Brookdale girls play well at NJCAA tourney
Bow out to top seed in first-round match-up
After a slow start, the Brookdale Community College women’s soccer team won the NJCAA Region XIX title and qualified for the NJCAA national championships in St. Louis, where the Jersey Blues lost a 5-1 decision to top-ranked Monroe Community College of Rochester, N.Y.
Despite having a few good scoring opportunities early in the Nov. 16 game, Brookdale found itself down 4-1 at halftime.
And with the wind in its face, coach Frank Lawrence’s team played a strong second half, but couldn’t score again.
A late Monroe goal accounted for the final score. Sherri Cate scored the Brookdale goal.
The Jersey Blues also had to adjust when goalie Danielle Willis was injured during the first half. Midfielder Tanya Driscoll played the remainder of the match in net and did a solid job, the coach said.
Lawrence added that he felt his team played very well against the strongest competition they encountered all season.
"The score didn’t really reflect the game," Lawrence said. "If we could have taken advantage of some of our chances early on, it might have been a different game, but overall we played pretty well. Monroe is a good team that counter-attacks well. They deserved to win.
Lawrence said that despite the loss to MCC, he was pleased with the overall level of play the girls demonstrated as the season progressed.
"I’m not disappointed," Lawrence said of the loss. "Obviously, I’d like to do better from a coach’s perspective, but this team has come a long way. They didn’t look like a regional championship team at the beginning of the season. But they showed that if you work hard and adapt you can be successful. I’m proud of them."
For Brookdale the trip to St. Louis was its second in three seasons. The Jersey Blues defeated Camden County College 2-0 to win Region XIX as Gina D’Alessio scored twice and Willis turned in a shutout.
"At the end of the day, just getting out there is important," Lawrence added. "It’s a good opportunity for the players and it’s important for our program. Hopefully, this will show other Shore area players that they can come here and be successful. Actually, I think the success of our program really shows how good soccer is in this area."
While many of Lawrence’s players will graduate in June, the coach still has a strong foundation, as Willis will return in goal, Driscoll and Tanya Tardogno will be back in the middle, and Lauren Nangano, who scored 13 goals and led the team with nine assists, returns up front.
Hopefully, with the addition of some new players already planning to attend Brookdale next fall, Lawrence’s group will find themselves in St. Louis again next November.