November turned into Bracket Busting Month in the NJSIAA girls state sectional soccer tournament. Locally, the tournament saw a No. 4 seed, Freehold High School, host the Central Jersey Group III championship match, while Marlboro advanced to the Central Jersey Group IV final as a No. 15 seed and did not play any of its tournament matches at home.
The Mustangs made their first appearance in a sectional final and played No. 1 seed Montgomery in the Nov. 10 final. Following a 2-2 tie, the Mustangs lost to the Cougars on penalty kicks, 4-2.
En route to the championship match, Marlboro won two matches on penalty kicks.
“I’ve always said penalty kicks are the best way to win and the worst way to lose,” Marlboro coach Tim McGeough said. “They made a couple more good shots than we did. It was a tough loss, but a great game. I am extremely proud of the girls. We got used to being on the road and being the underdog. They played a great game in the final.”
The Mustangs caught the once-beaten Cougars by surprise and built leads of 1-0 and 2-1.
“They didn’t expect us to play them as well as we did,” McGeough said. “They (Montgomery) deserve their record (18-1- 1). They are very athletic and skilled. We lost the lead twice to them. It showed the quality team Montgomery is. They kept coming back.”
Erica Goldman put the Mustangs ahead 1-0, only to haveAbby Hewel tie the match for the Cougars before the end of the first half.
Alexandra Asta gave Marlboro a 2-1 lead in the second half, but back came the Cougars, with Colleen Gaffney tying the match in the 67th minute.
Neither team scored again in regulation or overtime and it was on to penalty kicks. The Mustangs had already defeated Old Bridge and Manalapan on penalty kicks in the state tournament.
Montgomery took a 2-0 lead in the shootout and never looked back.
The Mustangs finished the season at 11- 9-1. With 14 players expected to return next fall, including nine juniors, McGeough said theMustangs could be poised to make a run next year because the players saw that they have the talent to do just that,
McGeough said Marlboro’s state tournament run was a matter of the Mustangs’ talented players gelling.
“It has definitely been an interesting few weeks, to say the least,” he said. “There was a time in the season where I wasn’t sure what the final outcome of our season would be, but we always believed we had a talented team that could make things happen.
“We told the girls on the first day tryouts were over, ‘This is your team and we think you have some special talent here that can really make an impact on this season,’ ” the coach said. “We have tried to stay grounded and just keep doing what we have been doing, trying to play solid soccer for a full 80 minutes per game.”
The coach credited Marlboro’s senior class for its leadership on a team that also includes three freshmen and three sophomores.
“Our entire senior class has really stepped up on and off the field,” he said. “The nice thing as a coach is that they are really great people, too, so they are nice to have in practice day in and day out. Jessica McFadden has been our go-to offensive player all year, and Rachel Weinberger and Danielle Casale have also been consistent offensive players for us every game.
“Deanna Marciano and goalie Allie Weinberg have also led a solid defensive attack all year as well,” he added. “They both have gotten better in each game we have played. Combined with junior Cathy Chakuka at sweeper, we have challenged every offense we have played in their attempt to score against us.”
The Mustangs began their string of upsets in the state sectional tournament by defeating Shore Conference A North Division champion Middletown South, 1-0. The Eagles had beaten the Mustangs twice in the regular season.
“We played two close games against them, so we knew we could play with them,” McGeough said. “We had to play a complete game in order to get a positive result.”
The Mustangs struck in the 15th minute when McFadden scored on a breakaway. A well-placed through-ball by Weinberger set McFadden up for the chance and she put it home. Weinberg stopped 13 shots to keep the Eagles off the scoreboard.
Marlboro rode the momentum of that victory to a shootout win over the No. 7 seed, Old Bridge. Marciano and McFadden scored in regulation for the Mustangs, with Goldman and Weinberger getting the assists. Christy Falzone scored both goals for Old Bridge as the teams battled to a 2-2 tie. Marlboro outscored the Knights, 3-2, on penalty kicks as McFadden, Goldman and Chakuka converted.
“That second-round win and getting into the [semifinals] gave us a boost,” Mc- Geough said.
Next up for Marlboro in the sectional semifinals was No. 11 seed Manalapan, which had scored some upsets of its own.
The third time around proved to be the charm for coach Rick Garretson’s Braves when they opened the state sectional tournament at Jackson Memorial High School in Jackson.
The Jaguars knocked Manalapan out of the state tournament in the last two years — in 2009 in the Central Jersey Group IV championship match and last year in the sectional semifinals.
The Braves got their revenge this year with a 3-0 win over the No. 6 seed Jaguars. Danielle Rizzo scored twice and Allison Carhart scored the other goal for Manal- apan. Jenna Baratta and Catherine Traina earned the assists. Keeper Brianne Nealon made three saves to record the shutout.
Manalapan had the opportunity to play its state sectional tournament quarterfinal match at home because No. 14 seed West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South upset its neighbor, No. 3 seed West Windsor Plainsboro High School North, 1-0.
The Braves took advantage of the home game to beat the Pirates, 1-0, on Carhart’s goal in the 28th minute. She headed in a perfect restart kick by Trainer. Nealon stopped eight shots to earn the shutout.
Manalapan hosted the sectional semifinal against Marlboro. The teams had split two meetings during the regular season.
McFadden and Manalapan’s Taylor Connors scored in regulation and the match remained 1-1 through overtime.
The contest went to penalty kicks and Marlboro outscored Manalapan, 4-3, to advance. McFadden converted the winning kick after Weinberg had come up with a huge save. Goldman, Chakuka and Jennifer Dennis also converted their penalty kicks.
Carhart, Olivia Grosso and Jessica Rubino converted their penalty kicks for Manalapan.
McGeough credited Marlboro’s tough Shore Conference A North Division schedule with having his team ready for the state sectional tournament. “I think A North really prepares you for tournament play, since you are playing tough teams week in and week out,” he said.
Freehold Township High School’s newly crowned Shore Conference soccer champions were the area’s highest-seeded team, No. 5 in Central Jersey Group IV. The Patriots beat No. 12 Steinert, 2-0, and No. 4 East Brunswick, 3-2, before losing to No. 1 seed Montgomery, 3-2, in overtime.
The Patriots won a state tournament match in overtime against East Brunswick when Marissa DeMonte scored on a rebound off a shot by Christina Camassa.
Camassa and Amanda Dailey scored in regulation time for the Patriots.
In the loss to Montgomery, Gabby Galanti and Madison Dunn scored for Freehold Township. The Patriots held a 2-1 lead before Montgomery’s Michelle Wiltse tied the match in the 71st minute. Catrina Atanda scored in the 88th minute to put an end to Freehold Township’s finest season. The Patriots finished the 2011 season with a record of 15-2-3.
In addition to beating Marlboro and Freehold Township, Montgomery also defeated Colts Neck High School in the Central Jersey Group IV state tournament. Colts Neck, seeded No. 8, defeated South Brunswick, 4-0, in its opening match, before losing to Montgomery, 7-2, in the sectional quarterfinals.