By: Kyle Moylan Sports Editor
The way Laura Greb saw it, she was either going to bring her best game or a pillow and a blanket to the artificial turf field at Robbinsville High last Friday.
“There was no way I was going to leave this field without a win,” noted Greb, a senior that was playing before the home Robbinsville crowd for the last time in her career. “I would have been depressed if we lost. I might have slept here.”
Greb earned a warm bed and roof over her head by scoring all four of the goals as Robbinsville defeated David Brearley, 4-0, in the Central Jersey Group I title game at home on Friday.
Robbinsville advanced on to play South Jersey champion Gateway this past Tuesday night. The winner of that game will play for the Group I title on Saturday.
“It was insane how good this went,” Greb noted. “It’s kind of overwhelming.”
You know, kind of the way Greb played.
Nine minutes into the game, Greb took a pass from Kari Nickels and sliced a shot that beat a diving Krissy Pinho, David Brearley’s goalie, to her left.
Two minutes later, Greb stole a pass in the center of the field about 30 yards out. She then quickly launched a shot that beat Pinho to her right.
Greb wasn’t done. With 15:11 to play in the half, Greb took a pass from Gavy Kaplan and practically dribbled the ball all the way into the goal as she scored on a breakaway.
With a 3-0 lead, Robbinsville Coach Karen DeRossett was able to even sit down Greb and a few of the other starters for the remainder of the first half.
“We did very well,” DeRossett smiled. “I have no complaints.”
Robbinsville finished the game with an 18-5 advantage on shots. Mary Jane Seiler made five saves to record the shutout in goal. Pinho made 14 saves to keep the game as close at it was. But even those stats don’t quite tell how one-sided this game was.
“We play so many good teams in the CVC (Colonial Valley Conference) during the regular season that you have to play up to that level,” DeRossett said. “This team (David Brearley) plays a kick and run game. We’re more of a possession style. That worked out for us.”
There were times when Robbinsville was able to make 10 or 15 passes before David Brearley touched the ball. Robbinsville was in position where it could go on attack or control the ball in the midfield area almost at will.
Robbinsville went on the attack more in the middle of the second half. Carina Fleming had a shot that bounced off the crossbar. Greb also came close on a couple occasions before taking a feed from Nicole Hornberger and getting off a quick shot and goal with 17:51 to play.
“When the shot is open, I take it,” Greb said about scoring four goals that all differed in approach. “It doesn’t matter to me where it is on my foot or anything like that.”
All that mattered was winning.
Robbinsville has been totally dominating in its first two playoff games. The score was even more one-sided as Robbinsville opened the playoffs with a 5-0 win over Point Pleasant on November 11.
Amanda Douglass (two), Carina Fleming, Greb and Nicole Sandusky scored the goals for Robbinsville in that win. Fleming (two), Jen Bryan, Laura Greb and Gavy Kaplan had assists. Seiler needed to make only three saves to record the shutout in goal.
“We have a lot of talent,” DeRossett said. “If we can keep putting things together, we can go far. Hopefully we have two more games in us.”
That way Greb and her teammates can leave the blankets and pillows at home.
