By Ken Weingartner, Special Writer
MONROE — Bongo!
One year after winning just four games, the Monroe Township High field hockey team captured the Greater Middlesex Conference championship thanks to a 1-0 victory Wednesday night over Metuchen at Sayreville High School.
Saahithi Karuturi scored the game’s lone goal midway through the second half to help lift the Falcons to their first-ever county title.
An evenly played first half resulted in a scoreless tie, but Monroe controlled the action much of the second. As was the case much of the season, the Falcons’ cry of “bongo” led to them drumming out another foe.
”Our saying this year is ‘bongo’ and we did a nice little bongo to get ourselves started,” Monroe coach Virginia Gonzalez said about the team’s halftime talk. “After that, it was all history.
”The game of field hockey isn’t a high scoring game,” she added. “The majority of the game was played in the midfield, which it normally is, with a few breakaways, which is what happens. It’s not that we didn’t have opportunities in the first half, we just weren’t finishing. In the second half we put it together.”
As for the origin of the “bongo” rallying cry, Ms. Gonzalez responded, “My girls, they’re just bongos.”
Bongos, perhaps. Caring, as well. Regardless of the outcome of the title game, Ms. Gonzalez knew her players had the character of champions. Ms. Gonzalez had been away from the team for much of the past week, including Monroe’s 2-1 semifinal win Monday over South Plainfield, spending the time at the hospital because her boyfriend had suffered a series of strokes.
”The girls have really been behind me,” Ms. Gonzalez said. “They really stepped up. Their character is amazing. They were calling me and came to visit me in the hospital. I’m speechless. They’re awesome girls. I love them and I’m so proud of them and I’m so excited for the future of the program.”
Nicole Manziano, the GMC’s top scorer for the season, said Monroe was motivated to keep its tournament season going for Ms. Gonzalez.
”We put it in our hearts that we were doing this for her and her boyfriend,” Nicole said. “Whatever happened, we played our hardest and we did our best. But we put it in our hearts that it was going to be for them. We all knew that if we kept going, he’s going to get better and she’s going to be here.”
The relationships between the players were vital to the team’s success, too.
”We’re all laughing and we’re all friends,” Nicole said. “Everyone has their own individual quality, but overall we’re goofy, funny, serious. It all mixes and we do very well together.”
Added Nicole, “I think the entire team was all in it and they were behind each other. I think that’s why we won.”
Another reason the Falcons won was Saahithi’s goal. The junior scored using a rare scoop shot, lofting the ball high into the air from about 10 yards out and depositing it into the corner of the net near the left post.
”I’ve been practicing that shot for so long and it’s never gone in,” she said. “I kept my composure and put it in. It’s so rewarding. I’ve been practicing it since about halfway through the season. Finally, it came to me.”
The goal followed a period of action in the second half in which the Falcons dictated the pace.
”We’re a second-half team, which we showed,” Nicole said. “We all knew we were going to come out and win this in the second half. We were a little shaky at the beginning, but we knew we were going to come out and throw everything at them. That’s what we did.”
Earlier in the week, Courtney Baron’s goal late in the second half set up by Margaret Nawracaj, helped give Monroe its win over South Plainfield. Leah Castrovince also scored for the Falcons. Sam Capers, who made two saves against Metuchen in the title game, made one stop in the semifinal.
Next up for the Falcons is their first trip to the state tournament. Monroe is the No. 3 seed in North Jersey 2 Group III and will face the winner of a game between South Plainfield and Freehold Borough.
”Just like the season, we’re not going to take anyone for granted,” Ms. Gonzalez said. “We know we’re a good team and we’ll hope for the best.”
Nicole said the Falcons’ best could be very good indeed.
”I think we can go very far,” she said. “I feel in my heart we’re going to do very good in the states. Hopefully, we’re going to get to the sectional finals.”
Bongo!
