OCEAN CITY – The Ocean City Red Raiders’ depth and offensive prowess was on full display as they took down the Mainland Mustangs in the South Jersey Group III quarterfinals.
Three different Raiders scored a hat trick as Ocean City attacked the Mustangs from all angles and secured the 12-5 playoff win on Monday, June 2. Freshman Marley Dwyer got the scoring started and finished with three goals and an assist and was joined by Marley Ostrander and Ryan Cooke in the hat trick club.
The Raiders got the entire offensive unit involved early as five of the first six Ocean City goals were scored by unique players.
Ocean City held a narrow 5-3 lead at halftime after the two teams traded punches to start the game. Neither team could gain a comfortable lead until the Raiders got into rhythm and exploded on offense right after halftime.
Cooke scored within the first two minutes for her first of three scores in the second half. She helped the Raiders outscore Mainland 8-2 in the second half alongside Allie Hudson and Ostrander.
After the game, Ocean City head coach Lesley Graham talked about the offense’s depth and the advantages that comes with the well-rounded attack.
“We really pride ourselves on that and it makes us hard to scout when you have that many offensive threats, Graham said. “We are very fortunate that on any given day anybody can get the ball in their stick and put it in the back of the net. It does not give any one player a ton of stats which can make people think we don’t have any superstars. But they are all superstars in my book.”
Sophomore Laurel Munning scored once in the game yet led all players with five points as she assisted on four Ocean City goals. Munning constantly has found the open girl all season long and has led the team in assists and points for nearly the entire season. She helped keep Ocean City ahead while the Mustangs refused to quit and kept fighting.
Mainland was on the back foot for a majority of the first quarter until Jade O’Neil and Sophie Blanco broke though the Raider defense twice in the span of two minutes. The sophomore duo tied the game up right before the quarter ended.
“Sometimes when you play a familiar opponent so much it’s hard to get into your groove,” Graham said. “We were fortunate to find that momentum and tempo in the second half but hats off to Mainland, they always give us a good game.”
The Mustangs finished their season with a record of 11-8 and have a lot to build upon. The roster is full of impactful younger talent that can continue to improve. Sophomore Lauren LaMonaca led the team in points and crossed 50 goals scored on the season against Ocean City. Underclassmen Blanco and O’Neil also stepped up for the Mustangs with major contributions and will look to get even better next year.
Ava Sheeran leads a small group of three seniors who will leave behind some big shoes to fill. She scored 40 or more goals in each of the last three seasons and had her best season as a scorer this year with 59 goals and 73 points.
Ocean City’s season will once again come down to another meeting with top-seeded Moorestown High School. For the third straight year, the two teams will meet in the semi-finals with a sectional title game berth on the line. The Raiders will be out for payback as they were eliminated in both of the previous matchups to Moorestown but get one more shot at the defending South Jersey champions.
The semi-finals are June 5 at Moorestown. The winner will face off against either Shawnee or Cherry Hill West on June 10 in the championship.
Ocean City, MRHS boys
teams move to semifinals
The No. 4 seed Mainland Regional boys earned their way to the semifinals with a 19-10 win over No. 5 Clearview (12-4). Mustangs Liam Kennedy, Harrison LaMonaca and Joe Eyde had four goals each, Luke Hall had three, Tony DeSalle two and Drew Kwapinski and Ryan Scannell one each. Goalie Anthony Eaton made five saves.
Mainland (16-5) will face top see Moorestown (15-4) on Thursday at Moorestown in the Group III South Jersey semifinal.
The Ocean City boys (11-9), the No. 3 seed in Group II, beat No. 6 Barnegat 12-5. The will travel to No. 2 seed Wall (10-11) in the semifinal Thursday.
– STORY by WILLIAM TRUITT/For the Sentinel
– PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
