Stars align for TCC

Tri-County Conference sweeps Colonial in soccer all-star games, boys score five goals in final 10:30, girls score shutout

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

CLAYTON — Darren Huck was about 30 seconds away from walking down the sideline to ask his opposite number how he wanted to play it if their all-star soccer game ended in a tie. Overtime? PKs? Coin toss at 20 paces?

Turns out he didn’t have to have that conversation at all.

After nearly 70 minutes of close calls, the Woodstown coach’s Tri-County Conference boys soccer all-stars erupted for five goals in the final 10 and a half minutes of the match and wrecked the Colonial Conference stars 5-1 Monday at Haupt Field.

“Just got lucky,” Huck said with some serious side-eye when asked if he planned it that way. “How did they say it on TV, the ‘A-Team,’ ‘I love it when a plan comes together.’

“It worked out really, really well. We had some weapons we were able to make us look like we knew what we were doing on the sideline.”

Actually, the game went a lot like Huck envisioned, for the first 70 minutes at least. It was a close game between two evenly matched teams, nothing like last year’s 9-1 TCC rout.

The Colonials took a 1-0 lead when Gateway’s Ethan LaCroix hit a shot from about the PK spot that was just out of Pennsville keeper Coen Rinnier’s reach less than four minutes before the break.

And it stayed that way until shortly after the TCC’s last wave of substitutions.

Just about the time Huck was headed over to make his overtime pitch GCIT’s Mike Stanwood got the equalizer when he finished Schalick senior Anthony Sepers’ sharp pass through the box with 10:26 to play.

The coach stopped, turned around and decided to rethink this overtime thing. Then the goals came fast and furious.

Before it was over, Sepers had another assist and GCIT’s Cole Madgey and Williamstown’s Amadu Jalloh had two goals apiece. All five goals came in a span of 9 minutes and 12 seconds.

“Sometimes it just clicks and when you score one, then you’re feeling good and get more adrenaline and you score another and then another and then another,” said Sepers, one of nine Salem County players and four Cougars in the game. “I thought it was going to be a really close game, which it was for the most part, and it just opened up.”

The Tris might not have gotten the first goal if Sepers weren’t so good at reading the field. He was going to shoot it from the left side, but saw Stanwood making a run from behind and pushed the ball through to where he anticipated the receiver would be. It would be the play that changed the game.

“The energy completely shifted,” Madgey said. “It was like no one was really caring and then we scored, then it became a huge energy shift and we all started having more fun and it became more of a game. We scored one and we couldn’t stop.”

Jalloh scored the go-ahead goal two minutes later. About 90 seconds after that Madgey lit the lamp for the first time. Madgey got his second goal moments later off a Sepers corner kick and Jalloh closed the scoring with 64 seconds to play shortly after banging one off the post.

“The corner kick (assist) was actually funny,” Sepers said. “A lot of us all used to play on a club team together so we were messing around and calling that one play and it actually worked.”

“They were all talking about a play they had and I joined in,” Madgey said. “They all said ‘crash,’ and went to the goalie. I just joined in and it kind of found its way to me.”

When the train comes in, everybody rides.

Tri-County 5, Colonial 1

Tri-County	0	5-	5
Colonial	1	0-	1

GOALS — C: Ethan LaCroix, 36:08; T: Mike Stanwood (Anthony Sepers), 69:34; T: Amadu Jalloh, 71:32; T: Cole Madgey, 73:00; T: Cole Madgey (Anthony Sepers), 74:30; T: Amadu Jalloh, 78:46.

**Schalick teammates Quinn Berger (L) and Cali Fisler talk about scoring the first two goals of the match in the Tri-County all-stars’ 3-0 win over the Colonial Conference stars.**

Girls: ‘It’s a Schalick show’

CLAYTON – No sooner had Quinn Berger’s goal from the corner settled inside the goal, Cali Fisler ran over to her teammate and enthusiastically proclaimed, “It’s a Schalick show.”

Fisler and Berger scored the first two goals of the game, about five minutes apart in the first half, and Woodstown’s Ellie Wygand made a big save in the second half as the TCC girls won 3-0.

Fisler, who’s normally assisting other players’ goals, scored the first goal of the night when she lined straight up on Colonial keeper Egypt Bolan (Lindenwold) and buried a shot from about 15 yards out inside the left post with 15:07 left in the first half.

“That was pretty exciting considering I’m not much of a goal scorer in the season, I usually get a lot of assists,” the Cougars’ all-time assists leader said. “But I saw the ball open and I had a shot on net, so I was like I’m just going to take it and it wound up in the back of the net so I’m pretty happy.”

Berger made it 2-0 about five minutes later, and of course it came on a corner kick. The set piece specialist, who had five corner-kick assists on Emily Miller goals in a two-game stretch late in the season and scored directly on a corner in the South Jersey Group I semifinals, put a ball on goal from the right corner that exploded off the keeper’s forearms into the goal.

“That’s literally Quinn,” Fisler said. “That’s the definition of Quinn. That’s what she does.”

Berger had two other corners in the half that had chances to go in. The first was headed over the crossbar by one of her teammates and the other was saved by the keeper and cleared by the defense.

“I honestly don’t know (why it works so well),” Berger said. “I just try to aim for the goal and I have my spot to where I put it on the corner.

“I was always the one who took free kicks, so I was always used to that, but this year is just on a whole different level of excellence. I know where to put it and I know the mindset of where people will be and just put it in the box so they can get it.”

Gianna Simon of Overbrook deposited the TCC’s third goal with 2:36 left in the match.

Wygand played at the end of the first half and started the second. She kept the shutout alive when she reached out with her arm to knock away a shot by Audubon’s Charlie Owens targeted for the upper right corner 11 minutes into the second half.

“I was really focused in that moment when I saw the girl coming at me and all I had to do was make the save,” Wygand said. “I definitely knew she was going toward the back post because of the way she was angled. I kind of just planted and it went the right way.

“Once I made it, I was good and I knew I had people to back me up on the back line and everywhere else. It was awesome.”

Tri-County 3, Colonial 0

Tri-County	2	1-	3
Colonial	0	0-	0

GOALS — T: Cali Fisler (Elizabeth Anderson), 24:53; T: Quinn Berger, 29:19; T: Gianna Simon, 77:24.

All-Star Soccer

The Tri-County and Colonial Conference soccer stars face off in annual all-star games Monday at Clayton

By Riverview Sports News

CLAYTON – The Tri-County Conference will put its recent series dominance on the line with another strong roster of all-stars when the games are played on the artificial turf at Haupt Field here Monday night.

TCC has won the boys game the last two years with one-sided outcomes – 9-1 and 5-2 – that weren’t anticipated but just happened.

“The whole point of the game is for it to be competitive and fun and for these guys to play with some really good players and just have some fun with it; that’s the main part of it,” said Woodstown coach Darren Huck, who has the TCC boys team. “I don’t want to see a blowout on either side, that’s not good for anybody. I’m expecting a close game.”

Salem County is well represented with five players in the 5 p.m. girls game and nine in the boys 7 p.m. nightcap.

Among the girls are Schalick’s set-piece specialist Quinn Berger and all-time assists leader Cali Fisler, Woodstown’s Delaney Walker and Ellie Wygand, and Pennsville’s Taylor Bass.

Schalick has four players on the TCC boys roster – Steve Chomo, Jaxon Weber, Anthony Sepers and Michael Nelson – and they’re joined by Woodstown’s Bryce Ayars and Josh Crawford, Pennsville’s Steve Fatcher and Coen Rinnier, and Salem Tech’s Kameron Brown.

“I think we’re going to have a very good showing,” Huck said. “I think we’re going to be very strong with very quality, quality players. It’s a privilege to coach them.”

Huck hasn’t determined his starters, but he does have a plan for the groups. He’ll play with three forwards, giving each of the two groups 20 minutes per half. The two sets of four midfielders also will get 20 minutes per half and the three sets of four defenders will each get 13-minute shifts. Each keeper will get 20 minutes.

“I expect the Colonial Conference to come out with their strongest lineup in the beginning of the game, so we want to make sure we put our strongest goal keeper out there,” Huck said.

Ten of the TCC girls and 12 of the TCC boys will be playing in the South Jersey Soccer Coaches All-Star Game Tuesday at Rutgers-Camden. The Colonial has seven and four players, respectively, in that game.

Girls rosters, 5 p.m.

NO.	TRI-COUNTY GIRLS	COLONIAL GIRLS
1	x-Taylor Stuart, Washington Twp.	x-Charlie Owens, Audubon
2	x-Carli Scrivana, Williamstown	x-Brielle Connor, Haddon Hts.
3	x-McKenna Eaton, Williamstown	x-Rylee Delaney, W. Deptford
4	Casey Vilary, Clearview	Penny Floyd, Gateway
5	Allison Wiggins, Kingsway	Alexis Nelson, Gloucester
6	Mackenzie Barry, Kingsway	Ayanna Miller, Woodbury
7	Brianna Weiss, Washington Twp.	Montgomery Graham, Sterling
8	Brooke Jones, GCIT	x-Kylie Tocco, Audubon
9	x-Deondria Simon, Clayton	x-Alexis Varela, W. Deptford
10	Alyssa Shinskie, Clayton	Joselyn Hauck, Haddon Twp.
11	LeighAnn Nage, Clayton	Madison Eastlack, W. Deptford
12	Audrey Duffield, Pitman	x-Kayleigh Daley, Gateway
13	Lauren Narolewski, Glou. Cath.	Whitney Okeke, Lindenwold
14	Kaitlyn Capalbo, Glou. Cath.	x-Emily Sewell, Gateway
15	x-Olivia Capecci, Delsea	Madison Sims, Sterling
16	x-Ayress Maitland, Delsea	Mariela Fuentes Ramirez, Lindenwold
17	Emma Serrano, Delsea	Egypt Bolan, Londenwold
18	Gracie Mills, Deptford	Molly Sullivan, Audubon
19	x-Anna Lawyer, Deptford	Sydney O;Loughlin, W. Deptford
20	Ciana Ragonese, Cumberland	Moira Schroeder, Haddon Hts.
21	Elizabeth Anderson, Highland	Jayleen Peebles, Haddon Twp.
22	x-Amina Brown, Glassboro	Lily Henning, Haddon Twp.
23	Quinn Berger, Schalick	Alex Billingsley, Haddon Twp.
24	x-Cali Fisler, Schalick
25	x-Delaney Walker, Woodstown
26	Ellie Wygand, Woodstown
27	Gianna Simon, Overbrook
28	Taylor Bass, Pennsville

x-Playing in SJSCA Game Tuesday at Rutgers-Camden

Boys rosters, 7 p.m.

	TRI-COUNTY BOYS	COLONIAL BOYS
1	William Gallagher, Triton	Connor Wendell, Audubon
2	Mason Henry, Deptford	Phelan Pizzutillo, Collingswood
3	x-Kenny Cockerill, Deptford	Mason McCarthy, Haddon Twp.
4	Brody Rowe, Timber Creek	Ethan LaCroix, Gateway
5	Aidan Worley, Highland	Juan Flores-Sanches, Collingswood
6	Joshua Holt, Cumberland	x-Eammon Sheehan, Haddon Twp.
7	x-Danny Bird, Delsea	x-Riley Yearicks, W. Deptford
8	x-Bryce Ayars, Woodstown	x-Ben Cameron, Audubon
9	Steve Chomo, Schalick	Max Ciavarelli, Haddon Hts.
10	x-Jaxon Weber, Schalick	Allan Medina, Gloucester
11	Anthony Sepers, Schalick	Zach Fayer, Audubon
12	x-Michael Nelson, Schalick	Allen Eastlack, W. Deptford
13	Josh Crawford, Woodstown	Nate Durst, Collingswood
14	x-Joey Zubert, Pitman	Lester Saba, Woodbury
15	Zach Payne, Glou. Cath.	Brendan Rettig, Gloucester
16	Alex Osorio, Wildwood	Shawn Rizzi, Audubon
17	Steve Fatcher, Pennsville	Quinn Dahem, Haddon Hts.
18	Ju’son Stewart, Clayton	Alton Rattle, Gateway
19	Steven Benckert, Clayton	Carter Watson, W. Deptford
20	Coen Rinnier, Pennsville	x-Bayron Guardado, Lindenwold
21	Kameron Brown, Salem Tech	Hendrick Guerrero, Lindenwold
22	x-Connor Brown, Kingsway	Jonathan Rojas, Haddon Hts.
23	x-Ayden Anderson, Washington Twp.	Jack McGarrigel, Haddon Twp.
24	x-Cole Madgey, GCIT	Patrick Farrow, Collingswood
25	Luke Marino, Clearview
26	x-Robbie Finnegan, Washington Twp.
27	x-Amadu Jalloh, Williamstown
28	Cristian Russell, Williamstown
29	Angel Lara, Wildwood
30	x-Sean Tarsatana, Washington Twp.

x-Playing in SJSCA game Tuesday at Rutgers-Camden.

All-TCC boys soccer

Here are the first and second team selections for the Tri-County Conference Diamond and Classic All-Star Teams; 27 Salem County players recognized; x-known TCC-v-Colonial All-Star Game picks

Diamond Division

POS	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
F	Luke Price, Schalick	Tyler Vanlier, Schalick
F	x-Bryce Ayars, Woodstown	Trevor Leach, Pitman
F	Steve Chomo, Schalick	Josh Lewis, Overbrook
M	Jaxon Weber, Schalick	Nolan O’Toole, Schalick
M	Anthony Sepers, Schalick	Thomas Mason, Overbrook
M	Jake Lewis, Woodstown	Nate Newcomb, Pitman
M	Jake Bowen-Ashwin, Pitman
D	Michael Nelson, Schalick	JT Fleming, Schalick
D	x-Josh Crawford, Woodstown	Rooby Dorival, Penns Grove
D	Cooper Willoughby, Schalick	Tommy Tucci, Woodstown
D	Grady Datz, Pitman	Lucas Razze, Pitman
G	Joey Zubert, Pitman	Dwayne Guzman, Penns Grove

Classic Division

	FIRST TEAM	SECOND TEAM
F	Jonathan Rehm, Clayton	Sam Hassler, Pennsville
F	Zach Payne, Gloucester Cath.	Angel Rosario, Wildwood
F	Danny Bunay Coronel, Pennsville	Kameron Brown, Salem Tech
M	Justin Michaca, Pennsville	Edwin Castaneda-Sanchez, Pennsville
M	Jackson Venuto, Clayton	JP Laughrey, Pennsville
M	Alex Osorio, Wildwood	Jason Grossman, Gloucester Cath.
M	Logan Pace, Salem Tech
D	x-Steve Fatcher, Pennsville	Steven Benckert, Clayton
D	Ju’son Stewart, Clayton	Carrington Proffitt, Salem Tech
D	Angel Lara, Wildwood	Oscar DeJesus, Wildwood
D	Brant Regner, Pennsville	Jackson Mecholsky, Pennsville
G	x-Coen Rinnier, Pennsville	Justin Delaney, Clayton

Tough day

Top-seeded Schalick falls on penalty kicks, Woodstown shut out in South Jersey Group I girls soccer semifinals

SJ GROUP 1 GIRLS SOCCER
Wednesday’s Semifinals
Audubon 3, Schalick 2 (PK, 4-1)
Haddon Twp. 6, Woodstown 0
Friday’s Championship
(6) Haddon Twp. at (5) Audubon, 3 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE — Schalick coach Will Kemp searched for the right words. The top-seeded Cougars had just come off the pitch after falling to Audubon 3-2 in a South Jersey Group I semifinal penalty kick shootout and he wanted to make a point, but he wanted to with the proper amount to decorum.

The wind blew steadily throughout the game and although it calmed in the overtime and shootout the Cougars’ coach said it was “another type of influence” that impacted the way his team could play the game.

Several Schalick players were taken to the ground for some extended medical attention and the only yellow card issued was assessed to the Cougars for a contact foul that occurred on the sideline near the Audubon bench.

“It’s a game where we have multiple players who are trying to play proper but kind of get held on a short leash when it comes to the way that we usually play,” Kemp said. “Taking our players out of the game and not being able to get back to our style obviously influenced our game in a negative way.

“Audubon is a tough team to play against. They’ve been to the South Jersey final multiple times. It’s a program that continues to challenge at the top, but at the same exact time we’re a program that challenges at the top as well. I definitely believe we deserved a lot more than what we got today and for this game to go to pens (PKs) it’s unfortunate.”

The Cougars held a 2-0 lead, but Audubon scored twice in the second half with the wind to force extra time. After a scoreless overtime, the Green Wave hit all four of their penalty kicks and won the shootout 4-1.

Kylie Tocco, Charlie Owens, Gi Heller and Molly Sullivan scored in the shootout for Audubon, all of them going for the left post. Cali Fisler hit Schalick’s penalty kick to make it 2-1 in the shootout.

Green Wave keeper Kylie Cannaday stoned Quinn Berger on the Cougars’ first attempt PK and not just for that save Kemp said “in my true heart she actually saved this game for them.”

It was the second year in a row the Cougars were eliminated on PKs, having gone out that way against Glassboro in the quarterfinals last year. The Green Wave is now 3-0 in playoff PK shootouts since 2018.

“I believe the 2-0 lead should have stuck,” Kemp said. “You see the way their players react when it comes to getting touched and things like that, so it’s unfortunate our players get taken out of the game over inexperience from the officiating crew. I hate to say that, but at the same time it’s just the truth.

“Our players get absolutely destroyed and they get nothing for it. I hate that. For that type of influence to happen inside of a high-level game like this, it takes away from two teams out there very competitive that want to win. “

The Cougars (13-6-1) built their lead on a left side corner kick by Berger that sailed into the upper right corner with 5:19 left in the first half and Olivia Vanacker’s breakaway six minutes into the second half. The Green Wave (12-8-1) tied it on goals by Sullivan and Owens three and a half minutes apart midway through the second half.

“We have a group of fighters,” Green Wave coach Bill Scully said. “We played an incredibly tough schedule this year. There were a lot of times when we could have given in a little bit and they never did. Down 2-0 is tough and sometimes you can see a team have doubt, but the fight was actually stronger at that point. They’re just so relentless. This team, they just refused to stop fighting. They’re not going to stop until somebody says it’s done. We have a tough group of kids.”

“That’s something every team says about us, no matter what,” Sullivan said. “We could be losing 4-0 and then come back. We’re going to keep fighting whether we win or lose.”

The goal by Berger gave her 100 career points (31 goals, 38 assists). Fisler joined the 100-Point Club earlier this season.

“For Quinn, it’s an amazing feat to join the 100-Point Club,” Kemp said. “I’m not sure exactly how many players are in there, but even if there are a lot of players in there it’s still an amazing feat especially when it comes to Schalick soccer. We have a special group that’s up there and I’m glad that Quinn will join it.”

Audubon will host Haddon Twp. (11-9-1) Friday, 3 p.m. for the South Jersey Group I championship.

HADDON TWP. 6, WOODSTOWN 0: Aubrey Carson scored two goals in the second half to complete her first career hat trick and set the game on track for a mercy-rule finish. The sophomore also had two assists and now has seven goals and six assists in the Hawks’ three playoff games.

Kaitlyn Martin scored a pair of goals for the Hawks and Abby Wiedeman had their other goal.

“It just didn’t go right for us,” Wolverines coach Kieran Keyser said. “We started off slow and Haddon Twp. didn’t back down. From the first minute to the last minute of the game they poured it on. They were solid throughout. Everyone was on on their team.”

The Wolverines fell behind in the first three minutes when Carson scored on a ball knocked loose after Woodstown keeper Ellie Wygand appeared to make an initial save.

About five minutes later freshman Hailey Kucharczuk had a good chance to tie the game. She gathered the rebound after her initial shot was stopped and had an open goal with the goalie beaten when Hawks’ center back Jocelyn Hauck came out of nowhere, threw her leg up and deflected the ball over the crossbar. Keyser called it “one of the better defensive saves I’ve ever seen a high school center back make.”

Wiedeman made it 2-0 and then Martin scored her first goal on a penalty kick to make it 3-0.

“From that point on it was really an uphill battle,” Keyser said. “Mistakes that we made today we did not make against Gateway (in the quarterfinals), we did not make in the regular season. It wasn’t our best showing today. Sometimes you just don’t always have it. It was an unfortunate way to end the season, but still lots to be proud of.”

GROUP 1 GIRLS SOCCER
Saturday’s Section Finals
South
(6) Haddon Twp. at (5) Audubon, Friday
Central
(9) Point Pleasant Beach at (6) Shore
North I
(5) Pequannock at (2) Midland Park
North II
(11) Glen Ridge at Verona or Mountain Lakes

Tails, they win

Schalick takes the wind in the second half, scores game’s only goal in win over Audubon to reach SJ Group I finals

SJ GROUP 1 BOYS SOCCER
Tuesday’s Semifinals
Schalick 1, Audubon 0
Haddon Twp. 4, Palmyra 1
Friday’s Championship
(2) Schalick (16-3-2) at (1) Haddon Twp. (15-5-1), 6 p.m.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE — The Schalick boys soccer team is headed back to the South Jersey Group I title game after a windy, workmanlike 1-0 win over Audubon Tuesday and some might say they won this at the coin toss.

The second-seeded Cougars won the toss, defended against the wind in the first half and got the game’s only goal with the wind at their back in the second half.

It wasn’t just a little breezy. The wind was howling straight down the field at 20 mph, with gusts up to 30. The team that could take advantage of the conditions best had the best chance of winning and having control of when you got the wind was as big a factor in the match as any strategic move.

“It’s bigger than you think, especially on days like today when the wind’s ripping like that; definitely got the luck of the coin there,” stopper Cooper Willoughby said. “You don’t really think of it that much – it’s more of just an afterthought, like let’s get this over with and start playing – but it really helped us today.”

“That was the thing,” captain Jaxon Weber said. “We knew the wind was a huge factor today and capitalizing on the coin toss, luck, but we took our side that we wanted to go against first knowing the second half we could come out and dominate.”

The Cougars almost always will take the wind in the second half because it’s much harder to score an equalizing goal against the wind.

“Especially when we’ve got wind like this we love taking the harder end, having the wind coming against us, in the first half, just to weather the storm,” Willoughby said, “so we can really get it going in the second half hopefully with the wind, which we did manage to do today.”

The Cougars (16-3-2) now play at top-seeded Haddon Twp. in the sectional final Friday. There is talk of the game being played at 6 p.m., which would put it opposite of Schalick’s sectional final football game at Glassboro, but nothing has been determined.

Weber scored the game’s only goal, heading home a long, curling shot from Josh Stecher into the top left corner with 21:17 to play.

Stecher was about 25 yards out on the right side and his shot cut through the wind to the far post where Weber was positioned for the finish. The freshman assisted an Anthony Sepers goal on a similar shot from the left side on Senior Night.

“I really like to cross in the box a lot, that’s one of the good things I like to do,” Stecher said. “I was really hoping someone could get a head on it and get it in.”

The Cougars almost scored eight minutes before Weber broke the ice when Steve Chomo banged a shot off the crossbar.

Weber just missed a goal with three seconds left in the first half when the Cougars were going against the wind.

“That one was really close,” Weber said. “That keeper made an unbelievable save. He couldn’t have made a better save I put it in the exact spot at the exact place I wanted it, so him making that save was incredible.”

“That would’ve been perfect,” Schalick coach Joe Mannella said. “We finally got a little patience. It seemed like we were settling in and really had a nice little sequence there. Anthony put it on the platter and Jaxon hit a shot and the keeper made a great save. That would’ve been some nice momentum going into halftime.”

Audubon did mount some attacks with and against the wind, but each time they did the Cougars’ senior back line gobbled it up and cleared the ball to the most open side to start their own attack. And when the Green Wave tried to clear those, the Cougars intercepted and attacked again.

“That’s a big thing with Coach Joe,” Willoughby said. “Get it wide and move it quick.”

GROUP 1 BOYS SOCCER
Friday’s Section Finals
South
Schalick (16-3-2) at Haddon Twp. (15-5-1)
Central
Middlesex (14-6-2) at Delaware Valley (18-5)
North I
North Warren-Emerson Boro vs. Pompton Lakes-Waldwick
North II
Verona-Wallington vs. Glen Ridge (17-4)

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Nov. 10-16

TUESDAY, NOV. 11
BOYS SOCCER
South Jersey Group I semifinals
Palmyra at Haddon Twp.
Audubon at Schalick, 2 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, NOV. 12
GIRLS SOCCER
South Jersey Group I semifinals
Audubon at Schalick, 2 p.m.
Woodstown at Haddon Twp.

THURSDAY, NOV. 13
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Bergen at Salem CC, 7 p.m.

FRIDAY, NOV. 14
FOOTBALL
South Jersey Group I Championship
Schalick at Glassboro, 6 p.m.

Central: Shore at Burlington City, 6 p.m.
North II: Cedar Grove at New Providence, 6:30 p.m.
North I: Kinnelon at Butler, 7 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
South Jersey Group I Championship
Palmyra-Haddon Twp. vs. Audubon-Schalick

SATURDAY, NOV. 15
GIRLS SOCCER
South Jersey Group I Championship
Audubon-Schalick vs. Woodstown-Haddon Twp.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Penn Highlands Turkey Classic
Salem CC vs. Bryant Stratton, 5 p.m.
Sandhills at Penn Highlands, 7:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, NOV. 16
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Penn Highlands Turkey Classic
Salem CC at Penn Highlands, 3 p.m.

Photo credit: Heather Papiano

Carrying on

Woodstown, top-seeded Schalick pick up quarterfinal wins in SJ Group I girls bracket, remain on collision course for sectional final

GIRLS SOCCER
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I TOURNAMENT
Saturday’s Quarterfinals
Schalick 2, Glassboro 0
Audubon 2, Palmyra 0
Haddon Twp. 6, Clayton 0
Woodstown 4, Gateway 3
Wednesday’s Semifinals
(5) Audubon at (1) Schalick
(7) Woodstown at (6) Haddon Twp.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODBURY HEIGHTS – Kieran Keyser has been around the game of soccer a long time as a player and a coach, so when he tells you his Woodstown team’s South Jersey Group I playoff game against Gateway was one of the most exciting he’s been involved with you can just about take it to the bank.

The teams went back and forth for 80 minutes Saturday trading goal for goal before Emma Morgan fired back a rebound with less than four minutes left to stun the second-seeded Gators 4-3 win and send the Wolverines into the semifinals for the first time since 2019.

It was the Gators’ first loss since the season opener and snapped their 16-game winning streak.

“It was one of the most exciting games I’ve been a part of as a player or a coach,” Keyser said. “It was about as back-and-forth as you could have it.

“It was stressful, I will say. I talked to a couple of the parents at the game and they said I did not need that stress. I said I did not either. I am 31 years old and that was the most stressful thing … It put some gray hairs on my head, for sure.”

Gateway scored first midway through the first half – its only lead – but Morgan tied it with her first goal on a “textbook play” with Emma Perry and freshman Hailey Kucharczuk put Woodstown up 2-1 at halftime. The Gators tied it early in the second half, Perry gave the Wolverines a 3-2 lead, but Gateway retied it less than two minutes later.

“They just kept coming back on every goal we got,” Morgan said. “It was like every goal we got near the end we were like this is the one (that ends it), like we’re going to park the bus now, we’re going to settle down and just play defensive and then they’d get another one and then we’d have to fight again. It was almost like we really thought we were going to have to go into overtime because they’d answer every goal.”

She saw to it they didn’t. Delia Hahn sent a free kick into the box, Kucharczuk headed it off the crossbar and Morgan beat the defender to the rebound to finish it into an open goal. It was her ninth goal of the season and first multi-goal game of her career.

“I was happy how our girls responded,” Keyser said. “We rose to the competition. We didn’t play super good against Pennsville, but we got the job done. I mean, that’s what the playoffs are all about. We rose to how good (Gateway) were and we pulled out the win. I was so proud of how our girls stepped up. We left everything out on the field today.”

The seventh-seeded Wolverines (15-3-1) now travel to sixth-seeded Haddon Twp. (10-9-1) Wednesday for the semifinals. They are the highest seeded team remaining in the bracket.

SCHALICK 2, GLASSBORO 0: The corner kick combination of Quinn Berger and Emily Miller struck again, this time connecting on a pair of first-half goals to send the top-seeded Cougars to the sectional semifinals.

It’s the fifth time in the last two games the two have teamed up to light the lamp. Berger now has 18 assists this season, 38 in her career and is now two shy of 100 points for her career.

“It’s just a connection, especially on corner kicks,” Schalick coach Will Kemp said. “Emily Miller is very good in the air, so she’s constantly finding the ball, and Quinn’s service is second to none.”

The Cougars (13-5-1) now host fifth-seeded Audubon (11-8-1) in the semifinals Wednesday.

The score wasn’t a true indicator of how much the Cougars dominated their tournament opener. They outshot the Bulldogs 21-0.

“The results are the results, it’s the way the game goes sometimes,” Kemp said. “One of the things Glassboro did well was their goalkeeper performed extremely well again. She made some really good saves.”

Schalick to semis

Cougars take an emotional win over Penns Grove in SJ Group I boys soccer tournament; Pennsville blanked by top seed Haddon Twp.

SJ GROUP 1 BOYS SOCCER

FRIDAY’S QUARTERFINALS	TUESDAY’S SEMIFINALS
Haddon Twp. 6, Pennsville 0	Palmyra at Haddon Twp.
Palmyra 1, Pitman 0	Audubon at Schalick
Audubon 5, Riverside 2
Schalick 4, Penns Grove 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE — Schalick scored three goals in the second half after a dust-up right before intermission and handled Penns Grove 4-0 in the South Jersey Group I boys soccer quarterfinals.

In a game between two county and division rivals, tempers flared along the far sideline just as the first half ended. There was some discussion of ending the game right there with Schalick leading 1-0, but it was agreed the game would continue if the principal protagonists, Schalick’s Anthony Sepers and Penns Grove’s Michael Schultz, did not play in the second half and no further incidents would be tolerated. There were no red card ejections.

Schalick coach Joe Mannella declined to comment on the incident and Penns Grove’s Mano Massari said he was preoccupied with getting a sub into the game at the time and didn’t have a good enough vantage point of the scuffle to comment.

Officials, coaches and administrators huddled at midfield during the entire halftime before making their decision to continue.

The second-seeded Cougars were on their Ps and Qs after that so not to jeopardize their playoff hopes. Playing for their ousted teammate, they scored three times in the second half.

“It definitely fired us up,” Mike Nelson said.

“We wanted to do it for our teammate,” Jaxon Weber said.

Marco Spinnato told Sepers after the incident he was going to score a goal in the second half and he scored the first of his two five minutes into the period to give the Cougars some breathing room. He had a third goal waved off for offsides. Nelson got the other goal in the half, deflecting a long free kick from Weber inside the left post.

“I think that motivated us and pushed us to win this game,” Spinnato said. “It helped us because we knew if we made one mistake we were out of there.

“Our coaches, Jaxon, our captains, all told us we have to stay through the game plan and we have to keep motivated, we can’t let one thing get to us because if we let it get to us we’re jeopardizing our playoff run.”

“Momentum is a real thing,” Massari said. “They did nice job of putting the ball in the back of the net and staying in control. Good team over there.”

Nolan O’Toole banged home a rebound for the first goal of the match midway through the first half.

In terms of what took place between the lines, the Cougars (15-3-2) controlled the action on both sides of the ball. They created numerous chances on offense and when the Red Devils (9-6-3) appeared to mount an attack their defense was there to collect the ball and move it out of harm’s way. Goalie Evan Sepers had three saves.

“Defensively we continue to play really strong; we know that’s the key to winning in the playoffs, keeping the ball out of your net,” Mannella said. “They continue to do that and they were excellent today.”

The Cougars now host third-seeded Audubon in Tuesday’s semifinals.

**Pennsville coach Derek Foglein. (Photo by Brian Tortella)**

HADDON TWP. 6, PENNSVILLE 0: The top-seeded Hawks scored three goals in the first eight mights of the second half to open a comfortable margin and finished it off before the 20-minute mark to end Pennsville’s historic season and reach the sectional semifinals.

Sophomore Brody Beals scored his first career hat trick and Bobby McIlvaine scored twice to lead the victory. Danny McIlvaine scored the other goal.

Beals and Bobby McIlvaine scored in the first half to give the Hawks (14-5-1) a 2-0 lead. Beals opened the scoring in the second half and the McIlvaines scored a minute apart to make it 5-0.

“We ran into one of the best Group 1 teams in the state and they were on form,” Foglein said. “We battled with them for the first half, but then in the second half every shot they had was perfect.

“I know it’s crazy to praise my keeper in that scoreline, but Coen (Rinnier) was fantastic. He made some unbelievable stops in the first half. When it got to the second half, it wouldn’t have mattered who the goalie was.”

The Eagles (11-7-2) checked off a lot of boxes during the season. They enjoyed their winningest season since 2017, won their first division title in 32 years and won their first playoff game since 2014 in the opening round.

“It leaves a sour taste tonight, but tomorrow we’ll wake up and remember that we had a historic season,” Foglein said. “That’s what I reminded the guys on the bus.”

Change comes quick

Woodstown strikes in final minute of first half, beats Pennsville in opening round of South Jersey Group I girls soccer tournament; top-seeded Schalick draws first-round bye

SJ GROUP 1 GIRLS SOCCER TOURNAMENT

FIRST ROUND GAMES	SATURDAY QUARTERFINALS
Schalick bye	Glassboro at Schalick, 10 a.m.
Glassboro 2, Pitman 0	Audubon at Palmyra
Audubon 6, Buena 0	Haddon Twp. at Clayton, 2:30 p.m.
Palmyra 7, Wildwood 0	Woodstown at Gateway
Clayton 9, Woodbury 1
Haddon Twp. 8, Maple Shade 0
Woodstown 2, Pennsville 0
Gateway 7, Cape May Tech 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — The two teams on the pitch were locked in a scoreless tug-of-war. Woodstown was getting the best of it but after repeated attacks had nothing to show for it. As the clock hit the final minute Wolverines coach Kieran Keyser was starting to make mental plans for the second half.

Then in the blink of an eye the whole complexion of the match changed.

Sophie Wells sent a bouncing ball towards the goal that the Pennsville keeper couldn’t corral and just that quickly the Wolverines had the lead 30 seconds before halftime.

It was the kind of jolt that energized the Wolverines and sent the Eagles, who had thought they were holding their own, into the break looking to regroup.

With a renewed sense of fire, Woodstown kept the pressure up in the second half, added a more conventional goal from freshman Hailey Kucharczuk in the eighth minute of the half and went on to win 2-0 in the opening round of the South Jersey Group 1 girls soccer tournament.

“Our first half we started off really strong, really fast,” Keyser said. “We came out firing right away and I think our girls maybe got a little frustrated when we didn’t score when we had a couple chances early and I thought we deflated a little bit about halfway through the first half. We didn’t have that intensity.

“Having that goal right before the half gave us the momentum we needed. It was a lucky goal. Sometimes you gotta get shots, sometimes you get lucky. That carried us into the second half and I thought we played way better in the second half. We played our game the second half.”

Wells admitted it was weird goal and a shot she didn’t expect to go in. “I thought it was just going to be an ordinary shot,” she said. She agreed it did bring the Wolverines energy after a “stressful” first half.

**Pennsville’s Marley Wood clears away another first half Woodstown threat.**

As shocking as the goal was in its arrival, it didn’t devastate the Eagles as much as one might think. They created more chances in the second half although the Wolverines were successful keeping the ball down in Pennsville’s end.

The Eagles got their first real shot of the game three minutes into the second half when Marley Wood broke in on the keeper and Ellie Wygand saved a soft shot. Wygand turned back a sharper shot from Taylor Bass 10 minutes later and went on to complete her ninth shutout of the season.

“At halftime we just needed to get the girls’ heads back in the game, get them to lock in and refocus,” Pennsville coach Casey Slusher said. “They kept playing the whole game; they played the whole game. They didn’t give up. At all.”

Kucharczuk gave the Wolverines a little more breathing room with her 10^th goal of the season. She took a throw-in from Ally Sheppard, deked around several defenders in the box and put one inside the near post from the 6.

“When I have the chance I definitely take them and it’s definitely great when it all works out,” Kucharczuk said.

The seventh-seeded Wolverines (14-3-1) now play at Gateway (16-1) in Saturday’s quarterfinals. The second-seeded Gators routed Cape May Tech Wednesday 7-0.

Pennsville’s Cameron Robbins (3) keeps an eye on Emma Perry as the Woodstown senior tries to take the ball down the sideline. (Top photo) Woodstown’s Hailey Kucharczuk takes a shot in the first half.

Prince of a player

Penns Grove freshman takes game to next level in playoffs; Red Devils, Pennsville score historic wins in SJ Group I boys soccer tournament; also includes opening round of field hockey tournament

SJ GROUP I BOYS SOCCER	SJ GROUP I FIELD HOCKEY
Tuesday’s first round	Tuesday’s first round
Haddon Twp. 5, Woodbury 0	Shore 6, Collingswood 0
Pennsville 1, Glassboro 0	Haddon Hts. 2, Woodstown 0
Pitman 2, Clayton 0	S. Hunterdon 2, Bordentown 1
Palmyra 1, Woodstown 0	Gloucester 5, Lower Cape May 0
Audubon 4, Wildwood 0	Haddon Twp. 6, New Egypt 0
Riverside 2, Maple Shade 0	Schalick 2, Florence 1
Penns Grove 3, Gateway 1	Gateway 1, Audubon 0
Schalick 2, New Egypt 0	West Deptford 11, Pennsville 0
Friday’s quarterfinals	Thursday’s quarterfinals
Pennsville at Haddon Twp., 4 p.m.	Haddon Heights at Shore
Palmyra at Pitman	S. Hunterdon at Gloucester
Riverside at Audubon	Schalick at Haddon Twp.
Penns Grove at Schalick, 2 p.m.	Gateway at West Deptford

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – Prince Ledbetter came off the pitch with about 10 minutes to play and a two-goal lead to series of high fives on his way to the bench. The celebration started early, but coach Mano Massari warned his players it wasn’t over.

It was necessary to do, but it really wasn’t.

Necessary because only three weeks ago the Red Devils held a two-goal lead on a high-powered opponent with a lot less time remaining and left with a draw that felt a lot worse. Unnecessary because they played a strong second half and continued to after their flashy freshman came off the field, putting away Gateway 3-1 in the opening round of the South Jersey Group I boys soccer tournament.

It was the Red Devils’ first win in the tournament since 2022. They now travel to second-seeded Schalick Friday for the quarterfinals.

“The history is we were up 2-0 on a very good team (Woodstown), dominated that game for a while, but we took our foot off the gas and got comfortable, complacent, and you know how that ended,” Massari said. “It ended in a tie with a good team, but it felt like a loss to us.

“All season long they’ll say we’ll fix it tomorrow, we’ll fix it tomorrow, and the message today was there is no tomorrow. I’ve got a good team, but they’re very inconsistent at times and to be the best you’ve got to be consistent.”

The Red Devils (9-5-3) had a lot of messages sent their way during the game.

Huddled in the goal at halftime trailing 1-0, Massari told them to just take a breath and “clear the mechanism.”

They had the best of the opportunities, but still were behind. Watching Mario Fuentes’ penalty kick slam off the crossbar in the 19th minute got them out of sorts and their fears intensified when Gateway’s Max Hohl parked a shot just out of the reach of PG keeper Dwayne Guzman Silva 17:38 before halftime. They needed to regroup.

They got it back together in the second half. They continued to have the best of the chances, but this time they finished, scoring three goals in 17 minutes.

“I wanted them to fight out of a hole and they did,” Massari said.

Ledbetter had a part in all three goals, but a more direct one in the second two.

Poyrez Erdonmez got the equalizer three minutes into the second half off a rebound of a Ledbetter shot. The freshman put the Red Devils ahead with a bullet into the upper left corner on a free kick from just outside the box nine minutes later and then made a nifty side-boot flick to set up Erdom Yardim’s insurance goal with 20:24 to play.

“I saw the open gap and saw the keeper was off his line a little bit and I took a hard rip to the top corner and it went in,” Ledbetter said of his goal. “I was anticipating (the final goal). I was waiting for the perfect moment (to make the pass). I knew that play was going to happen and it just came out how I wanted it and we got the goal.”

Ledbetter figures his freshman season is “going pretty well.” His goal is to become the best player he can. Massari believes he went to a another level Tuesday.

“I’ve been praising this kid since August,” Massari said. “I said to my assistant coach (Jesus Lopez) today this is the day Prince is going to take over this game and take over this team, and I really do believe he just did that.

“He is a special kid. If he can get out of his own way at times and make smart decisions, my God is he going to be a problem for the next couple years. He is going to be a problem in this conference, I really do think that.

“I am petrified to lose Dwayne next year, but having a kid like Prince kind of softens the blow a little bit.”

This defense doesn’t rest

GLASSBORO – Pennsville just keeps checking off historical boxes.

The Eagles won their first division title in 32 years earlier this season and Tuesday they picked up their first playoff win in 11 years with a 1-0 victory over eighth-seeded Glassboro. It also was coach Derek Foglein’s first playoff win as head coach.

The ninth-seeded Eagles (11-6-2) now travel to top-seeded Haddon Twp. for Thursday’s quarterfinals.

“Today just solidifies how hard this year’s team has worked, especially this group of seniors,” Foglein said. “Even these guys have been working in May, but Coen (Rinnier) and Steve (Fatcher), in particular, have been working their butts off all four years. It’s really nice to see them kind of get something out of all that labor and everything that they’ve put into the program.

“Yeah, it feels nice to win this game today, but it really is a win for Pennsville soccer and that, to me, is bigger than anything else, for sure.”

It was the first time the Eagles have beaten Glassboro in nine games since the teams began playing regularly in 2018, including a 1-0 own-goal loss earlier this season. They had been 0-9 against the Bulldogs since 2010, the first year records are publicly available.

“It feels really good to get it done especially after the season we are having and especially on Glassboro because that’s a team me and my coaches, I’m pretty sure, have never beaten,” Fatcher said. “We had lost to them in the summer league championship and earlier in the season so it felt like we had a little something to prove as well as continuing me and the other seniors’ careers.”

Sam Hassler scored the game’s only goal two minutes before halftime, cashing in a free kick by Edwin Castaneda-Sanchez from 35 yards out.

“We’ve been focusing on set pieces all year,” Foglein said. “We got plenty of opportunities in the first half and we took advantage of the one that we needed.”

Much of the credit for the historic victory goes to the Eagles’ defense, led by stopper Fatcher and defensive mid J.P. Laughrey. Rinnier was credited with seven saves in goal, but thanks to the play of the back line he was rarely tested. It was their 11^thshutout in 19 games.

“Coen’s leadership and his calm demeanor at the back was super helpful for us, for sure, but overall this was our best team defensive effort of the season and it wasn’t even close,” Foglein said. “Once we scored that goal, in the second half everybody on the field was committed to defending as a team and making smart choices when they were on the ball.”

“I talked to the boys before the game and said we need to win me and the other seniors another game because this team deserves that,” Fatcher said. “I also felt a little bit of pressure being that this could have been my last high school soccer game so I felt like I had to prove something any way I could and tried my best to limit shots on goal. It feels really good to know that me and the team left everything out on the field and won.”

Cougars find a way

PITTSGROVE – Schalick ran into another team that didn’t want to play with them, but the Cougars still had plenty of firepower to overtake their opponent’s conservative approach.

The second-seeded Cougars scored two goals in the second half to push past No. 15 New Egypt 2-0. They now host Penns Grove in the quarterfinals Friday.

The Warriors seemed not to want to push the ball forward , instead just nudging it up towards the front and hoping to capitalize on a Schalick mistake. But once Nolan O’Toole broke the ice it opened things up for the Cougars.

“When teams are playing like that, (if) you get that early goal that kind of opens things up and makes it less frustrating,” Schalick coach Joe Mannella said. “We didn’t do that, so we did a good job of just continuing to play at it and keep poking away until we found a breakthrough and then it clearly opened up after that.”

Jaxon Weber had a hand in both goals. He assisted on O’Toole’s goal and then scored the insurance goal on an assist from Tyler Vanlier.

Mannella expects “a lot of teams” to take a conservative approach against his team the deeper they get into the playoffs.

“We’re still trying to find our way without Luke (Price) and with some young guys, figuring out a way to integrate some of the other guys whose roles have now changed,” Mannella said. “We need Jaxon Weber to get more involved in the offense.”

No pal of theirs

WOODSTOWN – An old nemesis did it to Woodstown again.

Palmyra, the team that knocked the Wolverines out in the sectional semifinals three times in the last four years, did it to them again, this time in the opening round, 1-0 in overtime.

The Panthers beat them in a shootout last year and with shutouts in 2021 and 2023.

“I guess we’re just destined to run into them,” Woodstown coach Darren Huck said. “For a while there when I was in Group 2 it always seemed like we were going against Cinnaminson. Then the one year we didn’t have Cinnaminson, we had Delran. For us right it’s just that Palmyra is the team we’re running into.

“When you look at South Jersey Group 1, I’ve said it for many years, the team that wins it they have to go through either Palmyra, Woodstown, Haddon Twp. or Schalick. If you want to win it, you have to beat one of those teams or we’re all beating each other, that’s what it comes down to.”

Patrick Broadbelt scored the golden goal two minutes into overtime when he ran onto a bending free kick Kian Briant sent into the box and headed into the goal.

The fourth-seeded Wolverines (11-4-4) had several good chances in the first half that keeper Deakon Haines came out to stop. Meanwhile, they played their typically gritty defense to keep the Panthers out of the goal through regulation.

“Disappointed we lost, but all in all, looking back on it, we played 19 games this year and only lost four of them,” Huck said. “I’m proud of that. I’m proud of the 4-seed. Who else would have to play a 13-seed Palmyra team. If anybody would have said that in the soccer world they would have gone that must be a different sport than boys soccer.”

Field Hockey

SCHALICK 2, FLORENCE 1: Caylen Taylor and Luci Virga scored goals in the first quarter and goalie Lydia Gilligan made 15 saves to help the sixth-seeded Cougars hang on. Ryann Smith scored in the second quarter for Florence and the teams battled through a scoreless second half.

“It was a tough one, for sure,” Schalick coach Heather Cheesman said. “I don’t think the girls were expecting Florence to come out like they did. They were fast and aggressive.”

HADDON HEIGHTS 2, WOODSTOWN 0: Abigail Lovelidge and Lily Paul scored goals in the second quarter and the Garnets completed the shutout to bring the curtain down on Gloria Byard’s first season as the Wolverines’ head coach. The loss snapped Woodstown’s four-game winning streak

WEST DEPTFORD 11, PENNSVILLE 0: The Eagles were just too strong and overpowered Pennsville in coach Lisa Doran’s return to the sideline. Avery Gasparovic, Isabella Gibbons and Julia Barger scored two goals apiece and five other players had individual goals