One thing that Brookdale Community College women’s soccer head coach Katie Miller has learned about her team this fall, it’s that the players have each others’ backs.
The Jersey Blues have had a target on their backs since the start of the season, as the two-time defending National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) Division III champions. They’ve received everyone’s best shot throughout the 2015 season, yet they never let complacency or a sense of entitlement slip in. They’ve kept their focus and made history.
The Jersey Blues have met all the challenges facing a defending champion and are back in the national championship tournament seeking a third straight NJCAA title.
What has helped the Jersey Blues’ return to the national tournament has been the way the players play for each other. Miller noted the Jersey Blues have been very good throughout the season at picking up the slack. If someone is having an off-game, there is someone who can fill in for her. If someone makes a mistake on the field, someone is there to back her up. The Jersey Blues are 17 players deep, and everyone has contributed.
“They truly are a team,” the head coach said. “They’ve come together as a team and they figure out what needs to be done.”
Brookdale, ranked No. 2 in the country in the most recent national poll, is 16-1. The Jersey Blues won the Garden State Athletic Conference (GSAC) championship (7-0) and, with an 11-0 region record, were the top seed for the Region 19 Tournament held Oct. 31 at Snyder Park in Berkeley Heights. Two teams qualify for the nationals out of Region 19, so the Jersey Blues just needed to win their semifinals matchup to head back to the nationals. Rowan College at Gloucester County won the other semifinal, beating Ocean County College on penalty kicks.
Brookdale’s path to a third straight region championship was much easier than expected. Middlesex County College showed up to the semifinals matchup against Brookdale with just eight players.
“I would have enjoyed a much more competitive game, but I’ll take it,” Miller said. “We went out and played Brookdale soccer.”
That means possessing the ball through short passes, building the attack from the back to the front and utilizing the forwards’ speed.
In Brookdale’s 11-0 victory, Heather Arbachesky (Wall) and Aubrey Jones (Manasquan) paced the Jersey Blues’ attack with four goals each. Jones added a pair of assists and Arbachesky had one.
Endila Radoncic (Matawan), Brittney Ramsey (Manasquan) and Meredith Parleman (Middletown North) each struck for one goal in the romp.
Jones was named the Offensive Most Valuable Player, while Colleen Branagan (Matawan) was the Defensive MVP. As she looks ahead to the national tournament and perhaps a third straight national championship, Miller said she knows her team is ready physically and skill-wise. She had the team play top competition outside the region, including four games against Division I teams that Brookdale won.
“I’m most proud of our record against Division I teams,” she said. “We’ve seen the level of play that we’ll see [at the national championships].”
Once again, Brookdale’s men’s team, which lost in the region semifinals, will help the women prepare by participating in practices.
While the Jersey Blues are ready physically and have shown that they can play with anyone, Miller’s biggest concern is getting the team, which features 12 freshmen, mentally prepared for what they will see in Toms River.
“I have to make sure that all 17 are understanding what playing for a national championship really means,” she said. “For 90 minutes or more, we have to be ready to play. Every 50/50 will mean something.”
Goalie Marti Stewart (Marlboro), one of the sophomore veterans of the 2014 championship, said she and the upperclassmen know what the freshmen are going through and have been doing their best to prepare them for what they will experience this week.
From her own experience, Stewart said that the first 15 to 20 minutes of the first game will be critical. She said the players will be anxious and a little nervous before settling down and getting into their games. After that, the goalie said it’s just another game.
Ocean County College is hosting the NJCAA Division III National Championship in Toms River Nov. 12-15.
Brookdale is seeded No. 2 behind Herkimer College. The Jersey Blue are scheduled to play the No. 7-seed Suffolk County Community College at 11 a.m. Nov. 12.
Several Jersey Blues have received post-season honors, led by Arbachesky, who was named the Region 19 Player of the Year. She and teammates Ashley Cafarella Old Bridge), Simone McEnough (Neptune) and Stewart were All-Region First Team picks. Parleman was named to the Second Team, and Amanda Karabin (Wall) was selected to the Third Team.
Arbachesky, McEnough, Cafarella and Stewart were named to the All-GSAC First Team, while Second Team recognition went to Parleman.
Arbachesky leads the Jersey Blues in scoring heading into the national tournament. The freshman has scored 18 goals and assisted on 12 more for 48 points. McEnough has 14 goals and 10 assists, while Jones also has a double-double with 12 goals and 11 assists. Cafarella has chipped in with 12 goals and six assists.
Brookdale is averaging 5.1 goals a match.
Stewart has registered 11 shutouts and has a save percentage of .920. Her goals-against average is 0.41.