Olympic American girls, Burlco Liberty boys are deep
Olympic American girls, Burlco Liberty boys are deep
When The Inquirer's preseason South Jersey girls' soccer rankings appeared on Wednesday, it was no surprise that the Olympic Conference American Division had the strongest presence. Three American Division teams are in the Top 10, with Lenape No. 1, Eastern No. 4 and Cherokee No. 5. And that doesn't count Washington Township, which was under consideration.
Those four teams will battle for the division again and the feeling is that Lenape could possibly come back to the pack slightly.
The Indians own a 37-game win streak and have won consecutive state Group 4 titles.
Another conference that bears watching is the Olympic Conference National. Bishop Eustace has won nine straight division titles and the Crusaders will compete again, but Paul VI enters as the favorite.
Paul VI is ranked second and Eustace sixth in the top 10. Nobody should go to sleep on Seneca, the defending South Jersey Group 3 champion. Despite graduating 15 seniors, the Golden Eagles will be more than competitive.
Midfielders Mary MacDonald and Katie O'Keefe return after combining for 17 goals for Seneca.
Shawnee is the defending Olympic Conference Patriot champion and is once again the favorite. The Renegades return 10 letter-winners and should be strong defensively, led by senior goalie Dani Buonacuore, who had six shutouts.
Cherry Hill West should be improved and Triton bears watching.
Last season, Haddonfield and West Deptford were cochampions in the Colonial Conference Liberty Division. They will be the main contenders again in what looks like a strong division.
Haddonfield, which played Paul VI to a 1-1 tie in a scrimmage, is ranked No. 7 in the preseason and West Deptford is No. 9.
Haddon Heights, led by standout defender Megan Roney, shouldn't be counted out.
The Colonial Conference Patriot last year was won by Gateway with Haddon Township finishing runner-up. This season, Haddon Township enters as the favorite, with Gateway the leading contender.
Moorestown is favored to defend its Burlington County Liberty Division title, but Cinnaminson, with 13 players returning players having varsity experience, with five returning starters, is a serious threat.
Rancocas Valley is another threat, with nine returning letter-winners, headed by first-team all-Liberty defender Alyssa Findlay. Delran is expected to be improved and can't be discounted.
Holy Cross is again favored to defend its Burlington County Patriot Division title, with Palmyra among the teams to watch.
Last season, Pemberton and Willingboro shared Burlco Freedom crown and both are expected to be the main contenders.
Clearview is the defending Tri-County Royal Division champion and the Pioneers will be difficult to unseat.
The Pioneers should be especially strong defensively, led by junior Kelly Hardesty, a first-team all-Royal Division defender.
Williamstown remains the major challenger, while Deptford can't be discounted. Two sleepers are Highland and Cumberland.
Gloucester Catholic remains the choice to defend its Tri-County Diamond Division title, although Woodstown could provide some resistance. Those two teams meet Monday in an early-season showdown.
