Pennsville gives its best effort in Foglein’s six seasons as coach, but falls on an overtime golden goal; includes full schedule of Salem County games

WEDNESDAY’S BOYS SOCCER
Pitman 2, Pennsville 1 (OT)
Schalick 7, Clayton 0
Woodstown 8, Gloucester Catholic 1
Wildwood 4, Penns Grove 2
Salem at Overbrook
Salem Tech at Glassboro

By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News

PENNSVILLE – Coen Rinnier buried his head in his hands as he sat in the middle of the bench after the game. He was brilliant in the Pennsville goal all afternoon, but there was one shot he just couldn’t get at.

The Eagles had one of their best chances to beat long-time nemesis Pitman and, in fact, played what Derek Foglein called their best full-game effort in his six years as coach. But it just wasn’t to be as Panthers senior Jaiden Ammons headed back a rebound just beyond the keeper’s reach five minutes into overtime to send the Eagles to a bitter 2-1 defeat.

“That was the best 80 minutes of soccer I’ve seen in my six years,” Foglein said. “We were already down guys because I have a guy who was suspended from the first game with Wildwood, one of our center mids went down in the first half with an injury and never came out.

“I made zero subs in the second half. Every single guy on the field gutted out the second half and overtime. And that’s because they were fit. They played soccer every day since May and they were fit enough to hang with them.

“All I needed them to do was battle. We knew this was going to be a battle and they really battled. They battled really hard for 85 minutes.”

The Eagles (2-2) were trying to buck a lot of history. They hadn’t beaten the Panthers since Sept. 13, 2017 – that’s 11 in a row now – and hadn’t beaten them at home since before 2010. But they gave the Panthers (4-1) all they could handle.

And they struck first, and early to show they meant business. Shane Puckett took a through ball from freshman J.P. Laughrey, found Pitman keeper Joey Zubert out of position and ripped it into the back of net just 4:41 into the game.

“We specifically talked in film today about the fact off the tap and early we didn’t want to give up possession in the defensive third,” Foglein said. “We wanted to send the ball down their way quickly and force them to defend or do something with it.

“We’ve seen that other teams have been able to get on them quick. We saw Wildwood scored on them in the first five minutes as well. The first five minutes is going to be our chance to jump on them and then we’ve got to see if we could hold on and we held on for as long as we could.”

The Eagles kept the lead until Owen Hurley converted a throw-in from Nate Newcomb that bounced crazily in the box to tie it. After that the teams battled to keep the other from scoring again, with the Pennsville defense clearing numerous Pitman challenges and Rinnier turning back several shots to keep the game tied.

Newcomb got the game-winning exchange started with a throw-in from deep down the left sideline. Pitman’s Jake Bowen-Ashwin fought through the defensive challenge of Stevie Fatcher to keep it alive along the baseline and flicked it into the middle of the box. It deflected into the air off Pennsville senior Maddox Efelis’ foot, Trevor Leach moved in and headed it off the middle of the crossbar, Eagles’ back Jake Steiner appeared to clear it away, but Ammons charged in from the right side and headed it back into the left side of the goal just past the outstretched arms of a diving goalie.

“It was very hard,” Rinnier said. “It was deflected I think twice. There was just so much going through my head when that happened and unfortunately it just went in.

“As a goalie you know when the ball is going to go in. As soon as he headed that second ball in I know the game’s over. I still dove for it, but as soon as he heads the ball I know the game’s over.”

The goalie agreed with his coach that it was the best the Eagles have played in a while and the loss notwithstanding it bodes well for their fortunes going forward.

“We’ve never been close to Pitman, never, well, besides last year it was 1-0, but we didn’t play well,” he said. “This year we played amazing. He’s right, it’s the best soccer we ever played today.

“I’m just looking forward to the next games now. If we can compete with Pitman, we can compete with every other team. Competing with Pitman, we can beat Wildwood and win our division for the first time in God knows how long.”

Cover photo: Pitman’s Jaiden Ammons heads a shot back towards the Pennsville goal for the game-winner in overtime.

Pitman 2, Pennsville 1 (OT)

Pitman (4-1)	1	0	1-	2
Pennsville (2-2)	1	0	0-	1

SCORING
Pv-Shane Puckett (JP Laughrey), 4:41
Pt-Owen Hurley (Nate Newcomb), 13:14
Pt-Jaiden Ammons (Nate Newcomb), 84:59

SCHALICK 7, CLAYTON 0: Freshman Marco Spinnato assisted on the Cougars’ final goal against Woodstown in its last game Monday and he followed that with the first two goals of his career against the Clippers. Anthony Sepers also scored twice for the Cougars (3-0), while Steve Chomo, Mikey Nelson and Louis Sepers all scored once.

The shutout was coach Joe Mannella’s 296th career win. The earliest he could reach the 300-win milestone is Sept. 30 against Penns Grove.

WOODSTOWN 8, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 1: The Wolverines got goals from eight different players. Bryce Ayers, Blake Bialecki, Adrian Ibarra, Great Prater, Tyler Szatny and Brendon Curtis scored in the first half. Sid Leevy and Connor Williams scored in the second half.

The win was the 288th of coach Darren Huck’s career. The earliest he could reach the 300-win milestone is Oct. 16 at Salem Tech.

WILDWOOD 4, PENNS GROVE 2: The Warriors (4-1) scored a pair of goals in each half to win its fourth game in a row. Noureddine Bedderi broke a 1-1 tie in the first half and extended the lead to 3-1 with the first goal of the second half. Edwin Aviles and Edward Swank scored Penns Grove’s two goals.

Girls soccer

WEDNESDAY’S SCORES
Glassboro 6, Salem Tech 0
Pitman 2, Pennsville 0
Schalick 2, Clayton 1
Woodstown 2, Gloucester Catholic 1
Overbrook 7, Salem 1
Penns Grove at Wildwood

SCHALICK 2, CLAYTON 1: Quinn Berger scored the game-winner on a free kick in the final 20 minutes of the second half. Abby Willoughby scored the Cougars’ first goal. It was their third straight win.

WOODSTOWN 2, GLOUCESTER CATHOLIC 1: Lia Covely and Emma scored goals in the first half for the Wolverines (3-2). Ellie Wygand made 10 saves to turn the Rams away.

PITMAN 2, PENNSVILLE 0: Emery Sharpnack scored her fifth goal of the season in the first half and Madison Peek got her fifth in the second half.

GLASSBORO 6, SALEM TECH 0: Marianna Dempster and Amina Brown both scored a pair of goals for the Bulldogs.

OVERBROOK 7, SALEM 1: Gianna Simon and Maria Olea-Vinalay scored two goals apiece for Overbrook. Isla Bohn scored Salem’s goal in the first half.