Girls’ Soccer Claims South, Group 3 Title with Strong Defensive Performance

It's a cliche, but it's a cliche for a reason: Defense wins championships.

A soccer team can be built around one or two goal scorers, but if it doesn't have a strong defense and goalkeeper, then it's tough to make a run deep into the playoffs.

The Quakers have the ability to score from anywhere on the field, but it's their defense that has stepped up over the past 11 games, including a 3-0 win over Lower Cape May Thursday afternoon to claim the South, Group 3 title.

Over the Quakers’ last 11 games, the team is 9-0-2 and have allowed only four goals. In the playoffs, the Quakers have now posted three shutouts and have allowed only one goal (to Oakcrest).

The Quakers have outscored their opponents by a total of 7-1 in the playoffs. In the last two playoff games, goalkeeper Rebecca Shultz has seen very little action, making one save against Lower Cape May (which came early in the first half).

“It feels great, amazing, because I don’t think anyone thought we would come this far. They (the team's defense) have been really important,” Schultz said. “Especially since the playoffs started, they have really stepped it up. The past two games I’ve been lucky and I haven’t had to do a lot of work.”

Steph Toy put Moorestown (15-3-2) on the board in the first half, which was played primarily in the Lower Cape May zone. Megan Kelly added the second goal of the game for the Quakers not long before halftime.

Nicole Varela sealed the win for the Quakers early in the second half when she connected on a header that found the back of the net. The 3-0 lead would hold for the Quakers, who played almost the entire second half as well in the Lower Cape May zone. The Moorestown defense allowed only one shot all day, which came within the first three minutes of the game.

“Coach told us to stay focused for 80 minutes and that everything we worked at this season would be worth it,” Varela said.

“The biggest thing was coming out in the second half and getting one early because we didn’t want them to catch any momentum," head coach Bill Mulvihill said. "You know what, it's 2-0 and then 2-1 and you never know, so that third goal was big."

Coming off a 2010 season in which the Quakers won only five games and lost seven 1-0 games, Mulvihill knew his team would be strong this year, especially with the group of senior leadership at the forefront of the program.

“We have three captains, who are seniors, who have done an unbelievable job. But we have six other seniors who absolutely have helped bring this team together,” Mulvihill said. “It is an unbelievable senior class. I’m going to miss them. Hopefully we have two more left in us.”

The Quakers will play a state semifinal game on Tuesday at a site and time to be determined.