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VIDEO, PHOTO GALLERY: Oakley gets six as Wildwood gets first win

Wildwood's McKayla McLaughlin races an Overbook player for possession.

KAYDENCE OAKLEY

By BRIAN CUNNIFF

WILDWOOD – You don’t need a degree in advanced astrophysics to figure out how the Wildwood High School girls soccer team wants to play.

Defend as much as possible and get the ball to Kaydence Oakley at every opportunity.

That formula worked to perfection Thursday afternoon.

Oakley exploded for all six of her team’s goals as the Lady Warriors ran past Overbrook, 6-2, for their first victory of the season.

“Kaydence is clearly the best player on our team and the girls don’t need anyone to tell them that,” Wildwood coach Mark Scarpa said. “They pick it up in training and then her impact on the game is obviously very noticeable. Her teammates really lock in on her.”

Sophia Wilber assisted on three of Oakley’s goals, while Litzy Morales and Kaliah Sumlin also had helpers.

Sumlin, Kalei Budney and Brooke Steckel led a Wildwood defense that held Overbrook scoreless after halftime after Wildwood took a 4-2 lead at the half.

“Thankfully we have some upperclassmen to fill those roles,” Scarpa said. “We’re getting good leadership out there.”

Oakley, meanwhile, provided all of that offense despite drawing enormous defense attention. She was man-marked for the entire second half.

“In the second half I had a mark, so I relied on our defense and midfield to get the ball up to me and they delivered,” Oakley said. 

  • Wildwood's McKayla McLaughlin (left) and Brooke Steckel defend against an Overbrook player.
  • Wildwood's Sophia Wilber wins the ball against an Overbook player in the midfield.
  • Wildwood's Brooke Steckel looks to bring the ball out of the air.
  • Wildwood's McKayla McLaughlin races an Overbook player for possession.
  • Wildwood's Brooke Steckel sends the ball forward out of the midfield.
  • Wildwood's Sophia Wilber clears the ball from out of her team's penalty area after a corner kick.
  • Wildwood's Kaliah Sumlin defends against an Overbrook player.

The victory was a much needed one for Wildwood, which lost its first two games to Clayton and Pitman by a combined score of 13-3.

“It feels great to get a win,” Oakley said. “We had a rough first two games. We really wanted a win to lift our spirits.”

Wildwood (1-2) hosts another comparable opponent in Bridgeton on Friday.

“We had three really tough games to start the season, if you count our scrimmage,” Scarpa said. “Those games were tough, but it’s put us in a good position for when we see some of the teams we can compete better against on our schedule.”