South Jersey Group 1 Playoff Preview (Girls)

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2025 NJSIAA state playoff tournament is almost here. Check out our preview of which teams from the South Jersey, Group 1 bracket have the best chance to win their section and potentially punch a ticket to the state finals. <strong><em>NOTE:</em></strong> The public state tournament officially starts on Wednesday, November 5. The seeds will not be official until after the state seeding meeting, scheduled for this Wednesday, the 29th. <em><strong>(The top-seeded teams in the bracket are not expected to change)</strong></em></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Seeds</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:list --> <ul class="wp-block-list"><!-- wp:list-item --> <li>1- Schalick (12-5-1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>2- Gateway (14-1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>3- Clayton (12-5)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>4- Palmyra (10-5-1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>5- Audubon (9-8-1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>6- Haddon Township (7-9-1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>7- Woodstown (12-3-1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>8- Pitman (10-6-1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>9- Glassboro (8-8)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>10- Pennsville (8-8)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>11- Riverside (5-10)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>12- Maple Shade (3-13-1)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>13- Buena (7-8-2)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>14- Wildwood (5-8-2)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>15- Woodbury (4-8-2)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --> <!-- wp:list-item --> <li>16- Penns Grove (2-13)</li> <!-- /wp:list-item --></ul> <!-- /wp:list --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Favorite</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Audubon (9-8-1): </strong>Sure, it's fair to look at Audubon's record and assume that the Green Wave haven't played like their normal selves compared to recent seasons, but the 9-8-1 record doesn't show the full story. The Green Wave own only one loss to another Group 1 team, falling to divisional rival Haddon Township 1-0 on Oct. 2. All seven of their other setbacks have come to higher group squads as they've played a tougher schedule to prepare them for the postseason. Audubon is hot at the right time and has won three in a row and five of its last seven contests entering the tournament. Despite being the fifth seed, we have Audubon as the favorite to come out of this competitive bracket. Senior Kylie Tocco has a team-leading seven goals and six assists for the Green Wave.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Contenders</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Schalick (12-5-1):</strong> The Cougars are riding an eight-game winning streak into the playoffs, which helped them edge out Gateway for the top seed in the bracket. The road to the sectional title will now go through Pittsgrove. Schalick has not suffered a loss to another Group 1 squad this season, and its only losses have come to Group 3 teams or higher. Quinn Berger has a team-high 13 goals and 16 assists. Defensively, the Cougars have eight shutouts this fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Haddon Township (7-9-1): </strong>The Hawks have shown some growing pains after losing key players to graduation; however, they're still squarely in the mix to defend their South Jersey, Group 1 title. Under first-year coach Mike McGovern, Haddon Township has earned the sixth seed in the bracket. The Hawks have had some big wins this season, including one-goal wins over Audubon and Haddon Heights at the beginning of the month. They've slumped recently, going 0-3-1 over their last four games, being outscored 16-3 across that span. A non-league matchup awaits the Hawks in their senior night game on Monday against Timber Creek in a playoff tuneup. Sophomore midfielder Aubrey Carson has a team-high seven goals and six assists for the Hawks.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Underdog</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Woodstown (12-3-1): </strong>Woodstown is a sneaky seventh seed in this bracket, winning seven of its last eight games. The Wolverines did suffer a 3-0 loss to Audubon in their season-opener on Sept. 5 and recently fell to Schalick 2-1 on Oct. 16. Their only other setback came to Group 4 GCIT 3-0 on Sept. 29. Emma Perry, [player_tooltip player_id='322375' first='Hailey' last='Kucharczuk'], and Gina Murray have powered the Wolverines with nine goals each this fall. Non-league matchups with Triton and Gateway await this week in playoff tune-ups.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->