Upper Township youth soccer results
September 26, 2017
COUNTY GRID PREVIEWS: Ocean City, Middle & Wildwood are all at home this week
September 27, 2017

VIDEO, PHOTO GALLERY: Raider field hockey comes alive late to beat Millville

  • Ocean City's Reese Bloomstead uses her backhand to stay ahead of Millville's Kim Musarra.
  • Ocean City's Tara McNally chases after a loose ball.
  • Ocean City's Tara McNally whips the ball downfield.
  • Ocean City's Shannon O'Reilly loads up to fire the ball into the scoring circle against Millville.
  • Ocean City's Molly Reardon maneuvers past a Millville player.
  • Ocean City's Sophia Ritzel keeps her head down as she prepares to fire the ball ahead.
  • Ocean City's Shannon DeCosta looks to send the ball past a Millville player.
  • Ocean City's Haleight Stack chips the ball past the stick of a Millville player.

OCEAN CITY – The Ocean City High School field hockey team had trouble converting its many chances against Millville on Tuesday.

Then, a fortunate bounce finally allowed the Raiders to break through.

Shannon O’Reilly’s cross from the right wing deflected off a Millville defender in the circle and skipped past the Thunderbolt goalkeeper and helped send Ocean City to a 2-1 victory in a key Cape-Atlantic American Conference game.

Ocean City improved to 5-2 overall, 5-1 in CAL American play, while Millville fell to 8-1-1, 4-1-1.

O’Reilly’s goal came with only 10 minutes, 7 seconds to play. Haleigh Flukey then chipped Tara McNally’s cross into the cage only 2 ½ minutes later to up the Ocean City advantage to 2-0.

Millville did not go away quietly, however. Michelle Berrios, stationed alone at the left post, slipped a shot into the goal with 3:23 to play. But the Thunderbolts never truly threatened again and Ocean City milked the final minute off the clock by pressuring Millville in its defensive third of the field.

Ocean City goalkeeper Maddie Kahn was instrumental in the victory, making eight saves. One came on a penalty stroke early in the second half, Kahn lunging to her right and using her blocker to deny Millville’s Jorja Hibschman.

— Brian Cunniff