Ocean City’s Riley Fortuna is The Press Girls Soccer Player of the Year

Riley Fortuna made life difficult for opposing teams.

The Ocean City High School girls soccer senior defender anchored a unit that allowed just five goals all season. Three were long-range shots and did not come against the senior. She was not on the field for one of the other goals.

Fortna always marked the opposing team’s top scorer. She was tremendous in reading other attackers and getting between them and the ball. Fortna always was in position to intercept passes and shots.

She was a shutdown defender, one of the best in the state.

Fortna is The Press Girls Soccer Player of the Year.

“Personally, (the season) felt great, and I’ve come a long way,” said Fortna, 17, of Ocean City. “With the team, to make it that far my senior year is a great feeling. Being with people I love playing soccer with makes it even better.”

This fall, Fortna’s defensive contributions were vital to the success of the Red Raiders, who finished 15-0-4, won the Cape-Atlantic League Tournament and American Division titles and made the South Jersey Group III semifinals. Ocean City had 13 shutouts.

“Not having a lot of teams score on us is a great feeling because every game you are thinking it’s going to be a shutout,” Fortna said. “All the defensive players thought that. We went out there every game and played hard and tried not to give up any goals.”

Ocean City had graduated its two top offensive players from 2021 — Summer Reimet, who led the state in goals, and Hope Slimmer, who finished with one of the top assist totals in the state. This season, sophomore Naomi Nnewihe and junior Ashley Rhodes, among others, helped produce the offense, but the Red Raiders relied on defense.

“We had to figure out not only how to put the ball in the back of the net, but how to keep it out,” Ocean City coach Lisa Cuneo said. “And she has always been this consistent player we can trust back there.”

Defenders do not typically get the recognition they deserve. Most defenders do not have flashy stats and are only noticed when seen live in a game. Watching Fotna is something special, Cuneo said. Cuneo added that Fortna did not mess up on a play in her four-year varsity career.

Fortna was a first-team Press All Star as a sophomore and junior. She was a part of the Red Raiders’ state Group III championship as a freshman in 2019. Fortna plays deep in the backfield, and sometimes at the right or left flank. Her ability to read and disrupt the attacker, along with her experience, is unlike any other defender in the state, Cuneo said.

The pressure of being the top defender never fazed Fortna.

“The nerves are definitely there, but that can’t get to you,” said Fortna, who noted her teammates gave her the confidence to succeed in the backfield.

Fortna was crucial in shutting down teams such as Mainland Regional, Washington Township, Williamstown and others. They lost in penalty kicks twice to Shawnee, a state power.

“She plays deep for us for a reason, because she can read what’s going on in front of her,” said Cuneo, calling Fortna a situational defender. “Riley has a knack, this natural ability, and knows when to step up and drop and cover.”

Fortna was the only four-year starter on the Red Raiders, so she was seen as a leader, Cuneo said. Fortuna wasn’t a vocal leader, though. She led by example and her teammates trusted her. Fortna was with two new defenders, Natalie Hope and Coryn McDonnell, along with Brooke Liebrand, and ran the show.

“She goes out there and gets the job done on a daily basis,” Cuneo said. “And that’s what we love about her. … I would put Riley up against any of the best forwards in New Jersey, for sure. Just her natural ability to know how to shut people down is incredible. Definitely one of the best defenders to ever come through our program.”

Fortna said winning the CAL Tournament was her favorite memory as the Red Raiders lost in the final in 2021. Fortna, who wants to play in college next year, said she will never forget her four years at Ocean City.

“If I do play in college, I’m thanking everyone at Ocean City for helping me become the player that I’ve become today,” she said.

After losing Reimet, Slimmer and defender Casey McDonnell to graduation, the Red Raiders had some big voids to fill, Cuneo said, but Ocean City didn’t skip a beat.

The Red Raiders dominated the CAL, winning the conference championship over Mainland, and went to the sectional semifinals, losing a heartbreaker in penalty kicks to Shawnee. Still, Ocean City shut down one of the best teams in the state (and twice), and put together other big wins during the fall.

Ocean City is The Press Team of the Year.

“We lost three main components of our team, so we knew going into the season we would have to work for our goals and have a really solid defense,” Cuneo said. “If the two of those things worked out this season, then that was going to be our success.”

Thirteen Red Raiders scored this season. It was a team effort this season, and senior goaltender Tori Vliet was a crucial contributor. Nnewihe had 16 goals and seven assists. Rhodes scored 11 and added six assists. Emily Benson and McKenna Chisholm each had double-digit assists.

“That’s what it takes,” Cuneo said. “It was more of an 11-person effort than it has ever been in the last, you know, how many long years. I think that is how the team was successful this year.”

After winning the South Jersey Group III championship with a young team in 2021, the Lacey Township High School girls soccer team didn’t quite get the start it wanted this fall.

At 1-2-1, the Lions had just lost their starting goaltender, junior Lorynn Leporino, who had been impressive during their sectional run. But freshman Ava Schmidt stepped up and was very solid in net. There were some other little bumps in the beginning, but coach Jack Mahar made sure his team remained focused.

Lacey went on a run to improve to 9-3-1 and finished the season 13-6-1. The Lions advanced to the second round of the Shore Conference Tournament and the sectional semifinals. The team was young again and will lose only three starters to graduation. The Lions flourished under Mahar.

Mahar is The Press Coach of the Year.

“It was kind of a quiet good year,” said Mahar, who won his 100th career game this season. “We put together some decent wins towards the end of the year. … The girls played fantastic.

“I’m happy with how the girls stayed together. We ended up 13-6-1, which is one less loss than last year. We would have liked to have gone a little farther in the Shore Conference Tournament, and we lost to Cherry Hill West, which won in penalty kicks, in the group final.”