By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
On X @tortreports
WEST DEPTFORD — Rewind to Sept. 9, when the West Deptford High girls soccer team had just suffered a one-goal loss to divisional rival Haddonfield to slump to 0-2-1 through the first three games of their season.
It’s amazing what can change in 38 days.
Now winners of 10-of-11 since, West Deptford owns a 10-3-1 record as the Eagles avenged their loss to Haddonfield by a 2-1 score on Thursday.
Kady Soper, a senior, got West Deptford on the board first in the eighth minute.
“It gives us a bit of an edge and gets us playing more intense,” she said of her early strike. “It gets them (Haddonfield) more shook up. They were a tough team, so I’m feeling pretty good. We lost to them in overtime by one. I have high hopes (for the playoffs), I think we’ll make it pretty far.”
Said coach Jen DiLorenzo, “it was huge for Kady. It was a great cross and a great team hustle. She was in the right spot at the right time and put it right in the back of the net.”
Sophomore Riley Walsh scored her first goal of the season to give West Deptford a 2-0 advantage midway through the second half.
“High intensity, high energy — we just did a good kick,” Walsh said. “We battled in the midfield and won a lot of balls. We just did a great job and out worked them, and it showed. I think we’re going to go far. I honestly have the highest expectations.”
Expectations should be high for this young West Deptford squad as the Eagles’ leading goal scorers are freshman Ella Simko, junior Lexi Varela and sophomore Adaya Tighe.
Another key underclassman is first-year varsity goalie Brianna McKeever. The sophomore reached her 100th career save in the victory — bringing her total to 106.
“It’s a big accomplishment for me,” she said of the milestone. “It’s insane coming this far. From not playing varsity last year to starting, it’s a big accomplishment.”
Loaded with underclass talent, the Eagles only have four games left until the NJSIAA playoffs start up on Nov. 4. As of Thursday, they’re ranked No. 1 in South Jersey Group 2 power points.
“The girls played really well together today,” coach DiLorenzo said. “They’ve just been playing really well and have each other’s backs. They don’t stop. I think they always have a little extra motivation when we play a team in the conference.”
Click this link to watch the new ‘Sideline Snippets’ series, where correspondent Brian Tortella hands a Go-Pro video camera stick to players after the game and they talk about the victory:
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DBPid1sRf-l/?igsh=ZG12OW5nazJ5MHIw
Contact Brian Tortella: btortreportssj@gmail.com.
