Coaches Cup Roundup: PVI girls, Wash. Twp. boys bring home titles

CHERRY HILL— The South Jersey Coaches Cup girls' and boys' finals both went past regulation and came down to a golden goal on Saturday night at the DeCou fields in Cherry Hill.   On the girls' side, top-seeded Paul VI rallied from a 2-0 deficit to stun second-seeded and defending champion Shawnee, 3-2 in double overtime.    Senior midfielder [player_tooltip player_id='99981' first='Emma' last='McCarthy'] scored the game-winning goal for the Eagles, who improved their record to a perfect 20-0 entering the playoffs.   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/tortreports/status/1984796254228914288?s=46 </div></figure>   [player_tooltip player_id='270807' first='Hunter' last='Kintzing'] and Kylie Berk scored back-to-back goals in the 65th and 66th minutes to tie the game.   “We needed that one goal. I think we all believed that it was coming. We knew it was coming, so just to be able to put it in the back of the net and then have Kylie go out there and bury one,” McCarthy said. “We knew the game was in our hands at that point, we just had to get the job done.”   “Going into the playoffs, it's going to happen. We're not going to play perfect all the time. We know we're going to get down. This shows the amount of hustle we have in us. There's a lot more than just our talent. I think (this win) showed our heart. What we hustled so hard for in the preseason really paid off today.”   It sure did pay off– it was the first Coaches Cup win for Paul VI in program history. The Eagles will put their unblemished record on the line when the Non-Public A state tournament starts on Thursday.    “We crawled back from the 0-2 deficit and they did their thing,” said coach Karen Anderson. “I knew eventually we were going to get some goals in. The press was high, we were settling into the game and we were doing our thing. I'm super proud of them for coming from behind and finding that next level.”   “Honestly, it wasn't anything that they didn't already know. They knew they were dominating the game. They knew they kept the ball on their side of the field. For them, they just needed the confidence from me, that I believed in them, to get the job done. Which that's all I did, gave them the strength through confidence.”   <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/tortreports/status/1984800866247868833?s=46 </div></figure>   On the boys' side, third-seeded Washington Township narrowly defeated top-seeded St. Augustine Prep, 1-0 in overtime on a game-winning goal from Ayden Anderson.   “It was crazy,” Anderson said. “I've been telling them all season, when you drive, I'm going to make a decoy run. They have a choice. Either follow me or step to him. They stepped to him. I was wide open.”   “It's crazy. They've been counting us out since the beginning of the Coaches Cup. Even before this game, they said the ‘Hermits basically have the win in the bag.' They've basically been counting us out all season.”   The triumph improved Washington Township to 18-1-2. The Minutemen haven't lost a game since Sept. 8.    “I'm feeling personally really happy for the team. I'm really proud of these boys”, Washington Township coach Ed McCusker said. “They've played a lot of late games, putting their body on the line blocking shots.”   “I'm just really ecstatic. I'm proud of our team and coaching staff. It's a tough tournament. It's why we play high school sports. Just coming out here and doing the right things, taking care of business, and playing for each other — playing for your town — it's what it's all about. South Jersey is full of great talent.”   <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/DQiWUE5DaXy/?igsh=MXZmZTBzenNjaGR1dg==">https://www.instagram.com/p/DQiWUE5DaXy/?igsh=MXZmZTBzenNjaGR1dg==</a>   If you thought Ayden's last name looked familiar, that's because his mom is Paul VI coach Karen Anderson.   What are the odds that they would both win in thrilling fashion--- with him scoring the game-winner in his game?   “This has been a perfect night for him to get the game winner and also win it,” (Karen) Anderson said. “And then us (PVI) as the school taking it home, the first one. It's really cool. It's hitting the lottery.”   “This is definitely a cool dream and a cool moment, and a story that now me and my son get to share for as long as we live.”   It was a memory-filled night from Cherry Hill.

CHERRY HILL— The South Jersey Coaches Cup girls' and boys' finals both went past regulation and came down to a golden goal on Saturday night at the DeCou fields in Cherry Hill.