Lenape had big year

The 2007 South Jersey soccer season ended with some welcome - and unwelcome - surprises. But one thing was a constant: the hard work and dedication of the squads that made it to the NJSIAA playoffs.

Here is a look at highlights from the girls' soccer season:

Team of the year.

Lenape won the highly acclaimed South Jersey Soccer Coaches Association tournament and followed that up by reaching the state championship game in its group.

Lenape (22-2-1) won the first girls' soccer state championship in school history by defeating Bridgewater-Raritan, 3-0, in the Group 4 title game at the College of New Jersey.

Coach of the year.

Kate Ormsby. In her ninth season as head coach of the Gloucester Catholic girls, Ormsby led the Rams to a 3-0 upset win over Immaculate Heart in the Non-Public A state championship game at the College of New Jersey. At the time, Immaculate Heart had been ranked No. 1 in the nation by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Subsequently, the Rams (21-1-1) cracked the national rankings at No. 15.

Scorer of the year.

Pennsville's Dawn Curry led South Jersey in scoring this season with 34 goals to finish her scholastic career with 113. The senior forward also registered 20 assists, raising her four-year total to 97.

Sleeper of the year.

Woodstown's girls' team, which played in the shadow of Gloucester Catholic in the Tri-County Conference Diamond Division, advanced to the South Jersey Group 2 championship game. The Wolverines (19-3) bowed to eventual state champ Haddonfield, 3-2, in the sectional final. But Woodstown enjoyed a great ride along the way, shutting out eight of their final 10 opponents. Sophomore Chelsea Norbuts finished the season with 22 goals and junior Tori Malpezzi had 20. Woodstown had its first pair of 20-goal scorers for the first time in the history of the program.

Play of the year.

Haddonfield senior forward Maggie Lupinski took a throw-in by Kathleen Jordan, spun, shot and scored with 13:33 left in the first half to lead her team to a 1-0 victory over Pascack Hills for the Group 2 state crown. A two-time all-South Jersey selection, Lupinski finished the season with 23 goals and 79 in her four-year career. She has committed to St. Joseph's University.