Forget Seeds: Cougars Won't Be Viewed as Underdogs in Playoffs

The Cherry Hill East boys’ soccer team was not given much thought when it earned a No. 14 seed in the South Jersey Coaches Cup.

The same mistake will not be made when the Cougars open the Group 4 playoffs as a No. 13 seed.

That’s what happens when you knock off four of South Jersey’s top teams to claim one of the most prestigious titles in the sport.

By defeating Moorestown 1-0 in the Coaches Cup final, the Cougars not only got to get their hands on the trophy, but also put the rest of Group 4 on notice.

“We had some games that we lost this year that were close games that could have gone either way,” said forward Andrew Adler, who had the final’s only goal. “We know we are capable of beating any team, but we are also capable of going down to a team that we shouldn’t lose to. It’s all about how we show up each individual game, and obviously if we show up, we can make a great run in the playoffs too.”

Cherry Hill East opens up against a very familiar opponent in No. 4 Lenape (whenever Mother Nature allows). The two teams met twice in the regular season with each squad recording a 1-0 victory. A quarterfinal against No. 5 Eastern could await the winner. The Cougars would then put to the test the theory that it is hard to beat a team three times in a season. Eastern won both regular-season contests, 2-0 and 2-1.

Looking only at the seeding, one could mistake Cherry Hill East as an underdog, but thanks to their performance in the Coaches Cup, no one in the soccer community would dare give the Cougars that label now.

“We don’t want to get to confident or anything, but we hope to basically do the same thing we did in the Coaches Cup,” defender Matt Muench said. “The thing is, this time we won’t be the underdog in every match. Teams will know that they are going to have to really play well to beat us.”

Cherry Hill East has won five of its last six games. East head coach Karl Moehlmann said he saw a real turnaround in play in the Cougars' first-round Coaches Cup game with Kingsway, where his team got an early goal and followed it with a second to seal the upset. Since that game, the Cougars have been riding high.

The Cougars hope that feeling lasts for a couple more weeks.

“It’s the same story,” said Moehlmann. “We are a No. 13 seed and have to play Lenape. (It will be) away, away, away.”

Moehlmann knows not everything will be the same, though.

“Group IV is a little different story—although we played Cherokee and Washington Township—but I’m sure after playing them the same things will not happen again. You never know in Group 4 with the Toms River teams and Absegami.”