By LESLEY GRAHAM
Ocean City High School’s girls soccer team was all treats and no tricks Thursday afternoon as it advanced to the South Jersey Group 3 semifinal with a win over visiting Cherry Hill West.
The Red Raiders won in thrilling fashion on Halloween, defeating the Lions 1-0 by scoring with just 12 seconds remaining in the contest.
With under 30 seconds to play, when the game all but looked as if it was headed to overtime, the Red Raiders battled in front of the net and fought to finish the game on their own terms.
With a barrage of players moving inside the box, junior Faith Slimmer got a ball to the feet of sophomore Summer Reimet for a one-two punch and a finish on net. The clock read 12 seconds as the Ocean City bench erupted in cheers.
Ocean City improved to 20-1-1 on the season, while Cherry Hill West ended the season with an 11-8-2 record.
As the game got underway, Ocean City fell into its normal rhythm of precise passing, controlled ball movement and communication to dominate most of the possession in the first half.
The Red Raiders had quite a few quality looks on the net, but Cherry Hill West’s goalkeeper, Michela Auguardro, had some outstanding saves on the afternoon, keeping Ocean City off of the scoreboard.
After a hard fought 40 minutes, both teams were scoreless headed into halftime.
Ocean City Head Coach Kelly Halliday said at halftime that it wasn’t going to be pretty.
“I told them to get up, get their intensity up because the longer it is zero-zero, anything can happen,” Halliday said after the game.
As the teams took their places to get the second half started, Cherry Hill West seemed to find a bit of momentum on its side, spending more time in the offensive end than in the previous half.
Ocean City seemed to be a bit sluggish on the ball, not as crisp as in games past, allowing the Lions to find a bit of life in the second half.
But with the minutes waning down and both teams amping up their level of play, Ocean City got back to doing what it does best – aggressive play and smart decisions in the attacking end.
Halliday was thrilled with the victory.
“I was happy with our effort and I knew once we got one, it would be OK. I just didn’t expect it to be with 12 seconds remaining in the game,” she said with a laugh.
The No. 1 seeded Red Raiders will now face the fifth seeded Toms River South Indians on Monday at 2 p.m. at Ocean City’s Carey Stadium for the semifinal matchup.
