It only took the first week of the soccer season for Nicole Whitley to sense that the Freehold Township High School girls’ team was headed toward greatness.
“I thought after the first couple of games that we were capable of being the best Freehold Township team in history,” she said. “We were playing as a team. In past seasons, we were more individual. This year, it just clicked. When you’re a soccer player, you can tell.”
Whitley’s assessment of the Patriots proved to be accurate. On Nov. 21 at Kean University in Union, they became the program’s greatest team by playing undefeated Ridge to a scoreless tie and sharing the NJSIAA Group IV championship with the Red Devils.
The tie didn’t sit well with the Patriots immediately afterward.
“We were disappointed,” Whitley said. “We knew we could hang with them. Both teams had chances.”
But after taking some time to reflect on what the Patriots did, co-state champions sounded pretty good.
“I’m proud of how far we came,” Whitley said. “We played in all 26 games possible [to play]. It was an amazing accomplishment.”
The Patriots saved their best soccer for the state playoffs.
“The girls have really stepped up this postseason,” Patriots head coach Dave Patterson said. “We have been really getting it done on both ends of the field.”
The first step toward program history was advancing to the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group IV championship for the first time, where they rallied from a 2-0 deficit at halftime to defeat Hunterdon Central Regional High School, 3-2, when Lacey Powell headed in Whitley’s corner kick in the final 30 seconds of the match.
Whitley said that comeback showed the team had the heart and desire to go further in the playoffs.
After winning the program’s first sectional final, the Patriots were underdogs to South Jersey champion Shawnee High School. That hardly bothered them. After weathering the Renegades’ first-half attack, Whitley scored in the 67th minute to pave the way for the 1-0 triumph.
Goalkeeper Kaela Chadziutko had a performance that would be a precursor of the state final, stopping 10 shots in the semifinals and getting the shutout.
In the Group IV final, the Patriots were again the underdog to undefeated Ridge (23-0).
“Being the underdog in this game helped,” Whitley said. “We had nothing to lose. There was no pressure.”
Ridge looked every bit the part of an undefeated team, hurting the Patriots early with their team speed, especially up front with their wings.
Patterson pointed out that the Patriots expected the Red Devils to come out flying. The goal was to withstand the early onslaught. When the Patriots did, they were able to settle the game down and turn it into a more back-and-forth game. They were also able to get the Red Devils out of their game.
“[Ridge is] a possession team, and they were playing more direct,” Patterson said. “Our back line stood tall all night.
“Everyone did their part.”
Caleigh Farrell, Jada Colbert and Kiersten Rezkowski made up the Patriots’ back line that was helped by midfielders Nicole Sasso and Powell coming back to help the defensive effort. Patterson congratulated goalie Chadziutko after the game for playing her best game of the year.
Chadziutko, though, was quick to credit her teammates.
“It was a team effort,” she said. “We communicated and worked as a team.”
The goalie said her only concerns were making plays and keeping her focus. She was especially effective playing corner kicks and not giving up rebounds. She made eight saves en route to another playoff shutout. Whitley, Powell and Jasmine Colbert were the Patriots’ most consistent offensive weapons on the night.
There was no celebration after the final horn sounded. Both teams had come to the state finals to win. But they realized that being a co-champion is still a champion.
“This is a huge accomplishment for the program,” Chadziutko said.
Freehold Township completed its season with a 20-4-2 record, having earned the right to call itself the school’s best.