Brookdale Community College All-American Chelsea James is among the nation’s leading scorers. The sophomore helped the Jersey Blues become the No. 1 ranked team in the country. BROOKDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE ATHLETICS Being the No. 1-ranked Division III women’s soccer program in the country may not get Brookdale Community College anywhere right now, but it certainly indicates how well the Jersey Blues are playing.
Brookdale, 12-1 on the season and in first place of the Garden State Athletic Conference and Region 19, has been the topranked team in the National Junior College Athletic Association’s (NJCAA) poll the last two weeks.
Head coach Katie Miller isn’t all that surprised that her team is playing at such a high level.
“I had a good feeling in the summer with the way they were playing together,” the head coach said. “We’ve come a long way.”
What separates the Jersey Blues and the rest of the field is the way they maintain possession of the ball. They are playing the beautiful game beautifully.
“Our game is possession,” Miller said. “When we talk to each other and play the feet, no one can beat us. I believe that.”
The proof is there, as Brookdale has outscored its opponents, 74-5, with seven shutouts.
“I have a group of good kids who know the game,” Miller said. “I couldn’t be more proud of these kids.”
Miller has no fear that complacency will set in with the one-sided nature of the team’s wins, especially with sophomore leaders like returning All-American Chelsea James (Howell) and Lauren Bowler (Red Bank Regional).
“Chelsea really is a natural leader,” Miller said. “Lauren, our outside defender, has been moved around because of injuries we’ve had.
“They work well together,” she added.
James is among the leading scorers in the country with 50 points on 18 goals and 14 assists. She ranks second in the nation in scoring and in assists.
Freshman Caroline Duerr (Manasquan) has used her blazing speed to score 16 times and assist on seven others for 39 points, which is eighth most in the country. She has the most game-winning goals on the team with three. “Caroline is so fast,” Miller said. “I’ve not seen a team that can stay with her.” Another ex-Rebels standout, Alexa Masino, has found the back of the net 13 times and has two assists. She is tied for 20th in the country with 28 points.
In all, 13 players have scored goals for the Jersey Blues. That’s the kind of balance that any coach would love. The 74 goals scored by Brookdale are the most in the country, as are the 68 assists. The 15.5 shots per game that the Jersey Blues are averaging ranks 10th in the nation. Bowler, who has scored four goals and assisted on seven, anchors a defense that is permitting just 0.38 goals a game. Devon Carney (South Amboy), Ali Maddock (Henry Hudson Regional) and Caitlin Fisher (Howell) are the nucleus of the backfield.
Kinneman, a sophomore, has a .912 save percentage and seven clean sheets. She ranks third in the country in goalsagainst average and save percentage.
Besides leadership, anything keeping the Jersey Blues from complacency is an early-season 2-1 loss to Finger Lakes Community College. The Jersey Blues completely outplayed Finger Lakes, which scored on its only two shots on goal.
“They learned that even if they play well, there’s still a chance they could lose,” Miller said. “They know they have to come out and play their best.”
That best has been pretty overwhelming.
Brookdale closes out its regular season with two home games on Oct. 15 against Sussex County Community College and on Oct. 19 against the County College of Morris (noon)
The Region 19 Tournament will be played at Ocean County College in Toms River starting on Oct. 21. The Jersey Blues appear headed toward the top seed and a potential first-round bye.
The region is loaded with No. 1 Brookdale, No. 6 Gloucester County College (9-1) and No. 7 Ocean County College (6-2) in the field.
Region 19 will send two teams to the NJCAA Tournament. The winners of the Oct. 26 semifinals will be declared co-champions and advance to the national tournament, which is Nov. 7-10 at Tompkins Cortland Community College in Dryden, N.Y.