Cougars come back against upset-minded Brick
By: Justin Feil
Winning, 5-3, in penalty kicks is one thing.
Winning, 5-4, in regulation is something entirely new to the Montgomery High School girls’ soccer team, which did so against Brick Memorial in the Central Jersey Group IV semifinals Monday.
"I don’t think we’ve ever won a 5-4 game in my coaching career," said seven-year MHS coach Jeremy Beardsley. "To score five goals in that tight a game is incredible. It’s been our M.O. to commit to defense. Today, they have a girl that throws the ball 40 yards. We knew it going in the box, we practiced it. They still scored two or three goals off it. It was so difficult to defend it."
No. 14 Brick used the weapon to put the second-seeded Cougars at a quick 2-0 disadvantage. MHS, behind three goals from Lauren McClintic, fought back. McClintic tied the game after Carey Youmans scored the first goal for MHS on a breakaway. Marcia Voigt notched the other Cougar goal. McClintic had the third goal and the eventual game-winning fifth goal because Brick scored with seconds left in regulation to make it a one-goal win. McClintic brought her goal total to 20 for the season.
"I’m proud of how resilient my team is," said Beardsley after his team improved to 19-2. "To be down 2-0, and fight back and tie it and get a lead, and they came back and tied it and then we went ahead, I’m so proud of the effort they put out. They’re a young team and they’re playing big and playing tough. We’re getting a lot of effort from a lot of different kids. I’m proud we get to go to the Central Jersey IV final against the best team in the state and see what happens."
MHS will play at No. 1 Steinert, a 3-0 winner over Middletown North, 2 p.m. Thursday for the sectional championship. Steinert was a big winner when the teams scrimmaged each other in the preseason, but the Cougars have picked up in the regular season from last year’s Group III state championship form.
"Our history the last couple years of winning and being a winning team and winning program certainly factors in," Beardsley said. "There are different girls and different stories every year. We’ve had some injuries. We’ve overcome some injuries. We’ve come back from some real deficits. We came back today from a team that was tough and nasty.
"This is the most wins we’ve ever had," he added. "It’s incredible that we’ve topped last year. We lost six seniors from the team. We only have three seniors this year and one that starts. It’s a tremendous story. I’m so proud of girls."
He’ll be prouder still if Montgomery can pull off the upset of unbeaten Steinert. The preseason look gave the Cougars an idea of Steinert’s strength. Now the teams will square off at the end of the season with everything on the line.
"Steinert starts eight or nine seniors," Beardsley said. "I start one. It’s a final. Anything can happen. I hope we give them a good battle and they have to earn it."