Girls Soccer: E. Brunswick to face S. Brunswick for title

SOUTH BRUNSWICK - East Brunswick High School girls soccer coach Kevin Brady has energy on the sidelines that is hard to miss. As he yells out various instructions throughout the course of the game, his players respond to his passion for the sport in a timely matter.

Every year East Brunswick’s success in the Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament comes as a surprise to the outside world, but it shouldn’t. Brady’s expertise has helped the program earn the label of a dynasty, and rightfully so.

The third-seeded Bears have once again embraced the underdog role with another mammoth run to the GMC Tournament title game. On Thursday afternoon in a semifinal against second-seeded Bishop Ahr at South Brunswick High School, the Bears punched their ticket to the next round with a 3-0 victory.

“It’s a real credit to the players on the field who know the name on the front of the shirt doesn’t win the game,” Brady said. “They have to go to work every single year. There’s only one kid on the field who started in the GMC final last year.

“I give a tremendous amount of credit to the kids who know what is expected of them and work hard every single day in practice. They look forward to their turn to get in to those big games and make the most of it when they get there.”

Freshman Jessica DiMatteo didn’t hesitate to make an impact in arguably the most important high school game of her young career. DiMatteo scored two goals in the first 10 minutes to put Bishop Ahr in an early deficit.

“It kind of built my confidence up because I usually don’t score that early in the game,” DiMatteo said.

DiMatteo began the season on the junior varsity squad, but two weeks ago she received an opportunity to join the varsity team and did not disappoint. She established her presence with a goal against Pennington.

“At first it was a little rough (starting the year on JV), but I started working really hard and got my spot on varsity,” DiMatteo said. “It’s unforgettable to win a game like this because it’s my first varsity season. I’m playing against a lot of people who are older than me because I’m the youngest on my team.”

Sabria Glasgow, who has been the leading scorer for East Brunswick the whole season, put the finishing touches on the Trojans in the first minute of the second half with a goal of her own.

Glasgow’s goal helped lift the spirit of the Bears, as they knew this put Bishop Ahr in a hole that would be hard to climb out of.

“Sabria has been our leading scorer all season,” Brady said. “She was very frustrated in the first half, and we were trying to tell her on the bench, ‘You are going to make a difference in this game.’ We talked about how they were going to come out high flying with the wind in the second half. For Sabria to beat the keeper in that moment changes how the next 39 minutes are going to be played.”

Although the offense gave East Brunswick an early cushion, defense was the name of the game all week while they prepared for Bishop Ahr’s fast-paced offense. Melissa Ciaccio and Samree Mastro had the tough task of containing Jillian Vassallo, who has scored 27 goals so far this season.

“Vassallo was definitely a great player,” Mastro said. “It was really hard to stop her, but with good teammates around you, there’s always someone there to help you. We all work together.”

Ciaccio has pieced together an unforgettable week. On Tuesday she sent East Brunswick to the semifinals with a goal late in the second half against Metuchen, and on Thursday she shut down the top scorer in the GMC.

“It’s been a crazy week,” Ciaccio said. “All of us have been working so hard together this entire year, and it’s been hard at times. We’ve been pushing through it. This has been a great way to end my senior year. We are really coming together these last few games.”

East Brunswick seemed down at certain points in the season, but they were never out. There are certain expectations that hover over the heads of the players because of the continued success the Bears find every year once the GMC Tournament rolls around.

The Bears were expected to be in the championship game, and they once again met their goals. East Brunswick will face fourth-seeded South Brunswick in the title match on Saturday and will be on the field trying to do what it has done numerous times in the past: raise the trophy.

“We start in July; we are running miles every day, and it’s painful,” Ciaccio said. “But that really helps us get through the beginning of the season. We have to keep working hard to continue this tradition. We are East Brunswick, and we aren’t going to give up easily.”

South Brunswick wins nail-biter

On Thursday afternoon in a semifinal matchup against top-seeded Monroe, fourth-seeded South Brunswick put an exclamation point on a wild week with a 6-5 victory in a shootout.

“Moving into this postseason, the games have been tight, but I feel like that’s almost the norm now,” South Brunswick coach Beth Barrio said. “I think the girls know you can’t give up and you have to fight until the last whistle because you just don’t know. We definitely saw that the other day against Old Bridge, and today is another reminder that it’s never over until it’s over.”

After the two sides remained scoreless at halftime, Monroe struck first when Gennyka Leibenthal slipped a ball past Sydney Schneider.

South Brunswick once again showed immense determination to rally and ultimately tie the game. As in the Old Bridge game on Tuesday, the Vikings scored with under five minutes left to knot the score 1-1. Francesca Dimitrakis was able to find the back of the net with 3:57 remaining in regulation.

The Vikings fell behind during the penalty kicks but were able to come back and stun Monroe.

The shootout showcased two of the top goalkeepers in the area and possibly the state. Sydney Schneider made 16 saves for South Brunswick, and Erin Seppi came up with 14 stops to help set up the shootout.

“Erin is lights-out and always has been,” Barrio said. “I feel like Sydney is a runner-up to that. She’s a year older, and she is more seasoned. Seeing them both on the field playing wonderfully, it’s almost like you are seeing Sydney’s future. It was amazing to see both of them in action.”

Monroe has already taken its program to new heights by winning the Red Division. It will now regroup for the state tournament and the tough Central Group IV bracket starting next week. South Brunswick, on the other hand, will square off with its rival East Brunswick in the GMCT final. The two sides split the season series in two intense games.

“It’s always nice to be on the winning end,” Barrio said. “It’s definitely hard to come to the semifinals and lose in any fashion. I think they are a great team, and it’s definitely a hard loss to take because it went so far in to the penalty kicks.

“It’s a nice full circle for us because this team has gone through a lot of bumps and bruises. For the first time we are finally back to 19 players healthy, and it hasn’t been like that in a month and a half. They get to go out on the field and have a shot at it, and that’s a great experience because they worked hard to get there.”

Staff Writer Steven Macri: smacri@gannettnj.com