Cherry Hill East girls soccer beat Rancocas Valley 5-1 on Tuesday, Sept. 15. Junior Joelle Mateo posted two goals and two assists in the Cougars' first Olympic Conference win of the season.

East (3-1) has now won three straight.

The Cougars jumped on Rancocas Valley from the opening whistle. Seton Hall commit Talia Armando opened the scoring after Mateo fed her following a strong defensive play by Dylan Kratchman, according to the Eastside student newspaper. Chika Akeh doubled the lead minutes later with a header, finishing a cross from Montclair State commit Ellie Ferdas.

Ferdas then got on the scoresheet herself before halftime. Mateo set her up, and Ferdas placed a shot into the top-left corner to make it 3-0 at the break. Ferdas finished the afternoon with a goal and three assists.

Rancocas Valley's Natalie Howe scored the Red Devils' lone goal in the 72nd minute, but Mateo answered with two late strikes to put the game away.

Goalkeepers Jolie Giles and Riley Heenan split time and combined for 15 saves in a game East controlled. Giles recorded seven saves and Heenan added eight. Fifteen saves in a five-goal win suggests Rancocas Valley generated chances, but the Cougars' back line and goalkeeping held firm when it mattered.

The roster carries serious college-level talent. Armando, a senior, committed to Seton Hall's Division I program in January after overcoming a brain injury that once threatened her soccer career, as Eastside reported at the time. Ferdas, a senior midfielder, is committed to Montclair State's Division III program.

East faces its stiffest test yet on Friday, Sept. 18, when the Cougars travel to Delran, which entered the week undefeated at 3-0. NJ.com listed the 3:45 p.m. matchup among the state's games to watch for the week.

Delran goalkeeper Cailey Czaplicki earned Burlington County Scholastic League Player of the Week honors for the week of Sept. 8 after recording 12 saves in a season-opening win over Holy Cross Prep, according to NJ.com. The Cougars' attack will need to solve Czaplicki to keep the winning streak alive.