Woodstown advances to boys soccer sectional semifinals, Ibarra ties junior scoring record; top-seeded Schalick survives Pitman
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP I
Second-round games
Schalick 1, Pitman 0
Haddon Twp. at Audubon, Sat.
Woodstown 2, Wildwood 0
Riverside at Palmyra, Sat.
By Al Muskewitz
Riverview Sports News
WOODSTOWN — Adrian Ibarra tied the school record for goals by a junior and the defense posted another shutout as Woodstown blanked Wildwood 2-0 Friday in the South Jersey Group I playoffs.
The third-seeded Wolverines now play the winner of Saturday’s Riverside-Palmyra game in the sectional semifinals.
Trips to the sectional semifinals are rare for the Wolverines, prompting coach Darren Huck to tell his players in the post-game huddle they were making history.
This might be the second time in three years the Wolverines have made it to the sectional semis, but it’s only the fifth time since 2010.
“We’ve only made the semifinals maybe three or four times in school history … so this is quite an accomplishment for the program,” Huck said. “I can think of many teams we come across (that have kept them out). For a lot of those years it was tough because Woodstown was a Group One school and we were in a division, conference where we had to beat Group Three and Four schools to get into it. A lot of times we’d get that 8-9 draw and then we get the No. 1 seed the next one.”
This one won’t be any easier to get through, either. Seventh-seeded Riverside put nine goals on Gateway in the opening round and Palmyra is the No. 2 seed that opened the season with a 12-game unbeaten streak and could be a No. 1 with an earlier win over Schalick.
“As a coach you’re never satisfied always looking for one more when it comes to playoffs; you hold onto it and treasure it as much as you can,” Huck said. “Am I proud of my players? Absolutely. We’re further along than I was anticipating. I knew we were going in a good direction, I knew we were going to be doing some really good things, but they’re being done a little sooner than anticipated.”
Ibarra (pictured) scored his 26th goal of the season with 8:07 left in the first half to put the Wolverines on top. He took a cross from Kaleb Gerace, settled the ball on his foot and fired a precise and powerful shot inside the left post.
He tied the record set by Geoff Schaefer in 2014 and has at least one more game left to break it. But that’s not really on his mind.
“I’m all about team wins, so I’m just grateful that we’re advancing to the semifinals,” Ibarra said. “I could care less about the record as long as we’re advancing. I hope we take the title this year.”
His uncle, Oscar Hernandez, scored 29 goals in his best season at Woodstown and Ibarra would like to top that – within the framework of helping the Wolverines advance, of course.
“I would like to score more than him,” he said softly.
It looked like it would be the only goal of the game until Bryce Ayars found the net the hardest way possible, on a cross-field shot in the final minute. Ayars had been trying all half to score and nearly got one earlier on a header that went from the ground to the crossbar before finally getting his first career playoff goal on a long shot from the left side into the upper right corner.
“It’s amazing,” he said. “This is my first playoff goal ever out of my two years. Putting the game away for my team was a relief and then my coach was nailbiting all the second half with me not finishing but I finally put it in to secure the win.
“When it came down to it, man, did he put a really nice one away,” Huck said.
The win was the Wolverines’ seventh straight. The only goal they’ve given up in the streak has been in a penalty kick. Ben Stengel collected five saves in the latest shutout.
“It’s definitely my defense,” Stengel said. “We’ve got a good line this year, a very good line. We’ve got strength everywhere. They’re all doing great for me. With them in front of me, I didn’t have to do anything, really.”
SCHALICK 1, PITMAN 0: Mike Nelson headed home a free kick from Anthony Sepers with less than three minutes left in the first half and Evan Sepers made eight saves in another shutout to help top-seeded Schalick avoid the upset and advance to the sectional semifinals.
“It was very much a defensive battle,” Cougars coach Joe Mannella said. “Both teams were fighting tooth and nail to keep the ball out of the net.”
The Cougars await the winner of Saturday’s Audubon-Haddon Twp. match to complete its semifinal matchup. Haddon Twp. is the No. 13 seed that upset No. 4 Glassboro in the first round.
“We owe Twp. after several defeats to them over the past four years,” Mannella said.
Schalick has won seven in a row, the last five by shutout. They’ve only allowed one goal during the winning streak.
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