HIGH SCHOOL

Polizzano lifts South Plainfield boys soccer in overtime

Daniel LoGiudice
@danny_logiudice

SOUTH PLAINFIELD The South Plainfield High School boys soccer team nearly gave the game away, but a last-second overtime goal saved the Tigers and their winning streak

Nick Polizzano scored on the last play of overtime to lift South Plainfield to its third straight win, a 2-1 victory over Sayreville on Thursday afternoon.

The senior forward flicked a throw-in from midfielder Jacob Villacres into the back of the net. With time expired, the referees blew the whistle immediately after the goal.

“I’ve gotten my past couple of goals on that play,” Polizzano said. “(Villacres) rushed it, and the flick went my way.”

The recent winning streak comes after South Plainfield lost to Elizabeth and New Brunswick by a combined score of 15-1. Clearly, the Tigers have gotten that monkey off their backs.

“You’re going to lose, it’s inevitable, but it’s how you respond is what matters,” South Plainfield coach Anthony Perfilio said. “For them to keep the winning streak going, it’s big for their confidence. They need to believe in themselves.”

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The Tigers struck first on a goal from Deshai Smith in the first half and took a 1-0 lead into halftime.

South Plainfield seemed to be in control of the game after junior goalie Nick Plate saved a penalty kick from Sayreville’s Matt Barbosa. Barbosa, however, had different plans.

Barbosa, sporting a bloody nose from a cleat he took to the face in the first half and a bulky brace on his right arm to protect a broken wrist, floated the ball over Plate’s head with minutes to spare to force overtime.

“Unbelievable — I thought he was all over the place,” Sayreville coach Nick Cifelli said. “He’s probably the smallest guy on the team, but he has the most heart and guts.”

The Bombers came into Thursday without five starters due to injury, making Barbosa’s goal all the more important.

“That took its toll in the first half,” Cifelli said. “The second half, I think, we controlled the majority of play.”

After the deflating equalizer, Perfilio took his captains aside, including Polizzano, and told them to address their team. Polizzano implored his team to win the game.

“Coach told us to get the guys going,” Polizzano said. “We said that this is go time and the game had to be ours.”

Polizzano backed up his words by scoring the game-winner.

Dissatisfied by his team’s tendency to fall apart after conceding goals, Perfilio saw more resiliency and improvement in the face of adversity.

“I’m happier because once we give up a goal, we tend to put our heads down,” Perfilio said. “This is the first time I’ve seen them not give up after giving up a goal.”

Staff Writer Daniel LoGiudice: dlogiudice@gannettnj.com