Carly DiGiovanni's senior soccer season at Ocean City had an abrupt ending this year, and the last thing that appeared possible was having her go on a scoring spree against the best players in South Jersey while representing her school.

While she wasn't able to return to the Red Raiders after suffering a lacerated liver in a 1-0 overtime win against Oakcrest on Oct. 1, DiGiovanni was selected for the South Jersey Soccer Coaches Association's senior all-star game.

Even though she played mainly as a defender with a little midfield sprinkled in, DiGiovanni played up top and scored two goals as the Red team beat the White, 2-0, Sunday at Kingsway.

"I was a little scared in the beginning," DiGiovanni conceded. "But once I got running around, it was great to be back."

Ocean City was 4-0-1 and allowed just one goal with DiGiovanni in the lineup. The team was 2-5-3 in her absence.

"She is one of those kids," Ocean City coach Bill Pesda said. "You see them on every level, where you struggle to replace them and they do have a unique set of skills that is tough to replace."

DiGiovanni's best skill was putting the clamps on the opposition's top scorer. She was known as a tenacious defender, but had the ability to move up and help the offense.

Still, it was interesting that she scored twice as many goals in the all-star game as she did in her five games this season.

"They told me to play up front and it was a lot of fun," she said of her all-star appearance.

DiGiovanni was a first-team all-Cape Atlantic League selection despite playing just five games.

"She is just a dynamic kid who covered a lot of ground," Pesda said.

DiGiovanni was hurt in a collision, and as much pain as she endured, sitting on the sidelines was also difficult, especially since this was her final season at the school.

Instead of dwelling on the negative, she looked at the positive aspect of being a three-year varsity performer.

"It was just a lot of fun," she said.

DiGiovanni hopes to continue playing soccer. She said that Rowan, Widener, and Chestnut Hill were among the schools she was considering.

Most of all, she was happy to come back against the best seniors South Jersey had to offer and make her mark.

An MVP for the game will be announced at the coaches association's banquet Dec. 7.

No doubt DiGiovanni will be a candidate. Whether she wins or not, her real reward was returning to the sport she loved, coming back from a difficult injury.

"I was surprised to score two goals in a game like this," she said.

That was certainly a pleasant surprise, giving DiGiovanni an ending far more appropriate than the one she experienced in the regular season.

Contact staff writer Marc Narducci at 856-779-3225 or mnarducci@phillynews.com.