Vikings, Bears stellar in GMC Tournament finals
South Brunswick girls get past Old Bridge, 1-0
VERONICA YANKOWSKI South Brunswick’s Adrianne Aucoin (l) battles for the ball with Old Bridge’s Kristen Palumbo during Sunday’s Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament final at Geick Park in Old Bridge.
It was an interesting week for the South Brunswick High School girls soccer team. Last Tuesday, the Vikings lost a tough game in the opening round of the state tournament to a surprising Sayreville squad to end their run at a state sectional title.
The Lady Vikings were upset with the loss, and were understandably surprised that they were eliminated from the tournament so soon. Entering the game at 12-3-2, the Vikes were gearing up for a run at a state title. But the Bombers came away with the win, ending any such thoughts in South Brunswick.
But the Vikings had little time to feel sorry for themselves following the loss, as they were still gearing up for their matchup on Sunday with the Old Bridge Knights in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament final at Geick Park in Old Bridge. A win over the Knights would go a long way towards erasing the memories of the loss to Sayreville, and more than anything else, South Brunswick wanted to win its final game of the year.
The game quickly became a battle of goaltenders as the Vikings Rebecca Dezan and Old Bridge’s Stefanie Luicci were stellar throughout the contest. Both teams had a number of scoring chances, but Dezan managed to hold Old Bridge scoreless while making 11 saves. The most crucial save came with about five minutes left, when Old Bridge’s Kim Stengle launched a shot that went over Dezan’s head at first.
VERONICA YANKOWSKI East Brunswick’s Yaron Shlomi tries to catch up to JFK’s Jeff Grose during their GMC Tournament final in Old Bridge on Sunday.
But the senior netminder recovered in time to tip the ball out of bounds, and preserve the 1-0 lead the Vikings had built when Tanya Earl scored at the 47-minute mark off a nice feed from Monica Mangual. With the Vikings’ solid defensive play, and the brilliant netminding of Dezan, the goal stood up, and the Vikings became the Greater Middlesex Conference champs.
On the boys side of play, the East Brunswick Bears continued their dominance, topping John F. Kennedy High School, 2-0.
The Bears peppered JFK goaltender Nick Noonan with 26 shots on the day, forcing him to make one spectacular save after another. But it was the two that got past him that made the difference.
The 19-1 Bears recorded their 13th shutout of the year en route to their 11th conference title. Midfielder Manbaj Gill gave the Bears the 1-0 lead at the 5:05 mark when his direct kick from 20 yards out found the net. That was all the scoring in the first half, as both teams exhibited stellar defensive play.
But just 55 seconds into the second half, the Bears padded their lead when Zach Simi drilled home a header off a cross from Eric Feuchtbaum. From there, the Bear defense gave yet another command performance, slowing down the vaunted Kennedy offense. In total, the Bears only allowed five shots.
For the Bears, the mission continues as they look to make Sunday’s win the beginning of their championship run. Their next game was yesterday in the Group IV semifinal against Bridgewater.
This looks to be one of the GMC’s strongest teams in years. And if they continue to play to their ability, they should be celebrating another championship on Nov. 16.