By LESLEY GRAHAM
The Ocean City High School boys soccer team saw their season come to an abrupt end Monday with a 2-0 loss to Cherry Hill West in the first round of the NJSIAA Group 3 South playoffs.
The Red Raiders finished the season with a 13-5 record, while Cherry Hill West will continue into the second round of playoffs with a 10-7-1 record.
Scoring for Cherry Hill West were Peter Graffeo and Gabe Faust, with an assist from Ethan Steinbiss.
The Red Raiders struggled throughout the game to gain possession and control against a tough and gritty Cherry Hill West.
The Lions, who came into the contest seeded 10th, were the perceived underdog against the seventh-ranked Red Raiders.
Midway through the first half, the Lions took a shot on cage that Raiders senior goalkeeper Aidan Walsh made the initial save on, but had trouble controlling the ball, which resulted in the first goal for Cherry Hill West.
The momentum stayed with the Lions as Ocean City struggled to connect passes and find their rhythm, which was atypical of the Raiders this season. With 15 minutes remaining in the opening half, Cherry Hill West was able to score again, giving them a comfortable two-goal lead heading into halftime.
As the second half got underway, Ocean City had a renewed fire, working hard to gain scoring opportunities and prevent any more goals by Cherry Hill West. But the hole was dug too deep to climb out of and although they held the Lions scoreless in the second half, the two-goal deficit was insurmountable.
Ocean City Head Coach Aaron Bogushefsky was disappointed with the result, but didn’t want that to take away from the overall success of the season.
“We had a good season. The team played some amazing soccer throughout the season,” Bogushefsky said post game. “Today, we were just unable to do what makes us good.”
Bogushefsky added that he was proud of the group of seniors this team had and what they brought to the program.
“Our seniors are an awesome group of kids who bought into what we teach. I am really proud of them and all they have accomplished, knowing that they have set a great example for teams of the future to follow,” he said.
