Cherry Hill Sports Week in Review: Huge Wins for Football, Soccer

The regular season continues to wind down for the fall athletic teams at Cherry Hill East and West. It was a busy week for the soccer teams, who made late additions to their playoff resumes, while the Cougars girls’ tennis team fell in the Group 4 finals. Meanwhile, the Lions had one of the biggest wins in a decade on the gridiron.

Below is a look back at the week in local sports.

BOYS’ SOCCER

It was a huge week for the Cougars, who clinched a playoff berth while also advancing to the finals of the Coaches Cup. Goalie Steven Oberlander was a major key to the team’s success, helping them win of pair of games that went into shootouts. Oberlander stopped three kicks in Sunday’s semifinal with Washington Township, leading the team to a 3-1 PK victory.

Earlier in the week, he saved a penalty kick that gave the team a quarterfinal win after a 1-1 tie in regulation and overtime against Cherokee. The Cougars also scored a 1-0 win over Lenape on a direct-kick goal by Jake Russ with 13 minutes left in regulation.

The Lions, meanwhile, stretched their winning streak to four games with 1-0 wins over Shawnee and Seneca. Chris Brandy netted the game-winner against Shawnee, while Dan Walsh scored the only goal the Lions would need against Seneca. Sean Mullarkey recorded the shutout in each game.

GIRLS' SOCCER

West bounced back from a 2-0 loss to Shawnee with a 1-0 win over Seneca. Christina Ogunsami made a first-half goal by West stand up against Seneca by posting 15 saves.

It was a tough week for the Cougars, who went 1-2. The victory was a dominating one as East scored four goals in the first half and cruised to a 4-0 against Timber Creek. Erica Hansen scored twice, while Caitlin Delaney and McKenzie Miller each found the back of the net.

The week closed with a 2-1 loss to Shawnee in the quarterfinals of the Coaches Cup.

East and West will square off Thursday.

GIRLS’ TENNIS

Cherry Hill East’s quest for a Group 4 title was derailed by Shawnee, who took down the Lions, 3-2, in the final. Third singles player Nikita Shukla battled through a first-set tiebreak with Cherokee’s Emily Trudo, eventually winning, 8-6, to avoid the need for a three-setter, giving the Cougars their second point of the day, but Shawnee clinched the match with a win at doubles. The score was a reversal from a regular-season meeting one week earlier, won by East, 3-2.

FOOTBALL

Cherry Hill West put itself right into the thick of the playoff hunt Friday night with a 16-7 win over Moorestown. After starting 1-3, it looked like the Lions were heading towards the same path previous Cherry Hill West teams had traveled. West has not had a winning season in the last decade and won just two games each of the last two years.

But a dominating performance against Woodrow Wilson, followed by a win over a Moorestown team that reached the Group 3 semifinals last season, has changed all that.

“This is huge,” West head coach Brian Wright said. “This is what we talked about in March when I met the kids."

Rodney Williams hooked up with Dwuane Allen on a 71-yard touchdown and with James Verzicco for a 12-yard score and Rob Brodie converted
a 27-yard field goal in the win.

The Cougars got another strong rushing performance from Daishi Goto, who carried for 221 yards and two touchdowns, but they had little answer on defense for Washington Township in a 40-13 loss that snapped the team’s three-game winning streak. East struggled to defend Washington Township quarterback Tom Hildebrand, who put together 228 yards of passing and four touchdowns—three through the air and one on the ground.

East has a bye this week, while West will host Bishop Eustace.

FIELD HOCKEY

Erica Sunstein found the back of the cage but it was not enough, as West fell to Camden Catholic, 5-1. Meanwhile, East had little success against one of South Jersey’s premier teams, Eastern, in a 12-0 loss.