EB nips Vikes in GMCT final
By David Gurney, Sports Writer
They were knocking on the doorstep late.
A flurry of shots on net and relentless pressure put the East Brunswick defense squarely on its heels.
Yet, every late shot was met by a save or a clear, like a proverbial wall in front of the net.
The South Brunswick High School boys soccer team couldn’t penetrate the EB defense and the final whistle was met with jerseys over faces and tears for a Vikings team that was arguably one of the most talented in program history.
The final result, a 2-1 defeat in the GMCT championship game at Woodbridge High School on Sunday, ended the Vikings’ season at 14-5-1, a Red Division Championship under their belts but two disappointing postseason finishes — a first round exit in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV Tournament and a runner-up finish in the GMCT. Both came at the hands of an East Brunswick squad they had beaten twice during the regular season.
The Bears beat the Vikings 2-1 six days earlier in the state tournament. SBHS is now 0-2 all-time in the GMCT Championship and 0-4 all-time in Middlesex County championships.
"I’m extremely proud of the way the kids performed, I’m extremely proud of their heart," head coach Chris Hayston said after the loss. "Very disappointed for them. I thought they played very hard. We had our opportunities to win and unfortunately East Brunswick is a very good team and they finished with two and we finished with one.
"I’m disappointed for our players, because I think they’ve earned a title and unfortunately we couldn’t get it."
They couldn’t get it despite out-shooting the Bears 13-8 and having the better of play for most of the game.
The match began as a see-saw effort of possession for both teams, but it was East Brunswick who struck first in the 36th minute. Forward Evan Brandsdorfer sent a ball across the box to teammate Ryan Norland, who beat the defense and senior goalkeeper Chris DeSouza (six saves) to put the Bears up 1-0.
"We weren’t tight enough on our marks today, just slipping a little bit," said senior fullback Bryan Keller, who finished with a goal and seven assists in the season. "Just one little mistake and they capitalize on it. You can’t make mistakes in the back."
Eight minutes into the second, the Vikings responded.
After junior Sean Tyree beat his man and knocked the ball into the box, the ball was cleared back by junior midfielder Kazuki Yamada. Yamada’s ball was deflected to senior forward Troy Confessore, whose shot to the low right post was saved by EB goalie Zach Stahl (12 saves). But the ball bounced to senior forward Zach Zenda, who drilled it far corner for the equalizer.
"I thought Troy was going to finish the shot and luckily I got a couple steps on the defender and got the ball right on my feet," said Zenda, who finished as one of the top scorers in the GMC with 13 goals and five assists. "I thought right then and there we weren’t going to lose this game. It was just the best feeling to ever have, to score in the GMCT Championship game.
"Then a couple minutes later, what we worked on in practice, what we knew was going to come, happened."
And that was on another cross, three minutes later, this time off the throw-in by Jeremy Merkel.
His throw went far post to a loosely guarded Chris Fawzy, who headed the ball in for the eventual game-winner.
"It happens to us time and time again, every time we seem to score a goal, the other team comes and scores it right back down our throat," said Confessore, who finished with 10 goals and a team-leading nine assists. "It’s something we obviously can’t work on anymore, since it’s over, but it’s something we should have been ready for.
"The ball didn’t seem like it wanted to go in. It felt like there was a wall in front of the goal."
Down the stretch the Vikings had chances to tie, including an opportunity with nine minutes left when Confessore’s shot was saved by a diving Stahl and the ball bounced out to senior midfielder Mike Malfitano.
His shot hit off the post and bounced out to an EB defender.
"Even the goal we scored, their goalie (Stahl) came up big right before and the ball bounced right out to Zach," Hayston said. "Stahl came up big in the first half for them and he might have been the difference in the game."