Shootout shackles Vikes once again

By: Carolyn M. Hartko
   NORTH BRUNSWICK – With the outcome of Sunday afternoon’s Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament semifinal hanging in the balance, Monroe Township High School’s fifth contestant in the penalty kick shootout stepped calmly to the spot where the soccer ball lay poised for flight.
   Since South Brunswick’s fifth man had sent his ball over the net, Justin Miller knew his shot could either end the game in favor of the Falcons, or send it into the second round of PK’s. Miller took three steps back, and three to the left, then ran onto the ball at the sound of the whistle. When the shot hit home, Miller’s teammates stampeded him, while the Vikings stood on the sidelines dejectedly, dazed by their second shootout elimination within a week in a post-season tournament.
   The game had remained tied 1-1 during two 10-minute sudden death overtime periods, and neither team was able to come up with the golden goal. Since one team has to advance in tournament play, it went to penalty kicks to decide the winner. Most of the pressure in that situation is on the goalkeeper, a small figure compared to the expanse of net.
   Monroe’s Cory Notaro made a critical save in the second round of kicks, and one Falcon missed wide in the same round. The shootout was tied 3-3 when a South Brunswick player sent a shot over the net, setting the stage for Miller.
   "I felt numb," Miller said. "I heard nothing. To me, there was no pressure. I knew we won. It was locked up, and once I hit it – it was just official."
   With the 2-1 victory, the second ranked Falcons (19-2) advance to play top ranked North Brunswick, the 4-2 winner over East Brunswick in the other semifinal, at a date to be decided.
   It was the second time in as many games that South had been eliminated from a tournament by penalty kicks. Last week, West Windsor-Plainsboro South beat them 2-1 in a quarterfinal of the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV tourney. In both cases, the Vikings played hard to the bitter end.
   "I have nothing negative to say about us," Viking head coach Chris Hayston said. "Our guys played great. It’s a tough way to lose a game, but there’s nothing to complain about. They did a better job in the PK shootout. It happens."
   In a way, Miller’s moment of glory during the shootout was payback for enduring 100 minutes of serious marking by the South Brunswick defense, especially senior marking back Anthony Veverka. Miller, who has 19 goals on the season, couldn’t get a decent shot off during regular playing time. The Vikings were making up for lapses on defense in a game between these two sides earlier in the season.
   "Last time, we were a little flat in the first half when we played them," senior sweeper Dan Gurney said. "But this time, I talked it over with the whole defense. We were gonna lock ’em down. Justin Miller is one of the top scorers in the county, but we shut him down. He didn’t score. So, I’m really proud of our guys."
   With the Vikings also marking Zach Theinert and Frank Carr, two other Monroe scorers, it was left to senior defender Chris Faroane to come up with the lone Falcon goal in regulation. Theinert took a corner kick 2:30 before halftime. Standing at the far post, Faroane headed the ball down and into the center of the goal.
   But just as they did against WW-P South, the Vikings came back late in the second half. The play started with a corner kick taken by Kyle Saviano with about 10 minutes left in regulation. Notaro punched out the high ball, but Gurney booted it back into the box where Kevin Namjoo headed it home.
   Monroe showed the stronger offense during the game, outshooting South Brunswick 14-5. Notaro needed just four saves to preserve the win, while Viking keeper Chris DeSouza came up with 11.
   This was one game where the outcome was never certain. Right up until the final P.K., the Viking seniors were thinking about moving on in the tournament, and not putting a period to their high school careers.
   "We didn’t feel that it was going to be our last game," Veverka said. "We thought that we were going to have another game. We figured that we were going to win this game, so (ending it) was not in our minds at all."
   THROW-INS: Gurney, Saviano, and freshman Sean Tyree all scored for South Brunswick during the shootout.