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.
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. “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 semifinal match-up to head back to the nationals.
Brookdale’s path to a third straight regional championship was much easier than expected. Middlesex County College showed up for the semifinals with just eight players.
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.
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. 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.
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 Blues are scheduled to play the No. 7-seed Suffolk County Community College at 11 a.m. Nov. 12.