"The fact that Holmdel has moved down to Group 2 from Group 3, where they had been one of the state's powerhouses, has made the group a lot tougher than it's been," Haddonfield coach Jeff Holman said. "To beat Holmdel, who was ranked No. 4 in the state, was quite an achievement."
In Group 1, Pennsville topped Metuchen in the semifinals and squeezed by Glen Ridge in the finals to win its second straight championship.
Against Metuchen, Pennsville won four of its five matchups and picked up a draw in first singles.
In the finals, Tori Nugent rebounded to beat Kendall Smith, 4-6, 6-2, 6-0, in second singles to get a crucial win and propel the Eagles to a 3-2 victory.
Pennsville earned wins in all three singles matches, as Lauren Kiger and Brooke Coleman also triumphed.
In other playoff tennis action, Moorestown and Cherokee fell in the Group 3 and Group 4 semifinals, respectively.
Moorestown lost to Princeton, 3-2, in a tight matchup that featured three matches extended to three sets.
West Windsor-Plainsboro South ended Cherokee's season with a 3-2 win.
The winners of each group will participate in the Tournament of Champions, which will begin on Sunday.
"We can compete with any of the schools involved with the Tournament of Champions," Holman said. "We've been there a lot recently; it's very difficult to win that tournament. I think we'll be in the match against anyone that we face."
Girls' Soccer
Shannon Nugent broke a scoreless tie with less than six minutes remaining to lift Shawnee to a 1-0 win over visiting Eastern in an Olympic Conference match.
Eastern is The Inquirer's top-ranked team in South Jersey.
"It's a big win over a great team who we have a lot of respect for," Shawnee coach Drew Wagner said. "It's a payoff for all the hard work we've done. It shows that there is a reward."
Adrianna Gerber pressured the left side before an Eastern defender stepped up and tried to clear the ball. However, Nugent struck the clearing attempt on a one-time touch off the finger tips of keeper Imani Taylor and into a corner of the goal.
"To see our girls play for 80 minutes consistently, it was a big win for us and our confidence to show them what they can do," Wagner said.
In other Olympic Conference play, Cathryn McCarry pushed Washington Township to a 1-0 home victory over Cherokee by scoring a second-half goal.
Sarah Boycott and Catherine Fiore each buried a pair of goals for Paul VI, which topped host Winslow Township, 6-0.
Field Hockey
Eastern clinched its 14th consecutive Olympic American championship with an 8-1 win at Shawnee.
Eastern finished 10-0 in the American, and has not lost a division game since 2008.
Austyn Cuneo led the Vikings with four goals and an assist, and Carly Celkos chipped in three goals and a pair of assists.
In other Olympic Conference play, Montana Flemming's two goals led Bishop Eustace to a 4-1 win at Timber Creek.
Cape-Atlantic National. Emily DeMarco picked up a hat trick, and St. Joseph dropped host Lower Cape May, 5-3.
Cape-Atlantic American. Corrine Etter scored 22 seconds into the game and Millville went on to win at Absegami, 2-0.
Burlington County Freedom. Tara Horvath scored twice in Maple Shade's seven-goal first half, and the Wildcats won at Burlington City, 7-0.
Nonleague. Kelly Reilly broke a scoreless tie with seven minutes left to give Holy Cross a 1-0 home win against Rancocas Valley.
Gina Tamburri scored three times to lead visiting Medford Tech past Moorestown Friends, 4-0.
Taylor Ursino put Pennsauken ahead in the first half, and the Indians went on to win, 3-1, at Cinnaminson.
Kelly Koss scored twice to lead Robbinsville to a 4-2 victory at Bordentown.
Girls' Volleyball
Clearview topped Washington Township, 2-1, for the 100th victory in the program's history.
Contact Nick Carroll at ncarroll@phillynews.com, or follow on Twitter @NickJCarroll.
