By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
@tortreports on Instagram
MULLICA HILL — On a team loaded with playmakers, it can be anyone’s game on any given day.
On Saturday morning, it was Erica Houlihan’s time to shine.
The Camden Catholic High senior was in the right place at the right time, knocking in the game-winning goal off a corner shot from Lyla Klopp with 6:05 left as the No. 1 Irish defeated No. 3 Clearview, 3-2, in the final round of the South Jersey Tournament of Champions.
“I was shocked, if anything. Usually, I jump out of the way,” Houlihan said. “I saw Lyla sweeping and knew I had it. It was a team goal, and I was proud of it.”
Camden Catholic proved it’s the undisputed top team in South Jersey, improving its record to 16-2. The Irish only have two setbacks, to Agnes Irwin (Pa.), 6-1, and state power Oak Knoll, 2-0. It was the second tournament win for Camden Catholic, as the Irish beat Clearview in its inaugural year in 2025.
Their defense has shut out opponents eight times this fall, but did allow two goals against Clearview. With Clearview trailing 1-0 after Taylor Zee got Camden Catholic on the board first, Celeste Conklin found the back of the cage for the Pioneers early in the second quarter. Sophia Stazi scored late in the first half to give the Irish a 2-1 lead at intermission, and Clearview freshman Rilyn Rabbai scored on an impressive shot to even the game up midway through the third quarter. Houlihan’s fourth-quarter shot was the final dagger.
It wasn’t exactly Camden Catholic’s best performance, but, all things considered, it was a productive team win over an extremely solid Clearview program.
“It was ugly. We turned the ball over and we made bad decisions,” Camden Catholic coach Mark Vittese said.
Vittese agreed that Houlihan was in the perfect position for the decisive score.
“She was doing her job, which is what we talk about,” Vittese said. “Other than that, we were a little tired from playing back-to-back, and we shouldn’t have been tired.”
Camden Catholic rolled through the opening rounds of the tournament with a 9-0 first-round victory over Audubon and 6-0 triumph over West Deptford in the semifinal round on Friday.
“It’s a pretty big win,” Houlihan said. “We definitely did it all together. It wasn’t easy. It’s rewarding and we worked hard to get to where we are today.”
The Irish will look to carry the momentum into the upcoming Non-Public A state playoffs. Camden Catholic will be the top seed in the South Jersey bracket when the tournament starts on Nov. 3.
“Listen, if we play our game and play right, I’m very optimistic,” Vittese said. “If we’re not going to do all the right things, then it’s not going to be easy beating Oak Knoll. And the run through St. Joe’s (Hammonton) is not going to be easy either.”
Clearview dropped to 17-2 as the Pioneers prepare to defend their last three Group 3 state titles. Clearview is the top seed in the South Jersey Group 3 tournament.
“(Camden Catholic) is always great, and we scrimmage them every year,” said Clearview coach Britney Ewan. “Sometimes at the end of the season we’ll pick up games with them. As you can see, that’s the preparation that we need. It was neck-and-neck until the last six minutes (when they scored). We definitely had opportunities, and it could’ve gone either way.”
WHAT’S NEXT: Both teams are preparing for the start of the state playoffs. Matchups will be announced on Tuesday.
