Category: SOCCER

Lighting it up

Wednesday roundup: Pennsville, Woodstown boys soccer score big in their first halves, also includes girls soccer and girls tennis

By Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – When the train comes in, everybody rides.

Pennsville scored seven goals on 10 shots in the first half Wednesday in a 7-2 boys soccer rout of Salem.

Six different players found the back of the net for the Eagles, and one of the goal was particularly special.

Senior Stathis Efelis has been playing with the varsity for the past three years and scored his first goal since his sophomore year in the first-half onslaught. Actually, he had a goal and an assist in the game.

“To get a goal today felt incredible,” he said. “The assist and the build up was very intense and I was so glad to be able to celebrate it with my teammates.”

Stathis assisted on Maddox Efelis’ goal shortly after scoring his own. Shane Puckett got the first two followed by Stone Mumink, then John Thomas and Jake Isaac scored after the two Efelises’ goals.

It was the Eagles’ most prolific half of goalscoring in Derek Foglein’s tenure as head coach.

“To be completely honest, if you asked the team they’d say we started slow,” the coach said. “Once we got those (first) two, they settled down and moved the ball.

“The thing I’m really pleased about today is the fact the team did a great job moving the ball as the first half developed and as the score line showed we got everyone involved.”

Jose Vilalplando scored both Salem goals in the second half. 

WOODSTOWN 9, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 0: Bryce Ayars banged home a header 30 seconds into the game and the Wolverines (6-1) went on to pump in nine goals on 16 shots in the first half to win their sixth straight.

Adrian Ibarra scored the first of his two goals 40 seconds after Ayars’ header and the rout was on. They had another flurry later in the half in which they scored four goals in four minutes. Ibarra also recorded three assists.

“We’re not a team that scores a lot of goals traditionally,” Woodstown coach Darren Huck said, “but today things were clicking and we got on them early.”

Freshman Ayden Ellis, sophomore assist machine Blake Bialecki and senior Dalton Berry all scored their first varsity goals, while Ben Lippincott (on the first goal), Dante Mistichelli, Nick DiTeodoro and senior Eddie Whelan all recorded their first varsity assists.

The Wolverines’ final goal of the half was the play that brought Berry and Whelan their first varsity marks and the crowd to its feet.

“That was kind of a nice moment,” Huck said. “They’d been together for four years and been total team players; it’s always been the team first. They were with the JVs last year, but decided to come back and be part of everything and they were able to reap the rewards today, which I was happy about.

“The whole team was cheering for (Berry), the whole place got excited. He does work hard and always gives 100 percent and he was able to put one in today.”

PITMAN 2, PENNS GROVE 1: The Red Devils (1-6) have to be the hardest-luck team in South Jersey. All six of their losses this season have been of the one-loss variety. They fell behind 2-0 nine minutes into the second half, got a goal from Ashton Harris four minutes later and just couldn’t get the equalizer.

“We’re doing the best we can,” Penns Grove coach Mano Massari said. “The guys fought hard today; you can’t ask anymore than that. We’re fighting and taking punches with some really good teams. We just need to be more consistent.”

SCHALICK 3, WILDWOOD 0: Nolan O’Toole, Bradford Foster and Elijah Cummings scored goals and Evan Sepers was a rock in goal as the Cougars (7-2) won their third in a row. 

Pennsville’s Riley Bowman (5) and Reagan Wariwanchik celebrate another Eagles goal in their match with Salem Wednesday. (Photos by Lorraine Jenkins)

Girls soccer

PENNSVILLE 8, SALEM 1: The Eagles found the scoring touch for the second straight game, this time scoring four goals in each half. They have scored 15 goals in their two games this week.

Riley Bowman scored her first hat trick, which included a penalty kick late in the first half. Karsen Cooksey had the first goal of the second half and assisted on the other three goals. Gabby Marandola scored her first career goal 90 seconds into the game, while Molly Gratz, Kallie Morrison and Marley Wood had the other goals. The Eagles had 27 shots and eight corner kicks in the game.

“The girls are distributing the ball well and looking for opportunities for each other to score,” Eagles coach Sam Trapp said. “They are gaining more confidence as a unit each game.”

Ryann Foote scored Salem’s goal on a free kick in the first half.

GLASSBORO 7, SALEM TECH 0: Marianna Dempster and Emma Mattox both scored twice for the Bulldogs (4-2-1).

PITMAN 5, PENNS GROVE 0: Emery Sharpnack had two goals and an assist and Riley Sharpnack had a goal and two assists for Pitman.

Girls tennis

PITTMAN 4, PENNSVILLE 1: Megan Morris won 6-4, 6-1 at No. 2 singles to pick up Pennsville’s only point. Morris is 9-0 this season and has not lost a set.

WOODSTOWN 5, PENNS GROVE 0: The Wolverines went to 5-0, losing only two games the entire match. Noelle Neron and Aubrie Rennie at No. 2 doubles scored their first career win.

THE big game

Foglein Bowl IV kicks off Friday when Pennsville visits Paulsboro in soccer match pitting brother against brother

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Forget the Super Bowl or Wrestlemania or whatever event with a long series of Roman numerals after its name. There is only one Big Game that matters at this Maple Street homestead.

It’s the Foglein Bowl, the yearly soccer matchup now in its fourth year that pits coaching brother against coaching brother for family bragging rights on the pitch.

Foglein Bowl IV is Friday at Paulsboro when older brother (by four years) Doug hosts little brother Derek and his Pennsville side at 4 p.m. Derek leads the series 2-1 and isn’t keen to give up his lead.

“It’s always super exciting,” Derek said. “Growing up as brothers, we were always competitive in just about everything we did. I know it’s really exciting for both programs. I think both programs really enjoy the camaraderie and the matchup and really buy into it. I know his guys are always excited and looking up to this game. I know my guys are really looking forward to it, too.

“It’s a lot of fun when you get these out of division, even out of conference games, that mean a lot more because of the matchup. It’s just been a lot of fun and really helps the kids get motivated for a game that on paper might not look like it doesn’t matter, but it really matters to these kids and it really matters to us.”

Both teams are looking for something to get them going. Paulsboro entered the week 0-7, stuck in a 26-match losing streak and hasn’t won since its next to last game in 2021. Pennsville went into a week that had three winnable games 1-6.

It was pretty much a no-brainer to put the game on the schedule when both brothers got to be head coach. The first time they played it in 2019, it was a really big deal. Doug back then was coaching at Clayton, where both boys went to school. They played it at night. On the football field. On Senior Night. And it had all the feel of a Hollywood premier. Even though the teams were on opposite ends of the standings, the game matched the hype.

COVID protocols forced them off the pitch the next year, but the series resumed in 2021 after Doug moved to Paulsboro. And now they see the series continuing, as Doug says, “as long as we’re coaching together and it’s a game that’s good for both of us.”

Ditching their hoodies and athletics attire, the brothers show up on the sidelines in suits and ties like they were Diego Simeone or Pep Guardiola, two of the most fashion-chic managers in the game. It’s still the only time they wear a suit for a game.

The whole family gets involved. The first year of the game mom made “Clay-Ville” T-shirts for everybody, a mash up of the Clayton and Pennsville names with logos of each team. There’s a picture of the battling brothers striking a boxing pose and used it as their Christmas card. Sister Dawn even gets in the act while remaining neutral with shirts that say, “My favorite brother is your coach.”

“We love playing this up in our family and making it a big deal, for sure,” Derek said.

“It gets to show all the players on both teams how soccer can really kind of transcend whatever is going on,” Doug said. “It’s really great. You see two brothers who love each other to death, except for those 80 minutes in the middle.”

There is no familial bet – at least not one the brothers are keen to admit publicly – but you know it means something to both of them.

Doug won that inaugural game, but Derek has had the best of it in the last two. There was something not quite right after his first win in the series, something not even last year’s 7-1 rout could fix, something he hopes to set straight in this year’s game.

“We won that game 3-1 on two very soft penalty kick calls that went our way, so even though (the series) is 2-1, it’s 2-1 with an asterisk,” Derek said. “I’m really looking forward this year to firmly hopefully taking that winning record and not having to worry about the contingencies any more.

“We did not deserve to win that game two years ago. I’ll even say we should have played better and we kind of got the luck of the draw that day, so we really want to prove that it wasn’t a fluke two years ago and we’re really moving the program forward.”

That’s about the closest you’re going to get to bulletin board material from these two. Whenever they do have conversation about the game at the family picnic in Clayton, it’s usually about trying to pry secrets out of each other to gain an edge.

If the game ends it a tie, the result their mom always bets on, that’s how it will go in the NJSIAA record. But don’t be surprised if, with a wink and a nod, they put together some sort of PK shootout after the referees disappear in their cars to bring the match to an outcome. That’s how much it means.

“Our teams have almost come to fisticuffs once or twice,” Doug said. “The teams buy in. They know at the beginning of the season – I tell my boys the same thing and he tells his boys the same thing – this is the one game we want. If we go 1-17 this is the one I want.”

The Foglein Bowl
(Derek 2, Doug 1)

YEARPLACEWINNERSCORE
2019ClaytonClayton (Doug)5-2
2021PaulsboroPennsville (Derek)3-1
2022PennsvillePennsville (Derek)7-1
2023PaulsboroFriday, 4 p.m.
Dawn Foglein plays no favorites as she stands with brothers Doug (L) and Derek (R) after last year’s Paulsboro-Pennsville Foglein Bowl soccer match. Top photo: Dawn steps in to separate the two combatants prior to the first game of the series in 2019. (Submitted photos)

Coen saves Eagles

Pennsville boys start important week with 2-1 win over Penns Grove, keeper Rinnier turns back late threats, hands Red Devils another one-goal loss

SALEM COUNTY SOCCER
Monday’s games
Pennsville 2, Penns Grove 1
Pitman 6, Salem Tech 0
Schalick 6, Overbrook 2

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – In what just might be the most important week of their season and in miserable conditions to play a game, it’s vital to have a goalkeeper who can be counted on as the last line defense.

Pennsville keeper Coen Rinnier was fighting a cold and nerves from the opening kick, but he was the rock the Eagles needed in a 2-1 victory over Penns Grove Monday.

Rinnier, a sophomore playing goalie on the varsity level for the first time, made 18 saves and turned back several attacks the Red Devils (1-5) mounted in the final 20 minutes to keep it a one-goal game. All five of Penns Grove’s losses have been one-goal decisions.

Perhaps his biggest save of the game came with less than 10 minutes to play when he came off his line to make a sliding kick save on the right side of the box to deny Edward Swank a game-tying goal.

“On a messy day like today any shot can take a weird bounce, take a weird deflection, but it’s very simple: Coen won us the game today,” Pennsville coach Derek Foglein said. “You look at the stats, Coen had 15, 16, 17 saves, that’s a lot, but it also speaks a lot to the fact we know we can trust Coen.

“There were a lot of chances today where they were taking shots from 25. We know he’s a good keeper back there with a good head on his shoulders, but there’s not a doubt in my mind that Coen made some phenomenal saves today that won us the game.”

The teams played the first half in a cold rain that was blowing across the field in sheets. When the rain stopped, the wind kept blowing across the field making any ball in the air difficult to play.

The Red Devils got one past Rinnier with 25 minutes to play when Sebastian Hernandez blasted a ball that carried into the upper left corner just inside the post.

And after that they kept coming. Rinnier turned back at least 10 shots after the goal, including four tough chances in the final five minutes as the speedy and skilled Red Devils pressed hard for the tie. He’s been an active keeper all season, recording 105 saves in eight games, by far the most of any keeper in Salem County.

“It was just so nervous, the most nervous feeling ever, but I think it’s all worth it after the game,” Rinnier said. “The nervousness goes away after the game. 

“It was pretty intense because I’ve never played goalie for this team and this was the biggest test because we lose this game our season’s over. It was nerve-wracking, honestly, but as soon as I made that (save on Swank) I think I knew we were going to win this game. As soon as I made that save I was not nervous at all.”

The win over Penns Grove snapped a four-game losing streak and got a big week for the Eagles (2-6) off to a good start. They play three winnable games against teams with one combined win and if they sweep the week they could find themselves right in the mix for a South Jersey Group I playoff berth after starting the season against arguably the toughest schedule in the section.

Their six losses have been to teams from Group II and Group III, three of the top four teams in SJ-I and a season opener without a scrimmage.

But you can’t win all three unless you win the first one.

“I told them before we started we can go 3-0 this week but it’s got to start today,” Foglein said.

The Eagles grabbed their 2-0 lead by being aggressive at the start of each half. Shane Puckett scored the first goal on an assist from Stone Mumink five minutes into the match. Dylan Waller made it 2-0 less than 90 seconds into the second half when he scored from in close off a pass from Jake Isaac.

PITMAN 6, SALEM TECH 0: Ben Newcomb and Maddox Marker each scored twice for Pitman. For Newcomb, they were his first goals in two years after missing almost all of last season with a knee injury. He scored three goals as a sophomore. It was Pitman’s third straight win – all by 6-0 scores.

SCHALICK 6, OVERBROOK 2: Luke Price and Oscar Hernandez each scored twice for the Cougars (6-2).

Pennsville 2, Penns Grove 1

Pennsville (2-6)11 –2
Penns Grove (1-5)01 –1

Goals: PV – Shane Puckett (Stone Mumink), 5:00; PV – Dylan Waller (Jake Isaac), 41:20; PG – Sebastian Hernandez (unassisted), 55:39

Much-needed win

Pennsville girls erupt for six goals in second half, crush Penns Grove 7-0 for first win of season; Miller scores 4 more in Schalick rout

SALEM COUNTY GIRLS SOCCER
Monday’s games
Pennsville 7, Penns Grove 0
Schalick 7, Overbrook 0

PENNSVILLE – The Pennsville girls soccer team needed a win in a bad way and the players knew it. So, they took matters into their own hands.

Sparked by the good feeling of two players-only dinners over the weekend and a pre-game pow-wow before Monday’s game, the Eagles took self-reflection to another level. It paid huge dividends as they erupted for six goals after a messy first half and crushed Penns Grove 7-0 for their first win of the season.

The first half was played in miserable wind-blown rain. Riley Bowman scored the only goal when she banged home the rebound of a Karsen Cooksey shot 3 minutes and 13 seconds into the match.

The weather broke at halftime and the Eagles broke out. Cooksey scored twice, Bowman picked up a second goal and Anikka Macalino, Molly Gratz and Kallie Morrison each scored once in clearly their most prolific half of the season.

It led to their most goals in a game since a 9-2 win over Salem on Oct. 26, 2021, and their highest scoring half since putting up six in the first half of that same game.

“It was needed, it was so, so needed,” Pennsville coach Sam Trapp said of the win. “It was just a morale booster for the team; the girls needed to win and to feel confident in themselves and believe in themselves again.

“This was huge for us, this win today. We have a chance for the win Wednesday (at Salem) and a chance for the win Friday (Camden Tech) and I told them today’s the day we need to change the season around, change the trajectory of what the rest of the looks like.”

Barring a tie, one of these teams was going to get its first win of the season.

The Eagles (1-5-1) were winless in their first six games of the season against teams of varying skill sets, with a 2-2 tie with Clayton the only positive result. They began to see progress by winning the second half of their 2-1 loss to Glassboro Thursday, and it started to register when they went to dinner after the game at Gus’ Pizzeria on South Broadway, followed by another get-together over the weekend at captain Bowman’s house.

Trapp was invited to both gatherings, but gave the players their space. She didn’t know about the meeting before Monday’s game until the players came out of the locker room, but she was happy to see the players take the initiative.

“I’m always proud to see the captains are stepping up and taking leadership responsibilities and taking accountability to get their team focused back on the energy,” Trapp said. “I always say the captains are a reflection of me and they saw what was needed and they went and implemented it.

“I love that they took the initiative. They didn’t really have to check in with me. They know it’s something I’m going to support, so I loved that they did that on their own.”

And it just might be the thing that turned their season around.

SCHALICK 7, OVERBROOK 0: Emily Miller scored four more goals, running her season total to 22, just over half of last year’s school record (43) set by Kerri Jackson. Miller has scored at least two goals in every game this season and has scored 16 goals in her last four games.

Pennsville 7, Penns Grove 0

Penns Grove (0-3-1) 00 –0
Pennsville (1-5-1)16 –7

Goals: P – Riley Bowman (unassisted), 3:13; P – Riley Bowman (penalty kick), 54:10; P – Karsen Cooksey, 58:00; P – Anikka Macalino (unassisted), 61:16; P – Molly Gratz (unassisted), 69:14; P – Karsen Cooksey (Kallie Morrison) 73:26; P – Kallie Morrison (unassisted), 74:53.

This week’s schedule

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

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

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

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

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

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

CROSS COUNTRY
Tri-County Batch Meet, Kingsway

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Sept. 30
FOOTBALL
Paulsboro at Penns Grove, noon

CROSS COUNTRY
Shore Coaches Invitational, Holmdel Park

Cover photo by Heather Papiano

Friday roundup

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

By Riverview Sports News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

From the doorstep

Fisher’s fast foot from in front of the net delivers first-half goal to send Schalick past hard-luck Penns Grove

THURSDAY’S BOYS SOCCER
Glassboro 3, Pennsville 0
Schalick 1, Penns Grove 0
Wildwood 4, Salem Tech 0
Gloucester Catholic 4, Salem 0
Woodstown 5, Overbrook 2

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – Seth Fisher couldn’t believe the good fortune that fell at his feet in the first half Thursday afternoon.

The Schalick sophomore just happened to be in the right place at the right time when a ball off a free kick landed at his feet an empty section of goal staring him right in the face. All he had to do was not mess it up.

Fisher couldn’t have finished it off any more solid and drilled the ball into the back of the net for the only goal in the Cougars’ 1-0 victory over Penns Grove. It was the center midfielder’s second goal of his career – he scored the second goal against Gateway Sept. 9 – and his first game-winner.

“It was like this natural instinct,” he said. “I just saw the ball pass on my right side, it bounced off the keeper and it was right there on my right foot right in front of the goal. I couldn’t believe it was there. It fell right to me.”

The Cougars (5-2) were carrying the play, spending most of the game in the attacking end, but Fisher’s goal with 15:22 left in the first half was the only ball they could get past Penns Grove keeper Dwayne Guzman. They had several chances, but couldn’t cash in, thwarted either by Guzman or the Red Devils’ defense, led by first-year starting stopper Erlin Mondragon and sweeper Jason Cisneros.

Their best chance for a second goal came with 21 minutes to play when Bradford Foster hit the crossbar and Cooper Willoughby headed the rebound into the chest of Guzman. But all you have to do is score one more than the other team to win and the Cougars, thanks to Fisher’s fast foot, got that one.

“Tuesday (a 1-0 loss to Glassboro) was a physical beating so I really wasn’t sure how much we had left and we had some guys have to come off the bench and give minutes,” Cougars coach Joe Mannella said. “They have to get comfortable playing in close games, there are going to be a lot of them, and this is a good step forward to do that.”

Both teams were coming off a spate of one-goal losses. The Cougars had lost two in a row. All four of the Red Devils’ losses (1-4) have been by one goal. It might be the kind of thing that could get a team down, but first-year Penns Grove coach Mano Massari remains positive.

“I have a very young team, a very green team,” Massari said. “We’re keeping up with these top-tier teams in our division and conference, so, yeah, it stings now, but the optimism in me is looking towards the future and thinking, man, we’re going to be a force to deal with for the next couple years.”

WOODSTOWN 5, OVERBROOK 2: Adrian Ibarra scored a hat trick for the Wolverines (5-1).

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 4, SALEM 0: Trey Battle and Zack Payne scored two goals apiece for the winning Rams. Both of Battle’s goals came in the first 17 minutes of the game.

GLASSBORO 3, PENNSVILLE 0: Emirhan Kir scored a goal in the first half and Christopher Martinez and Atakan Ozdemir found the back of the net in the second as the Bulldogs remained unbeaten (7-0). It was their third straight shutout.

Schalick’s Luke Price (3) controls the ball deep in Penns Grove’s end. Top photo: Cougars’ goal-scorer Seth Fisher (16) tries to move around Penns Grove’s Jayden Murga Santos.

Goal of the year

Schalick keeper comes out in the field, scores first career goal to complete Cougars’ 7-0 win over Penns Grove

THURSDAY’S GIRLS SOCCER
Glassboro 2, Pennsville 1
Gloucester Catholic 9, Salem 0
Schalick 7, Penns Grove 0
Woodstown 4, Overbrook 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNS GROVE – Whenever presented a chance to do something nice for one of his players, Will Kemp will never hesitate.

The Schalick girls soccer coach got the chance to give career keeper Carly Hayman the chance to fulfill a goalie’s dream. He brought the senior into the field with about 15 minutes left and she scored the final goal of the Cougars’ 7-0 win over Penns Grove.

“I was like, ‘Oh my God, I just scored my first goal;’ it was awesome,” Hayman said. “I’ve wanted to score for the last four years I’ve been there, so it was definitely great to score.”

it wasn’t just one of those right place, right time kind of things. She took a pass from Mikayla Caputo, dribbled past a couple defenders and fired into the upper corner. When the ball finally settled into the back of the net she sat there stunned before realizing what just happened and then it touched off a wild celebration.

“(The girls) went ballistic,” Kemp said. “That was the most important goal of the entire game. Forget everything else. That’s the most important goal of the entire season pretty much right there.”

Hayman had scored goals in scrimmages before and she’s assisted on other goals, but Thursday was her first goal in a formal game setting. She came out of the goal with the Cougars leading 6-0, pulled freshman Kyleigh Cutter’s No. 3 jersey over her shoulders and headed out to the midfield. She was excited when Kemp gave her a chance to come off the line and made the most of it.

“I definitely give players opportunities inside matches like that just to get on the board, get some stats, make them feel great about themselves, because they deserve it,” Kemp said. “Like last year I moved one of my center backs up to playing a striker role, giving them some up-top time, and they ended up scoring a goal.

“Carly is a good field player; I know she wanted to score. Of course we were all happy (when she did). She always smiles, but seeing her smile as big as it was today, it means the world to her and, of course, to me, too.”

Before Hayman lit the lamp, Emily Miller scored a natural hat trick in the first half – giving her 13 goals for the season – and Abby Willoughby, Jael Winnberg and Quinn Berger scored goals.

Now that she’s gotten a taste for the goal, she hopes to score at least one more time this year, perhaps in her Senior Night game. Kemp already has shown he’s willing to give it a shot.

The Cougars (4-1) have been a scoring machine this season. They’ve scored at least three goals in every game, have outscored their opponents 26-8 and have won their last two by a combined 13-0.

WOODSTOWN 4, OVERBROOK 0: Emma Perry scored twice for the second game in a row and Ellie Wygand posted a shutout as the Wolverines won for the third time in their last four games to even their record for the first time this season. Ally Sheppard and Lia Covely scored Woodstown’s other goals. The future looks bright: All of their goals came from freshmen and sophomores.

GLASSBORO 2, PENNSVILLE 1: Amina Brown scored two goals in the first half and Glassboro held on through the second half. Molly Gratz scored for the Eagles.

GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 9, SALEM 0: Hailey Molis and Lauren Narolewski both scored a pair of goals for the Lady Rams. Narolewski made five saves before coming out of the goal.

It’s Bryce, twice

Tuesday roundup: Woodstown soccer finds a way to close out opponent; Penns Grove, Schalick do not, suffer one-goal losses; also includes girls soccer and girls tennis

TUESDAY’S SALEM COUNTY SCORES
BOYS SOCCER
Clayton 3, Salem Tech 1
Glassboro 1, Schalick 0
Overbook 2, Penns Grove 1
Woodstown 3, Pennsville 2
GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick 6, Glassboro 0
Woodstown 4, Pennsville 1
Penns Grove at Overbook
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown 5, Overbook 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – There was a lot of activity around the scorer’s table Tuesday afternoon when Woodstown scored twice in a little over 90 seconds late in the second half. Everyone was trying to figure out who got the goals. Was it Bryce Ayars?

“Yes, it was Bryce – on both,” one of the coaches said from the bench area. “He’s everywhere.”

Indeed. The slender sophomore with the orange headband started the game at center back, but when the Wolverines needed him most he inched his way into the offense and scored twice in rapid succession to turn a halftime deficit into a 3-2 victory over Pennsville at the Ronald Udy Soccer Complex.

“With every team I’ve ever played with if we’re down goals and my offense isn’t making things happen, I go up there and help them up out a little bit,” he said. “Mostly it pays off.

“Even though I’m not a captain I normally help my team out as much as I can. Say we’re down 2-0 and I know my offense isn’t sparking anything, I try to push them to keep going and potentially win the game.”

Ayars’ first two goals this season came in the Penns Grove game under similar conditions to Tuesday. He scored the tying goal in the second half and game-winner in overtime after the Wolverines fell behind 2-0.

His game-tying goal Tuesday came with 11:12 to play. He took a pass from the corner, got around one defender, avoided a second and then banged it home into the upper left corner.  

No sooner had things settled back down, he found the back of the net again, this time as a striker with 9:24 left on a header off a free kick by Dante Holmes from 35 yards out. All three goals Ayars scored last year came off set pieces.

“We’ve done this before, so it wasn’t something brand new where he was thrown into a space he wasn’t familiar with,” Woodstown coach Darren Huck said. “He’s comfortable up there. He’s one of our better defenders, so it could be a little risky at times because what we lose on one end we might gain on another and vice versa.

“As coaches we have to make sure we stay within our frame and balance and sometimes we have players who because of their aggressiveness will go out of that space you really don’t want them to. It’s a gamble because sometimes it’ll work out and sometimes it can hurt you, but everything worked out in the second half for us today, which was nice.”

Pennsville, meanwhile, couldn’t have had a better start. The Eagles (1-4) went up 2-0 in the first 10 minutes on goals by Stone Mumink and Dylan Waller four minutes apart.

Mumink beat a defender to a 50-50 ball in the box and tucked a shot just inside the right post with just 5:13 gone in the game. Waller took a pass from Maddox Efelis and scored from the left side less than five minutes later.

“One of the things I’ve been preaching to this team all season is there are going to be a lot of tough games where you’re going to look at the score lines and you’re going to look at the two rosters (and) we’re probably not going to be favored,” Eagles coach Derek Foglein said, “but those are the games if we play like we want to win, we will win and we’ll give ourselves a chance.

“I think the guys really showed today that they played like they wanted to win and I think the first 15 minutes showed that. I think they showed that they wanted to win and it was just a matter can we be good enough defensively. A few bounces don’t go our way, but overall the start was really, really positive and that’s the thing I’m going to take away from this game as we move forward.”

After watching the Eagles get the better of his team in the first half, Huck got his players’ attention during the break. The Wolverines (4-1) picked up their attack in the second half and went on to win their fourth straight game and third by one goal.

“I had to wake them up a little bit,” Huck said. “I had to shake the bed and they responded.”

Pennsville’s Michael Veasy (19) clears away another Woodstown attack late in the first half Tuesday.

Glassboro 1, Schalick 0: The young Cougars were an early-season surprise, overcoming the loss of their senior striker 15 minutes into the season opener and winning their first four games by large margins and back-to-back shutouts, but now they’re facing a bit of adversity after two straight one-goal losses.

It’s just a matter of finishing, coach Joe Mannella says. The Cougars (4-2) had a goal disallowed in first half and it changed the momentum. After Glassboro (6-0) capitalized on a defensive mistake to score early in the second half, Schalick had several chances for the tying goal, but just couldn’t connect to light the lamp.

“It seems to be a team the last two games where we’re not able to finish,” Mannella said. “You let teams hang around and we’re not finding a way to win right now. It’s kind of tough, but I thought the boys played well.”

The Cougars started the year by outscoring their opponents 16-3, but in their last two games, even though the defense was stout, they’ve been held to one goal by Buena and Glassboro.

“We do have a very young team, so ups and downs are sort of expected,” Mannella said. “You build confidence, but it only takes a couple bad outings to kind of start to take that away from you. Goal scoring, like anything, when it dries up, sometimes it just dries up, and you just need that one lucky break here and there that we’re not getting to really get you kick started.”

Their first chance to snap out of it comes Thursday when they host Penns Grove, a team going through some of the same trials the Cougars are.

Overbook 2, Penns Grove 1: The Red Devils can feel the Cougars’ pain. All three of their losses this season are of the one-goal variety and the last two have come after they’ve had the lead.

Jayden Merga put the Red Devils (1-3) on top with a penalty kick. Overbrook (3-2), which won only four matches a year ago and didn’t get their third until the 12th game, tied it on what PG coach Mano Massari called “the best goal I’ve seen all season so far” and got the game-winner on a shot from outside the box that keeper and newly appointed captain Dwayne Guzman couldn’t see.

“Our guys just seemed to take their foot off the gas pedal after taking the lead,” Massari said. “We’re still trying to work a lot out and this is what happens with a young team.

“We’ll get there. We just have to stay calm. We’re not hitting the panic button … We just need to close.”

GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick 6, Glassboro 0: Emily Miller scored four goals, three in the second half, as the Cougars (3-1) bounced back from their first loss of the season. Freshman Karlie Bakley and Cali Fisler had Schalick’s other goals and Carly Hayman posted her second shutout. Miller leads Salem County girls with 10 goals in four games.

Woodstown 4, Pennsville 1: Emma Perry scored twice and Lia Covely and Sophie Wells had one goal apiece for the Wolverines (2-3). Marley Wood scored the Pennsville (0-4-1) goal.

GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown 5, Overbook 0: After winning their last three matches 3-2, the Wolverines cruised to their second sweep of the season to remain undefeated (5-0). They won all five matches in straight sets with both doubles teams never dropping a game.

Eagles trio ‘on’

Tuesday roundup: Pennsville boys erupt for three rapid-fire goals to get first W of the season, Penns Grove coach gets first win, Schalick goes to 4-0; Salem, Penns Grove, Salem girls play to draws

WEDNESDAY’S SCOREBOARD
BOYS SOCCER
Pennsville 5, Clayton 0
Penns Grove 6, Salem 2
Schalick 3, Gloucester Catholic 0
Woodstown 7, Salem Tech 0

GIRLS SOCCER
Pennsville 2, Clayton 2
Salem 3, Penns Grove 3
Schalick 4, Gloucester Catholic 1
Woodstown 6, Salem Tech 0

GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville 5, Salem 0
Schalick 5, Glassboro 0

By Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – One minute the game is scoreless and the next time Pennsville boys soccer coach Derek Foglein looked his team had a three-goal lead. Things can happen that quickly when you have the kind of strikers the Eagles have.

After a slow opening 10 minutes, the Eagles erupted for three goals in the 10 minutes before the first half water break and went on to beat rebuilding Clayton 5-0 for their first win of the season.

Shane Puckett and Jake Isaac both scored twice in the first half and Dylan Waller scored in the second.

“I felt like I blinked and we were up 3-0; it was like three in a matter of five minutes,” Foglein said. “It’s definitely not typical, but when you look at Stone (Mumink), Shane and Jake, they have the quality, they have the talent and they have the offensive vision from working together for a few years, and they’ve got speed, too. If they’re on, they’re on and just like that a game can really turn positively for us.

“I know we have quality offensive pieces. With those front three, that’s really where our offense is going to be from and they were quality today. They worked hard on the ball. They worked hard off the ball. They connected passes and (when you do that) you find yourself in spaces and they found their spaces and they finished. So that was really awesome.”

Puckett scored his two goals around Isaac’s first counter in that rapid-fire stretch. Isaac notched his second goal shortly after the water break. Puckett, Isaac and Mumink each had two assists.

The Eagles (1-2) already had control of the game, but turned up the defense in the second half and the back line helped keeper Coen Rinnier nail down the shutout.

PENNS GROVE 6, SALEM 2: After two gut-wrenching overtime losses to open the season, the Red Devils got goals from five different players to give new coach Mano Massari his first victory.

Junior Sebastian Hernandez scored twice to lead the charge. Captains Ashton Harris and Joey Schultz, Edward Swank and Jayden Merga had the other goals.

“It was really good to get the win; not for me, but for the guys, they deserve it,” Massari said. “We still have a lot of work to do, but a win is a win and we’ll take it.”

As with any new coach and a new team, it took a little time to adjust the pieces. Massari moved junior Frankie Juarez Reynosa to center midfield and the offense blossomed. The six goals were the most the Red Devils have scored in a game since beating Gloucester 7-1 in their final regular-season game last year. Juarez Reynosa had two assists.

“After the first two losses I needed to move some guys around and it really helped open the offense up; Frankie being a huge reason for that,” Massari said. “He started the first two games as a striker but wasn’t getting the ball enough, so I dropped him to a center midfielder and he really controlled the game. He really excelled in that position.”