By Art Redd
SJSports Staff Writer

The meeting between the Cherry Hill East Cougars (15-5) and the Delran Bears (17-3-2) was held at Washington Township High School under the lights. This would be the first of two games playing in the South Jersey Coaches Tournament Finals. The men's match between the Cherry Hill East against Cherry Hill West would follow. But this women's match would rely on two good goalkeepers, Betsy Kennedy (Bears) and Carolyn Synder (Cougars), to take home the title. It was Synder and her team that would prevail. Synder came up big in the new overtime shootout format to obtain the victory against Eastern to get into the finals.

Cougars' Marisa Kravitz started the scoring when she put a shot on goal that rebounded off of Bears' goalkeeper Kennedy. Kravitz stepped right in and did not miss her second shot and put the Cougars up 1-0 early in the first half.

But Delran's forward Michi Matter would also score off of a rebound. Her shot into the net would even up the score with 14:50 left in the first half. All of a sudden, it seemed like another overtime shootout would happen in the finals. Julia Girman for the Cougars would dim the hopes of that happening when her shot, late in the half, put them back up by one. Her shot went high toward the upper left corner which keeper Kennedy leaped up to redirect the shot over the net. Instead, the ball slowed down just enough to fall inside the net.

When the second half started, Delran mounted a few scoring chances when they got the offense going inside the 18 yard line. Each time the Cougars would clear the ball. On one of those plays, East's Caryn Davis found Stephanie Singer on the right hnad side of the field moving toward the net. With most of the defenders behind her, there was no one to contest her shot and put the Cougars up 3-1 with 25:18 left in the game. The Lady Cougars went on the capture the 1997 Coaches Tournament Title.