S. Jersey Boys: Chiefs eke out another 1-0 win

Cherokee, which got through the boys' soccer season by surviving close games, continued that game plan in the opening round of the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 4 tournament.

Of the Chiefs' 20 games this fall, 12 have been decided by one goal, and five have been 1-0 victories, including yesterday's triumph over visiting Cherry Hill East.

Max Bernstein scored the goal on Pat Janus' assist with just two minutes left in the second overtime.

Goalie Greg Roth registered his 10th shutout with a dozen saves against a Cougars team that split a pair of regular-season matchups with Cherokee.

Also in Group 4, A. J. Tierce and Joe Keegan scored 12 minutes apart in the second half, sending Eastern to a 2-0 win over visiting Millville in the first round.

Tierce converted a pass from his brother, Nick, breaking a scoreless tie in the 56th minute, and Tyler Bry assisted on Keegan's insurance goal. Vikings goalie Matt Lieg made four saves for his 13th shutout, and Thunderbolts goalie J. C. Maldonado kept his team in the game with 19 saves.

Lenape, seeded 11th of 14 teams, pulled off a 3-2 win at sixth-seeded Toms River North as goalie Matt Fredrick came up with six saves.

Goals by Jackson Dartoe and Andrew Brawner gave the Indians a 2-0 halftime advantage, before Steve Kramitz connected on the game-winner.

After beating Washington Township by 4-1 in the regular season, host Cherry Hill West squeezed past the Minutemen, 1-0, in the playoffs.

Trevor Sharpe's through-ball put Ryan Gordon in position for an 18-yard shot that provided the goal with six minutes left in regulation.

Absegami outran visiting Toms River South, 5-3, as Jon Hampton scored two goals and assisted on another.

Daniel Galeano, Sean Malone and Omar Hassan added goals for the Braves.

South Jersey Group 3.

Colin Quaile had several standout saves among his six stops to anchor Clearview's 1-0 first-round win over visiting Shawnee.

Shawnee goalie Todd Clarhaut stopped a penalty kick in the first half, but Clearview's Kevin Calloway knocked in a goal from 18 yards out after taking a left-to-right cross from Todd Patterson 15 minutes into the second half.

Ryan Kelly's three-goal performance highlighted West Deptford's 4-1 first-round win over visiting Delsea.

Kelly, a junior, scored in the fourth minute of the game and again 14 minutes later. After John Weber boosted the lead to 3-0, Kelly completed the hat trick before halftime.

Nick Tierno's team-leading 13th goal came with 10 minutes to go in the first half, driving Timber Creek's 2-0 win over visiting Central Regional.

Doug Goldspiel's goal from John Mason in the seventh minute got the Chargers on the scoreboard, and goalie Josh Garcia made seven saves to get the shutout.

Cumberland beat visiting Deptford for the second time in five days and the third time this fall, 4-3, on Josh DiDonato's goal from Sam Falzone's cross.

Mike Casper, Billy Boss and Keith Karol also scored for the Colts, offsetting a three-goal game by the Spartans' Dean Schaber.

After playing 77 scoreless minutes, Seneca escaped with a 1-0 thriller over visiting Manchester Township when Chris Duerin scored with 2 minutes, 44 seconds to play. Shea McGee's cross provided the assist on the goal.

Kevin Kirsch netted his 15th and 16th goals of the season as one of six Moorestown players who contributed goals to a 7-0 win over visiting Pemberton.

South Jersey Group 2.

Cinnaminson earned a shot at top-seeded Haddon Township by getting past visiting Sterling, 1-0. Goalie Kevin Lynch made seven saves for his 10th shutout.

Trevor Sotell assisted on the goal by Brian Hill, who directed his shot inside the far post but saw it bounce off a defender and roll across the goal line by the near post.

South Jersey Group 1.

Pennsville avenged Wednesday's 1-0 loss to Schalick by eliminating the visiting Cougars, 2-1.

Shaun Gorman, who assisted on Chris Glenn's early goal, netted the decider with 10 minutes left after taking a through-ball from Jake Wyshinski.

Central Jersey Group 2.

Burlington Township, seeded No. 11 of 14 teams, sailed past host Spotswood, 3-0, behind three goals in 34 minutes by C. J. Finley.

Finley opened the scoring in the 25th minute and had two more goals in the first 19 minutes of the second half. Falcons goalie Mike Dipaola made four saves against the sixth-seeded Chargers.