BY TIM MORRIS
Staff Writer
If Colts Neck keeps racking up the championships, it will become difficult for coach Art Collier to label a season a rebuilding year.
Last fall, in what was supposed to be a rebuilding campaign, Colts Neck’s boys soccer team won the A Central Division public school title.
“After we lost our last game last year [Princeton in the state playoffs] I knew we had some real holes to fill,” recalled Collier. “I was thinking ‘where am I going to get the people to fill them?’ ”
Collier got them from a surprising source, a group of freshmen who have helped turn another potential rebuilding year into a championship season. The Cougars went 8-3-1 in the division, winning by two games.
“We had freshmen who stepped up for us,” he pointed out. “You don’t expect that.”
Sean Hiller (midfield) and Lou Chiappone (defender) are two of the ninth-graders who helped save the day. Hiller, who moved from defense to midfield, has been very solid, while Chiappone has been a pleasant surprise as a marking back on defense.
Cameron Sorsby (midfield) and Justin Caltigirone (forward/midfield) are two other freshmen who have been having an impact.
Of course, Colts Neck (8-6-2) wouldn’t have repeated as the public school champions of A Central without it veterans, led by goalie Matt Novielli. He has been a fixture in goal since his freshman year and holds all of the Cougars’ records for wins (49) and shutouts (32). His presence alone keeps the Cougars in games.
Colts Neck also has a strong back-up in Dan Westendorf.
A.J. Alfano, Tom Cholulo, Sal Salvati and Alex Karakoglu, all veterans, have been generating the offense for the champions.
With a state championship banner already hanging in the gym, and back-to-back division titles, the Cougars are quietly becoming one of the Shore’s most successful soccer programs.
“We’re always looking to win, even in a rebuilding year,” said Collier. “We have a strong program top to bottom. Our freshmen went undefeated this year and our jayvee had a good record.”
The state playoffs begin this week and the Cougars will be looking to make some noise having gotten a first-round match at home.
The Cougars are the No. 5 seed in Central Jersey Group III and played their first round game in Colts Neck yesterday against 12th seed Hamilton West.
The winner of that match plays at No. 4-seeded Lakewood on Friday.
Colts Neck lost to Lakewood 1-0 in a Shore Conference Tournament game last week.
Freehold Township (9-7-1) and Marlboro (9-7-2) also qualified for the state playoffs. Both play in Central Jersey Group IV.
Freehold Township was the sectional finalist last year and is seeded 12th this year. The Patriots drew fifth-seeded Brick Memorial in the first round yesterday. This was a replay of last year’s CJ IV title game, won by the Mustangs.
Marlboro, which made the sectional final in 2002, comes into the tournament with four straight wins and on a roll. The Mustangs are seeded 13th and played at fourth-seeded Franklin yesterday.
Should Marlboro and Freehold Township win their games, they will play against each other on Friday at Freehold Township, the higher seed.