Yock, Miller come through as South advances in GMCT

By: Rich Fisher
   There’s something to be said about presence.
   Susie Miller had it on Tuesday.
   There’s something to be said about persistence.
   Sam Yock had it the same day.
   Between the P&P girls, South Brunswick High’s girls soccer team escaped with a shootout victory over 12th-seeded Bishop Ahr in a chilly, windy Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament game Tuesday.
   Thus, the 5th-seeded Vikings carry a three-game winning streak into today’s (Thursday’s) quarterfinal game, which will be at home against Edison. The 13th-seeded Eagles, who lost to the Vikes two weeks ago, stunned 4th-seeded J.P. Stevens in a shootout.
   South Brunswick escaped the same fate thanks to their goalie. After a scoreless regulation and overtime, Miller saved three of five penalty kicks in the shootout.
   It was hardly surprising, as she stood in the goal before each shot with a sturdy look of a confidence that had a commanding feel to it. As she crouched and readied, she was indeed, a presence.
   "You have to intimidate," the junior keeper said. "You can’t move until the ball is kicked, you just hold your ground, then just kind of go for it."
   Yock, who applied offensive pressure with no reward throughout regulation, just kept plugging. The senior forward finally got justice when she converted the Vikings third penalty kick, which proved to be the game-winner.
   "I was so frustrated during the game, I just kept shooting and shooting and shooting," Yock said. "It was nerve wracking. In the second half I was like ‘Oh my God, please don’t let it go to penalty kicks.’"
   It was hard to blame Yock for her nerves, as the game began to shape up as one of those in which the team that dominates gets beat by a cheap, wind-blown goal.
   South Brunswick (6-5-2), playing with the advantage of strong gusts, dominated the first half and outshot Bishop Ahr, 11-3.
   It would stand to reason the Trojans might seize the play in the second half as they got the wind, and that was the case for about 10 minutes. But South Brunswick did a remarkable job of controlling play in the final 25 minutes.
   It started when Yock one-touched a shot right at goalie Monique Riddick, who made the save. That would be a recurring theme for the remainder of the half. With 12 minutes left, Yock shot wide of the right corner. With eight minutes left, she passed in front to Nicole Heyer, whose shot was saved.
   With 7:25 remaining, South Brunswick had a goal called back due to obstruction. With 6:30 left, Yock sent a high, arching shot in that was saved, and less than a minute later she had a hard low shot thwarted by a diving save. Finally, with five seconds left, her corner kick was plucked from the air by Riddick to force overtime.
   The Vikings momentum suddenly disappeared in the OT. Bishop Ahr had two good chances at the end of the first OT. In the second, Miller saved two dangerous chances, including one on a breakaway. With three minutes left, a hard shot came from the right side that she made a leaping save on.
   All that effort earned Miller the most dangerous spot in the shooting gallery, although she and Yock were both happy the Vikes weren’t beat by a fluke goal during the flow of play.
   "It’s happened to us before, I wouldn’t have been surprised," Yock said. "But we kept working really hard."
   "The wind was horrible," Miller said. "I was so worried that it would be a factor. Not just the other team, but the wind itself, that’s the worst thing for a ‘keeper."
   When shootouts arrived, Bishop Ahr shot first. Their first shooter sent one into the upper right that Miller deflected but could not save. Alana Jogan slipped one to the lower left to tie it. Miller than made a diving save, but the Vikings missed their next shot.
   Bishop Ahr connected again on a shot that Miller got her gloves on, and freshman Lauren Strebeck calmly put one in the upper left that nicked the crossbar before slipping in.
   On the fourth round of shots, Miller made yet another save. That put the Vikings in a golden position, and Yock didn’t miss as she sent it to the right while the goalie dove the other way.
   "I was really nervous," Yock said. "I looked to the right and I shot to the left. She stood there and stumbled a little bit."
   "I knew we would win it then," Miller said. "As soon as she put that in, I was so happy. I said ‘I have to get this.’"
   And she did, in classic fashion. As the Trojans last-gasp shot whistled to the shooter’s right, Miller dove to her left and knocked it away, starting a wild celebration as darkness settled in.
   "We do a lot of penalty kicks in practice with all the teams I play for," Miller said. "I usually see them off the foot. I guess I just get lucky sometimes."
   Maybe, but luck had nothing to do with this win. The Vikings deserved it, as they held most of the play on the afternoon.
   "My defense played awesome, the offense had a lot of shots, they gave it their all," Miller said. "I didn’t touch the ball that much during the game, so I was really happy with how we played."
   She touched it a lot in overtime, however.
   It’s what is known as the winning touch.
   CORNER KICKS: The Vikes had games with Edison and North Brunswick rained out last week, meaning they had not played in over a week before the Bishop Ahr game. But, because they did not play last week, South Brunswick had the necessary .500 record at Friday’s cutoff date to qualify for the Central Jersey Group IV tournament . . . The Viking seniors were honored after the game as they thought it might be their last home game. That group includes Alana Asch, Yesinia Boynton, Danielle Bussiere, Jogan, Indira Morton, Amy Walters and Yock . . . a win today would give the Vikings a likely semifinal match-up with top-seeded East Brunswick, which plays 9th-seeded Monroe.