Coach Dan Keane was convinced from the start of the preseason that the 2011 Christian Brothers Academy soccer team would be the school’s best squad ever. The players in the Colts’ all-senior lineup also knew it was their chance to bring the successful program to new heights.
In the NJSIAA Non-Public A state tournament, the Colts rolled past Gloucester Catholic, 6-1, and St. Augustine Prep, 5-0, to reach the Nov. 14 championship match against the Delbarton School.
As Delbarton battled CBAto a scoreless tie after 80 minutes of regulation time, some people may have feared that the Colts’ bid for a state title and the first unbeaten, untied season in school history could be lost with one well-timed kick for a Delbarton goal.
Those fears ended quickly when Zack Hicks served the ball to Scott Thomsen, who volleyed in the game-winning goal inside the near post just 72 seconds into overtime as CBAended its season 21-0 with the 1-0 victory.
Hicks had come in from the left and found Thomsen on the right side. Thomsen scored his 12th goal of the season off Hicks’ 12th assist.
In a regular season match between the teams in September, Thomsen scored the lone goal in CBA’s 1-0 victory. The CBA players well remembered that hard-earned victory and a 3-1 loss to Delbarton in their opening game in 2010 before they went 18- 1-1 the rest of the way.
Thomsen had been hampered by a quad injury that limited his playing time late this season, but he recovered in time to take the field for the biggest game of the year.
Goalkeeper Steve Donato recorded his 14th shutout in the championship match.
For the season, CBA outscored its opponents, 83-8.
The Colts’ 1998 team was the only other one under Keane that was unbeaten, but had two ties in a 20-0-2 season, beating Delbarton in the state finals that year.
“This is a rarity in high school soccer, to have all seniors — and just about all of our starters were back from last year,” Keane said early in the season.
His 2010 team lost to St. Joseph’s of Metuchen in the NJSIAA South Jersey Non-Public A semifinals on penalty kicks after playing to a 2-2 tie. “We knew this was a special group,” said Keane, who felt there wasn’t much left to say beyond what the group showed on the field. “They were together since freshman year and talented in all phases of the game from defense to midfield. You could see this was the best team in school history.”
It was the fifth state title in 15 trips to the finals for CBA, which won it in 1992, 1998, 2000 and 2002. The Colts also won the Shore Conference Tournament title, their first since 2004, in a 4-0 victory over Holmdel, and they went unbeaten for the second straight year in the Shore Conference A North Division.
Prior to the state championship, the Colts had perhaps their most dramatic victory of the season in the Shore Conference Tournament semifinals, coming from behind to beat Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School, 2-1.
And they did it with a unique 4-5-1 configuration that stacked a lot of the talent and strength in the middle. Bob Cartas, the lone forward, pumped in 15 goals. Cartas had an opportunity to put the Colts ahead in the first half of the state championship match, but Delbarton goalie Luke Rossi made a superb save.
In center midfield, Thomsen was joined by Nick Villani and Chris Thorsheim, who had eight goals and 14 assists. Hicks and Mike Romano were on the outside. Romano had a chance on a header served by Hicks in the second half of the state final, but his shot went over the bar.
Senior midfielder Matt Jelinsky contributed seven goals to the attack.
Sean Leister was the sweeper and Alex Lazzaro was the stopper, while Connor Reale and Dan Pizzimenti were the outside backs on a seemingly impenetrable defense that limited scoring chances by the high level teams in tournament competition.
Next year will be a total rebuilding season.“ It will be a different team with different expectations,” Keane said. “Right now we’re not even thinking about that. We’re going to be enjoying this one for a while longer.”
The only non-seniors on CBA’s 2011 roster were two juniors who were backup goalkeepers, Zack Tashjy and Chris Tatibone.