PHOTO GALLERY: Young helps Lady Warriors pull away from Catholic

WILDWOOD – Tracey Young missed on a quite a few opportunities to score in the first half of Friday’s game.

She more than made up for it in the second half.

Young, a senior center midfielder, scored four times after the interval to help the Wildwood High School girls soccer team pull away for a 6-1 victory over rival Wildwood Catholic in the final regular-season game for both teams.

Maddie McCracken scored twice in the first eight minutes for Wildwood (6-11) before Bella Feraco pulled one back for the Crusaders (4-9) later in the half as the Lady Warriors held a 2-1 lead at the break.

“Maddie got a couple goals and that made want to score, too,” Young said. “Maddie told me I’d get goals in the second half and that’s what I did.”

The game remained in doubt for the first 15 minutes of the second half. Then Young scored all four of her goals in an 18-minute span to put the game away.

The win was the first for any of Wildwood’s current players over Wildwood Catholic. The teams played to a 1-1 draw last season and did not play in 2015. Wildwood Catholic posted a 3-1 win in 2014. Wildwood won the 2013 game before any of the current players were in high school.

“This means a lot,” said Young, a first-year high school soccer player. “I didn’t play my first three years but our team really wanted it because we haven’t beaten them in a long time.”

McCracken, with 24 goals, and Young, with 18 goals, are Cape May County’s leading goal scorers in high school girls soccer.

Both teams are scheduled to play first-round state playoff games on the road on Monday. Wildwood faces Haddon Township, while Wildwood Catholic takes on Moorestown Friends.

— Brian Cunniff