salem at Gloucester Catholic Schalick at Glassboro Woodstown at Overbrook Salem Tech at Clayton, 5 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Glassboro at Pennsville Penns Grove at Gloucester Catholic Schalick at Pitman Woodstown at Salem FIELD HOCKEY Bridgeton at Pennsville
WEDNESDAY FIELD HOCKEY Deptford at Schalick, 6 p.m. Gloucester Catholic at Salem Overbrook at Woodstown GIRLS SOCCER Overbrook at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m. GIRLS TENNIS Woodstown at Pennsville, 3:45 p.m. GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Triton at Salem Tech
THURSDAY BOYS SOCCER Clayton at Pennsville Penns Grove at Overbrook Salem Tech at Gloucester Catholic Schalick at Pitman Wildwood at Salem Woodstown at Glassboro GIRLS SOCCER Glassboro at Woodstown Gloucester Catholic at Salem Tech Pennsville at Schalick Salem at Wildwood GIRLS TENNIS Overbrook at Schalick Penns Grove at Pennsville Salem at Gloucester Catholic Woodstown at Cedar Creek CROSS COUNTRY Salem Tech at Burlington Tech GIRLS VOLLEYBALL Kingsway at Salem Tech
FRIDAY FOOTBALL Woodbury at Glassboro, 6 p.m. Woodstown at Penns Grove, 6:30 p.m. Pennsville at Camden Catholic FIELD HOCKEY Schalick at Cumberland GIRLS TENNIS Woodstown at Kingsway BOYS SOCCER Salem at Overbrook
SATURDAY FOOTBALL Collingswood at Haddon Twp., 10:30 a.m. Overbrook at Paulsboro, 11 a.m. West Deptford at Audubon, 11 a.m. Schalick at Salem, noon BOYS SOCCER Schalick at Cinnaminson, 11 a.m. GIRLS SOCCER Schalick at Cinnaminson, 9:30 a.m. CROSS COUNTRY Schalick at Six Flags Great Adventure, 9 a.m.
Melo Erickson and his Penns Grove teammates play another Salem County rival Friday night when they host Woodstown. (Photo by Heather Papiano)
PITTSGROVE — If there’s one team on the schedule Schalick field hockey wants to be more than any other, it’s that orange and blue bunch 14 miles up the road.
But for all the current players on the Cougars’ roster that’s all it has been, a want-to, a desire and a lot of frustration. None of them had ever beaten Woodstown in their varsity careers.
And then Tuesday happened.
The Cougars snapped a six-game winless streak against their biggest rival in a big way, coming out aggressive from the start and posting a 7-2 victory.
“It feels like it’s been forever since we’ve beaten Woodstown,” Schalick coach Heather Cheesman said. “It’s been a long time. It’s a nice feeling.”
The Cougars last win in the series came in November 2020. They were 0-4-2 in the six games since and were outscored 15-6.
It has been a tough go. They are 7-9-4 in the series during Cheesman’s nine years as their coach, but since sweeping the Wolverines in her first year the win Tuesday was only their fourth in the last 17 meetings. The seven goals were the most they’ve scored in the series since at least 2010 and their biggest margin of victory.
“We came in the game and were like ‘We have to win,’” junior Ava Scurry said. “They’re our biggest rival.
“It felt so good. For years this is one our biggest goals, to come in and beat Woodstown. We were coming into this like we have to put our weight behind this, we have to come out more hungry than them and I think we did that. We started off really good.”
Scurry, Phoebe Alward and Luci Virga scored two goals apiece for the Cougars. Freshman Paisley Warner scored her first career goal for their other score.
Scurry assisted on the first two goals of the game in the first quarter and scored the next two in the second. She was denied a second straight hat trick when Woodstown keeper Shelby Foote turned back her penalty shot with 2:48 to play.
Alward scored both of her goals in the first half after taking a shot off her right ankle early in the first quarter. She said adrenaline kept her from feeling it during the game. She sat in the trainer’s cart with ice wrapped around the ankle after the game and will be held out of Wednesday’s game with OLMA at Rowan West as a precaution.
The Cougars looked even more aggressive than they were last season when they played for the South Jersey Group I championship. They were in attack mode right from the start and peppered the net with 18 shots. Woodstown did all it could to keep up, sending 15 shots towards Lydia Gilligan, but only got past the Schalick keeper twice.
“I do think they are more aggressive,” Cheesman said of her team. “They’ve gotten older so they matured a little bit and they’re growing with the game. They’ve been playing this game since they were like three feet high so they know the game and that comes with experience. They might have been a little skittish last year, but they are super aggressive – and that’s what we like.”
The win moved the Cougars to 3-0 on the season, the first time they’ve been 3-0 since 2020 when they started the season 11-0. Cheesman said it’s hard to compare teams but said of her current squad “collectively there are more talented people on this team, really ready at the varsity level, than I’ve had in the past.”
And their ceiling just seems to be getting higher. This team has no seniors.
“We’re trying not to look ahead,” Cheesman said. “One game at a time. I tell them all the time, chip away and get to where you want to be.”
Schalick’s Ava Scurry (far right), Phoebe Alward and Caylan Taylor celebrate Alward’s second goal in the first half that gave the Cougars a 5-1 lead over Woodstown.
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 1, PENNSVILLE 0: Leila Belusik raced downfield and scored in the opening minute of the game and then Gloucester Catholic spent the rest of the game trying to keep the Eagles from getting the equalizer. Each team had three shots on goal and Pennsville had 10 penalty corners.
“They played consistent, but we just couldn’t get in the circle and make anything happen,” Eagles coach Lisa Doran said.
Schalick scores 4 goals in second half to turn back Woodstown in boys soccer; results of Monday’s sports action involving Salem County teams BOYS SOCCER Schalick 5, Woodstown 2 Pennsville 6, Salem 0 Wildwood 5, Salem Tech 2 Penns Grove at Glassboro
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – Mikey Nelson admitted he was way too anxious about the game later in the day to be any good in class today. The anticipation of playing in a rivalry with so many connections just made it too difficult to stay focused.
NELSON
“I couldn’t sit still in school; I was thinking about this game way too much,” the junior midfielder said. “All I wanted to do was get out on the field and play today.
“I have a cousin of the team and I have teammates from a club team on the team. I know Woodstown is a good rival. It’s one of the best competitive games all season. I’ve been trying to recreate my goal from last year at the night game against Woodstown because that was Coach’s favorite goal of the season, so I want to get some more of those.”
Nelson might not have recreated that one Monday, but he did notch a pair of goals in the second half to help the Cougars turn back the Wolverines 5-2 in a way-too-early-in-the-season showdown between Tri-County Diamond Division rivals.
Actually, Nelson’s anticipation for the game began the night before and carried over into the school day. The toughest part about it was he had to find ways to release all that energy without being disruptive. He can’t remember ever being so amped for a game. He admitted he expended a lot of energy in the first half, too.
“I had Jax Weber and Ant Sepers in my second period (U.S. History) class and me and Ant were both shaking our tables pretty much the whole class trying to get out of school to play soccer; we love the game,” Nelson said. “I kept looking up at the clock a lot, I kept tapping my feet and moving my leg a lot. I got most of my schoolwork done, so that’s good.”
The game was a lot closer than a three-goal margin would indicate, as you might expect in a battle between rivals. It was as close to a chess match on grass you could find, but it always has been when these teams and their veteran coaches who go way back get together.
“It was a great test of our toughness,” Schalick coach Joe Mannella said. “We said beforehand in the intensity of a game like that you’ve gotta be cool, you’ve gotta keep your cool and just know, be confident, that we’re gonna find a way to win.”
The Cougars never trailed after Jaxon Weber converted a penalty kick with 5:34 left in the first half for the game’s first goal, but they never shook the Wolverines until a pair of beautiful goals by Eli Cummings and Oscar Hernandez 10 minutes apart in the second half gave them some separation.
Whenever Schalick went ahead Woodstown quickly got the equalizers. The Wolverines tied it at 1-1 on Grant Prater’s free kick from 25 yards out three minutes after Weber’s PK and Bryce Ayars tied it 2-2 two minutes after Nelson’s first goal. And they had two good chances to take the lead early in the second half.
“They hit two unbelievable shots there to make it 4-2,” Woodstown coach Darren Huck said. “Those two goals were gamechangers.
“I told my team at the end of the game one thing I’m proud of is we came back twice. I was proud about how handled the situation of being down, coming back, being down again, coming back. And even down 3-2 we had an opportunity to tie it 3-3.”
Cummings doesn’t get the chance to score many goals because he’s such a reliable defender – a role he took on when the Cougars needed to rebuild their backline last season — but when he does he delivers some beauties. The tie-breaking goal he scored with 21:32 left in the second half Monday came as a result of staying with his man and was a carbon-copy of his only goal last season.
He had his back to the goal, spun and while falling backwards floated a shot with his right foot into the upper right corner just out of the reach of the keeper. It was such a glorious goal one of his teammates exclaimed he didn’t think the senior could do that and then remember his similar goal last year against Wildwood.
“I knew Bryce (Ayars) was on my back so if I wanted to get it out I had to get it out quick,” Cummings said. “There weren’t many options for me at that point so I knew I just had to take a shot. It would’ve been fine with it just going over the net and us resetting, but it luckily found the net.
“I just happened to be up there. I followed my man. I didn’t want (Ayars) to turn on the ball so I just stayed with them and I happened to have a chance to step in front of him and I knew once I’m in that outside-of-the-box range, close enough, I’m going to have a rip. I don’t know, after scoring that I might get put up top.”
Hernandez’ goal 10 minutes later was equally a thing of beauty. He took a long pass from Cummings, then took a long shot with his left foot that followed the same flight as the goal before his. Nelson wrapped up the scoring with 2:13 to play.
There’s a healthy respect between the two programs and the two coaches, who were Woodstown assistants together back in the day and are now closing in on 300 career head coaching wins (Mannella is at 295, Huck at 287). But the tension of the rivalry doesn’t extend beyond the white lines.
Later in the evening, Mannella was heading over to Huck’s house to watch the Eagles’ game on Monday Night Football.
Woodstown (1-1)
1
1-
2
Schalick (2-0)
1
4-
5
GOALS: 1. Schalick, Jaxon Weber (penalty kick), 34:26; 2. Woodstown, Grant Prater, 37:22; 3. Schalick, Mikey Nelson (Anthony Sepers), 45:41; 4. Woodstown, Bryce Ayars, 47:49; 5. Schalick, Eli Cummings, 58:28; 6. Schalick, Oscar Hernandez (Eli Cummings), 68:34; 7. Schalick, Mikey Nelson (Marco Spinnato), 77:47.
PENNSVILLE 6, SALEM 0: Eagles freshman Sam Hassler scored a pair of goals two minutes apart in the second half to complete his first career hat trick. His first goal gave the Eagles a 3-0 halftime lead. Stone Mumink, Stephen Fatcher and John Sassi scored Pennsville’s other goals.
Salem (0-2)
0
0-
0
Pennsville (2-1)
3
3-
6
GOALS: 1. Pennsville, Stone Mimink (Maddox Efelis), 4th minute; 2. Pennsville, Stephen Fatcher (Shane Puckett), 7; 3. Pennsville, Sam Hassler (JP Laughrey), 37; 4. Pennsville, Sam Hassler, 47; 5. Pennsville, Sam Hassler, 49; 6. Pennsville, John Sassi (Brant Regner), 75.
WILDWOOD 5, SALEM TECH 2: Aiden Bobo and Graham Fields scored second-half goals for Salem Tech.
Schalick’s J.T. Fleming (23) heads a ball out of harms way in the first half against Woodstown. On the cover, Schalick’s Luke Price goes on the attack before being taken down in the box to set up a penalty kick.
GIRLS SOCCER Glassboro 5, Penns Grove 0 Overbrook 4, Pennsville 0 Pitman 6, Salem 0 Schalick 2, Woodstown 1 Salem Tech at Wildwood
SCHALICK 2, WOODSTOWN 1: Olivia Vanacker and Kyleigh Cutler scored second-half goals as the Cougars (2-1) rallied from a 1-0 halftime deficit.
“It’s just an emotional rivalry,” Schalick coach Will Kemp said. “The girls calmed down in the second half and started to take control. It was great to see their determination in moments such as that.”
GLASSBORO 5, PENNS GROVE 0: Alana Figueroa scored a hat trick from the Bulldogs (2-1).
PITMAN 6, SALEM 0: Teagan Canna scored two goals and assisted on two others for the Panthers (3-2). Emery Sharpnack assisted on three of Pitman’s five goals in the first half.
OVERBROOK 4, PENNSVILLE 0: Gianna Simon scored two goals for the second game in a row and Victoria Bupp had two assists. GIRLS TENNIS Schalick 5, Penns Grove 0 Woodstown 4, Overbrook 1 Glassboro at Salem
SCHALICK 5, PENNS GROVE 0 Miya Watkins (S) win Julia Langley (S) win Helana Tyers (S) won by forfeit Kayleigh Veach-Annie Podeh (S) win Schalick won by forfeit Records: Schalick 4-1, Penns Grove 0-5
Saturday Salem County roundup: Schalick’s Hadfield nipped at the wire in South Jersey XC Shootout
By Riverview Sports News
LOGAN TWP. – It doesn’t get any close than this.
Schalick’s Jordan Hadfield and Voorhees’ Daphne Roskowski were going stride for stride down the stretch in the girls varsity race of the South Jersey Shootout at Dream Park Saturday.
In a heart-pounding finish, Hadfield came home in 18:38.65, but was nipped at the wire by 12-hundredths of a second.
The Cougars finished ninth as a team.In the boys race, Salvatore Longo ran 18:34.95 to finish 35th and lead the Cougars to a 12th-place team finish. Chase Walker was the Cougars’ second-fastest finisher at 19:16.15 (61st).
Briarwood Invitational
PHILADELPHIA – Woodstown sophomore Lilian Norman ran a 22:22.96 to place 17th in the varsity girls race on the Belmont Plateau. Freshman teammate Abby Marino finished 21st at 22:37.83.
The Wolverines finished tenth as a team.
Jacob Marino ran an 18:58.03 to place 56th in the varsity boys race. Cole Lucas was 68th (19:18.56). The Wolverines were 13th as a team.
FIELD HOCKEY
MANTUA – Washington Township scored five goals in the first quarter and went on to beat Woodstown 6-0.
Taylor Zee had a goal and two assists in the uprising. Emma-Rose Phillips, Cecilia LaGreca, Ryli Zee and Karley DuCoin scored the other goals in the quarter. Samantha Boone scored the final goal in the fourth quarter.
Results, details from around Salem County in girls soccer, boys soccer, field hockey; Schalick’s Willoughby scores four goals, Woodstown’s Battavio notches her 50th career goal
GIRLS SOCCER Clayton 6, Salem 0 Glassboro 1, Pennsville 0 Pitman 7, Salem Tech 0 Schalick 6, Overbrook 0 Woodstown 4, Penns Grove 0
By Al Muskewitz Riverview Sports News
PITTSGROVE – Abby Willoughby has goals. She had four of them Thursday afternoon in Schalick’s 6-0 girls soccer win over Overbrook, but don’t get the idea one of them is the desire to be the Cougars’ next Emily Miller.
The Cougars are on the lookout for their next prolific scorer following Miller’s 48-goal season in 2023, but instead of emulating the record-setting scorer, they simply want Willoughby — and the rest of the players on the team, for that matter — to be the best version of herself she can be. Besides they already have another Emily Miller on the roster.
“I don’t think there is going to be a new Emily,” coach Will Kemp said. “I think that Abby’s Abby. Emily wasn’t the new Kerri Jackson (43 goals in 2022). Kerri Jackson wasn’t Sara Copare (who held all the records before her).
“Everyone’s their own individual, which I actually love. No one’s trying to emulate those players, they’re trying to be themselves. So, Abby’s going to do her job this year and we also have other players who are going to be playing that same type position. Abby just stepped up big-time today, scored the goals, but she also played in the midfield, she also played in the defense.
“I’m not going to say she’s going to be that role, but whatever role she fits in, she does great with it.”
Willoughby, a defensive specialist with one goal (Penns Grove) during last year’s South Jersey Group I finalist season, was one of five players to play striker against the Rams as Kemp seeks to put the best players for the best spots. The others strikers Thursday were freshman Liv Vanacker, sophomores Emily Tramonta-Miller and Helen Lillia and senior Quinn Berger.
Willoughby actually started playing soccer as a goalie, but soon found herself playing all over the field. She started her high school career as an outside back.
As a newly placed goal scorer she only has 44 goals to go to catch Miller’s mark.
“I’m super glad,” she said. “I was playing defense all year last year so getting up top I released my excitement to score. I don’t know if I can be quite as good as her, that’s a pretty tall task, but I guess I can get close and try my best. I have goals.”
Those actual goals include seeing her teammates grow as a team, do the simple things and win the big games.
The junior scored both goals as Schalick opened a 2-0 halftime lead. Her third goal put the Cougars up 4-0 and her fourth – a spinner off her left foot – wrapped the scoring. Cali Fisler and Carly Vicente scored the Cougars’ other two goals.
They were the Cougars’ first goals of the season in their first win after a 5-0 loss to Cherokee in the season opener.
“It was good to see the girls get on the board today,” Kemp said. “They’re going through some stuff. We had a tough preseason … to prepare for the playoffs this year.”
“it’s a bit of a boost of confidence after the last game,” Willoughby said. “It was nice to come back and be strong.”
WOODSTOWN 4, PENNS GROVE 0: Talia Battavio became the fifth player in Woodstown girls soccer history to score 50 career goals when he banged home a rebound off the post for the first of her two goals against the Red Devils. Now with 51 career goals, she remains No. 5 on the Wolverines’ all-time girls goal scoring list.
“It’s a phenomenal career milestone,” Wolverines coach Kieren Keyser said. “The goal itself came in typical Talia fashion. It was a scrap goal and she had to work to get it. That’s the type player she is.
“It came on a cross. It actually hit off the post and Talia was able to be there and square it away and bang it home. That’s the type of player she is.”
Keyser had the good fortune to coach two of the Wolverines’ 50-goal scorers. One of his first players was all-time leading goal scorer Tatum Devault, who scored 75 goals in a career that concluded in 2022.
“What’s cool is Tatum and Talia played together and Talia’s kind of chasing her and they assisted each other a lot,” Keyser said. “I’m not sure if Talia can quite get to No. 1, but certainly getting to 50 is a huge deal, especially for an athlete who is a basketball player first, and to reach that milestone is soccer, that is phenomenal.”
Lia Covely and Emma Perry scored the other two goals for Woodstown, who’ve now won two in a row after dropping their season opener and have an early-season showdown with Schalick Monday. Perry has scored in all three games for the Wolverines.
Penns Grove (0-1-1)
0
0-
0
Woodstown (2-1)
3
1-
4
GOALS – Woodstown: Talia Battavio 2, Lia Covely, Emma Perry.
WOODSTOWN GIRLS CAREER GOALS
GOALS
SR. YEAR
Tatum Devault
75
2022
Tori Malpezzi
70
2008
Amy Gray
69
1993
Chelsea Norbuts
65
2009
Talia Battavio
51
2024
GLASSBORO 1, PENNSVILLE 0: Amina Brown scored the game’s only goal at the 6:04 mark of the second half.
Pennsville (0-2)
0
0-
0
Glassboro (1-1)
0
1-
1
GOALS – Glassboro: Amina Brown.
PITMAN 7, SALEM TECH 0: Emery Sharpnack scored two goals and dished three assists to lead the Panthers. Pitman scored four goals in the first 11 minutes of the match.
CLAYTON 6, SALEM 0: Ava Delaney and Deondria Simon scored two goals apiece for the Clippers. Simon also had a pair of assists.
Salem (0-2)
0
0-
0
Clayton (1-0)
6
0-
6
GOALS – Clayton: Ava Delaney 2, Kyleigh Grigorean, Deondria Simon 2, Madi Traister.
Boys soccer
THURSDAY’S SCORES Clayton at Salem Pennsville 3, Salem Tech 0 Schalick 3, Overbrook 0 Woodstown 4, Penns Grove 1 PENNSVILLE 3, SALEM TECH 0: J.P. Laughrey scored a pair of goals two minutes apart midway through the first half for Pennsville’s first goals of the season and Sam Hassler added a second-half goal as the Eagles earned their first win. Coen Rinnier made eight saves to record the shutout.
“I love a freshman who knows how to be in the right spot,” Pennsville coach Derek Foglein said of Laughrey. “He had both of his in quick succession where he was in the right place and hammered them home.
“He’s just a good player who sees the field well and isn’t afraid to use his body (and) strength, which is very rare for a freshman.”
SCHALICK 3, OVERBROOK 0: The Cougars got goals from three different players in their season-opening win. Jaxon Weber scored the only goal of the first half, then Bradford Foster and Michael Nelson stretched the lead in the second half.
Schalick (1-0)
1
2-
3
Overbrook (0-1)
0
0-
0
GOALS – Schalick: Jaxon Weber (unassisted), Bradford Foster, (Steve Chomo) Michael Nelson (Anthony Sepers).
WOODSTOWN 4, PENNS GROVE 1: Adrian Ibarra, who scored 26 goals last season, opened the scoring to Woodstown’s season and Grant Prater scored twice in the first half for the Wolverines. Juan Ortiz got Penns Grove on the board before halftime. Ben Lippencott scored Woodstown’s fourth goal in the second half.
Woodstown (1-0)
3
1-
4
Penns Grove (1-1)
1
0-
1
GOALS – W: Adrian Ibarra (Bryce Ayars); W: Grant Prater (Adrian Ibarra); W: Grant Prater (Ben Lippincott); PG: Juan Ortiz; W: Ben Lippincott (Nicholas DiTeodoro).
Field hockey
THURSDAY’S SCORES Salem 3, Pennsville 1 Schalick 7, Glassboro 1 Woodstown 4, Deptford 0 SCHALICK 7, GLASSBORO 1: Ava Scurry scored a scored a hat trick and Luci Virga and Phoebe Alward each scored twice. The Cougars outshot their visitors 32-5.
Glassboro (1-1)
0
0
0
1-
1
Schalick (2-0)
1
3
1
2-
7
GOALS – Glassboro: Karli Pritchett; Schalick: Ava Scurry 3, Luci Virga 2, Phoebe Alward 2.
SALEM 3, PENNSVILLE 1: Audrey Boggs scored twice and Kevana Roman once as the Rams opened their season with a victory in this Battle of Broadway. Sophia Marandola scored Pennsville’s goal in the fourth quarter.
“It was commented by a spectator after the game, ‘It looked like an ‘old school’ hockey game and was enjoyable to watch,'” Rams coach Shanna Scott said. “(It) was a very fast-paced and quick game. There were simple mistakes made and things we can do better for next time – there is always something we could ‘do better or grow in’ – but I am very proud of my girls and give them the credit they deserve for how hard they worked in our season opener.”
WOODSTOWN 4, DEPTFORD 0: Shyann Higinbotham scored two goals and assisted on another in the Wolverines’ season-opening win. Megan Donelson and Bradley DiGregorio scored Woodstown’s other two goals.
