South Jersey Times girls soccer season in review, 2021

PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Millville senior forward Olivia Giordano has been playing soccer since she was four and all this time there has been one characteristic of her play that has remained constant – the ability to hit the back of the net.

In fact she is also a lacrosse player and in that sport, scoring is her forte as well.

She is somebody who simply has a nose for the goal and can’t be stopped, even though teams have done their best to take her out of her game.

“I feel like I am a goal scorer in any sport,” she said laughing.

No need to laugh. The facts speak volumes.

As a junior on the lacrosse team she scored 37 goals, in a sport where there is generally more offense than soccer.

Before entering her senior soccer season at Millville, she already held the school career record for goals with 48.

As a senior she added significantly to that mark with 26 goals, but she also didn’t dismiss her dishing duties. She also recorded 13 assists.

“I guess I am a goal scorer in any sport,” she said.

That is an understatement.

Giordano’s goal scoring led to plenty of winning this season at Millville, where the Thunderbolts went 15-3 and won the Cape Atlantic American Conference with a 10-0 mark.

In leading Millville to such a successful season, she has been named South Jersey Times Player of the Year in girls soccer for 2021.

The fact that she has scored 74 career goals, is a testament to not only her skill but her drive. Giordano stands just 5-foot-2, but what she lacks in height, she makes up for in athletic ability and toughness, with a major emphasis on the later.

“She works as hard as any kid I have coached,” said Millville coach Brian Sloan. “She is not very large in stature but will run through a brick wall for you and as a coach that is all you can ask.”

Giordano says teams have tried all methods in an attempt to stop her, especially using physical play. Yet what the opponents sadly discovered was that you can’t be physical with a player you can’t catch.

When Giordano turns on the jets, she is difficult to catch. Her speed and elusiveness are two major elements to her game.

“Making runs, dribbling with the ball, it all takes skill,” she said.

Those are skills she clearly possesses.

The goal total could have been even greater, but Sloan often took her out after scoring twice. “I don’t want them scoring more than two goals against teams we are beating by a lot of goals,” Sloan said.

Giordano had three hat tricks this season. One came in a 7-0 win over Bridgeton, the only rout where she had more than two goals and that was early in the season.

Her other three-goal games came in a 3-2 win over Middle Township and a 4-0 opening playoff win over Southern Regional.

So Giordano, who recorded seven, two-goal games, often got an early exit to the bench once she scored twice and Millville had the outcome in hand.

“She has never had a problem with that,” Sloan said about not being allowed to pad her goal total. “All she cares about is winning.”

Giordano will continue her soccer career and education at Rowan, where her twin sister Julianna will also attend. While she is looking forward to the next level, Giordano will always savor her soccer experience at Millville. She says playing with her teammates has been an experience that was truly special.

“High school soccer is probably the highlight of my high school career, it’s one of the best things for me because you get to experience it with your team and your teammates, and the people you love most, who I have grown up with,” Giordano said. “As a team it feels good because we have been the best we’ve been the past few years and that feels good to accomplish what we did and set a representation for Millville High School.”

TEAM OF THE YEAR

During the season Schalick coach Bob Mannino had to work around injury and a middle of the season shutdown due to COVID issues, but none of it stopped the Cougars from producing not one, but two championships.

The Cougars went 16-5-1 and won the Tri-County Diamond Division title. They capped their season by beating Pennsville, 2-0, in the South Jersey, Group 1 championship before seeing the season end with a 2-0 state semifinal loss to perennial power Shore Regional.

For the two titles, Schalick is the South Jersey Times Team of the Year in girls soccer for 2021.

What made the accomplishments more impressive is that Schalick missed two of its top players, senior center midfielder Kylie Casper and junior outside back Simone Borzillo, for the entire season due to injury. As a junior, Casper earned a spot on the all-South Jersey Times team after recording 11 goals and 18 assists.

Still, the Cougars persevered.

After suffering a 4-0 loss to eventual South Jersey Group 2 champion Haddonfield on Oct. 4, the Cougars were shut down for a week due to COVID issues.

The team returned on Oct. 12 and lost a 1-0 decision to Pennsville.

After that, the Cougars took off, going on a nine-game win streak before the final loss to Shore. In those nine games, Schalick gave up a total of one goal.

“It was very big challenge,” Mannino recalled about dealing with the mid-season shutdown. “I felt we would get better as we got our players back and we just had to stay above water.”

Schalick was led by SJ Times all-star Kerri Jackson, who totaled 39 goals and 18 assists.

Sophomore Ella Price was the Cougars’ other double-figure goal scorer with 10. Senior Lauren McCall, who missed time due to injury, still totaled eight goals and five assists and joined Jackson on the first-team all-conference team. Other Schalick players on first-team were senior midfielder Maresa Savarese and junior defenders Ella Berger and Angeline Chomo. Senior defender Olivia Langley and sophomore keeper Carly Hayman were second-team choices.

“I can’t thank the school, the community, the student body, the board of education, the Schalick staff and all the people who were behind us every game,” Mannino said. “We had a lot of people at our home games and it makes a big difference.”

So did the fact that Schalick was able to overcome so much adversity and earn two championships, including the only sectional title among South Jersey Times schools.

COACH OF THE YEAR

Pitman had to play this season without two high scoring senior forwards Angelina Bluford and Alaina Villari due to injury and somehow the Panthers were still able to score goals.

And win games.

As it turns out, also win a championship.

“Those were two huge losses but we really had girls who stepped up,” fifth-year coach Carrie Schwank said. “It was really awesome and a wonderful effort by the girls.”

And it wasn’t a bad effort by the coach either.

For guiding Pitman to a 12-4-6 record and the tightly contested championship in the Tri-County Conference Classic Division, Schwank has been named the South Jersey Times Coach of the Year in girls soccer for 2021.

The two aforementioned injuries left such a big scoring void. Villari was the team leader in goals in 2020 with 16.

Bluford, who missed the last two seasons due to injuries, scored 44 goals as a sophomore in 2019. That’s a lot of offense to make up for, but Pitman still manged 56 goals. The Panthers also had to field a strong defense, which they did, one that recorded nine shutouts.

In addition, there were injuries during the season that the Panthers had to work around, but the team continued excel.

“We had the talent on the team and just had to shuffle people around and see where they fit in the best,” Schwank said.

The person who fit in best was senior Catriona Galvin, who had 22 goals and 10 assists to lead the Panthers in both departments. Galvin points to the guidance of Swank as a big reason for the Panthers’ success.

“She was always so positive, always motivating us,” Galvin said. “She also kept us accountable and it’s nice to have a balance like that.”

Of course Schwank said the team’s success wouldn’t have been possible without her assistant coaches, Kristin Chapman and Linda Gipe. “We work so well together and balance each other,” Schwank said of her staff.

The Classic Division was so tight that there was little margin for error.

Pitman went 7-0-3 to win the division with 17 points. Clayton was 7-1-2 (16 points) and Pennsville went 7-2-1 (15 points). The Panthers clinched the title during a scoreless draw against Clayton in the final division game of the season for both teams.

Schwank, who played high school soccer at Eastern, kept her team on an even keel.

“I know there will be hard times in a season, hard times in life and I try to bring it back to life and something I have learned is you don’t get too high with the victories and too low with the losses,” Schwank said. “You keep going.” That is what Pitman did. The Panthers kept going, no matter what lay in front of them, taking some well heeded advice from their veteran coach.

ALL-AREA TEAM

Riley Boucher, Delsea, Sr.

With an explosive first step and the ability to blow by defenders with her speed, Boucher had a breakout senior season. She contributed 26 goals and eight assists, which included eight multiple-goal games. She opened the postseason with a hat trick in a 6-0 win over Timber Creek. Boucher will continue her soccer career and education at Division 1 Virginia Military Institute.

Micaiah Croce, GCIT, Sr.

She might be the most creative player with the ball in the area. Croce can not only break down defenders, but she often controls the ball for long stretches, while waiting to find an open teammate. An ankle injury sidelined her for the first seven games, but she still managed seven goals and 10 assists in 15 games while leading GCIT to a South Jersey Group 4 championship appearance. Croce was a standout in the Tri-County vs. Colonial and the South Jersey Coaches Association all-star games. She has committed to Division 1 Siena.

Josie Curran, Williamstown, Sr.

A repeat first-team selection, Curran was the quarterback of the Williamstown defense from her center back position. She helped lead the Braves to the Tri-County Royal Division title. Curran is especially impressive reading the game and she is also patient in defending, never over-committing. Looking to major in math/education, she has yet to make her college decision.

Olivia Giordano, Millville, Sr.

The South Jersey Times Player of the Year, Giordano is a repeat All-Area selection. This season she contributed 26 goals and 13 assists for the American Conference champion in the Cape-Atlantic League. She finished with a school record 74 goals while also contributing 33 assists. Giordano will continue her soccer career and education at Rowan University.

Kerri Jackson, Schalick, Jr.

Jackson was an explosive scorer for a Schalick team that won the South Jersey, Group 1 and Tri-County Conference-Diamond Division titles. Alternating between midfield and forward, she totaled 39 goals and 18 assists, including a goal each in Schalick’s 2-0 SJ Group 1 semifinal win over Haddon Township and 2-0 sectional title victory over Pennsville. With the 39 goals, she finished fifth in the state in that department and will enter her senior year with 58 career goals.

Remi Newcomb, West Deptford, Sr.

A four-year varsity player, Newcomb has a natural touch as a finisher. She shows great strength and is difficult to take the ball from, especially when she is shielding a defender. This season she totaled 23 goals and two assists for a West Deptford team that went 17-5-1 and advanced to the semifinals of the South Jersey, Group 2 tournament. She scored in each of West Deptford’s three Group 2 tournament games, totaling six goals. Newcomb has yet to make her college decision.

Kelsey Newton, Washington Township, Sr.

Newton is a repeat All-Area selection at goalie, This was her best season, according to coach Katie Sachs. As a senior, she earned first-team all-Olympic Conference-American Division honors. She missed the final three games due to injury and Township lost all three. Newton was especially adept at stopping breakaways. She recorded 134 saves, averaging 8.9 per game and had four shutouts. She saved one penalty kick. Newton is looking to study neurobiology and play soccer in college but has yet to make her decision.

Lianna SanFelice, Kingsway, Sr.

SanFelice alternated between midfield and playing up top, and in either instance was a dangerous offensive player, who showed the ability and poise to hold the ball until seeing an open teammate or breaking down a defender. She also has great accuracy on her passes. A four-year varsity player, she contributed a career-high 11 goals this season, along with four assists. She will continue her education and soccer career at Rowan.

Cali Sloan, Millville, So.

Among the top defenders in South Jersey, Sloan was a center back on a Millville defense that recorded 11 shutouts. She is somebody who reads the game well and shows great anticipation. Sloan was also a big part of the attack. She had four assists this season and all came on free kicks. Sloan is the daughter of head coach Brian Sloan and played like a coach on the field herself.

Aaniyah Street, Millville, Sr.

Street was an excellent two-way player for the American Division champions in the Cape-Atlantic League. She is an adept decision maker who also has the ability to beat defenders one v one. This season she contributed nine goals and four assists. Street will continue her education and soccer career at St. Joseph’s University.

Brooke Vogel, GCIT, So.

An explosive player with the ability to break down defenders with regularity, Vogel had 26 goals and 12 assists this season. She scored both goals in GCIT’s 2-1 South Jersey, Group 4 semifinal win over Cherokee. In leading the Cheetahs to the SJ Group 4 final, she had six goals in four playoff games, including a hat trick in a 4-1 opening round win over Williamstown.

McKenna Williams, Kingsway, Sr.

While playing center back, Williams was also a threat on offense. Very strong in the air, she also displayed a big foot. She played center back most of the season and moved to midfield for part of the final three games. This season she contributed two goals and five assists for a 12-6-2 Kingsway team that earned a berth in the South Jersey Coaches Tournament and advanced to the semifinals of the SJ Group 4 tournament. Looking to major in nursing/biology, she has yet to make her college decision.

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