Salem field hockey defeats rival Clayton 4-1 in first round of state play

  • 10/26 - 12:00 AM Field HockeyFinal
    Salem 4
    Clayton 1
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CLAYTON -- The Salem High School field hockey team certainly used its familiarity with Clayton to its advantage on Monday.

After battling twice against the Clippers during the regular season and taking the series with a win and a tie, Salem took the next step forward as the ninth-seeded Rams downed eighth-seeded Clayton, 4-1, in the first round of the South Jersey, Group I tournament.

"We knew coming into today who their strongest players were, so we tried to be smart and kept the ball away from them," Salem coach Donna O'Leary said. "We played as a great all around team, we've been working hard to do that. I think we're gelling nicely, they're buying into what we're doing."

To open the game, the Rams took an early lead when Autumn Glaspay scored just seven minutes in on an assist from Ayanna Chapman. However, Salem (9-9-2) did almost all of its damage in the second half as it notched three goals in the final 25 minutes.

Tied 1-1 at halftime, the team exploded as Glaspay added her second goal on an assist from Dominique Patterson in the 35th, followed by a breakaway score from Shelby Scott in the 44th. The team added one more insurance goal when S'Deionna Washington scored in the 55th minute on Chapman's second assist of the game.

"We played like a great team," Glaspay said. "We talked well and passed a lot, that always helps. We just focused on the things we knew we needed to do to win. It was also definitely helpful to know who they had and who their strongest players were."

The Rams finished with eight shots, while goalie Lizzie Hudock made four saves.

Salem and Clayton tied 1-1 in the first Tri-County Conference-Classic Division matchup between the pair in early September, while the Rams took the second game, 1-0, on Oct. 7.

With Monday's win, Salem successfully prolonged its solid late-season run that included wins in four of its last five games while closing out with a 7-3-1 mark. The Rams opened the year with only one win in their first eight games.

Clayton (7-8-4) got its lone goal in the 23rd minute when Francesca Shipe scored on an assist from Kelli Moore, which at the time tied the game. The Clippers had a handful of opportunities to seize momentum late in the first and early in the second, but came up short. The team finished with six shots. Goalie Zoe Lee made four saves.

The Clippers entered the playoffs on a high note after finishing 3-1-1 in their last five games.

"(Salem) brought a lot of intensity and aggressiveness," Clayton coach Jen Schoepflin said. "We we're just sitting back in the second half, and I would say my team didn't play to the best of their abilities to today. Salem did play their best effort."

Salem will move on to face top-seeded Woodstown in the quarterfinals on Friday. The Rams fell in the only regular season matchup between the pair, 2-0, on Sept. 25. The Wolverines will be fresh coming off a first round bye after finishing the year with a stellar 12-3-2 record.

"It might be anybody's game," O'Leary said. "Woodstown has a great program, but the nail isn't in the coffin yet. We're still alive."

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