Warriors fall shy of Group I championship in finals loss

By WAYNE WITKOWSKI
Correspondent

 New Egypt High School’s Travis Ward (11) moves the ball forward during the NJSIAA Group I finals played on Nov. 24 at The College of New Jersey in Ewing against David Brearley High School. The Warriors’ bid for the state title was thwarted by Brearley, 3-0.  SCOTT FRIEDMAN New Egypt High School’s Travis Ward (11) moves the ball forward during the NJSIAA Group I finals played on Nov. 24 at The College of New Jersey in Ewing against David Brearley High School. The Warriors’ bid for the state title was thwarted by Brearley, 3-0. SCOTT FRIEDMAN The New Egypt High School boys soccer team found that speed killed its drive to an NJSIAA Group I championship when it fell to David Brearley High School, 3-0, at The College of New Jersey on Nov. 24.

“They have great team speed and stretched us out on the big field,” said coach Sam Palumbo, as the Warriors ended their winningest season at 23-3 and their furthest advance in the state tournament with their first Central Jersey sectional title. It was the second shutout loss for the Warriors, who lost to Timber Creek Regional High School, 1-0, in the South Jersey Coaches Association Tournament quarterfinals. They also lost to Cinnaminson High School, 2-1.

“We’re a senior-laden team, so I didn’t think they were nervous,” Palumbo said. “But this was a great season. I’ve been with a lot of them for four years, and some of them started for four years. I’m so proud of everything they’ve done.”

It also marked the end of a great career for Travis Ward, who finished the season with a school record of 30 goals, but he could not convert opportunities that his teammates tried to give him in the state finals. New Egypt was outshot, 13-8, and finished the season with a 109- 22 scoring edge, including an impressive 2-1 overtime victory over 21-game winner Haddon Township High School in the Group I semifinals.

“They were definitely sending two or three guys my way, but I thought I was able to overcome it,” said Ward, who is being recruited by a number of colleges, with Rowan University making a strong push. “I always try bringing my best game every single game and thought it was there today. I and my team couldn’t finish and they did.” It was the first state title outright for Brearley, which shared a title in 1990 and lost in the 1989 championship game.

Phil Costa opened the scoring with a shot into the lower left corner from the right side just 2:13 into the game, the earliest any team had struck against the Warriors this year. New Egypt had a goal by Ward in front of the net off a corner kick by Nick Sample called back on an obstruction call in the 27th minute.

That’s when Federico De Oliviera pumped in the next two goals that sent Brearley on to its 20th victory in 22 games. The first one came when he took a pass from Castro down the right side and looped a high arcing shot beyond the reach of starting goalkeeper Ryan Grasso at the 45th minute. Both coaches and Ward agreed afterward that the second goal was the turning point of the game.

Oliviera, the team’s top goal scorer, sealed it in the 71st minute with a high arcing shot into the upper left corner beyond the reach of Connor Ingenbrandt, who again stepped in to play in goal for the second half as he has done throughout the season.

Brearley goalie Kevin Felipe did not allow a goal in the tournament.

“When we had the ball, we were at pace the whole game and were as sharp as we’ve been all season,” said coach Vinny Mc- Gowan, who has coached at Brearley for 17 seasons. “We knew it was going to take that kind of an effort, and for my players to perform the way they did leaves me speechless.”

In the second half, both goalies made dramatic saves on one-on-one opportunities just moments apart, with Felipe turning away a shot by Nick Romano.