Rising team facing test from new Shore Conference division alignment

Life's not easy at the top.

In a change for the Shore Conference for the new season, divisions grouped by geography and school size have been scrapped in favor of a flight-style setup - with the teams expected to be the most powerful in the top-flight American Division.

On the girls side, that means Southern Regional, a program on the rise, will be getting weekly tests from teams that have dominated the Shore Conference Tournament in recent years. The schedule calls for an opening game against defending tournament champion Rumson-Fair Haven.

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But the Rams clearly belong. They were 15-5 last year which included a run to the South Group 4 semifinal.

Here are four reasons why Southern is a good fit in the new American super division:

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1. Southern has a lethal duo at midfield in Delaney Falk and Avery Smith

In a recent scrimmage against Lacey, the junior duo of Delaney Falk and Avery Smith not only scored with ease as they knifed through defenders, but were just as useful on defense. The two rarely made bad passes to one another, their chemistry was tough to defend. But it's been like that for years.

“Me and Avery have played since we been in rec together and we always talk before the play," said Falk. "Like walking up to the draw I’m like ‘set a pick here, I'll look for you’, we’re always communicating and I think we work well together.”

2. Sophomore goalie Adyson Griffin already has big-game experience and has surrounding defensive pieces

Sophomore Adyson Griffin already has a resume that includes the postseason on it. Last year she began to play in the second half in the beginning of the season. When it came to conference play and beyond she landed the starting spot. Now she has teammates who've been with her last year who help make her job easier.

“Definitely Lili Davis, Delaney Falk and Avery Smith, I think they’re key defenders and our freshman Kai Angelozzi - I think she’s going to be a key player for our season," Griffin said.

"Addy, our goalie, is always getting better every single game," said Smith. "Lillie's defense has been stellar since I’ve been a freshman, she just always gives it 110%."

3. The new tough schedule will have them ready for postseason

After starting with Rumson-Fair Haven, Southern will face the likes of other good programs such as Red Bank Regional and Manasquan. No matter the outcome of those games, it'll get coach Lori Johnson's young team ready for the postseason.

However, Johnson said she still knows there's some things to fix before seeing the bulk of the schedule.

"Our schedule is going to help us this year to maybe get over that hump in the postseason because every game is going to be a battle," said Johnson. "Every game is going to be a difficult game. So I think having the schedule that we do have is going to help us to make runs in the SCT and state tournament."

4. Winning seasons are nothing new to this team

The last time the Rams went under .500 was nearly a decade ago in the 2013-14 season (9-10), and Johnson wasn't the head coach then. Last year the Rams had multiple freshmen on the roster that saw ample playing time, so they have an edge as sophomores. Juniors Meri Cassidy, Piper Murray and Bailey Adams are part of a pack of scorers and defenders with playoff experience. And most important of all, they're hungry to take the Shore by surprise.

"Every year you lose players and I think we lost a ton of players last year and we came back and made a huge statement against Cherokee (in the South Group 4 semifinal)," said Falk. "And this year we lost more players, and that happens every year, but I think we can continue to make statements."

“We lost a lot, RBR lost a lot, RBR has a lot coming back, we have a lot coming back," said Johnson. "It’s going to be an interesting season for sure. Our girls are going to take their lumps without a doubt, but I think it’s going to be really good for them.”

This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Rising team facing test from new Shore Conference division alignment