Schalick bounces back from season’s first loss, moves Mannella to 299, Ibarra leads Woodstown past Pitman

BOYS SOCCER
Pennsville 4, Gloucester Catholic 1
Salem Tech 6, Salem 0
Schalick 5, Penns Grove 0
Woodstown 3, Pitman 1
GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick 5, Penns Grove 0
Woodstown 2, Pennsville 0
Salem Tech at Salem

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE — Joe Mannella moved another step closer to making some Salem County soccer history Monday, but truth be told he was much happier with the way his Schalick soccer team responded to its first loss of the season.

The Cougars handed their coach career win No. 299 Monday with a dominating 5-0 win over Penns Grove. Mannella came become the first soccer coach in Salem County to reach 300 career wins Wednesday at Wildwood.

The milestone and celebration would have happened Monday had the Cougars (6-1) taken care of business Saturday in Cinnaminson. Instead, they fell 2-1 in their most physical match of the season and Mannella was keenly interested in seeing how they would respond their next time out.

They responded by playing most of the game in the offensive end, turning back every Penns Grove advance and getting goals from five separate players .

“I couldn’t have been happier (with their response),” Mannella said as he watched his Cougars of the future in the JV game. “I thought about it the whole weekend. Not that we lost and not that we played bad, it’s just when the pressure gets on and when things aren’t going your way you see little cracks in the armor.

“I told them after the game I should know by now because all last year when things weren’t going our way they rose to the occasion. They did today. Everybody did what we talked about, everybody executed the game plan. I couldn’t be happier with the way we played today.”

Each of the last eight games in the series have been decided by shutout, with Schalick winning six, including the last three. Five of the Cougars’ wins this season have been by shutout.

The Cougars got goals from Anthony Sepers (19:36), Luke Price (36:52), Seth Fisher (54:13), freshman Connor Jackson (68:26) and Nolan O’Toole (71:42).

Sepers opened the scoring when he collected a ball in the upper left corner of the penalty area, pushed it forward a couple yards, then fired a volley over Penns Grove keeper Dwayne Guzman’s outstretched arm and into the upper right corner of the goal.

Price took a through ball from Oscar Hernandez in the box and beat the keeper with 3:08 left in the first half to give the Cougars a 2-0 halftime lead. It was his first goal since sustaining a broken wrist and growth plate when he was knocked down in the box five minutes into the Pitman match last Thursday. He played with a black cast that probably will stay on the rest of the season.

“It’s just all heart,” Price said. “I wanted to get right back at the game. It’s a disadvantage, but at the same time you’ve got to use it and bring your best.

“We got away from our game (Saturday), we just got away from it, but this is a great bounce back. We needed to respond. We played our game and had so many chances.”

The Cougars really turned up the pressure in the second half.

Jackson’s goal was the first of his career and added to a family legacy. He split two defenders and moved in on the net. He almost lost the ball in the box, but gathered it back in and had a wide open net to accept his shot. It gave the Cougars a 4-0 lead.

Jackson’s father is a former Schalick player and Mannella’s younger first cousin. His uncle, Kevin, is the Cougars’ all-time leading goal scorer (100).

They all are among the many who have contributed to Mannella’s 22-year run towards 300 wins.

“I’d trade it all for a state title, even a sectional title,” he said. “When you’re here over 20 years and you coach all these good players you’re going to accumulate numbers, so you don’t want it to be a hollow – it hasn’t been – but moreso if we don’t come out of this season doing what we’re capable of, I’ll probably be disappointed.”

WOODSTOWN 3, PITMAN 1: Adrian Ibarra broke a 1-1 tie with a goal in the first half, then added an insurance goal in the second to help the Wolverines (6-2) to their fourth straight win. It was Ibarra’s second two-goal game in a row. Ben Stengel made four saves in the Woodstown goal and also assisted on Ibarra’s first goal.

The Wolverines have won their last 10 in a row when Ibarra scores a goal. They are 18-4-1 over the last four seasons when he scores.

The game had major playoff seeding implications. The teams were Nos. 7 and 8 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings entering the game.

The win leaves Woodstown coach Darren Huck eight shy of 300 for his coaching career.

PENNSVILLE 4, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 1: Shane Puckett scored twice in the first 14 minutes of the match and got the assist on the Eagles’ next goal. John Thomas and Sam Hassler scored later in the half to give the Eagles a 4-0 halftime lead. Maddox Efelis had a pair of assists

SALEM TECH 6, SALEM 0: Aiden Bobo and Alexander Robi scored two goals apiece and Graham Fields recorded a goal and two first-half assists as the Chargers (2-6) won back-to-back games for the first time in program history. The six goals are also a program record, topping the five they put on Gloucester Catholic in their last win.

Girls games

WOODSTOWN 2, PENNSVILLE 0: Ryann Foote and Emma Perry scored goals for the Wolverines (5-3-1) and Ellie Wygand recorded the shutout.

SCHALICK 5, PENNS GROVE 0: Freshman Olivia Vanacker had the first two-goal game of her career to lead the Cougars (6-2). Abby Willoughby, Cali Fisler and Joel Winnberg netted the other Schalick goals. Freshman Jessica Fantini recorded her first shutout.