Goldman, Yurcisin power Montgomery boys soccer

BRIDGEWATER The Montgomery High School boys soccer team picked up its third shutout of the season on Tuesday with a 2-0 victory over rival Bridgewater-Raritan.

The Cougars, which haven’t lost a game since Sept. 12, a 2-1 loss to Pingry, entered Tuesday’s game well aware of how dangerous the Panthers (4-6-1) can be.

“They’re always a hard-working team and it’s always a rivalry with us,” Montgomery senior defender Conner Yurcisin said. “Last year we beat them, the year before they killed us so it’s always a tough game between us and Bridgewater, so it was great to get the win.”

Both teams battled for possession in the first half, but as the game drew towards the half, the Cougars stepped up their offense and the Panthers seemed to have difficulty clearing the ball and keeping Montgomery (6-1-2) out of their zone.

One defensive slip led to Montgomery senior midfielder David Goldman scoring with 4:43 left in the half to put the Cougars up 1-0.

“So at about half field I got a ball like five yards out the 18 and I turned around on a guy and I used my left foot, and then just kind of pushed it around one guy and then I saw a opening and just curved it towards the near post,” Goldman said of his goal. “They’re a very good team and this is huge is for us, we just need more wins to keep advancing.”

The second half was more of the same as both teams fought to find a dent in the opposing defense in order to get a goal. With 19:16 left in the game, it was Montgomery that struck again.

A foul on Bridgewater-Raritan senior goalie Kyle Chylinski led to a yellow card and his exit from the game. Senior Raffaele Cirianni entered and the Cougars were awarded a penalty kick. Yurcisin took the shot and sent the ball low and to the right, where Cirianni had no chance and Montgomery led 2-0.

Bridgewater-Raritan upped its tempo towards the end of the game, desperate for a goal, but the Montgomery defense clamped down and held on for the win.

“That’s our strongest point on the team, we have three shutouts now, we don’t really give up many goals, it’s a big plus for us,” Yurcisin said of the Cougars’ defense. “We played pretty well, we just have to work on putting some more chances away on the scoreboard.”

Montgomery goalie Matt Cabrera made seven saves while Chylinski and Cirianni combined for eight saves.

Staff Writer Lauren Knego: lknego@gannettnj.com