WW-P South shoots down boys soccer team

By: Carolyn M. Hartko
   PRINCETON JCT. — After 100 minutes of grueling action, the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV boys soccer game between West Windsor-Plainsboro South and South Brunswick came down to a penalty kick shootout. Keeper Max Stember-Young clinched the victory for the 4th seeded Pirates when he stopped South Brunswick’s fifth kick.
   The 2-1 win advanced WWP (13-3-2) to the next round, while the 13th seeded Vikings will have to wait for next year for another shot at a state sectional title.
   Vikings Dan Gurney, Anthony Veverka, Kyle Saviano and Troy Confessore all scored on PKs, placing their shots low and to the corners. However, Kevin Namjoo, who’s header in the closing minutes of regulation sent the game into overtime, was denied when Stember-Young (10 saves) smothered a low shot to the keeper’s left.
   "They were five well-taken kicks," Viking head coach Chris Hayston said. "And their kid made a save. It wasn’t that we did anything wrong. The kid made a play. You’ve got to give him his due."
   It was a rough and tumble game fought hard by both sides, but neither team was able to finish in the first half. South Brunswick’s best chances came on set pieces, one off a throw-in by Zach Zenda, and the other a header taken by John Alers after a direct free kick. The Pirates were also good on set plays, but a direct kick with a nice curve on it was handled by Viking keeper Chris DeSouza, and he shut down an attempt off a corner kick a few minutes later.
   Fifteen minutes into the second period, the home team got on the board when Kae Murata scored with an assist by Brian Soltan. South Brunswick was still not having much luck on its ground attacks, doing better with long throw-ins and free kicks. With less than two minutes left on the clock, Saviano took a free kick from about 30 yards up and out on the right. Namjoo was in perfect position to head the ball home inside the left post. The two 10 minute sudden death overtime periods went scoreless, setting up the shootout.
   Throughout the game, newcomer Sean Tyree was a pit bull on the right flank. He also had some good defensive instincts, especially on the seven Pirate corner kicks.
   "Sean played very well," Hayston said. "Coming up as a freshman to varsity level, that’s a big step. And he’s adjusted. He’s played very well for us on both sides of the ball, and we certainly look forward to having him the next three years. I think he can be an integral part of this program."
   DeSouza (12 saves), who played back-up to senior keeper Tommy Leibering for the regular season, has been solid in goal for the Vikings during the tournaments following Leibering’s injury. DeSouza has played goalie since second grade, so he felt ready to step up, even with the stakes so high. The Pirates were an aggressive, fast-moving team that ran the South Brunswick defense ragged all afternoon.
   "They were able to move well on the counter attack," DeSouza said. "We were trying to defend it, and they put one in. We ended up coming back, but it was a tough game to play."
   Although Tuesday’s game ended the state tournament run for the 11-7 Vikings, their season is not over yet. They beat previously undefeated J.F. Kennedy 1-0 in the quarter-finals of the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament, which advances them to the semifinals Sunday at North Brunswick. South Brunswick (6th) will play 2nd seeded Monroe, the 3-1 winner over St. Joseph’s, at noon. The top seeded Raiders square off against East Brunswick (5th) in the second game of the double-header.
   The 14-1 Mustangs had the third seed in this year’s GMCT. But the competition South Brunswick faces during the regular season paid off in the quarter-final match as the Vikings netted the game-winner 10 minutes into the second half.
   "We were able to move the ball from one side of the field to the other," Hayston said. "I think we defended very well. And Troy finished a great ball from Brian Keller. And in games like that, all it takes is one play. We made the play, and it got us the victory."
   Although Monroe and South Brunswick play in different divisions in the GMC, the two sides did play each other once during the regular season. The Falcons came out on top 2-1.
   "We’re going to have to have another A+ effort," Hayston said of the coming match. "What we’re going to have to do is move the ball very quickly, very sharply, hit out targets, and defend well. And I think we have a chance of being very successful."