Turnovers cost Bridgeton football win at EHT

By JOHN RUSSO

Special to The Daily Journal

EGG HARBOR TWP. — The Bridgeton High School football team just could not hold onto the football.

The Bulldogs turned it over four times in the red zone and fell to Egg Harbor Township 13-10.

Bridgeton fumbled the ball a total six times, losing it three times. The final blow came when Tamar Jackson threw an interception in the end zone to EHT defensive back AJ Vance.

“We made mistakes,” said head coach Dave Ellen on the fumbles. “I don’t know how many center-to-quarterback exchanges we messed up, especially when we (started) driving the ball a couple times that happened. These are mistakes we have to overcome to be a good football team.”

In the third quarter, with the Bulldogs down 13-10, backup quarterback Ronald Williams fumbled the exchange from his center down on the Eagles’ 12-yard line. Williams lost the ball again in the fourth quarter when he dropped a field goal snap that could have tied the game.

The next two turnovers were on Jackson, who fumbled on a five-yard run with 2:17 remaining on the Eagles’ 18-yard line and threw an interception with 1:27 left after the Bulldogs forced a fumble of their own.

“We gotta score on those,” Ellen said. “We just gotta execute. That’s the name of the game.”

Matt Clayton and Curtis Fitzpatrick combined to rush for 169 yards for the Eagles. The Bulldogs did most of their work on the ground too, gaining 176 yards.

EHT scored on its opening drive when quarterback Ken Doughty called his number on fourth-and-inches. He broke through the line and scored on a 56-yard run.

After a Bridgeton three-and-out, it appeared the Eagles were going to march down field and score again. But Bridgeton’s defense tightened up inside its own 10-yard line, forcing the Eagles to go for a field goal.

Sean Henigin, who disrupted things on EHT’s previous extra point attempt that was no good, broke through cleanly and batted down kicker Tim Mason’s field goal try. Jerome Scurry scooped the ball and bolted 75 yards down the field and scored to give Bridgeton a 7-6 lead.

Jackson tacked on a field goal with 40 seconds left in the half to give the Bulldogs a 10-6 lead, but the Eagles answered right back with an 80-yard touchdown run by Fitzpatrick with 18 seconds left in the half to make it 13-0 for good.

“That’s just one mistake right there,” Ellen said. “That’s an indication that you can’t take a play off. We just had a mix-up there and you can’t do that. They’re a good team and they’re going to take advantage of that.”

Bridgeton football takes bite out Pleasantville

By JOHN RUSSO

Special to The Daily Journal

BRIDGETON – The Bridgeton High School football team’s season couldn’t have started out any better.

The offense, defense and special teams clicked immediately, leading the Bulldogs to a 54-7 rout of Pleasantville in Cape Atlantic League play.

With coach Dave Ellen and his team having high expectations for a talented Bridgeton squad, there was nothing but excitement in the locker rooms before the game.

“It’s been a while since we got to hit somebody else,” Ellen said. “They were really amped up and ready to play.”

Quarterback and safety Tamar Jackson had a fine showing on both sides of the ball. The senior scored two touchdowns on the ground and returned a fumble 64 yards to set up one of his scores in the first half.

Jackson thought he scored on his fumble return, but was ruled out at the one-yard line.

“I just dove, tried to dive into the end zone, but the referee said I stepped out but I thought I scored,” said Jackson.

Senior running back Jerome Scurry rushed for 33 yards on five carries, including a 14-yard touchdown to give Bridgeton an early 14-0 lead. Scurry also returned a punt 73 yards for a score in the second quarter.

The Bulldogs scored three times by way of defense and special teams – the punt return by Scurry, a 45-yard interception return by senior Darrell Jackson and a 90-yard kickoff return by senior Marquan Russell. The defense also forced four turnovers.

“You can’t complain about them,” Ellen said. “And the variety is nice. It wasn’t one kid doing all of the work. We had a lot of kids chipping in. That’s a great team builder.”

Bridgeton led Pleasantville 42-0 at halftime. Leading by a large margin such as that allowed the Bulldogs to give a couple of their younger players a chance to show what they could do.

One of those players was freshman Capadonna Miller. Miller rushed for 59 yards on seven carries and a touchdown. He had a 70-yard touchdown run taken away from him in the fourth quarter on a penalty, but later scored on the drive.

For most of the Bulldogs, it was a bit of a flashback for the ones who played midget football for Bridgeton. With their high school field getting new turf, the team is playing its home games on the midget field.

“I felt good, especially coming back on the field I started on. It’s a good feeling,” Jackson said.

It was the type of start to a season Ellen wanted, especially with Egg Harbor Township next on their schedule.

“I don’t think (our guys) are going to fall asleep,” said Ellen. “This was a great springboard heading into our season, they take this for what it is, relish it tonight and come ready to work. Next week we have Egg Harbor and they’re a great football team and a Group IV school.”

Weekly logs

Sept. 13-17
Hours this week: 19

I started my internship with the Gloucester County Times again this fall. I was there last semester and learned a lot from that group of guys and felt like it would be a good decision to return and learn more with them.

I worked Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday, totaling 19 hours. I wanted to get a lot of work done in the first week and I am planning on doing that for the most part so I could have time to get another things accomplished this semester without being tied down.

Monday, I covered high school field hockey for the first time. It wasn’t that hard because it’s a simple sport and I know soccer and ice hockey. On Wednesday, I covered girls soccer, one of my better sports to write about. And Thursday I covered girls volleyball. I covered boys last semester so I knew what I was writing about.

Sept 20-24
Hours this week: 12
Total hours: 31

This is my second week at the Gloucester County Times this semester. On Monday, Bill Evans took me to cover the Phillies/Braves game. It was the second time I got to cover the Phils this season. With knowing what I’m doing the second time around,  the day was a lot easier. I did a pregame notebook and game story. I talked to three different people this time. It was a lot easier the second time around asking players questions because I was more comfortable in that atmosphere.

On Friday, I went and covered Holy Spirit vs. Bridgeton football for the News of Cumberland County. That was a cool experience because I never did football games and it requires a lot of stat keeping. I was also an alumni of Spirit so that was cool getting to cover my former high school.

Sept 27-Oct 1
Hours this week: 12
Total hours: 43

At GCT this week, I was in the office for two days and then covered a high school football on Friday. On Monday, I was assigned a feature on a 63-year-old man who was a runner in the senior olympics. He developed arthritis in his knee and took up javelin. I finished the story on Wednesday and it ran in Thursday’s paper.

Friday’s football game was entertaining to say the least. It was in Haddonfield who hosted West Deptford. WD was leading 28-0 in the third quarter but Haddonfield thought it would be a good idea to come back and tie the game up with a minute left. But WD drove down field and kicked a 26-yard field goal to win. It was a pain in the butt because I had to rush back to the office and write due to writing on deadline. Got everything in fine.

Oct. 4-8
Hours this week: 10
Total hours: 53

My week at GCT last week was uneventful. I was in the office on Monday, working on a feature about Rowan’s women’s soccer star, Jess Babice, who I’ve covered already numerous times with the Whit (my beat is women’s soccer). I then covered a field hockey match on Wednesday, wrote a game story on that and then touched up on my feature which hasn’t been run yet.

Oct. 11-22
Hours the past two weeks: 18
Total hours: 71

I didn’t submit a log for last week so I will do it for the past two weeks.

I worked nine hours the previous week and another nine this week for a total of 18. Last week I covered a boys soccer game in Penns Grove on Wednesday, Oct. 13. On Friday, I was in Cherry Hill covering football, another huge match up between two unbeaten teams. Prof. Anastasia was there covering the game for the Philadelphia Inquirer so it was pretty cool actually getting to work with my former sports journalism professor.

This week I was in the office on Monday. I was assigned to call a girls tennis coach and get some quotes from her on a tennis match they had that day in which they lost. Yesterday I covered another boys soccer match between Deptford and GCIT, wrote the game story, and called it a week.

Oct. 25-29
Hours the past week: 9
Total hours: 80

I worked nine hours the previous week. On Monday I was in the office getting work done such as writing up boys soccer wrap-ups. On Thursday, I drove to Pennsville to cover a boys soccer game against Woodstown.

Nov. 1-14
Hours the past two weeks: 5 and 14 (19 hours)
Total hours: 99 hours.

Again I’m doing a two-week log from getting busy. On the first week, I was in the office a combined five hours in two days, working on cross country all-stars.

Last week I worked the office on Monday, doing more all-star work. On Friday, I went to Williamstown to cover their first-round playoff loss to Oakcrest. I got to sit in the press box with The Press of Atlantic City Eagles beat writer Dave Weinberg for the game, talking to him and trying to kiss ass for a part-time job after I graduate.

On Saturday and Sunday, I covered both Rowan women’s soccer games in the national tournament. They won Saturday but lost Sunday, ending their season.

Nov. 15-19
Hours that week: 8 hours.
Total hours: 107 hours.

I took Monday off last week and worked in the office on Thursday and covered football on Friday. I am still working on the story they gave me on Thursday and will have it finished tonight. It’s on the Salem County cross country runner of the year.

Friday was living hell though. I had to cover a football game in which the story was going to get published in the GCT and also Today’s Sunbeam in Salem County. The problem with that is the Sunbeam’s deadline is 10:30 at the latest. High school football games run until 9:30 at the latest. Only problem here was the game went to double overtime and it was a huge Group I game.

Luckily for me, the game was at Glassboro HS. I wrote some of the story at halftime and wrote the rest sitting in the passenger seat of my car in the rec center parking lot and sent it in from there right at deadline.

Nov. 22-Dec. 6
Hours for three weeks: 13
Total hours: 120

What was difficult during the last three weeks was getting to the office and having thigns to do. It was Thanksgiving and the only sport left to cover was football. I didn’t cover a Thanksgiving game because I wanted to watch my alma matre play, had to work, and dinner with the family. I didn’t cover a game during the following week for state and group championships because I wanted to watch my alma matre play.

Instead, I worked one day in the office each week to get the last 13 hours done. I did features on the female cross country runner of the year for Today’s Sunbeam and two stories on the coach of the year and team of the year for the Gloucester County Times.

I don’t know if those stories have been published yet. They wanted to hold off on them for when they run their all-stars editions.

My recap of the Fall 2010 semester with GCT

John Russo
Internship II
Prof. Quigley

This semester marked my second and final stint with the Gloucester County Times out of Woodbury, NJ. I went to the office last semester as some wide-eyed kid with absolutely no idea what to expect as a journalist. But this go-around was a lot different. I knew what I was doing, what to expect, and instead of trying to learn I was trying to get into a rhythm.

The reason I chose to go back to the Times was simple. I was accepted by the Philadelphia Inquirer as well but with the situation they were in (and still in), I didn’t feel that was the appropriate place to try and learn. I figured if I was going to make any mistakes as an intern, I’d rather do it at a place where I know I’d get the help I need to minimize and ultimately prevent me from making the same mistakes.

There I am working in the office.

The fall also brought out a new set of sports to cover. I got the experience in covering baseball, softball, basketball, lacrosse and volleyball last spring. This time I got to cover another one of my strongest sports: football. I already had experience with soccer and I got to try my hand in field hockey. But football, along with baseball, is my specialty.

Growing up, baseball and football were the two sports I understood the most, mainly because I had been playing them since a very young age. Each sport is beautiful in it’s own respective way. Like baseball, this was a first for. I watched the game through the eyes of a player and a fan but this was the first time I ever watched the game through the eyes of the reporter.

In September, I got to cover my alma mater, Holy Spirit. I played football there for four years and I knew the coaches so it was interesting getting to go back and talk to them as a reporter and not just an alum.

Three of the other four football games I covered this year were close games, testing my ability to improvise on the run and get my story in as the deadline was nearing. I had one game where a team blew a 28-point lead to win on a last-second field goal. I had a game the following week go down to the last play. In the playoffs, I witnessed a blow-out where the head coach of the losing team refused me for comment and wouldn’t let me at his team. And the following week, I had a game in Glassboro go to double overtime and I found myself writing the story from my car in the Recreation Center parking lot and hustling over to the Student Center to email the story in.

Overall, writing at the Gloucester County Times for the last two semesters was the best 12 months of my life. I made friends there and importantly, I made contacts. I have people there that I could rely on if I never need any help finding a job or find myself in a journalist’s dilemma.

That’s what an internship is all about. Learning, finding yourself, and making important acquaintances to help get myself started in the work force.

Two-Time defending champion ends Rowan’s season

Monday, November 15, 2010

By John Russo

gcsports@sjnewsco.com

GLASSBORO The Rowan University women’s soccer team saw its season come to an end on its home field on Sunday.

Hosting the top-ranked team in the nation, Messiah College, the Profs were outshot, outmatched and undersized against the Falcons in a 4-0 loss in the NCAA Division III Tournament.

Leading up to the match, Messiah hadn’t lost in 72 games, was the two-time defending national champion and outscored its opponents this season, 103-2, with 18 shutouts.

“At first we definitely kept them down, 2-0, at the first half. This is a dangerous score to be at,” said senior back Christine Foy. “At least half the second half we just had a letdown and they scored two more goals. They put a fork in us. We never had that many goals scored on us, ever.”

Messiah struck first in the 30th minute. After a Rowan foul just outside the goal box, Alicia Frey tapped the free kick back to Molly Bletz who fired it just out of the reach of keeper Deana Wood.

The back-breaker came with 10 seconds left in the first half. Messiah was awarded a corner kick with about 30 seconds left. Olivia Scott sent the corner into the middle of the goal box and Anne Trapp found the net with a header to give the Falcons a 2-0 lead before the break.

It was a tough goal for Rowan to swallow. The Profs played the game they wanted to for most of the first half, trying to force Messiah to make mistakes and keep the score as close as possible.

“Our whole game plan actually worked out for what we wanted to do,” said head coach Scott Leacott. “But they scored on three set pieces and that’s something we’ve been strong on all year. But that’s one of the things (Messiah) is dangerous on.”

Rowan was under constant pressure throughout the first half, being outshot, 14-1.

Forced to focus on its attack in the second half, Rowan got more pressure on the Falcons but couldn’t capitalize.

The Profs appeared to have scored about 18 minutes into the second half. Foy sent in a free kick that bounced around and was headed by Veronica Rhea. Messiah keeper Autumn Reilly attempted to punch the ball over the net but it hit the crossbar. Reilly appeared to catch the ball inside the net but the referee called no goal, taking a huge goal away from the Profs that could have made it a 2-1 game.

“It was still, 2-0, and we could have came back,” said senior forward Jess Babice. “But I think we struggled marking up and we let some runners run through and we didn’t finish our opportunities. It was just one of those games.”

Babice, who was Rowan’s leading scorer with 21 goals and its best overall player, was one of three key players battling leg injuries. Leacott said he could tell with back-to-back games following Saturday’s playoff opener that could have been a problem.

“I don’t think (Jess) would have it any other way,” Leacott said of Babice playing all 90 minutes with a right high-ankle sprain while having two or three defenders on her.

“We didn’t have a whole lot of offense,” said Babice. “We just had the two up top and sometimes only one. We got the ball but then had no one to pass to. I don’t know, I just don’t think we got up as a team. Messiah is a good team but I think we could have taken it to them.”

No. 2 Williamstown upset

Saturday, November 13, 2010  

By John Russo

gcsports@sjnewsco.com

MONROE TWP. The Williamstown High School football team practically gave the game and their home turf away on Friday.

The Braves turned over the ball eight times to Oakcrest as they lost 38-13 in their home stadium. It was the first playoff win in Oakcrest school history.

Oakcrest, the seven seed in the South Jersey Group IV playoffs, were playing in their first playoff game since 1986 and it was only their third appearance in school history.

The Falcons were fired up from before the game, spiking a flag with the school’s symbol at the 50-yard line to mark their territory.

“We wanted to make this our home,” said Oakcrest running back Joe Sprigg. “Everywhere we go we want to make it our house. We’re not going to let anybody walk all over us.”

Williamstown scored first in the game on their second possession. On a third-and-21, quarterback Dan Collins connected with Cody Miller for 16 yards to set the Braves up with a fourth-and-5. The next play, Collins found Khalil Faison for a 14-yard strike to give the Braves a 7-0 lead.

The Falcons answered in the second quarter. After Mark Clements picked off Collins, Sprigg capped a nine-play, 60-yard drive with a 4-yard score on fourth and goal. Williamstown blocked the extra-point attempt to hold a 7-6 lead heading into the half.

But Oakcrest head coach Chuck Smith fired his team up in the locker room. The Falcons came out firing at all cylinders, scoring 26 points in a wild third quarter in a span of three minutes, 31 seconds.

“I told (the team) that we’re a second-half team,” Smith said. “They believe in that. They know that’s what they are and what we’re about and they came out and they were fired up at halftime knowing that this was our half. We were fortunate to be down, 7-6, after not playing a very good first half.”

Williamstown got the ball to start the third but punted after failing to get a first down. On third-and-9, Jetter connected with Aaron Wilson for a 35-yard gain to set up Brandon Bell’s three-yard touchdown to give Oakcrest a 12-7 lead.

Williamstown then fumbled the following kick-off and Oakcrest scored three plays later to give them some room with a 20-7 lead. On the following Braves possession, line backer Deonte Thomas picked-off Collins for his first of two interceptions on the game. That led to another score to make it 26-7.

It didn’t get any better on the next possession as Collins fumbled the exchange with his running back. Thomas scooped up the loose ball and took it 35 yards to the house to give the Falcons a commanding 32-7 lead.

“Coach just told us we had to step it up,” Thomas said, who finished the game with two interceptions, two fumble recoveries and his first touchdown on the season.

It was a disappointing loss for second-seeded Williamstown, who just did not show up to play after the first half.

“We weren’t ready, okay,” said Williamstown head coach Frank Fucetola. “We had eight turnovers so what are you going to do?”

Woodstown tops Pennsville, 6-1

Friday, October 29, 2010

By John Russo

gcsports@sjnewsco.com

PENNSVILLE — Heading into the playoffs, the Pennsville and Woodstown High School boys soccer teams wanted to perfect their game plans.

Unfortunately that couldn’t be the case for both teams as Woodstown exposed some glaring holes in Pennsville, winning, 6-1, on Thursday night in a Tri-County Conference interdivision matchup.

Senior back Jacob Allen had a rare game, assisting on the first three goals for Woodstown.

“(That) was very new,” said Allen. “Usually playing back, I go in because I’m one of the taller guys to get up there and everything. I usually start from the back and Fran Smith plays these perfect balls, and I’m used to that so I have this good connection (with the rest of the offense).”

Woodstown’s first goal came in the seventh minute off a throw-in from Allen. He threw a laser that Zach Smick headed into the net past keeper Steve Gorman.

“The throw-in was really nice,” said Smick. “It came right to my head. All I did was sit there and flick it right in. It was pretty simple,”

Smick scored just over a minute later. He took another beautiful pass from Allen, this time up the middle, turned, and put the ball in the back of the net to give Woodstown a quick two-goal lead less than eight minutes in.

The Wolverines got three more goals within the final 13 minutes of the first half to give them a commanding 5-0 lead heading into halftime.

“We worked the ball well, we passed the ball pretty well, we looked for the extra guy, we made good decisions, and we really got into a good rhythm and good pace out there today,” said Woodstown head coach Darren Huck, who was pleased. “We were spreading the ball out a little bit and that was important for us.”

Pennsville got its first goal with less than 10 minutes left to play off a nice pass from Shaune Gorman to C.J. Baxter. It was the lone shining moment for the Eagles, who were out-shot and out-played all game.

Heading into a home playoff game on Monday with Woodbury, Pennsville hopes to improve on moving the ball better, tightening up the defense, and getting more quality scoring chances, said head coach Kevin Mulhern.

“We need to do a better job of not chasing the soccer ball,” said Mulhern. “We spend a lot of time chasing it, and we don’t like to double-team in certain situations and a lot of times we end up with two guys on the ball. That lets a guy run free at net and then we’re kind of playing catch up.”

One of the things that will help Pennsville is getting back senior midfielder Madison Chase, who has been out the last six games with an IT Band injury that wraps around the knee and makes it real stiff.

His size is what Mulhern feels his team needs in the middle defensively and offensively.

“I’m more concerned about his long-term health, I don’t like to mess with injuries like that,” said Mulhern. “We lost a lot of physicality without Madison in there.”

Despite the loss, Shaune Gorman said he’d like to see the Eagles move farther in the playoffs than the last two seasons.

“I know we have the talent,” said Gorman. “I know we have the team to play well, but we just have to work as a team and not as individuals.”

Deptford soccer tops GCIT

John Russo, October 21, 2010 11:42 p.m.

WASHINGTON TWP. — Ousmane Sall may not be able to speak a lot of English, but he can score a lot of goals.

Sall’s two first-half goals sparked the Deptford High School boys soccer team to a 5-0 win over GCIT Thursday afternoon in a Tri-County Diamond Division match up.

“It’s nice because soccer is a universal language,” Deptford head coach Kevin Sherry said of his sophomore forward, who came to the United States from Guinea and only speaks French. “If you can play, you can play. It’s actually good for him because it gives him an opportunity to be around these guys and learn more English obviously because that’s all they’re going to speak to him.

“But more than that, it gives him some buddies to hang around with, which is nice coming into a new school in a new country, and here he is going onto a team where the guys are helping him out.”

Sall scored the Spartans’ first goal in the 10th minute. Senior Eric Shocklin took a shot after receiving a corner kick and GCIT keeper Adam Markiewicz mishandled the ball, allowing Sall to tap it in the net.

Shocklin again assisted on Sall’s second goal only three minutes later.

Deptford took 18 shots in the first half.

“We have to finish,” said Shocklin. “We have to put the ball in the back of the net more often than we do when we have so many shots.”

The win was huge for Deptford, which improved to 6-7 and needs a win against Gloucester today to automatically put them in the playoffs.

“It’s a pretty big win for us,” said Shocklin, a senior. “Coming off of last year with a terrible season (1-15 overall), this pushes us closer to the playoffs. It’s exciting because after last year it’s so much better.”

Sophomore Brian Palangi shined in the second half with a goal and two assists. Senior Travis Veit earned himself a goal and an assist and freshman Nate Kummer also scored.

Despite the five goals, Deptford took a lot of shots and missed on plenty opportunities.

“The big thing for (today) would be finishing,” said Sherry. “The first half today we had a ton of chances and we just didn’t finish. If you’re getting 18 shots and only scoring two goals (in a half) then obviously you have to work on your finishing.”

And while finishing is near the top of the to-do lost, today’s ultimate goal is simple: Win.

“We want to win big and have a lot of momentum going into the playoffs and go from there,” said Shocklin.

Kingsway Tennis falls in S.J. final

John Russo, October 19, 2010 12:26 a.m.

The top-seeded Moorestown High School girls tennis team did what it needed to do, sweeping the Kingsway girls across the board to win the South Jersey Group III championship Monday afternoon.

The Dragons knew Moorestown would be a huge obstacle.

“I’m not disappointed in the outcome,” said Kingsway head coach Katelyn Daplyn. “I always like to have the edge in a competitive match, but I knew Moorestown had a solid team going in. I told my girls that if they gave it their best shot, then there is nothing to be upset about.”

Moorestown’s Emma Allen defeated Alexia Cavazos, 6-1, 6-1, at first singles. Second singles Breezy Maravich beat Alicia Gechter, 6-0, 6-1, and Shelby Burke won against Katie Fagan, 6-0, 6-1, at third singles.

In the doubles setting, Moorestown’s Kelsey Ham and Ally Curtis defeated Kingsway’s Michelle Duerstock and Kelly Davis, 6-1, 6-0. To seal the championship, Lauren Culbertson and Dana Sleeper defeated Julie Guy and Larisa Wargo, 6-1, 6-0.

The defeat didn’t take away from a tremendous season for Kingsway, which captured the Tri-County Conference Royal Division title.

“We came a long way this year, I think,” said Daplyn. “I knew we were going to be strong because we only lost two seniors in our varsity lineup from last year. This season had some ups and downs, but we had a great season. I can’t say enough on how hard our girls had worked.”

Winning the Tri-County Conference championship was definitely in Kingsway’s sights from the beginning of the season. Currently holding a 9-0 record in the conference, they clinched their first conference championship since 2006.

“I knew it was a possibility,” said Daplyn. “I knew from the beginning that was what we wanted. I knew if we brought our A-game that we could capture the championship for the conference.”

Rowan’s Babice making last season count

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

By John Russo

gcsports@sjnewsco.com

GLASSBORO Jessica Babice is turning her senior year at Rowan University into a memorable one.

The senior forward for the Profs netted two goals in a 5-0 win over Richard Stockton College Sept. 29 to tie and break Rowan’s career goals mark.

The original mark of 48 goals, standing 11-years old, was held by Stephanie Allocco from 1996-1999. Babice’s goal in the 26th minute of that game tied the mark and her second-half goal broke the record.

Along with Allocco’s goal mark, Babice broke her points record as well. Her four-point effort that game gave her 116 on her career.

“Obviously people who watch us know that she is a special player and that in a matter of time she was going to break those records,” said Rowan head coach, Scott Leacott. “She didn’t even know heading into the games how close she was to even breaking any records. That just shows how focused she is on winning and her dedication to the team.”

Babice is leading the way for Rowan, who is 10-1-1 overall and 4-1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference, which boasts two nationally ranked teams in the National Soccer Coaches Association of America poll the second-ranked The College of New Jersey and No. 20 Rowan.

Babice’s 13 goals and 33 points lead Rowan and are second in the NJAC. Her seven assists are also second-best on the team.

Rowan’s success this season rests on Babice’s foot. But like any true team captain, she knows it’s all about the team’s effort and not just her own.

“I have to work on a lot of things to improve my game,” Babice said. “My role on this team isn’t any more important than of my other team mates.”

The season has been special for Babice so far. In an 8-1 win over Montclair State back on Sept. 18, Babice scored four goals and registered an assist, breaking the previous single-game points record of eight held by Bridget Garrity in 1995 and Michelle Carrocino in 2007.

With four records and two NJAC Player of the Week awards under her belt and playing on a team ranked in the NSCAA National Top 25, Babice’s final season at Rowan may very well be her best.

“Little team accomplishments are important along the way, however we want to win championships,” said Babice, who led Rowan to the NJAC regular season championship last season. “We always need to improve our game, and right now we’re working on being the best team we can.”

This being Babice’s senior season, it will be her final chance to reach her ultimate goal, a national championship.

“This is my last year,” Babice said. “I’m never playing soccer again so this is my last chance to do anything, so there’s that extra drive but not any more than any other season. I’ve always wanted to get to the championship and win it all.”

But with that statement, Babice realized the importance of this being her last year.

“This year, yeah, I guess because it’s my senior year,” she said. “This is it, I won’t be able say, ÔOh next year we’ll be able to come back,’ so maybe there is that extra drive.”