By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher LINWOOD — Allison Hoelker, a sophomore at Mainland Regional, is a midfielder by trade. She’s only six games into her first full varsity season as a starting goalie and is still learning the position, but she came up with 19 saves on Wednesday afternoon to help the host Mustangs edge rival Egg Harbor Township 15-14 and improve to 3-3. She’s also working her way back from an ACL injury on her left knee. “It’s always a battle against them,” said Mainland coach Bernadette Daley. “We played very well defensively today and our goalie really stepped up for us, Allison Hoelker. Last year she played a little bit of varsity. She’s had these chronic knee injuries and I said, ‘well, do you want to try goalie?’ And she’s worked out to be a natural at goalie.” Hoelker got some help from freshman defender Gabrielle Cohen as EHT went on an offensive blitz in the final 30 seconds in an effort to tie the game. Cohen made a check on an EHT offensive player that resulted in a loose ball, and Mainland was able to regain possession and run out the final seconds to preserve the win. 
Egg Harbor Township’s Rachel Lucia, left, puts pressure on Mainland Regional’s Molly O’Shea during Wednesday’s game in Linwood. (Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan) “I was a little nervous. They have a very aggressive offense, and (Rachel Lucia) is a very aggressive defender. I was nervous whenever the ball was within her vicinity because I knew she was going to be right on whoever she was guarding and looking for the good check,” Daley said. “But I had full confidence in our team that the girls were going to take care of the ball. They know the 2-minute drill and that you have to hold the ball, take care of it, and make the best pass. They did a good job. Gab Cohen came up with a huge play defensively when they came down with 27 seconds left. She made a great play, made a great check and got the ball, and she’s a freshman.” Egg Harbor Township (2-5) took an early 4-2 lead before Mainland stormed back with three unanswered goals to take a 6-5 lead. The Mustangs wouldn’t trail again, taking a 10-8 lead into halftime. Sydney McLaughlin twice pulled the Eagles to within one on two occasions in the second half, but EHT couldn’t get the equalizer. McLaughlin, who finished with three goals, scored with 13:51 remaining to cut the Mustangs’ lead to 13-12, then again with 1:14 left to make it 15-14. But Mainland’s defense held the Eagles at bay in the final minute. Erin Hogan led the Eagles with four goals and McLaughlin added three, while Ashley Albright — who is closing in on 100 career goals — paced Mainland with six. Megan Bozzi added four goals for the Mustangs and Tess Sarno chipped in with a pair. 
EHT’s Abby Umphlett, who scored a pair of goals, tries to get around the check of Mainland’s Ashley Albright. Daley said there is a long way to go, but that this year’s team could be the squad that helps the Mustangs get back to the level they were at in 2013, when Mainland had its best season ever — winning more than a dozen games and earning a berth in the state playoffs. “We are showing a lot of lacrosse knowledge in practice and in games, but we need to put that knowledge together with our skills. We’re getting there. We are a very young team. We’re 3-3 now, but we are 3-0 in the Cape-Atlantic League,” Daley said. “I think there is a lot of potential there for us to have a successful season. You have your rebuilding years and you take your lumps, but this is a great bunch of girls. (EHT) was very aggressive and we only played 13 girls today. That’s what we did in 2013, so this has shades of 2013 written on it. But we’ll see what happens.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense]
Rookie goalie Hoelker steps up as Mainland girls lacrosse holds off late charge from rival EHT
