Editor’s note: After winning their opener, the Mustang girls soccer team was eliminated from the South Jersey Group III tournament by top seed Shawnee, 4-0, Saturday.
LINWOOD — On a cool, blustery November afternoon, midfielder Savannah Jones stepped up to take a free kick in the attacking third.
Following a scoreless first half featuring several missed opportunities, the Mustangs were fiercely trying to break through against the Lions in a win-or-go-home contest.
Jones eyed the goaltender, looking for the best spot to place her shot, while her teammates jostled for position.
The wall did its job, knocking the shot down before the ball made it to the goalkeeper, but the deflection dropped right to midfielder Maddie Taylor.
The senior played it back to Jones, whose second shot nailed the underside of the crossbar, bounced off the goalie and into the net for the game-winner with 31:19 left to play.
“Maddie passed it back to me and I shot it with my left foot,” Jones said.
The Mainland Regional High School girls soccer team (12-6 overall) defeated Cherry Hill West 1-0 on Nov. 5 in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group III playoffs. The eighth-seeded Mustangs earned a chance to take on top seed Shawnee Nov. 8 in the quarterfinal round.
The senior said the Mustangs deserved the win.
“We were working really hard,” Jones said. “When we work together, we’re unbeatable and our work rate is really great as a team.”
Head coach Fred Napoli credited the Lions for posing a difficult challenge.
“I thought they were a good team; they’re a battle-tested team, definitely,” he said. “But I thought we stood up, and I think the girls in the back played really well.”
Mainland started the game strong, getting two shots from junior Emma Tenaglia in the first 5 minutes, but the momentum quickly shifted as Cherry Hill West got three corner kicks in a row.
The Mustangs were organized and efficient in the early going, leading to a great opportunity nearly midway through the half for Tenaglia. The forward charged in on net but was a step too late and ended up colliding with goaltender Maddison Jarrett, earning a yellow card.
Napoli said the girls finally settled down in the second half.
“We actually played our game. I thought they had opportunities, and I thought we had the better of the play because we played a better game,” he said. “Everybody was fighting hard and we were winning more balls in the second half and I think that was a big piece of it.”
“First half, we weren’t really playing our best. We weren’t really passing as a team,” Tenaglia said. “But second half, we came out much better and we came out harder. We played more aggressive and I feel like we played more as a team and we scored. Now we’re moving on.”
Center midfielder Reilly Nagle had her hands full as Jarrett played a lot of balls to midfield.
“There was a lot of balls in the air, near me, and when we win the ball it just gives us a chance to get up on offense, so that’s why it’s important to win 50-50 balls in the air,” the junior said.
Nagle agreed that the team played better in the second half.
“You know, it takes us a second so get together and get the passes down and then in the second, we come together,” she said.
Mustang goaltender Riley Townsend was credited with six saves in the shutout.
– STORY by CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
