By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Staff Writer
On X @GDsullysays
WILLIAMSTOWN — The Egg Harbor Township High girls soccer team is in the midst of a long, five-game, 11-day road trip early in the 2024 season, and the Eagles are finding all kinds of ways to win games and make some long bus rides home a lot more enjoyable.
Last week, EHT came from behind to beat Mainland and Cumberland, and on Tuesday afternoon the Eagles faced some adversity and passed the test, holding off a determined Williamstown team in the final 20 minutes to secure a 2-1 victory in our Bunting Family Pharmacy Marquee Matchup.
EHT will travel to Holy Spirit on Thursday then to Vineland next week before finally returning home on Sept. 20 to face Middle Township.
“Williamstown has been a solid program for years,” said new EHT coach Pete Lambert, who came over to the girls team after a long and highly successful stint coaching the EHT boys program. “I’ve only seen the boys, but I know about the girls program. They are coached well, so to come on the road for our third straight game — and we have two more on the road before we come home — I’m very proud of these girls. I thought we put together a clean first half. We talked at halftime about how a 2-nil lead is deceptive, so be ready for anything. Williamstown threw everything they had at us, and our girls responded.
“They got a goal on a corner, but on a play like that the ball is bouncing around, it’s tough for our defense to find the ball, tough for the goalie to locate it,” he added. “But we still put a lot of pressure (on Williamstown) in the second half.”
After thwarting an initial onslaught by the Braves, EHT went ahead 1-0 in the 11th minute on a penalty kick from senior midfielder Aniyah Parker, who drilled the free shot past a diving Natalie Clark and into the bottom right corner of the net.
“I have this little trick where I stare at the spot that I don’t want to go to and I look scared, so they think I’ll go (to that spot), then I just kind of hit it to the other side,” Parker explained. “I was like, ‘please don’t miss this.’ That was my thinking during (the PK).”
Egg Harbor Township (4-0, 2-0 Cape-Atlantic League American) added another goal late in the first half when Ava Ferrara cleaned up a shot from distance by Parker that rang off the crossbar. Ferrara was there to tap in the rebound and give the Eagles a two-goal lead.
“Being up 2-0 is a tough place to be because either way, if we go up 3-nil (we’re fine) but if we give one up and go to 2-1, then we have to fight, fight, fight,” Lambert said. “I’m proud of the girls. The first couple of games we had to come back to win the game and in this one we had to keep the lead and be able to put this team away. We go on the road again on Thursday and then again on Monday, so we’re looking to be ‘road warriors’ and then come home and settle in. The girls keep working hard and they’re doing everything we ask of them. It’s been really exciting to be part of this new journey, so hat’s off to them.”
“I think everyone played fantastic. Our defense marked up really well and I thought that was going to be our issue coming in because we had scouted this team and knew they liked to split (the ball to the outside),” said senior goalie Abigail Lyon. “Our defense stepped up, and our strikers got the job done with a couple of goals.”
Lyon was only forced to make three saves as the Eagles’ back line — led by basketball star Ava Kraybill — was stout.
“She can match up with anyone,” Lyon said of Kraybill. “She’s been fantastic, she’s physical and not afraid to take anybody on. She’s been phenomenal.”
With 25 minutes left in the game, Williamstown (0-2, 0-0 Tri-County Royal) shaved the lead in half when McKenna Eaton scored off a corner kick by Emily Green. The ball was bouncing around before Eaton knocked the rebound home. The Braves tried valiantly to get the equalizer, but were stifled by EHT’s defense in the final 20 minutes.
The Eagles had a solid year last year, winning 13 games, making it to the Cape-Atlantic League championship game and advancing to the sectional quarterfinals, and Parker said there have been some good vibes among the players so far this season.
“It’s been great. We’re all friends and I think that helps, we’re friends on and off the field,” she said. “We have a coach who cares and is working hard for us, so we want to give back to him and work hard for him.”
EHT players say they have embraced the challenge of playing so many road games this early in the season.
“We’ve been on the road, it seems like an hour or more, the last couple of games, but it’s been good for us,” Parker said. “This game definitely wasn’t easy, we had to work hard for it. Williamstown wasn’t going to hand us this win, we had to work for it.”
Added Lyon, “we’ve been on the road a lot, which is difficult with some of the long trips we’ve had, but, with a new coach this year — we were good last year, but shout out to our freshmen, who are scoring more than we have in my four years of being here. That helps a lot when you can score.”
WHAT’S NEXT: Egg Harbor Township travels to Holy Spirit on Thursday at 4 p.m. Williamstown travel to GCIT on Thursday at 4 p.m.
Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com.
