Breaking through

Penns Grove’s girls soccer gets its first goals of the season and first win; includes scores and highlights from Friday’s Salem County sports action

GIRLS SOCCER
Penns Grove 2, Woodbury 0: Berra Akkaya and Yareliz Pantoja scored Penns Grove’s first two goals of the season to bring the Red Devils (1-10) their first win of the season. Pantoja broke a 1-1 tie in the second half.
Salem Tech 2, Paulsboro 0: Ava Robinson and Peyton Pratt scored second-half goals for the Chargers.
BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove 1, Woodbury 0: Prince Ledbetter scored the game’s only goal in the second half off an assist from goalie Dwayne Guzman Silva.
FIELD HOCKEY
Overbrook at Salem Tech
GIRLS TENNIS
Pitman 5, Woodstown 0
Salem 4, Penns Grove 1

PITMAN 5, WOODSTOWN 0
Anna Fisicaro (P) def. Nathalie Neron, 6-0, 6-1
Colette Rollins (P) def. Alyssa Berry, 6-2, 6-0
Ava Mullenhauer (P) def. Noelle Neron, 6-0, 6-0
Kendall Bennett-Amanda Bradley (P) def. Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr, 6-0, 6-0
Abigail Heil-Ella Ralph (P) def. Emma West-Angelina Lindenmuth, 6-1, 6-2
Records: Pitman 18-3, Woodstown 12-5.

SALEM 4, PENNS GROVE 1
Angelina Fothergill (S) def. Andrea Restrepo, 6-1, 6-1
Tahirah Davenport-White (S) def. Ada Lopez, 6-1, 6-2
JaNye Hubbard (S) def. Kanta Pulchard, 6-2, 6-3
Heaven Jones-McCullough-Erica Brewer (S) def. Andrea Capone-Natanalie Dominguez, 6-0, 6-1
Gianco Tirado-Cadence Jachos (PG) def. Evangeline Jiminez-Barreto-Aleena Allen, 6-1, 6-3
Records: Salem 3-8, Penns Grove 0-9.

VOLLEYBALL
Highland 2, Salem Tech 1: Brooke Tyler had 14 kills, 11 digs and nine assists to lead Highland. Yoselin Basantes had eight kills and 14 assists. The set scores were 25-22, 20-25, 25-11.

Thursday roundup

Schalick field hockey clinches share of division title, Woodstown falls in girls tennis sectional semis, and more

SJ GROUP I TENNIS TOURNAMENT
Semifinals
Pitman 4, Audubon 1
Haddon Twp. 5, Woodstown 0

HADDON TWP. 5, WOODSTOWN 0
Ellie Smith (HT) def. Nathalie Neron, 6-0, 6-0
Kiersten Callahan (HT) def. Alyssa Berry, 6-2, 3-6, 10-5
Leighton Thoder (HT) def. Noelle Neron, 6-2, 6-2
Sydney Troncone-Tessa Dybus (HT) def. Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr, 6-0, 6-0
Lily Steele-Carly DeCinque (HT) def. Emma West-Angelina Lindenmuth, 6-2, 6-2
Records: Haddon Twp. 14-4, Woodstown 12-4.

FIELD HOCKEY
Schalick 3, Woodstown 0: The Cougars scored goals in each of the first three quarters and goalie Lydia Gilligan made 12 saves for the shutout that got them a series sweep of their rivals and at least a share of the TCC Diamond Division title. Gilligan’s final save was her 200th of the season. Caylen Taylor, Addi Shimp and Ava Scurry scored the Cougars’ goals.

BOYS SOCCER
Camden Academy Charter at Salem Tech

GIRLS SOCCER
Gloucester City 6, Salem 0: Bailey Schoenfeldt scored three goals to lead the Lions (6-6). She has scored multiple goals in all six of their wins.

Wednesday roundup

BOYS SOCCER
Woodstown 8, Salem 0: Three more players joined the ranks as the Wolverines moved closer to 300 all-time goal scorers and a trio of keepers keep the Rams off the board.

Josef Hummel, Don Milhomme and Aiden Milici all scored their first career goals, running the list of players who have scored a goal in Woodstown soccer history to 298. Josh Olbrich and Blake Bialecki scored their first goals of the season

Bryce Ayars had a goal and an assist, continuing his run of scoring a goal in every Woodstown win this season. Landon Gugliemo and Ayden Ellis scored the Wolverines’ other two goals.

Pennsville 0, Pitman 0: The teams played to a scoreless draw that Pennsville coach Derek Foglein described as “a dog fight on a football field.” It was the Eagles’ first point against the Panthers since 2017, the year before Foglein took over the program, and snapped a 10-game losing streak in the series.

It was the Eagles’ eighth shutout of the season, their first tie since 2021 (86 games) and their first scoreless tie since before 2010, the last year records are publicly available.

Schalick 3, Palmyra 2: Tyler Vanlier, Luke Price and Jaxon Weber all scored goals in the Cougars’ sixth straight win.

Penns Grove 1, Cumberland 1:  Poyraz Erdonmez gave the Red Devils a 1-0 lead and Ruben Lopez got Cumberland’s equalizer in the second half.

GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick 4, Gloucester Catholic 0: Cali Fisler scored a goal and added two more assists to her all-time school record. Olivia Vanacker, Kassady Sickler and Brooke Valentine had the other goals and Evan Berger was credited with two saves in the shutout.

Woodstown 7, Salem 0: Lia Covely had two goals and three assists and Gabby Maldonado scored twice. Bailey Arnold Peters, Genevieve Flynn and Aubree Covely scored the other goals. Ellie Wygand and Mazie Mazzoni shared the shutout.

Cumberland 5, Penns Grove 0: Ellie Bodine scored three goals for the Colts, giving her 23 for the season.

Pennsville at Pitman

GIRLS TENNIS
WOODSTOWN 5, PENNS GROVE 0
Nathalie Neron (WO) def. Kavita Pulchard, 6-0, 6-0
Alyssa Berry (WO) def. Yanet Cruz, 6-0, 6-0
Noelle Neron (WO) def. Andrea Chapone, 6-0, 6-0
Emma West-Elliana Norman (WO) def. Gianco Tirado-Nathalie Dominquez, 6-0, 6-0
Bailee Coles-Madison LaPalomento (WO) def. Valaria Pedroza-Cadence Jachoa, 6-1, 6-1
Records: Woodstown 12-3, Penns Grove 0-8.

OLMA 5, SALEM 0
Evangeline Catanese (O) def. Angelina Fothergill, 6-0, 6-2
Sara Wojtokowiak (O) def. Erica Brewer, 6-0, 6-1
Erin Malixi (O) def. Evangeline Jimenez Barreto, 6-0, 6-0
Leah Calderon-Sophia Terry (O) def. Phoenix Holland-Aleena Allen, 6-0, 6-1
Halle Dolce-Lily Mayo (O) won by forfeit
Records: OLMA 8-8, Salem 2-8.

Never let up

Woodstown advances to girls tennis sectional semifinals working overtime against Schalick; also includes Tuesday’s county field hockey action

SJ GROUP I QIARTERFINALS
Pitman 5, Lower Cape May 0
Audubon 3, Pennsville 2 (Mon.)
Woodstown 4, Schalick 1
Haddon Twp. 5, Wildwood 0
THURSDAY’S SEMIFINALS
Audubon at Pitman
Woodstown at Haddon Twp.

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Jesse Stemberger gathered his Woodstown tennis team on the grassy knoll behind the tennis courts and laid down to make a point in a way befitting his unique coaching style.

The Wolverines had just dispatched county rival Schalick 4-1 to reach the South Jersey Group I girls tennis semifinals for the first time since 2022, but there were elements of their performance he needed to address.

Once he laid on the grass he asked for four volunteers to do all they could to keep him pinned down. Alyssa Berry, Madison LaPalomento and twins Nathalie and Noelle Neron each grabbed an arm or a leg and did all they could to keep their squirming coach pinned to the turf.

After a few moments Stemberger stopped struggling. His players instinctively relaxed, and that release was all the coach needed to sit straight up and thereby prove the point he was trying to convey about the effects of letting up.

The Wolverines won the first set in four of their five matches, but three of their four wins and four matches overall went to third-set 10-point tiebreakers. It didn’t have to be so stressful if they kept the pedal down.

“I don’t want to win matches in four tiebreakers, I want the straight sets; I’m not a tiebreaker guy,” Stemberger said. “Everybody on the team has played a 10-point tiebreaker this year, so they all experienced it, they all know it, so I think that helped coming into today.

“It’s a great neutralizer (tiebreakers), but mental toughness came through. That’s the beauty of coaching tennis here. They’re all high performers and I don’t question their mental toughness.”

He just has to reinforce it from time to time. He learned the demonstration he used Tuesday when he worked in the mental health industry and has kept the technique “in my back pocket” all these years for just such coachable moments. He said he’s used it maybe twice in his coaching career.

“I use that as an example to say as soon as we relaxed, we let them back in,” he said. “We’ve got to keep (the pressure) up.”

The players at first were confused by their coach’s demonstration, but they wound up getting the point.

“I was thinking what is going on,” said sophomore Emilee Kehr, LoPalomento’s doubles partner. “Another crazy demonstration. It turns out to be a message underneath that we realize after a match. (This message was) don’t give up, keep pushing.”

Woodstown tennis coach Jesse Stemberger allows his players to pin him to the ground for a teachable moment after their 4-1 SJ Group I tournament win over Schalick Tuesday. (Top photo) Stemberger talks with Noelle Neron (L) and Alyssa Berry during a break in the match.

The No. 1 doubles team of LaPalomento and Kehr earned the Wolverines a huge first point when rallied from dropping the first set to even the match and then convincingly won a 10-5 tiebreaker. Nathalie Neron clinched the victory with a 6-2, 4-6, 10-5 win at No. 1 singles.

The No. 2 doubles team of Emma West and Angelina Lindenmuth bounced back after dropping the second set to win an intense 11-9 tiebreaker for the final margin. Berry scored the Wolverines’ second point with the only straight-set match of the day at No. 2 singles.

The tiebreaker wins by Nathalie Neron and LaPalomento-Kehr came over Schalick players who played in last weekend’s NJSIAA singles and double draw.

LaPalomento and Kehr never led in their first set, but fought back to get it tied before Olivia Lunemann and Sebrina Bradford close it out 7-5. They trailed 4-3 in the second set, then won the next three games to even the match. They took command of the tiebreaker with seven straight points to open a 9-2 lead.

Lunemann and Bradford played in the second round of the NJSIAA doubles draw Sunday.

“The tiebreaker is always a lot more pressure than a regular set,” Kehr said, “but because there is more pressure you want to do better, you want to just finish it out, and that’s exactly what we did. After the (second) set were like we lost the first one, we came back in the second one, we’ve just got to finish it. It’s like the moment this all led up to. We had to finish it out.”

The seven players in Woodstown’s lineup Tuesday were a combined 5-4 10-point tiebreakers coming into the match, 10-6 if you include the 7-point set tiebreakers.

Nathalie Neron was playing in the first singles tiebreaker of her career against Miya Watkins and never lost the lead. It was 4-2 at one point and then she locked in to roll off four straight points to take control. Watkins lost in the first round of the NJSIAA singles draw Saturday.

“At first it was nerve-wracking, but I needed to reset my mindset and think of it like a clean slate,” she said. “It can go either way. You’ve just  got to get up and get up fast.”

The Wolverines (11-3) will now travel to second-seeded Haddon Twp. (12-4) Thursday for the semifinals. Audubon (13-1) plays at top-seeded Pitman (15-3) for the other spot in the Oct. 14 sectional finals.

WOODSTOWN 4, SCHALICK 1
Nathalie Neron (WO) def. Miya Watkins, 6-2, 4-6, 10-5
Alyssa Berry (WO) def. Annmarie Podehl, 6-2, 6-4
Macy Clow (S) def. Noelle Neron, 5-7, 6-2, 10-8
Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr (WO) def. Olivia Lunemann-Sebrina Bradford, 5-7, 6-4, 10-5
Emma West-Angelina Lindenmuth (WO) def. Sam Twigg-Jasmine Hunt, 6-4, 5-7, 11-9
Records: Woodstown 11-3, Schalick 6-5.

Field hockey

Woodstown 6, Deptford 0

PENNSVILLE 6, SALEM 1: Kylie Harris scored a career-high three goals, Gracie Mease had two and Kendall Hoyt had three assists as the Eagles presented coach Lisa Duran with a victory on the eve of her induction into the PMHS Athletic Hall of Fame. Duran is being enshrined for her standout playing career, which included 11 varsity letters and several high honors in three sports before starring collegiately at Old Dominion. The win snapped a five-game losing streak.

SCHALICK 10, GLASSBORO 2: Luci Virga scored three goals, Ava Scurry had two goals and five assists and five others scored goals for the Cougars (9-6). Scurry had five assists in last year’s 11-0 South Jersey tournament opener against South Hunterdon.


Keeping pace

Girls roundup: Schalick soccer dodges bullet in division with Berger’s golden goal, Salem field hockey wins in final minute, Pennsville falls in South Jersey tennis quarterfinals

GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick 3, Pennsville 2 (OT)
Woodstown 3, Overbrook 1
Salem Tech 7, Salem 1
Glassboro at Penns Grove

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Will Kemp might not have seen it that way, but the Schalick girls soccer team dodged a bullet that could have disrupted its division title hopes Monday.

The Cougars needed a goal less than four minutes before the end of regulation to keep the game alive and then got a golden goal in overtime to beat Pennsville 3-2.

The win allowed them to remain tied with Woodstown atop the TCC Diamond Division at 6-0-1. The teams play the rematch of their 1-1 draw at Schalick Oct. 16 – as if there needed to be any more incentive for a matchup between those two teams, although it might not have been as juicy had the Cougars not won Monday.

“I don’t think we dodged a bullet,” the Schalick coach said. “We had a good match against a team that’s developed extremely well over the last few weeks.

“Even if the division’s not on the line, the match with Woodstown is always going to be a heated, high-intense match, so for us to go ahead and continue to have a first-place fight going into a match like that, it just adds a lot more fuel to the actual fire that’s going to happen inside that game. I’m just really excited for the girls to be able to continue to play for it.”

Pennsville took a 2-1 lead on Taylor Bass’ goal with 8:38 to play and as time dwindled down the Cougars chances to pull this one out were starting to look what Quinn Berger described as “iffy” until center back-turned striker Emily Miller got the equalizer with 3:31 to play.

“Emily has been able to find the back of the net numerous times over her career,” Kemp said. “I’m not really too surprised she actually was able to give us the equalizer inside a match like this.”

Berger then won it midway through the first overtime with a 20-yard kick to her lower left side after a foul just outside the box.

“I saw the gap in between their wall and the corner of the net and the goalie kind of behind the wall so I knew not to chip it over the wall,” Berger said. “And I saw the corner was wide open so I might as well place it, so that’s exactly what I did.”

The Cougars won the first meeting between the teams 6-0 and seemed headed that way when Cali Fisher scored in the eighth minute of the rematch. But the Eagles were having none of it as Marley Wood drew them even 8:54 before halftime.

It was the first goal the Eagles have scored on Schalick in seven meetings and the closest they’re played the Cougars since beating them 1-0 in 2021.

“They played spectacularly,” Pennsville coach Casey Slusher said of her team. “This group of girls is very resilient. We’ve had some ups and downs, up players, down players, it doesn’t matter to them, they come out and just give us their all.

“Even going into overtime with Schalick is a pretty good accomplishment for us, so I’m just proud of my girls for putting it all out there and playing the way they did.”

Kemp was equally generous with the praise for his team’s resiliency.

“Our word of the day today was ‘remember,’” he said. “I was talking to the players about what are you actually going to be remembered for when you leave this field. For us to walk away from this match, they’re going to remember us for getting frustrated but still continue to maintain the course by keeping the standard and making sure we see the game through.”

WOODSTOWN 3, OVERBROOK 1: The Wolverines (8-2-1) held onto their share of the division lead behind goals from Emma Morgan, Emma Perry and Sophie Wells.  Wells has scored both of her goals this season against the Rams (4-7). 

SALEM TECH 7, SALEM 1: Julia Hewitt-Friebel scored three goals and Ava Robinson scored twice to lead the Chargers. Evening Ademee and Peyton Pratt scored Salem Tech’s other goals. Isla Bohn scored for Salem.

Love that goal scorer

Samiyah Moore leaps into the arms of teammate Julliana Love after Love scored Salem’s last-minute game-winning goal against Absegami. (Photo by Miranda Love)

FIELD HOCKEY
Salem 3, Absegami 2
Hammonton 2, Woodstown 1

SALEM Julliana Love beat the clock and the goalie in the final minute to complete a three-goal comeback against Absegami that produced the Rams’ second win of the season, 3-2.

With time running out, the senior went 1-on-1 with Braves goalie Fairleigh Wilson, aimed for the corner and popped in the game-winner with 52 seconds to play. She scored two goals in the game. Freshman Khloe Bubier scored the Rams’ other goal.

“It was a great competitive game,” Love said. “All I can remember is thinking I didn’t want to go into overtime, so I took the ball up the field, dodged two girls and then was 1-on-1 with the goalie and made the game-winning shot.”

HAMMONTON 2, WOODSTOWN 1: Gabriella Teti scored the game-winner in the fourth quarter. Bella Eachus scored for Woodstown (6-4-1) in the second quarter.

Tennis

SJ Group I Quarterfinals
AUDUBON 3, PENNSVILLE 2
Lily Edwards (P) def. Olivia Tessitore, 6-0, 6-0
Olivia Tessitore (A) def. Isabella Schrenker, 6-1, 6-2
Isabella Lamancusa (A) def. Morgan Holt, 6-3, 6-2
Bridget Mattson-Finola Witherington (A) def. Emma Hankin-Naomi Hess, 6-0, 7-5
Graillyn Weber-Yerlian Charon (P) def. Yesica Palillero-Bea Herman, 6-4, 2-6 10-8
Records: Audubon 13-1, Pennsville 9-7.

Volleyball

WOODSTOWN Neima Dominguez scored 18 kills and Erin Compton 14 as Camden Tech rallied from one set down to defeat Salem Tech 2-1. The set scores were 20-25, 25-23, 25-14. Valentina Andeliz had 22 digs and Madeline Kopakowski had 26 assists and seven aces.

This week’s schedule

Here is the Salem County sports schedule for the week of Oct. 5-12

SUNDAY, OCT. 5
FIELD HOCKEY

SJ Tournament of Champions
At Clearview

Schalick vs. Clearview, 3:15 p.m.

MONDAY, OCT. 6
FIELD HOCKEY

Absegami at Salem, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Hammonton, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Glassboro, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Salem at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
Wildwood at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Overbrook at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Glassboro at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Salem Tech at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Overbrook, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Pennsville at Gloucester Catholic, 3:45 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Camden County Tech at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.

TUESDAY, OCT. 7
FIELD HOCKEY

Deptford at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Pitman at Schalick, 4 p.m.
Salem at Pennsville, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
SJ Group I Quarterfinals
Lower Cape May at Pitman, 2 p.m.
Schalick at Woodstown, 3 p.m.
Wildwood at Haddon Twp., 3 p.m.
Audubon at Pennsville, 3:30 p.m.
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 8
BOYS SOCCER

Cumberland at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
Salem at Woodstown, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Palmyra, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Pitman, 7 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick at Gloucester Catholic, 4 p.m.
Woodstown at Salem, 4 p.m.
Pennsville at Pitman, 5 p.m.
Penns Grove at Cumberland, 6 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Penns Grove at Woodstown, 3:45 p.m.
OLMA at Salem, 4 p.m.
CROSS COUNTRY
Salem County Meet at Schalick, 3:30 p.m.

THURSDAY, OCT. 9
WJFL FOOTBALL

Paulsboro at Pennsville, 6 p.m.
Haddon Heights at Woodstown, 7 p.m.
Cinnaminson at Glassboro
FIELD HOCKEY
Burlington City at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m.
Woodstown at Schalick, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Camden Academy Charter at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
Gloucester City at Salem, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Salem at Gloucester City, 4 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Wildwood, 4 p.m.

FRIDAY, OCT. 10
WJFL FOOTBALL

Gloucester at Schalick, 6 p.m.
Penns Grove at Delran, 6 p.m.
Collingswood at Audubon, 7 p.m.
Overbrook at Camden Catholic
Woodbury at Willingboro
FIELD HOCKEY
Overbrook at Salem Tech, 3:45 p.m.
Salem at Gloucester City, 4 p.m.
BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove at Woodbury, 4 p.m.
GIRLS SOCCER
Paulsboro at Salem Tech, 4 p.m.
Woodbury at Penns Grove, 4 p.m.
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown at Pitman, 3:45 p.m.
Penns Grove at Salem, 4 p.m.
Schalick at Wildwood, 4:15 p.m.
VOLLEYBALL
Salem Tech at Highland, 4 p.m.
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC Prospect Showcase

SATURDAY, OCT. 11
WJFL FOOTBALL

West Deptford at Salem, noon
CROSS COUNTRY
South Jersey Coaches Meet, Dream Park
COLLEGE BASEBALL
Salem CC Prospect Showcase

SUNDAY, OCT. 12
COLLEGE BASEBALL

Salem CC Prospect Showcase
COLLEGE SOFTBALL
Morris CC, CCBC at Salem CC, 10 a.m.

Photo credit: Kaitlyn Khairzada

Down to the wire

Woodstown tennis wins a pair of tiebreakers to clinch match with Pennsville; includes scores and highlights from Friday’s Salem County sports calendar

FIELD HOCKEY
OLMA 2, Salem 0
Schalick 1, Williamstown 0
Woodstown 3, Gateway 0
Salem Tech at Winslow
BOYS SOCCER
Buena 4, Salem Tech 2
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown 3, Pennsville 2

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE — No. 2 singles Alyssa Berry and the doubles team of Emma West and Angelina Lindenmuth pulled out exciting tiebreakers in deciding sets to lift Woodstown over Pennsville 3-2 in girls tennis Friday.

West and Lindenmuth edged Graillyn Weber and Yerlian Charon 7-5 in the second-set tiebreaker at No. 2 doubles to clinch the overall match moments after Berry outlasted Isabell Schrenker 11-9 in their third-set tiebreaker to even the score.

The doubles team was down 3-0 and 4-2 in their tiebreaker before rallying to win the clinching match.

“I told them both the same thing,” Wolverines coach Jesse Stemberger said. “If I’m not panicking, you’re not panicking. So, play under control and play with confidence. If you do that, you’ll be OK.”

The match could potentially be the final one between Stemberger and his Pennsville counterpart Dan LaMont in girls tennis. Unless their teams play in the South Jersey Group I finals, LaMont could be leaving with an 11-10 all-time lead in the matchup.

WOODSTOWN 3, PENNSVILLE 2
Lily Edwards (P) def. Nathalie Neron, 7-5, 6-0
Alyssa Berry (WO) def. Isabell Schrenker, 4-6, 6-0, 11-9
Morgan Holt (P) def. Noelle Neron, 6-1, 6-0
Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr (WO) def. Emma Hankin-Naomi Hess, 6-1, 6-2
Emma West-Angelina Lindenmuth (WO) def. Graillyn Weber-Yerlian Charon, 6-4, 7-5 (7-5)
Records: Woodstown 10-3, Pennsville 9-6.

FIELD HOCKEY
OLMA 2, Salem 0: Lindsey Graham and Marlee McGrath scored second-half goals. Ava Rodgers was credited with 23 saves in the Salem goal.
Schalick 1, Williamstown 0: Alexa Shimp scored the game’s only goal in the second quarter and Lydia Gilligan posted the shutout. The Cougars play Audubon Saturday in the South Jersey TOC at Camden Catholic.
Woodstown 3, Gateway 0: Freshman Brooke Dillion scored two goals, Talia Guardascione scored one and Kendall Higgins posted the shutout.

BOYS SOCCER
Buena 4, Salem Tech 2: The Chiefs scored four goals in the second half to erase a 2-0 halftime deficit and earn their first win of the season. Kameron Brown and Josh Woroniak gave the Chargers their halftime lead.

Thursday’s results

Here are scores and highlights from Thursday’s Salem County sports schedule

BOYS SOCCER

Pennsville 4, Salem Tech 0: Sam Hassler scored the first of his two goals in the second minute of the match and Coen Rinnier made 10 more saves in another shutout.
Schalick 4, Overbrook 0: Jaxon Weber scored two goals in the Cougars’ fourth straight win.
Pitman 2, Penns Grove 0: Jake Bowen-Ashwin and Micah Frost scored goals in the second half.
Clayton 6, Salem 0: Jonathan Rehm had a hat trick.

GIRLS SOCCER
Schalick 8, Overbrook 0: Cali Fisler had her first career hat trick under the stadium lights on Senior Night, Quinn Berger scored twice and Kyleigh Cutler had a goal and two assists for the Cougars.
Pennsville 6, Penns Grove 0: Taylor Bass scored a career-high four goals and assisted on another to lead the Eagles. She scored the first three goals of the match and the final goal.
Woodstown 1, Glassboro 0: Gina Murray scored the game’s only goal in the second half with an assist from Emma Perry.
Clayton 9, Salem 0: Deondria Simon and Alivia Howrey each scored twice.
Pitman 6, Salem Tech 0: Emery Sharpnack and Carly Razze each scored two goals. Sharpnack had the assists on the Panthers’ first two goals 49 seconds apart in the third minute of the match.

GIRLS TENNIS
Schalick 4, Wildwood 1

Schalick’s Miya Watkins and the doubles team of Sebrina Bradford and Olivia Lunemann are in the field for the state singles and doubles championship this weekend at Mercer County and Veterans Park near Trenton.

Watkins will face Gov. Livingston’s Julia Kravchenko in a Saturday opening-round match at Mercer County Park. The winner will face 3/4 seed Sofia Basto-Cabrera of Shawnee.

Bradford-Lunemann will face a team from Pompton Lakes Saturday with the winner facing a 5/8 seed from Pingry.

Shake up, wake up

Woodstown soccer shakes up approach, offense comes to life in 3-0 win over Glassboro; also includes Wednesday’s Salem County field hockey, tennis, volleyball, cross country results

BOYS SOCCER
Woodstown 3, Glassboro 0
FIELD HOCKEY
Schalick 9, Pennsville 2
Woodstown 4, Salem 3
GIRLS TENNIS
Clearview 4, Pennsville 1
Mainland 5, Schalick 0
Woodstown 4, Triton 1
Overbrook at Penns Grove
GIRLS VOLLEYBALL
Atlantic Tech 2, Salem Tech 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN – Darren Huck has never been afraid to shake things up. If you’re standing still, he figures, you’re falling behind.

Frustrated with the state of his team’s offense over the past couple weeks, the Woodstown soccer coach shook up the lineup’s look Wednesday and it produced a 3-0 win over Glassboro. 

It was only the second time the Wolverines scored more than two goals in a match since their season-high eight-goal outburst against Salem Tech in the third game of the year. They’ve scored just 10 goals in the five games since, including 1-1 tie with Penns Grove and a 1-0 golden goal win over Pennsville, games they figured to have handled a lot easier than they were.

The new alignment basically puts two men up top and five in the midfield. No personnel was changed, just the responsibilities they hold on the field. It produced almost instantaneous results as Bryce Ayars scored on a breakaway three minutes into the match.

“We made a few changes,” Huck said. “Ask any of my players, especially any of my ex-players, I’m never afraid to shake it up, to change things. Obviously, my ultimate goal is what’s best for the team.

“We have three, possibly four, formations we can play depending on situations that occur. We really felt today’s was something we could use to our advantage. It’s just a different look, different responsibilities and some boundaries and borders we needed to stay within so we stay balanced.”

Ayars scored the first two goals against the Bulldogs and assisted on the third by Nick DiTeodoro, a goal created directly by the angle of attack the new formation created.

“It’s definitely a change of scenery,” Ayars said. “It definitely helped our middle out, which we needed to do. Teams are trying to force us middle, so having that extra guy in the middle helps us out in the long run. It did what we expected it to do today.”

The look they went with Wednesday was specifically for the Bulldogs. Whether they stay with it going forward or change remains to be seen.

“My formation comes down to where our strength and weakness is,” Huck said.

Despite the limited goal production, the Wolverines’ 7-0-1 record, which currently leads the South Jersey Group I power points standings by more than two points, is their best start after eight games in more than 15 years. The 2013 team that went 20-1-1 and 2023 team that went 15-4-1 both started 7-1.

They are only unbeaten team in all of Group 1 and one of only five across South Jersey’s six classifications.

“It’s a good feeling,” Huck said.

FIELD HOCKEY
PITTSGROVE Ava Scurry scored the ninth hat trick of her career, and second against Pennsville, to lead Schalick past the Eagles 9-2.

Scurry scored her first goal less than two minutes into the game, notched her second two minutes later and got her third in the third quarter. She now has 76 career goals. Caylen Taylor had two goals and two assists.

Luci and Lena Virga both scored goals. It’s the sixth time in the last two seasons the sisters have scored in the same game; the Cougars are 6-0 in those games. Bailey Wents and Alexis Smith also found the back of the cage.

Kendall Hoyt and Abigail Bohn scored Pennsville’s goals, with Izzy Saulin assisting on both. For Bohn, a senior, it was her first career goal.

WOODSTOWN 4, SALEM 3: Julliana Love scored all three goals for Salem.

VOLLEYBALL
ATLANTIC TECH 2, SALEM TECH 0:
The set scores were 25-10, 25-19.

GIRLS TENNIS
WOODSTOWN 4, TRITON 1
Mary Ahrens (T) def. Nathalie Neron, 6-0, 6-3
Alyssa Berry (WO) def. PetraReina Ponce-Leon, 6-3, 6-0
Noelle Neron (WO) def. Elizabeth Davis, 6-2, 6-1
Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr (WO) def. Lily Brennan-Olivia Schreyer, 7-6 (7-5), 7-5
Emma West-Angelina Lindenmuth (WO) won by forfeit
Records: Woodstown 9-3, Triton 6-7.

CLEARVIEW 4, PENNSVILLE 1
Serena Huang (CL) def. Lily Edwards, 7-5, 0-6, 10-7
Amelia McLoughlin (CL) def. Izzy Schrenker, 6-3, 6-1
Morgan Holt (P) def. Lia Lyle, 6-2, 6-4
Lily Culling-Helena Homann (CL) def. Naomi Hess-Emma Hankin, 6-3, 6-4
Taylor Cossaboon-Katherine Cianfrani (CL) def. Graillyn Weber-Lily Angelo, 6-3, 6-0
Records: Clearview 8-3, Pennsville 9-5.

CROSS COUNTRY
WESTHAMPTON –
The Salem Tech boys placed all five runners in the second 10 counters and edged Medford Tech for second place in the South Jersey Vo-Tech Championships.

Levi Seals led the Chargers across the line with a 10th-place 19:04.27. He was followed by Pierre Pozo (19:12.53), Anthony Morano (19:19.54), Chase Pompper (19:41.73) and Joseph MacNeil (20:06.69) for 73 team points.

Medford Tech had two in the top four, but only one other counter inside the Chargers’ top five for 75 points.

The Salem Tech girls placed third among four teams with two counters in the top 10 counters and three in the top 20. Paityn Harrington (25:03.56) and Abigail Vanaman (25:05.01) led the way.

GCIT won both team titles.

SOUTH JERSEY VO-TECH CHAMPIONSHIPS
BOYS TEAM:
GCIT 22, Salem Tech 73, Medford Tech 75, Atlantic Tech 100, West Tech 127, Cape May Tech 135, Pennsauken Tech 211.
BOYS TOP 10 OVERALL: Wyatt Evans, GCIT 17:15.06; Duke Snyder-Shellito, GCIT 17:40.47; Marcos Paulino, Medford 17:54.17; Chris Davis, Medford 18:22.08; Ryan Ejjalili, GCIT 18:45.01; Logan Monaghan, GCIT 18:49.75; Evan Feliciano, Cape May 18:50.88; AJ Trampe, GCIT 19:00.09; Carlo Blackman, ACIT 19:03.53; Levi Seals, Salem Tech 19:04.27.

GIRLS TEAM: GCIT 17, Atlantic Tech 60, Salem Tech 82, Medford Tech 86.
GIRLS TOP 10 OVERALL: Jordan Moczydlowski, GCIT 21:05.29; Kirstyn McHale, Cape May 22:58.49; Natalie Pandolfo, GCIT 23:02.00; Isabel Guerra, GCIT 23:07.51; Francesca Carnevale, GCIT 23:32.57; Rosa Cameron, Cape May 23:35.43; Addison Kris, Medford 23:51.81; Eunice States Clara, GCIT 24:58.50; Paityn Harrington, Salem Tech 25:03.56.



Sharp and quick

Woodstown, Pennsville, Schalick all survive girls tennis tournament openers; roundup also includes Tuesday’s cross country, girls soccer results

GIRLS TENNIS
South Jersey Group 1 Playoffs
Schalick 5, Buena 0
Woodstown 5, Palmyra 0
Pennsville 5, Salem 0

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

WOODSTOWN — Third-seeded Woodstown avoided a couple potential mental traps and easily got through its opening-round match in the South Jersey Group I girls tennis tournament Tuesday.

The Wolverines needed less than an hour to dispatch 14th-seeded Palmyra 5-0. County and TCC Diamond Division rivals Schalick and Pennsville also advanced with 5-0 sweeps.
 
The opening round had the potential to trip up the Wolverines in a number of ways if they weren’t focused. They hadn’t played in a week — two matches were rained out — and were facing an opponent that hadn’t won a match all season.

But they showed they meant business when they went 6-0 in the first set of four of their five matches and No. 2 singles Alyssa Berry put their first point on the board in about 35 minutes. Nathalie and Noelle Neron also won their singles matches, while the doubles teams of Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr and Emma West-Angelina Lindenmuth swept the doubles.

“There’s been some slight apprehension, like we were out here saying we feel like we haven’t played in forever, it’s been so long since we had a match,” Berry said. “But warming up and hitting, it kind of comes back to you.

“You always start out a little more careful, but as you get the swing of things then you feel more confident.”

All five of the Wolverines’ wins came in straight sets. They dropped only four games all day. Palmyra had won only one (doubles) match in their six previous starts this season.

“When you play a team like that, you never know what you’re going to get,” Woodstown coach Jesse Stemberger said. “You see 0-6, but I’ve seen a team win a state championship that was 2-7 going into the playoffs … There are so some teams out there that you don’t know much about that aren’t what their records indicate, so you try not to look past anybody.

“For an 0-6 team, (Palmyra) battled. They worked hard. They pushed us in some positions. They made us earn it. This was not a walkover. They made us earn it.

“One of the things we try to instill in them is to beat the teams you’re supposed to beat. So, if you see an 0-6 team, don’t underestimate them, but when you get out there and you start playing, if you see that you’re better than them don’t let them think they have a chance. Just go out there and do your job, and I think we did that. I was a little concerned about rust, but they went out there and did some nice things.”

Next up for the Wolverines is sixth-seeded Schalick in the Oct. 7 quarterfinals – one day after they play each other ifor the outright Classic Division lead. The next day the Cougars play Pennsville after the Eagles host fifth-seeded Audubon in the quarterfinals.

Top photo: Woodstown coach Jesse Stemberger (R) talks with Alyssa Berry after her victory put the Wolverines’ first point on the board Tuesday.

Woodstown’s Noelle Neron sends a shot back to Palmyra’s Jane Ancker during her straight-set tournament win at No. 3 singles Tuesday.

NO. 3 WOODSTOWN 5, NO. 14 PALMYRA 0
Nathalie Neron (WO) def. Grace Stavely, 6-0, 6-0
Alyssa Berry (WO) def. Sidney Lim, 6-0, 6-0
Noelle Neron (WO) def. Jane Ancker, 6-1, 6-2
Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr (WO) def. Jasmine Martinez-Karly Klipple, 6-0, 6-1
Emma West-Angelina Lindenmuth (WO) def. Lucy Reigel-Olivia Gallagher, 6-0, 6-0
Records: Woodstown 8-3, Palmyra 0-7.

NO. 6 SCHALICK 5, NO. 11 BUENA 0
Miya Watkins (S) def. Caroline Futty, 6-0, 6-1
Annmarie Podehl (S) def. Tiffany Chen, 6-2, 6-0
Macy Clow (S) def. Kara Horton, 6-0, 6-0
Olivia Lunemann-Sebrina Bradford (S) def. Makenna Feaster-Kiara Hobdy, 6-0, 6-0
Sammi Twigg-Jasmine Hunt (S) def. Julie Tomasso-Alondra Lausell, 6-2, 6-1
Records: Schalick 6-3, Buena 5-5.

NO. 4 PENNSVILLE 5, NO. 13 SALEM 0
Lily Edwards (P) def. Angelina Fothergill, 6-1, 6-2
Isabell Schrenker (P) def. JaNye Hubbard, 6-2, 6-1
Morgan Holt (P) def. Tahirah Davenport-White, 6-1, 6-1
Naomi Hess-Emma Hankin (P) def. Heaven Jones-McCullough-Zaniyah Frieson, 6-0, 6-0
Graillyn Weber-Yerlian Charon (P) def. Evangeline Jiminez Barreto-Erica Brewer, 6-0, 6-0
Records: Pennsville 9-4, Salem 2-7.

SJ GROUP ! QUARTERFINALS
Oct. 7
No. 9 Lower Cape May at No. 1 Pitman
No. 5 Audubon at No. 4 Pennsville
No. 6 Schalick at No. 3 Woodstown
No. 10 Wildwood at No. 2 Haddon Twp.
Oct. 9
Semifinals
Oct. 14
Finals

GIRLS SOCCER
Pennsville 9, Salem Tech 0
Woodstown 4, Pitman 0
Glassboro 8, Salem 1
Gloucester Catholic 6, Penns Grove 0

PENNSVILLE 9, SALEM TECH 0: First-time scorers Isabella Marandola, Anastasia Moore and Maura Widener were among nine goal-scorers for the Eagles. It was the most goals they’ve scored in a game since a 9-2 win over Salem in October 2021.
WOODSTOWN 4, PITMAN 0: Delia Hahn scored her first career goal and Ellie Wygand was in goal for the shutout.
GLASSBORO 8, SALEM 1: Amina Brown scored 40 seconds into the match and the Bulldogs scored four times in the first six minutes. Carlysia Pierce scored Salem’s goal.
GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 6, PENNS GROVE 0: Bella Laumer scored twice as the Rams won their seventh straight and recorded their fourth straight shutout. 

CROSS COUNTRY
KINGSWAY TCC BATCH MEET
BOYS TOP 20:
 Trevor Szilier, Washington Twp. 16:41.81; Matthew Littlehales, Delsea 16:49.78; Andrew Dopkin, Highland 16:54.83; Michael Beaver, Kingsway 17:05.80; Liam Murphy, Highland 17:13.52; Payton Veilleux, Kingsway 17:22.57; Gavin Rakitis, Glassboro 17:24.02; Zacchaeus Harrigan, Glassboro 17:24.22; Jaeden Wesley, Glassboro 17:24.42; Joseph Saicic, Glassboro 17:42.62; Rhys Blackman, Pitman 17:30.52; Leandro Santiago, Timber Creek 17:31.84; Ryan Pancoast, Timber Creek, 17:32.79; Blair Duckrey-Furbert, Timber Creek 17:34.84; Karson Chew, Woodstown 17:55.00; Logan Pavelik, Williamstown 17:56.56; Aaron Johnson, Glassboro 17:58.26; Jacob Marino, Woodstown 18:00.05; Oluwanifemi Fadulu, Highland 18:01.30.
OTHER SALEM COUNTY TEAM LEADERS: 31. Chase Riley, Schalick 18:15:22; 58. Anthony Morano, Salem Tech 19:32.57; 67. John Johnson, Penns Grove 19:45.31; 77. Gradin Buzby, Salem 20:00.63; 109: Logan Cowperthwait, Pennsville 22:00.99.

GIRLS TOP 20: Sophia Aldridge, Williamstown 19:25.62; Aubrey Bishop, Kingsway 20:01.41; Abby Marino, Woodstown 20:57.30; Yazmire Bonhomme, Williamstown 21:32.15; Julianne Roes, Clearview 21:39.12; Julia Burgio, Williamstown 21:40.79; Ava Buchanan, Kingsway 21:41.51; Olivia Mashburn, Delsea 21:50.97; Julia Blanchard, Washington Twp. 21:54.53; Anabel Schaal, Woodstown 22:00.10; Brooke Mashburn, Delsea 22:00.57; Isabella Moran, Delsea 22:00.81; Rhea Remaly, Clearview 22:31.11; Sofia Moran, Delsea 22:34.99; Rachael Williams, Clearview 22:39.69; Lillian Pedersen, Clearview 22:39.86; Layla Chain, Washington Twp. 22:47.40; Helen Lillia, Schalick 23:13.24; Leah Hagerman, Clearview 23:14.39; Kate Yanek, Clearview 23:15.54.
OTHER SALEM COUNTY TEAM LEADERS: 28. Sawyer Slad, Pennsville 23:52.78; 61. Abigail Vanaman, Salem Tech, 27:08.65;