It's tournament time! Roundup of all the playoff action around South Jersey girls' soccer
It was the shocker from the seventh-seed.
The Paul VI High School girls' soccer team continued its remarkable run through the South Jersey Non-Public A bracket and captured the sectional crown with a 2-1 win over top-seeded Red Bank Catholic at Count Basie Field.
The Eagles (12-7) celebrated their first South Jersey title since 1999 and will face North A champ Immaculate Heart (17-3) in Sunday's state final at Kean University. Start time is 3 p.m. Immaculate Heart knocked off Pingry, 5-1, in the other sectional final.
Paul VI was saddled with the seventh seed going into the sectional tournament but rattled off four straight wins to claim the championship, outscoring the competition 13-2.
After Red Bank Catholic took a 1-0 lead in the game's second minute, Paul VI got the equalizer just minutes later when junior Sofia Marchese netted her seventh goal of the season, including three in the playoffs.
Junior Ave Martin delivered the decisive goal in the game's 49th minute. She has three goals this season with a pair in the playoffs.
Non-Public B South
Rutgers Prep successfully defended its title in dominating fashion with a 5-1 win over second-seeded Holy Cross.
The Lancers generated nine shots, but only converted one of them into a goal and fell behind 3-1 in the first half.
Holy Cross finished its season at 17-3.
State Group 3 Semifinal
Cherry Hill West 1, Middletown South 0: The Lions' quest for the program's first-ever state title continues as Ava Hawk's second-half goal vaulted the team into Sunday's final.
Hawk, a senior, finished off a pass from Reilly McGlinn for her sixth goal of the season and first since Oct. 17.
Junior goalie Abigail Leporati stopped eight shots for the shutout.
Cherry Hill West (13-7-3) will play Ramapo (18-3) in Sunday's state final at Kean University. Start time is 10 a.m.
State Group 4 Semifinal
Freehold Twp. 3, Eastern 0: The top-ranked Vikings had their season come to an end, surrendering a season-high three goals in the loss.
Eastern finished its season at 22-2-2.
The Vikings had allowed seven goals in their first 25 games before Freehold Township struck for one tally in the first half and two more markers in the second half.
Freehold Township will go for its third state title since 2015 in Sunday's final against Ridgewood.
State Group 3 Semifinal
Wall 1, Seneca 0: The Golden Eagles fell in their quest to reach the state final, allowing a first-half goal and never recovering.
Seneca was trying to become the third team from the Olympic Conference National Division to reach the state championship game.
State Group 1 Semifinal
Point Pleasant Beach 1, Palmyra 1 (PPB wins Pks, 5-4): The Panthers' dream season endured a difficult finish as the team lost in the penalty-kick tiebreaker.
Palmyra (18-1-3) took a 1-0 lead in the first half on Julia Ostroff's 30th goal of the season.
Point Pleasant Beach (13-6-1) stormed back in the second half, scoring the equalizer.
Saturday, Nov. 5
The Eastern High School girls’ soccer team is back on top in South Jersey Group 4 while Cherry Hill West achieved history with its first-ever sectional title.
The Vikings claimed their seventh sectional title in program history with a 1-0 win over Williamstown on Saturday morning.
Kadence Dumas collected the decisive goal with an assist from Katerena Kokolis in the second half.
Vikings’ goalie Ava Clark stopped three shots to earn her program-record 19th shutout of the season – a mark which also a record for a defense, which Faith Quinn, Remi Cherkas, Eva Spruill and Kylie Yap.
“Our defense has really been a big surprise this season,” Eastern coach Jamie McGroarty said. “Coming into the season, we thought we would have enough offense, but it was the defense that was the biggest question mark.
“They’ve been unbelievable all season. We knew we had Faith and Eva coming back, but it’s been Remi and Kylie who have really stepped it up beyond before. We’ve only allowed seven goals (in 25 games).
Eastern (22-1-2), which has won four of the last five titles in South Jersey Group 4, will play in next week’s state semifinals against the Central Jersey champ, either Freehold or Manalapan. The semifinal will be played at Howell on Tuesday at 7 p.m.
South Jersey Group 3
Cherry Hill West 1, Shawnee 1 (West wins PKs, 4-2): The third time proved to be the charm for the Lions as the team avenged two earlier losses to the Renegades, earning the purple-and-white a prize of the program’s first South Jersey title.
“They’re pretty fired up,” West coach Katina Anthony said of her squad. “I knew that this could be a special group on Day 1. That’s when we set the ultimate goal of playing on Nov. 5. And that’s what they did.”
After losing its regular-season meeting and a Coaches Tournament contest, second-seeded West found itself down 1-0 at the intermission against the top-seeded squad.
Four minutes into the second half, West’s Kennedy Erdman delivered the equalizer with her 20th goal of the season with a helper from Reilly McGlinn.
No goals were scored the rest of the way, including two overtime periods, sending the contest to the PK tiebreaker.
West’s Erdman, Erena Kotsedakis, Kassidy Phillips and McGlinn converted their PKs and goalie Abigail Leporati made two huge saves in the tiebreaker to send the Lions to victory.
“Abigail was simply outstanding,” Anthony said. “She had the two big saves in PKs, but she also made several big saves in regulation too.”
West’s defense silenced Shawnee for the most part as the Renegades only converted a penalty shot in the first half by Katie Portley.
Seniors Jill Shapiro, Maesie Baker and Kotsedakis along with sophomore Danielle Short has been the backbone of West’s run in the postseason.
“The three seniors on defense, they’ve really held us together,” Anthony said. “The entire defense played great, and we don’t even get into the overtime periods without them.”
Baker has been a stabilizing force since her return from a knee injury that caused her to miss all of last season.
McGlinn also missed last season with a knee injury and has returned to become one of the region’s top playmakers. She has 18 goals and a team-high 19 assists this fall.
West (12-7-3) will enter unchartered territory when it plays in the state semifinal round on Tuesday.
“We’re Olympic Conference-tough,” Anthony said. “It’s a battle every single game, but it gets you prepared for this time of the season. We had the attitude that we were going to win this game.”
South Jersey Group 2
Seneca 1, Sterling 0: The sixth-seeded Golden Eagles upset the top-seeded Silver Knights to capture the third sectional title in program history.
Gabby Miller netted the decisive goal in the second half. It was her 17th of the season.
South Jersey Group 1
Palmyra 4, Audubon 1: The Panthers rattled off three unanswered goals in the second half to capture the sectional title.
Mikayla Mangano broke a 1-1 tie with 26 minutes left in regulation before Julia Ostroff added a pair of insurance goals 11 minutes apart later in the half.
Ashley Vernot gave the Panthers a 1-0 lead in the first half but Audubon's Makenna Ammon scored a tying goal seven minutes into the second half.
Palmyra (18-1-2) advances to Tuesday's state semifinal round.
Non-Public A South
Paul VI 3, Immaculata 0: The seventh-seeded Eagles collected another upset win with this victory sending the squad into the sectional title game against top-seeded Red Bank Catholic.
Non-Public B South
Holy Cross 1, Bishop Eustace 0 (OT): Ashley Baran scored the golden goal with a helper from Olivia Kueny as the Lancers pinned a semifinal-round loss on the Crusaders.
Second-seeded Holy Cross (17-2) will travel to top-seeded and defending champion Rutgers Prep for the sectional title on Tuesday.
Baran’s goal was the 30th of the season for the senior and 113th of her career.
Tuesday, Nov. 1
The sectional public school finals are set.
Here's a recap of all the action from Tuesday's postseason games:
South Jersey Group 4
Eastern 3, Central Regional 0: Jolie Brancaccio, Izzy Benfield and Emily Stewart provided goals as the top-seeded Vikings checked into title game with a home win.
Diya Shyam and Aubrey Benfield had assists for the offense while Ava Clark stopped four shots for the shutout.
Eastern will host Williamstown for the sectional title on Saturday.
Williamstown 2, Washington Twp. 0: Angela Oliveto delivered the go-ahead goal in the first half and Sarah Nasatka added an insurance tally in the second half as the third-seeded Braves advanced to the final.
Williamstown goalie Madison Schill stopped seven shots for the shutout while her counterpart, Lindsay Price, kept her team within striking distance throughout with 17 saves.
South Jersey Group 3
Shawnee 1, Ocean City 1: The top-seeded Renegades advanced with a 5-3 decision in the penalty-kick tiebreaker against unbeaten Ocean City.
Shawnee will host second-seeded Cherry Hill West on Saturday in the sectional final.
Cherry Hill West 3, Lacey 1: Kennedy Erdman potted two goals and Reilly McGlinn had a goal and an assist as the Lions checked into the sectional final.
Abigail Leporati turned aside six shots en route to the victory in goal.
South Jersey Group 2
Seneca 4, Haddonfield 2: Ava Palladino scored twice and set up a third goal to power the sixth-seeded Golden Eagles to a victory over the defending sectional champion.
Gabby Miller and Sophia Cooper also contributed goals and Maddy Schwartz had two assists for Seneca, which improved to 14-7.
Allison Tighe accounted for both Haddonfield goals as she finished her senior season with 20 goals and recorded 53 for her career.
Sterling 1, West Deptford 1: The top-seeded Silver Knights collected the equalizer in the second half and prevailed in the penalty-kick tiebreaker against the visiting Eagles.
Antonia Troilo netted the equalizer with a helper from Bridget Dickson in the second half.
Sterling goalie Madison Sims turned aside 18 shots in regulation and overtime periods.
Lexy Yeager put West Deptford on the scoreboard in the first half.
Sterling will host Seneca for the sectional title on Saturday. Start time is 2 p.m.
Central Jersey Group 4
Freehold Twp. 2, Rancocas Valley 0: For the second consecutive season, the Red Devils were bounced from the state tournament by the Patriots.
Rancocas Valley, which finished its season at 16-4-1, surrendered two first-half goals and never recovered.
The loss ended the scholastic career of Kennedy Garcia. The Alabama-bound senior finished with a career-high 24 goals en route to 71 goals for her career.
South Jersey Group 1
Palmyra 1, Schalick 0: Elizabeth McCarron scored decisive goal in the first half as the top-seeded Panthers knocked off the defending sectional champion Cougars.
Palmyra will host Audubon for the Group 1 title on Saturday. Game time is set for 3 p.m.
Maeve O’Connell made the goal stand as she stopped seven shots for the shutout, her ninth for the season and fourth in a row.
Schalick’s Kerri Jackson closed out her scholastic career with 43 goals this season, raising her career total to 102.
Audubon 2, Haddon Twp. 0: Peyton Marrone and Erin Ewing delivered goals as the second-seeded Green Wave checked into the sectional final with a victory over their Colonial Conference foe.
Makenna Ammon and Molly Sullivan had assists while Gabrielle Brook and Kylie Cannaday combined for the clean sheet for Audubon (16-4).
The Green Wave defense posted its fifth straight shutout and eighth in the last nine games.
Non-Public A South
Paul VI 1, St. John Vianney 0
Red Bank Catholic 4, Camden Catholic 1: Caley Maher scored the equalizer early in the second half, but the Irish surrendered three unanswered goals to close out regulation.
Non-Public B
Bishop Eustace 3, Wardlaw-Hartridge 1: The sixth-seeded Crusaders punched their ticket for a return trip to the semifinal round with a road win over the No. 3 seed.
Mia Abbey chalked up a pair of goals and set up a third score while Erin Moriarty also had a marker for Bishop Eustace, which improved to 7-7-2. Alaina Staab and Allie Serlenga recorded assists.
Bishop Eustace will travel to Holy Cross for Saturday’s semifinal game.
Holy Cross 7, Calvary Christian 0: Ashley Baran and Ava DeFulvio each netted hat tricks to power the second-seeded Lancers to an easy quarterfinal win.
Ava Mostellar rounded out the scoring and Claire Zimmermann had two assists for the Lancers, who improved to 16-2.
Trinity Hall 6, Our Lady of Mercy 1: Savanna Fries accounted for the Villagers’ lone goal in the quarterfinal round. OLMA fell to 10-8-1.
St. Rose 4, Holy Spirit 0
Saturday, Oct. 29
Tori Barbara and Jessica Castorina each delivered second-half goals as the Washington Township High School girls' soccer team stormed back for a 2-1 upset win over second-seeded Cherokee in a South Jersey Group 4 quarterfinal game.
The seventh-seeded Minutemaids (9-7-1) will travel to third-seeded Williamstown for a semifinal game on Tuesday. The two teams split the regular-season series, which included a 2-1 win by Washington Township the last meeting on Oct. 6.
Castorina netted the decisive goal in the closing seconds of regulation with a helper from Hailey Trost. It was Castorina's ninth goal of the season and third of the playoffs.
Township goalie Lindsay Price stopped eight shots.
Cherokee's Ailyn Rowe accounted for her team's lone goal in the first half.
In other South Jersey Group 4 action from Saturday:
Williamstown 3, Toms River East 1: Riley Baker and Brianna Bruner deposited consecutive goals in the first half to pave the way for the Braves' home win. Bruner added an insurance goal in the second half - her 10th of the season and fourth of the playoffs.
Eastern 2, Egg Harbor Twp. 0: The top-seeded Vikings utilized goals from Katerina Kokolis and Lindsey Emerson along with another standout defensive performance to advance. Ava Clark needed just one save to earn the clean sheet.
Eastern, which became South Jersey's first 20-win team of the season, will host fifth-seeded Central Regional in Tuesday's semifinal.
Central Jersey Group 4
Rancocas Valley 4, Howell 1: The Red Devils collected four goals in the first half and cruised to a quarterfinal victory.
Kennedy Garcia scored twice, sandwiched in between goals by Joanna Marlin and Marren Reinhard for RV, which improved to 16-3-1.
The fourth-seeded Red Devils will travel to top-seeded Freehold Township on Tuesday.
South Jersey Group 3
Ocean City 1, Toms River South 1: The fourth-seeded Raiders advanced with a penalty-kick tiebreaker (2-1)
Ocean City will travel to top-seeded Shawnee for Tuesday's semifinal round.
Cherry Hill West 0, Mainland 0: Abigail Leporati made six saves through regulation and two overtime periods, but it was one key save in the PK tiebreaker that sent the second-seeded Lions to the semifinal round.
Cherry Hill West (11-7-2) will host sixth-seeded Lacey on Tuesday.
Lacey 4, Delsea 3: The third-seeded Crusaders surrendered four straight goals to start the game and, despite a furious comeback in the second half, couldn't get the equalizer.
Olivia Capecci scored twice and Brihanna Rodriguez had a goal for Delsea, which finished its season with a 16-4-1 record.
South Jersey Group 2
Sterling 5, Haddon Heights 0: Bridget Dickson netted a hat trick and Montgomery Draham and Jade Wiley contriubted goals as the top-seeded Silver Knights rolled into the semifinal round with a victory over the Garnets.
Sterling (16-1-1) will face fourth-seeded West Deptford in the next round after sweeping the regular-season series by a combined 3-0 score.
West Deptford 7, Cedar Creek 2: Malia Acevado tallied a hat trick while Lexy Yeager, Rachel Barford, Talia Thomasson and Emma Sobieski added goals to power the Eagles' offensive explosion.
Corrine Morgan accounted for both Cedar Creek goals, giving the senior 32 on the season and 93 for her career.
Haddonfield 3, Delran 2: Lilah Jacovini scored twice and Allison Tighe added a goal as the Haddons earned an overtime victory to move into the semifinal round.
Thea Spellmeyer had two assists and Enya Carthy stopped 10 shots in goal for Haddonfield (12-7).
Seneca 3, Middle Twp. 2: Ava Palladino knocked in two goals and Gabby Miller added one as the sixth-seeded Golden Eagles prevailed in overtime, advancing to the semifinals where they will travel to Haddonfield.
Friday, Oct. 28
The Haddon Township High School girls' soccer team scored three unanswered goals to dispatch Woodstown 3-1 in Friday's quarterfinal round of the South Jersey Group 1 tournament.
Third-seeded Haddon Township, a sectional champion in 2020, will travel to Audubon for a semifinal-round game on Tuesday.
The Hawks overcame an early deficit as Sammy Farnham, Emerson McDonald and Abby D'Ottavi delivered goals.
Woodstown took a 1-0 lead on Tatum Devault's 24st goal of the season.
In other South Jersey Group 1 action:
Audubon 6, Clayton 0: Molly Sullivan scored twice and set up a third goal to highlight the second-seeded Green Wave's quarterfinal win. Makenna Ammon had a goal and two assists while Erin Ewing, Ava Rizzo and Jules Laxton chipped in goals for Audubon.
Palmyra 1, Pitman 0: Mikayla Mangano tallied the golden goal in the first overtime period as the top-seeded Panthers advanced with a victory over the Panthers. Maeve O'Donnell earned the shutout with a six-save performance.
Schalick 3, Maple Shade 1: Emily Miller, Angeline Chomo and Cali Fisler contributed goals as defending champion and fourth-seeded Cougars advanced for a date with Palmyra on Tuesday.
South Jersey Group 3
Shawnee 4, Triton 1: The top-seeded Renegades took a three-goal lead in the first half and cruised to a victory over the Mustangs.
Madelyn Sadusky netted a hat trick for Shawnee.
Non-Public A South
Camden Catholic 5, Notre Dame 0
Non-Public B South
Bishop Eustace 3, Moorestown Friends 0: Mia Abbey delivered two goals and set up a third as the Crusaders cruised in their first-round game. Erin Moriarty closed out the scoring for sixth-seeded Eustace, which will travel to third-seeded Wardlaw-Hartridge for Tuesday's quarterfinal round.
Izzy Serano made four saves for the shutout.
Wednesday's First Round
The Williamstown High School girls' soccer team flexed its muscles during a 5-0 win over visiting Millville in the South Jersey Group 4 tournament.
The third-seeded Braves advanced to quarterfinal round where they will host 11th-seeded Toms River East, which upset sixth-seeded Kingsway, 2-1.
Angela Oliveto and Brianna Bruner each collected two goals and Riley Baker also scored for Williamstown, which improved to 13-4. Madison Schill stopped three shots to earn the clean sheet.
Washington Twp. 3, Lenape 1: Jessica Castorina pumped in two goals and Alaina LaMonica added a goal as the seventh-seeded Minutemaids churned their way to a win over visiting Lenape.
Cherokee 6, Bridgeton 0: Isabella Moore scored twice while Ailyn Rowe, Olivia Marrone, Katie Ulmer and Erin Devaney added goals to highlight the second-seeded Chiefs' win over the Bulldogs.
Eastern 1, Southern 0: Navaeh Roark's second-half goal with a helper from Lily Burt was the difference as the top-ranked Vikings survived a scare with a 1-0 home win. Ava Clark stopped five shots to earn the shutout.
Egg Harbor Twp. 1, Cherry Hill East 0: The ninth-seeded Eagles advanced with an upset win over the eighth-seeded Cougars as Maddie Eye collected the decisive goal in the second half.
Central Regional 3, Vineland 1
Toms River North 3, GCIT 0
Central Jersey Group 4
Rancocas Valley 5, South Brunswick 0: Kennedy Garcia delivered a natural hat trick in the first half before Marren Reinhard and Leah Howe closed out the scoring in the second half as the fourth-seeded Red Devils advanced to host fifth-seeded Howell in the quarterfinals.
More:What to look for when the real season kicks off with the state girls' soccer tourney
South Jersey Group 3
Triton 2, Timber Creek 0: Gianna Walker produced a goal in the first half and Rebekah Shepkosky added an insurance marker in the second half as the Mustangs galloped to a win over a district rival. Abigail Darji earned the clean sheet with a nine-save performance.
Shawnee 3, Hammonton 0: Olivia Dunay, Courtney Davis and Katie Portley provided goals as the top-seeded Renegades advanced with a win over the visiting Blue Devils. Mackenzie McCready set up all three of the goals, including two in the second half.
Ocean City 5, Moorestown 1: Naomi Nnewihe delivered a hat trick while Ashley Rhodes and Gabby Culpit chipped in goals at the Raiders rolled over the visiting Quakers.
Toms River South 2, Clearview 0: The Pioneers were held to three shots on goal and couldn't dent the scoreboard, bowing out of the tournament with a road loss.
Delsea 8, Absegami 1: Olivia Capecci and Cadence Serrano each recorded hat tricks to power the third-seeded Crusaders to an easy first-round victory. Kylee Reissek and Brihanna Rodriguez also earned goals for Delsea, which improved to 16-3.
Lacey 7, Deptford 1: Charlie Marstellar accounted for the Spartans' lone goal as Lacey pulled away with six scores in the second half.
Mainland 5, Pemberton 1: Ava Tenaglia and Savannah Jones each collected two goals to highlight the Mustangs' win.
Cherry Hill West 5, Westampton Tech 0: Reilly McGlinn, Erena Kotsedakis, Bryce Westervelt, Jillian LaBletta and Morgan Bauerle all scored goals to power the Lions' victory.
More:Who were the shining stars in South Jersey girls' soccer for Oct. 17-22?
South Jersey Group 2
Haddon Heights 2, Manchester Twp. 0: Moira Schroeder and Kylee Ferranto provided the offense during the home win. The eighth-seeded Garnets will travel to top-seeded Sterling for a quarterfinal showdown.
Gab DiOrio stopped seven shots to earn the shutout.
West Deptford 7, Lower Cape May 0: Jaci Gismondi and Lexi Varela netted two goals apiece while Lexy Yeager had a goal and two assists to highlight the Eagles' lopsided win. Rachel Barford and Maddie Eastlack rounded out the scoring for West Deptford.
Delran 8, Collingswood 4: Mya Jackson filled up the stat sheet with four goals and two assists as the seventh-seeded Bears advanced for the right to meet defending champion Haddonfield in the quarterfinal round.
Mya Pierce-Rufus and Anna Corsanico provided two goals apiece for Delran while Avery Sullenberger had two goals and Gabby Verdone and Lynnea Martinsen each had a score for Collingswood.
Seneca 1, Cinnaminson 0: Gabby Miller finished off a pass from Maddy Schwartz for the game-winning goal in the second half as the sixth-seeded Golden Eagles advanced. Julia Rath made six saves for the clean sheet.
Middle Twp. 8, Lindenwold 0: Behind Sophia Sgrignioli's two goals, the Panthers rolled into the quarterfinal round. McKenna Gregory, Anna Delaney, Gab Braun, Ciara DiMauro, Eva DiMitrov and Carmen O'Hara all scored for Township.
More:Not-the-typical Eastern squad finds its way to Coaches Tournament title in girls' soccer
South Jersey Group 1
Audubon 9, Salem 0: Peyton Marrone chalked up two goals and two assists while Molly Sullivan chipped in two goals and a helper as the second-seeded Green Wave rolled over the visiting Rams.
Clayton 5, Gateway 0: Kacey Marshall had two goals and an assist as the seventh-seeded Clippers sailed into the quarterfinal round. Erica Thomas, Ava Delaney and Ariana Barrett also had goals for Clayton.
Haddon Twp. 3, Buena 0: The third-seeded Hawks utilized a pair of goals from Sage Looram and one from Alex Billingsley during their opening-round win. Emerson McDonald had two helpers and Jamie Kozarski earned the shutout.
Schalick 7, Glassboro 0: Kerri Jackson scored a hat trick and Emily Miller chipped in two goals as the fourth-seeded Cougars bolted to a six-goal lead in the first half and cruised to the victory.
Maple Shade 6, Woodbury 0: Behind Hadley Schaal's hat trick, the fifth-seeded Wildcats checked into the quarterfinal round. Billie Ormsby, Emma Kaliamouris and Cami Manou rounded out the scoring for Maple Shade.
Pitman 1, Pennsville 0: Riley Sharpnack's second-half goal was the difference as the ninth-seeded Panthers advanced to the quarterfinal round. Miya Villari made nine saves for the shutout.
Palmyra 8, Penns Grove 0: Julia Ostroff had two goals and two assists and Riayn DiMeo chipped in two goals and an assist to power the top-seeded Panthers to victory.
Central Jersey Group 1
Riverside 1, Middlesex 0: Danielle Clelland's second-half goal was the difference as the seventh-seeded Rams checked into the quartefinal round where they will travel to second-seeded Highland Park.
Central Jersey Group 2
Robbinsville 3, Bordentown 0
Central Jersey Group 3
Jackson Memorial 4, Northern Burlington 0
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: South Jersey girls' soccer tournament results
