Schalick projected the South Jersey Group I girls soccer top seed after beating Clayton; Woodstown eyes a home game after edging Pennsville; includes boys tennis, field hockey, tennis results

FRIDAY’S SCORES
GIRLS SOCCER
Woodstown 2, Pennsville 1
Schalick 4, Clayton 1
BOYS SOCCER
Penns Grove 3, Wildwood 1
Pennsville 3, Gloucester City 0
South Jersey Coaches Tournament
Shawnee 1, Schalick 0
FIELD HOCKEY
Overbrook 3, Salem Tech 2
Woodstown 1, Gloucester Catholic 0
GIRLS TENNIS
Woodstown 4, Cumberland 1

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PITTSGROVE – The prospect of waking up Saturday morning as the No. 1 team in South Jersey Group I makes Schalick girls soccer coach Will Kemp smile.

The Cougars moved into the top spot overnight after taking down Clayton 4-1 Friday behind Emily Miller’s first career hat trick.

The TCC Diamond Division champions jumped over once-beaten Gateway in the sectional power points standings and if they hold their two-point lead through Saturday’s cutoff, they will earn their first No. 1 seed since 2018. They were No. 2 in 2024 and 2021.

“I’m quite sure we got it, it just switched up,” Kemp said after checking the standings. “It feels great. If that happens and that’s our official spot, it’s exactly where I believe we belong and then now it’s time to handle business because it’s the business end of the season.

“It’s something the girls deserve; they’ve worked hard all season. Being the No. 1 seed is not the end all, be all, but it sets us up nicely for the actual playoff run. It gives our girls that confidence boost that they actually need going into the playoffs.” 

Miller scored all three of her goals on headers off corner kicks by Quinn Berger. Berger scored the Cougars’ other goal and with her five scoring points in the game she is now four points shy of joining Cali Fisler in the 100-Point Club this season.

“I think Quinn played the perfect ball and I was just in the right spot,” Miller said. “It’s worth the headache after the game.”

Miller isn’t as prolific a goal scorer as the other Emily Miller that roamed the pitch for the Cougars a couple years ago, but she sure knows how to use her head to get the job done. She ran through two defenders to win the header on her first goal. The second came by redirecting a rebound off the post and the third came after losing her mark and heading it home.

Berger, meanwhile, distributes it as well as she scores. The three corner assists Friday gave her 16 this season and 36 in her career. The goal, which came off a pass from Fisler and gave the Cougars a 3-1 lead, was her 13th of the season and 30th of her career.

“Quinn’s service today was phenomenal,” Kemp said. “I know she was striking the ball extremely well, whether it was in play or from a restart. And Emily Miller is probably one of our best players in the air; she loves going for any type of aerial challenge and she was consistent with winning the ball.

“Quinn continued to find her every single time, so it was just a great combination today. A mix of wanting to get the ball and wanting to get the ball to the right place.”

As the projected No. 1 seed, the Cougars would line up with a first-round game against No. 16 Penns Grove, but school officials have said the Red Devils were opting out of the playoffs. If they draw a bye, the Cougars’ first tournament game would be against the winner of the 8-9 game, currently Woodstown and Glassboro.

Whoever it’s against, as the No. 1, the Cougars will be home all the way through the sectional playoffs.

“It makes me feel great that we will be the No. 1 seed because I think home field advantage will be good for our soccer team,” Miller said. 

Covely’s left is all right

WOODSTOWN 2, PENNSVILLE 1: Lia Covely found the upper left corner from the middle of the box with 9:12 to play to give the Wolverines a two-goal lead and they survived a late goal by Taylor Bass to win their first match since falling to Schalick in the division title match eight days ago.

Covely could’ve picked any corner when she got the ball on a throw in the dead center of the box, but chose the upper left to prove a point to her teammates.

“I saw the defender go for it and I knew I could beat her there, so I just got my foot on it, looked for the top left corner and that’s where it went,” Covely said. “They make fun of me for not knowing my left from the right.”

Covely has known right where to go in the last couple weeks. She has had three two-goals games in her last four, the best run of her career., and has scored from all three forward spots.

“It’s my team,” she said of her recent success. “I wouldn’t be able to score if it wasn’t for them. I just happened to be the one who finished today. We just really know how to work the field and I’ve been able to find the back of the net, which I have not in the beginning of the season, so we finally turned that around.”

The Wolverines needed the game to get some separation from the Eagles; the teams were ranked eighth and ninth in the South Jersey Group I power points standings. With the win, the Woodstown remained eighth – the final spot for an opening-round home playoff game – but closed to within 0.167 of a more favorable seventh. Pennsville dropped to 10th ahead of Saturday’s cutout date.

“An eighth seed is fine, “ Wolverines coach Kieran Keyser said. “We’re happy with having a home game, but I think that seed is not reflective of how our season has gone. We’re probably a little better than that, but that’s how it goes.”

The Wolverines dominated the play, but both teams’ defenses kept either team from getting an upper hand. Pennsville kept Woodstown’s threats at bay and Woodstown kept the Eagles’ attack from getting going.

Covely scored the first goal of the match on a bouncy ball she redirected that got away from Pennsville keeper Tatyana Crawford. She made it 2-0 in the second half.

“She’s one of the hardest workers we have in the field,” Keyser said. “It’s not just right place, right time; she’s making things happen for us.”

The Eagles closed to 2-1 on Bass’ goal with 5:10 to play. Her initial shot was stopped by Woodstown keeper Ellie Wygand, but the momentum of the play left the goal open and Delia Hahn came in to clear away the rebound.

But Bass flagged it down and the angle of her shot back towards the goal was just steep enough to catch the net inside the far post.

Boys soccer

SHAWNEE 1, SCHALICK 0: Cooper Adinolfi’s goal in the 77th minute was the only goal in the South Jersey Coaches Cup opening-round match. The fourth-seeded Renegades (9-4-2), the defending tournament champions, now play fifth-seeded Egg Harbor in the quarterfinals. The Cougars (12-3-9) are currently No. 2 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings going into Saturday’s cutoff.

PENNS GROVE 3, WILDWOOD 1: Stuart Mondragon, Juan Ortiz and Mario Fuentes scored goals for Penns Grove. The Red Devils (8-4-3) look solidly in command of a first-round home playoff game as they currently sit seventh in the South Jersey Group I power points standings going into Saturday’s cutoff.

PENNSVILLE 3, GLOUCESTER CITY 0: Justin Michaca scored three second-half goals to help the Eagles wrap up the TCC Classic Division title they clinched earlier in the week. Coen Rinnier made 10 saves in recording the shutout. The Eagles (10-6-2) are currently ninth in the South Jersey Group I power points standings, but are hoping to secure a home game going into Saturday’s cutoff.

Field hockey

OVERBROOK 3, SALEM TECH 2: Argenita Llugani, Amani Grace and Lucylaine Bannan scored goals as the Rams snapped a seven-game losing streak. Reagan Gillespie and Olivia Lydon scored for Salem Tech. The Chargers (8-5) are eligible for postseason play, but are currently 19th in South Jersey Group 2 going into Saturday’s cutoff.

WOODSTOWN 1, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 0: Estella Hitchner’s converted a pass from Zoe Lipovsky in the second quarter for the only goal of the game. The Wolverines (9-7-1) go into Saturday’s cutoff date No. 10 in the South Jersey Group I power points standings.

Girls tennis

WOODSTOWN 4, CUMBERLAND 1
Nathalie Neron (WO) def. Alex Stebbins, 6-4, 6-4
Alyssa Berry def. Mollie Willis, 6-1, 6-1
Hannah Gray (C) def. Noelle Neron, 7-5, 2-6, 10-8
Madison LaPalomento-Emilee Kehr (WO) def. Jordan Anderson-Emily Marchand, 6-1, 6-1
Elliana Norman-Angelina Lindenmuth (WO) def. Kami Johnson-Gabryella Keener, 6-1, 6-0
Records: Woodstown 17-6, Cumberland 5-15.