Woodstown field hockey gifts coach a shutout win over county rival and a comfy throw on her birthday, includes roundup of Friday’s Salem County sports action
FIELD HOCKEY
Schalick 10, Overbrook 0
Salem 2, Clayton 1
Woodstown 6, Pennsville 0
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
PENNSVILLE — Woodstown freshman Margaux Lipovsky gets excited any time she can put the ball in the back of the goal, but there was a special sense of relief when her shot broke the plane in the first five minutes of Friday’s match against Pennsville.
The goal ended a two-game dry spell for the Wolverines and sent them on the way to a 6-0 victory over their county rivals.
“It made me really excited,” Lipovsky said. “Once it rolled to my stick I kind of knew that instant it was going to go in. You just get that feeling that it’s going to go in and when you follow through and see it on the backboard it’s a good feeling.”
The Wolverines (2-2) had gone more than 125 minutes without a goal since Lipovsky scored in the fourth quarter of their season-opening 7-0 rout of Deptford. It was the program’s longest drought since going four straight games without scoring Oct. 9-18 of last year.
But they lit the lamp six times against the Eagles, with goals from six different players. Zoe Lipovsky made it 2-0 early in the second quarter, followed by goals from Corinne Cocking, Bella Eachus, Talia Guardascione (on an assist from Margaux) and Brooke Dillon.
“There was definitely some relief in there that we still have our offensive lineup,” junior captain Shyann Higinbotham said. “It was just about finishing. Finally getting to finish today proved our point that we still have it in us.”
The power surge was a nice 75th birthday present for new coach Gloria Byard. After the game the players serenaded their coach with a rousing rendition of “Happy Birthday” and gifted their former Olympian a comfy throw embossed with familiar words of wisdom.
“I wasn’t really surprised,” Byard said. “I know these guys are really a group of awesome, appreciative young ladies. They work hard. They don’t ask for anything. It’s a good group of young ladies, so I’m not surprised at all (what they did).”
Interestingly, for all the playing and living she has done, Friday, she said, was the first time she ever played or coached a game on her birthday.
“It’s ironic her first year being here it was on her birthday, and I think her coming back here to end it at Woodstown when she started at Woodstown is really special,” Higinbotham said. “It’s cool to be coached by her for my final two years here.”
The players gave the throw a more personal touch by stitching it with all of their favorite sayings from the coach. Lipovsky’s favorite is “You guys look like human cones” (a reference to standing around with the ball in play). For Higinbotham, her favorite is a little more direct – “Hard work works.”
That part of it did surprise the coach.
“That was amazing; it was like, wow,” she said. “It’s like they do listen to me, huh? They pay attention.”
The win Friday may not have been taken for granted, but it was always in the (birthday) cards.
“I knew we had a big shot at winning, but you never know, one any given day anything can happen,” Byard said. “But that’s the one thing: They were practicing yesterday and said coach, for your birthday gift we’re going to win.’ I said, ‘you promise?’ They said ‘definitely.’”
Top photo: Woodstown field hockey coach Gloria Byard shows off the comfy throw her players gifted for her birthday after the Wolverines’ 6-0 win over Pennsville. The throw is embossed with the players’ favorite sayings from their coach.
SALEM 2, CLAYTON 1: Julliana Love scored two goals, including the game-winner with five minutes left, and Ava Rodgers stopped a penalty stroke as the Rams (1-3) won for the first time under new coach Brittany Bryant.
After the teams played through a scoreless first half. Love broke the ice in the first minute of the third quarter. The Clippers tied it and Rodgers kept it that way when she stopped a penalty stroke. Love put the Rams back on top with her fifth goal of the year and then they held on.
“Winning our first game was amazing,” Love said. “It was a nice look of what winning felt like for the new girls on the team.
“Being able to lead my team into winning the game felt great to know that I lead the team, but I couldn’t do it without my fellow teammates having my back. Knowing I got to put two goals in the cage for my team and coaches made me so happy to know I didn’t let them down.”
SCHALICK 10, OVERBROOK 0: Ava Scurry had two goals and three assists, Luci Virga surpassed 100 career points with two goals and an assist. Virga now has 39 points and 24 assists in her career. The 10 goals are the most in a game for the Cougars since swamping Cumberland 11-0 51 weeks ago.
GIRLS SOCCER
CHERRY HILL WEST 1, SCHALICK 0: West scored a goal in the first half then held off the Cougars through several close calls. Schalick’s Kyleigh Cutler was pulled down looking at an empty net without a whistle and several free kicks went across empty nets.
GIRLS TENNIS
PENNSVILLE 4, GLASSBORO 1
Izzy Schlenker (P) def. Alana Killelea, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4)
Morgan Holt (P) def. Taylor Adcock, 6-0, 6-1
Graillyn Weber (P) def. Alice Dinzeo, 6-2, 6-0
Emma Hankin-Naomi Hess (P) def. Virginia Tarasevich-Amani George, 6-2, 6-1
Sofia Dungca-Ijeoma Ufomba (G) def. Yerlian Charon-Lila Angelo, 6-4, 6-3
Records: Pennsville 5-4, Glassboro 4-4
WOODSTOWN 5, SALEM 0
Nathalie Neron (WO) def. Angelina Fothergill, 6-0, 6-0
Alyssa Berry (WO) def. JaNye Hubbard, 6-0, 6-0
Noelle Neron (WO) def. Tahirah Davenport-White, 6-3, 6-3
Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr (WO) def. Heaven Jones-McCullough-Zaniyah Frieson, 6-0, 6-1
Elianna Norman-Angelina Lindenmuth (WO) def. Erica Brewer-Evangelyn Jimenez Barreto, 6-0, 6-0
Records: Woodstown 7-2, Salem 1-4.
VOLLEYBALL
SALEM TECH 2, BUENA 0: The Chargers (3-1) took two close sets, 25-19, 25-22, to win their second straight match.
CROSS COUNTRY
GALLOWAY — Karson Chew finished 17th overall and two other runners placed in the top 30 to lead the Woodstown boys cross country team to a sixth place finish in the Osprey XC High School Invite at Stockton University.
Chew covered the course in 16:49.69. Teammate Jacob Marino was 24th (17:05.35) and David Farrell was 28th (17:12.79).
Gavin Oliver of Donovan Catholic won the boys race in 15:44.46. Egg Harbor Twp. won the boys team title with 98 points.
Woodstown’s girls placed 20th in their race. Abby Marino was 16th overall (19:56.81). Natalie Briggs of team champion Freehold Twp. won the race in 18:27.20.
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