MaxPreps is pleased to announce that the
Eastern (Voorhees, N.J.) Vikings have officially been named to the 14th Annual MaxPreps Soccer Tour of Champions presented by the Army National Guard, which is in its eighth year honoring girls soccer.
This is one of the most prestigious team awards in all of high school sports and it is an exclusive honor reserved for 100 of the top teams nationwide. In order to be eligible, a team must win a state championship and be highly ranked in the MaxPreps National Rankings. For soccer, only 20 of the country's best are invited and with nearly 34,000 competing varsity teams, this puts the Vikings ahead of 99.9 percent of their opponents!
In order to be eligible, the team not only had to be nationally ranked, but also had to win a state championship. Beating Bridgewater-Raritan 1-0 in the
NJSIAA Group 4 state championship contest on Sunday, November 18 marked the completion of an incredible 26-2 season — and earned Eastern Regional an invitation to the Tour of Champions.
Shortly after Riley Tiernan's shot glanced off of the cross bar with just under five minutes remaining in the state championship contest, Viking teammate Kelli McGroarty headed the rebound into the back of the net to secure the school's third state championship during her father Jamie McGroarty's 16-year run at the helm of the girls soccer program.
Tiernan's shot was tipped off of the cross bar just before McGroarty's heads up play secured Eastern Regional's first state title since 2006. While the Vikings were relentless on offense, Olivia Alves was steady in goal, making three saves while pitching the shutout at Kean University.
Eastern Regional opened postseason play with a 2-0 blanking of Lenape. Then, following a 5-0 win over Jackson Memorial, the Vikings upended Washington Township 2-0. McGroarty's club kicked in the door to the Final Four by edging Shawnee 4-3 in penalty kicks after ending regulation in a 2-2 deadlock. The Vikings bumped Hunterdon Central from championship contention with a 2-1 semifinal win to set up the championship bout with Bridgewater-Raritan.
Eastern Regional opened the season with a 4-1 win over Paul VI. Then, following a 4-0 triumph over Lenape, the Vikings reeled off another seven wins to start the season 9-0. Eastern Regional then dropped back-to-back one-goal losses to Washington Township and Shawnee, but did not fall again. The Vikings outscored their competition 84-17 and posted 13 shutouts on the year, while scoring a season-high seven goals in a 7-1 September win over Camden Catholic. McGroarty's club held 26 foes to one goal or less.
Having won 17 straight matches to end the season, Eastern Regional set itself up for some rather high rankings come season's end. Not only are the Vikings the No. 2 squad in
MaxPreps' New Jersey rankings, Eastern Regional is ranked No. 9 in
MaxPreps' National Rankings!
These incredible season achievements have earned the Eastern Regional Vikings an invitation to the 14th Annual Tour of Champions. Please join us as we celebrate with the girls soccer team, coaching staff, students and fans on Tuesday, December 11 at a lunch assembly in the gymnasium or cafeteria at 10:40 a.m.
For more information about the Tour of Champions, please visit the
MaxPreps Tour of Champions site.
