Bears top Clifton 1-0 for
Group IV championship
VERONICA YANKOWSKI East Brunswick’s Jenna Barbato tries to win a header against a Clifton defender during the Bears’ 1-0 Group IV final win at The College of New Jersey on Saturday.
The celebration was unrestrained at the College of New Jersey in Ewing last week, as the East Brunswick High School girls’ soccer team edged Clifton, 1-0 to win its first State Group IV championship since 1996.
"The mood was ecstatic," said 24-year coach Lou Kosa, whose Bears finished the season at 20-2. "The girls really wanted a state championship. It’s been one of their main goals for four years."
Despite far outshooting its opponent, East Brunswick came up against a very stubborn Clifton defense, in particular goalkeeper Andrea Kovzlcik, who made a number of outstanding saves.
Once again it was junior striker Heather O’Reilly who knocked in the big tally, taking a pass from fellow 11th-grader Kaitlin Parke to notch her 38th goal of the campaign.
"Everyone is in awe of her moves," Kosa said of O’Reilly, who registered more than four times as many goals this season as the next highest scorers, seniors Jillian Nagy and Elana Lidor, who posted nine apiece.
Kosa, however, prefers to stress his defense, which allowed a mere 13 goals all season, with goalie Alissa Kacar recording 15 shutouts.
Senior sweeper Sylvia Majdanski was one of the best at her post in the state after moving from the stopper slot. Also starting for the defense were seniors Ilana Unger, Erin Kenny and Chantal Hagan, along with stopper Justine Barbato, a junior.
In the midfield, the Bears featured senior Ashley Stapleton, junior Jenna Barbato, Justine’s twin sister, senior Karii Devine at striker, along with Nagy and Lidor. Also pitching in were Parke and sophomore midfielder Lisa Chinn.
Coming as it did after two consecutive narrow losses in the sectional finals, the title was especially sweet for the Bears.
"It’s hard to compare this team to others I’ve coached," said Kosa, reflecting on such squads as the back-to back state champs of the mid-1980s and the 1992 club, which was ranked tops in the country. "The level of competition has improved tremendously.
"This was an excellent team which was very coachable," he added. "Anything I’d ask them to do, they’d do."
With another state soccer title to their credit, this year’s girls soccer team is just the latest in a long line of East Brunswick teams to compete at the highest level.
Certainly the school’s tradition of superlative soccer stems in part from the township’s fine feeder program.
"The soccer clubs definitely develop the talent," said Kosa, who was assisted by jayvee coach Brian Merrigan, frosh boss Jennifer Nitka and eighth-grade coach Danielle Kalarcik. "When the kids come here, they know the basics, and I just have to refine them."