Monroe’s boys soccer season ends with loss in state final

BY JIMMY ALLINDER Correspondent

 Monroe Township High School players react to their 3-2 double-overtime loss to Millburn High School in the NJSIAA Group IV final. The state championship match was played on Dec. 1 at The College of New Jersey in Ewing.  ERIC SUCAR staff Monroe Township High School players react to their 3-2 double-overtime loss to Millburn High School in the NJSIAA Group IV final. The state championship match was played on Dec. 1 at The College of New Jersey in Ewing. ERIC SUCAR staff A s you enter Monroe Township, you will notice signposts that declare, “Welcome to Monroe Township, Home of the 1987 State Soccer Champions”.

After 25 years, these signs now show their age, looking discolored and rusty around the edges. All that’s needed to replace them is another state title.

That’s not going to happen this year.

Following a second place regular season finish in the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) Red Division, the Monroe Township High School boys soccer team reeled off 10 straight victories while capturing the GMC and NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV tournament titles. That streak finally came to an end on Dec. 1 at The College of New Jersey, when Millburn High School posted a 3-2 double overtime victory against the Falcons in the state Group IV championship final. Monroe’s season concludes at 20-6 and the loss ironically came against the opponent it shared the state Group II crown with a quarter century ago when that game ended in a tie.

Monroe coach Steve MacKenzie was understandably disappointed at the loss because the winning goal came despite an apparent offside that was not called, but it also meant the end of what has been a memorable season. But MacKenzie put aside his feelings about the lack of a call and focused on what it meant to coach this year’s team compared to the 13 others during his tenure.

“After the game,” said MacKenzie, “we talked about how much everybody contributed to building this program and that now we have a foundation for the future. When I first arrived, all the coaches talked about bringing the program to an elite level. We’re closer after what happened this year. I trust those who continue playing will carry all the emotions that came with this season and continue building so we can build to the point where we can be in these kinds of games all the time.”

Following a spirited first half, during which Millburn jumped out to a 2-0 lead, the Falcons narrowed the margin to 2-1 with under a minute remaining when Sean Doyle netted a goal. The game became knotted, 2-2, in the second half when Doyle capitalized on a penalty kick. However, the contest took a decided turn against Monroe when a Falcons player received a second yellow card and was disqualified, forcing the team to play a man short. When ask to compare this team to the ones he’s coached in the past, MacKenzie spoke of the dedication each player had toward achieving a common goal.

“I can’t tell you how proud I am of each player,” he said. “Every day was an absolute pleasure, not only because of how they played the game, but how they conducted themselves as individuals. We started the season with high expectations, and the decisions I made during the regular season were designed to prepare us for the tournaments. Our players did a great job of paying attention to detail and improving themselves in situations that may have hurt us in past games. That proved to be invaluable in the postseason.”

Another area boys soccer team, South River High School, also saw its dreams of a state championship come to an end last week. The Rams were eliminated on penalty kicks after playing Haddon Heights High School to a 2-2 tie after double overtime in the state Group I semifinals.

South River had advanced to the game with a 2-0 victory over New Egypt High School, which enabled the Rams to win the Central Jersey Group I championship. They finished with a 19-3-1 record. South River was led in scoring by senior Feli Csombok, who netted 31 goals and assisted on 10.