Courier-Post from Camden, New Jersey • Page 32

courlerpostonline.comvarsity 4E COURIER-POST, Wednesday, November 14, 2007 VARSITY EXTM Cross stopped in state NEWARK ACADEMY 1, HOLY CROSS 0 Key players Marc Murray scored the lone goal in the win for Newark Academy. Making history: Tuesday's game was the Lancers' first appearance in a state final since 1989. Quote: "We're a young team and we're only losing four people," Holy Cross sophomore Colin Reilly said. "We'll be back (in the state finals) next year." er solid opportunity during the closing moments of the first half when Garfing slipped into the box after a corner kick by Sean Quinn, but Holy Cross keeper Sean Huff made a lunging save to keep the Lancers in the game. Despite being outplayed for the majority of the game, the Lancers still had a few solid runs, highlighted by Colin Reilly's loly By ANDRE WATSON Courier-Post Staff EWING Holy Cross High School boys' soccer coach Tom Guida won't have any regrets when he looks back on his first season as coach of the Lancers.

After all, finishing as the state runner-up in your first year as a head coach isn't too bad. Marc Murray's goal 12 minutes into the first half proved to be the difference as Newark Academy edged Holy Cross 1-0 to win the Non-Public state championship. "1 can't wait until next year," Guida said. "I feel we had a great S- ft Washington Twp. comes up short Buys' Soccer group of guys this year and I'm only graduating four guys from this team, but we're going to have our core back next year.

And we hope to be here (in the state finals), at the same time and at the same place next year." After the first 10 minutes of the first half produced few chances for either team, the Minute-men struck when forward Scott Garfing found Murray for a goal with 28:43 left in the half. Despite appearing in its first state final in more than three decades, Newark Academy didn't seem to have any jitters as the 5 i 1 -i i SCOTT ANDERSONCourier-Post Lenape girls' soccer players celebrate after beating Hamilton East 2-1 In a Group 4 state semifinal at Neptune on Tuesday. One step closer to history Lenape is where it expected to be in Group 4 state final By KEVIN CALLAHAN Courier-Post Staff NEPTUNE Even the thick fog that hovered over the turf at Neptune Memorial Field couldn't hide the success of the Washington Township High School boys' soccer team this year. The Minutemen advanced to their first Group 4 state semifinal on Tuesday night. That means Washington Township had captured its first-ever South Jersey sectional title.

A feat no one can ever take away. On a cold night with a mysterious fog lit up under the lights, Washington Township allowed two goals in the second half in a 20 loss to Manalapan that ended the Minutemen's magical season. The Township defense was strong for the first 50 minutes. But after a scoreless first half, Manalapan's Adam Rice scored with 30:01 left and the Braves' Greg Grzelak provided a two-goal cushion with 21:29 left "Obviously, we wanted to take the whole championship, but nothing can take away what we did," Washington Township senior goalie Kevin McMullen said. "We still made school histo-ry.

The Minutemen, No. 2 in the Courier-Post Top 20, defeated No. 4 Lenape in the Group 4 sectional final earlier this week. Washington Township also won the powerful Olympic Conference American Division championship. "We won our first conference since 1990 and we won our first-ever sectional, and that is something to be proud of," senior co-captain Chris Dunn said.

Washington Township (17-3-2) was undefeated through its first 11 games with two ties, before losing 2-0 to Lenape. The only other loss was 1-0 in overtime to top-ranked Ocean City. "We should be proud of what we did with our program," McMullen said. This season is especially memorable for the senior class final. breakaway attempt eight minutes into the second half.

But like most of the opportunities Holy Cross had, Reilly's run didn't translate into a decent shot on goal. "I thought I had it, I just misread the keeper," Reilly said. "I didn't use all my speed to get to the ball." Senior midfielder Tim Cocoz-za said that although the Lancers would love to have walked away with a state title, the loss wasn't going to take away from the accomplishments they had in 2007. "We had a great year," Cocoz-za said. Reach Andre Watson at jamwatsonOcour ierpostonline.com MANALAPAN 2 WASHINGTON TWP.

0 What Group 4 state semifinal Turning point After a scoreless first half, Manalapan's Adam Rice scored with 30:01 left, advancing his team to its first state final in history. Did you know? Washington Township played in the first state semifinal game in school history. since it gave veteran Minutemen coach Tom Patterson his first sectional title, too. "We owed it to coach Patterson and our coaches, we owed it to everyone in school," Washington Township senior Tony Ver-chio said about the sweetness of winning the first sectional title. "I just wished we could've taken the cake." Central Jersey champion Manalapan, which advanced to the state final last year, plays at 6 p.m.

Friday night against North Jersey semifinal winner Clifton at The College of New Jersey. "It is a great testament to our seniors to take us further than anyone has before," said Patterson, who started the program 37 years ago. "I would be happier if this was the team to win the state title, but it was still a great accomplishment. "We played a very good team and gave our hearts out," Patterson added. "We tried all night, but we couldn't get a goal." Manalapan (20-3-2) won its three playoff games by a combined score of 5-0, including a pair of 1-0 wins in its last two games.

"Give Manalapan credit they are a great team and took it to us," said Verchio, who scored the lone goal in the sectional title victory over Lenape. "But I give my teammates credit, too. They gave me a great senior season." The pair of 2-0 losses to Lenape and Manalapan were the only two-goal defeats all season. "We worked hard all summer, we played all day long," Dunn said about the dedication of this year's team. "We could've been at the pool swimming, but we played soccer." Washington Township goaftender Kevin McMullen leaps to make a save over teammate Tony Verchio (right) and Manalapan's Adam Rice In the Group 4 state semifinal Tuesday.

SCOTT ANDERSON Courier-Post slow down Schalick's dynamic duo and contain the Cougars' supporting cast at the same time. So while New Providence was able to hold down Borton and Co-pare for 73 minutes, at least the Cougars' supporting cast helped deliver a 2-0 Schalick win in a Group 1 state semifinal match Tuesday at Toms River South High School. "We want to go out with a bang, like I've told everybody," Schalick midfielder Tyler Norton said. "This is our year. This is where we're supposed to be." Minutemen controlled much of the play in the first half.

"There was no one on me, so (Garfing) just laid (the ball) off to me and I side-footed it in," Murray said. Although Holy Cross had success in its first appearance on turf this season when it defeated Bishop Eustace 1-0 in the Non-Public South final last week at Holm-del High School, Guida's squad seemed to have trouble with the surface at TCNJ, which made the ball move much quicker. And even though a quick trip to an indoor facility in Cherry Hill the day before the South final helped them prepare for the turf at Holmdel last week, Guida said IT: .5 The talent level and the fortitude of the Indians was evident by scoring two second-half goals against the stingy Spartans. Hamilton East (20-3-1) was stung for the two goals after not allowing a goal in its four previous playoff games. The Spartans had outscored their playoff opponents 12-0.

"The girls deserve this," Meder said. "They look out for one another and they are friends. There is no substitute for team chemistry and they have it." The Indians also have dangerous offensive players. Carolyn Wiley, a sophomore, scored the first goal to break a scoreless tie with 32:03 left in the second half on a crossing pass The pressure was on both teams after the game was tied 1-1 after 80 minutes of regulation and 20 minutes of overtime at Toms River East High School. Fogarty, a senior, said he regards penalty kicks as "fun" and that he was confident going into the deciding sequence.

"It's fun for some, it's stressful for some," Fogarty said. Garza had other thoughts after learning that Ocean City coach Mike Pellegrino had Garza listed as his fifth and final shooter. "That really made me nervous," Garza said. Ocean City had taken a 1-0 lead with 25:21 remaining in the second half on a goal by Kevin Curran, who converted a header pass from Clayton Harper off a it took a while for his team to adjust to the speed of the quicker artificial surface at TCNJ. "We actually tried to change up our gameplan a little bit," Guida said.

"I was realizing that our midfielders weren't picking up too much, so we decided to try to knock the ball deep into the corners and play the second ball." Newark Academy had anoth t-v LENAPE 2 HAMILTON EAST 1 What Group 4 state semifinal Next The Indians play in the state finals against Bridgewater-Raritan at 9:30 am Saturday at The College of New Jersey. Turning point Just five minutes after Hamilton East scored to tie the game, Lenape senior Jen Pfeiffer scored the deciding goal with 1 1 :25 left in the game. Key player Carolyn Wiley scored the first goal for the Indians to break a scoreless tie with 32:03 left in the second half. Did you know? Hamilton East had not allowed a goal in four previous playoff games. from Walsh.

"I just wanted to get something on it," Wiley said about depositing the pass with a swift kick. "When it went in, it felt amazing. We said all year we wanted to get here (state final)." Walsh won an inbounds pass in the right corner and just turned and fired toward the net "I just crossed it and crossed my fingers," Walsh said. "I heard a sound and knew it was good." Lenape hopes to hear more of the same sounds Saturday in the state championship. "This was our goal," Meder said about reaching the state final.

"We expected to get here, now we expect to win it" Reach Kevin Callahan at corner by Garza. But West Windsor North, the No. 12 seed, tied the score on a great individual play by speedy forward Eric Kelly with a little more than seven minutes to play. Fogarty got Ocean City off to a great start in penalty kicks by making a diving stop of West Windsor North's first attempt. "That was huge," Fogarty said.

"It's so important to score first in PKs." Curran, Justin Heckler and Nick Lombardi scored in PKs for Ocean City. But West Windsor North also scored three times to even things before Garza buried a shot in the right corner. Reach Phil Anastasia at (856) 486-2424. SCOn ANDERSONCourier-Post Hamilton East's Jacquelyn Becker and Lenape's Nicole Curry battle for the ball during Tuesday's Group 4 state semifinal. By KEVIN CALLAHAN Courier-Post Staff NEPTUNE In this memorable season in which the Lenape High School girls' soccer team has already won the South Jersey Coaches Tournament, the Indians can now make history.

This veteran Lenape team is positioned to win its first state title after defeating Hamilton East 2-1 in the Group 4 state semifinals on a foggy Tuesday night at Neptune Memorial Field. "This is awesome," Jen Pfei-ffer said just moments after scoring the game-winning goal in another one-goal win for the Indians. "I'm a senior and you can't ask for more than this." Except, of course, to win the next one. The one they covet the most "We've worked so hard all year, for this to actually happen is amazing," senior Lindsey Walsh said about advancing to the finals. The Indians play in the state finals against Bridgewater-Rari-tan at 9:30 a.m.

Saturday at the College of New Jersey. "It is an unbelievable fcieling," Lenape coach Kevin Meder said. "The girls have done so much and have been working so hard since August hying to reach the final." Pfeiffer sent the Indians into the final with 11:25 left in the game just five minutes after Hamilton East had tied it with a magnificent individual effort. "I saw the goalie inch out a J) iV i A bit, I picked up my head and just chipped it over her," said Pfeiffer, who has committed to Saint Joseph's University. "I think she thought I would cross it." Lenape (21-2-1) has now been in 17 one-goal games and has won 15 of them.

The Indians also had one-goal playoff wins over Cherokee and then Toms River North in the South Jersey final. In addition to these close elimination games, the Indians have been pushed seemingly each game this year in the powerful Olympic Conference American Division. "It is a testament to the character of the girls," Meder said. "They are great soccer players and even better people." OCEAN CITY 1 W. WINDSOR NORTH 1 Ocean City wins In PKs, 4-3 What Group 3 state semifinal Key players: Goalie John Fogarty made a big save in PKs and Caleb Garza buried the winning PK for Ocean City.

Man In the middle: Midfielder Neal Melchionni played a great all-around game for Ocean City. Next Ocean City plays Ramapo In the Group 3 state championship game at 8 p.m. Friday at TCNJ. The College of New Jersey. "We're a team that handles pressure," said Garza, a junior.

"When pressure is coming, we take it." Ocean City advances in penalty lacks Schalick reaches final By PHIL ANASTASIA Courier-Post Staff TOMS RIVER John Fogarty was confident, and Caleb Garza was nervous, but the outcome was the same for both Ocean City High School boys' soccer players. Fogarty made a great save on the first penalty kick and Garza buried the last as Ocean City won the Group 3 state semifinal with a 4-3 advantage in penalty kicks over West Windsor-Plains-boro North Tuesday night. With the victory, top-ranked Ocean City improved its record to 23-0-1 and advanced to Friday night's Group 3 state championship game against Ramapo, a 5-0 winner over Parsippany Hills, at By BEN WATANABE Gannett New Jersey TOMS RIVER Give this much to the New Providence High School boys' soccer team: Its advance scouting is excellent. Well aware of the threats posed by Schalick studs Brent Borton and Tim Copare, the Pioneers were physical and aggressive with the Cougars' two leading scorers. What the Central Jersey Group 1 champs couldn't do was TL.