Congratulations to the Lady Cougars for winning the Tri-State Christian Athletic Conference championship on Saturday, November 5 beating Pilgrim Academy 3-0. What a spectacular way to finish off an undefeated season and make ACS history as the first womens’ soccer team to be conference champion. Senior Dakota Hitchner, the top scorer for the Cougars, was presented with the prestigious conference MVP award and five other players were named to the TSCAC All-Star team — seniors Shannon Murphy, goalie, and Tola Oguntuase (1st team), juniors Kaitlyn Kelley and Abby Vogel (2nd team), and sophomore Lola Oguntuase (2nd team). Hitchner scored two goals in the championship game, both assisted by Vogel, and sophomore Becca Darragh scored one. Thank you to Carly Witherow, an ACS alumnus (’08) in her third year as head coach, for an exciting and memorable season.
The Mens’ Varsity Soccer team lost 8-3 to Cumberland Christian in the first round of the playoffs on November 1 and finished fifth in the conference with a 2-8 record. Junior Matthew Castellane, senior Justin Choi, and sophomore Suhyun (Danny) Lee each scored one goal in the playoff game. Lee and two other ACS team members were named to the TSCAC All-Star Team — senior Carl Phillips (2nd team) and freshman Ben Noble (alternate). Athletic Director Chris Eaton, in his first year as head coach, said it was a growing year for a young team that will need to continue learning to spread the field and strengthen its defensive line.
The Middle School Soccer season ended last week and while the scoreboard did not always favor ACS, it was evident that the young players made a lot of progress in their skill level and teamwork. The MS Boys’ team, led by Ricardo Leon in his first year as head coach, finished with a 3-7 record. The MS Girls’ team, led by Casey Hopwood in her third year as head coach, won its final game 2-0 against the Jordan Road School in Somers Point on November 1 and ended the season with a winning record of 6-5-1. Thank you to the parents and friends who cheered from the sidelines and helped with transportation to games. We appreciate you!