Elite Shore Conference Boys Soccer NJSIAA Group Semifinal Scoreboard, Nov. 18

Elite Shore Conference Boys Soccer Scoreboard

NJSIAA Tournament

Group Semifinals | Preview

Group IV

At Barnegat

North Brunswick 1, Southern 0

Ivan Pineda scored off a feed from Chris Licona in the sixth minute and the Raiders (15-9) held the lead for nearly 75 minutes thanks to a straight red card on Southern’s top scorer and a missed Rams (16-7-2) penalty kick, laying the path for North Brunswick to reach the Group IV final for the first time since 2008.

Pineda curled a left-footed shot from a tight angle on the right side and banged it off the far left post and into the goal for a 1-0 North Brunswick lead. Three minutes later, senior Nick Leiriao volleyed a shot off the crossbar, with Raiders goalkeeper Alex Andino getting a touch on it to parry it off the bar. Southern also dodged a second North Brunswick goal in the 31st, when Chris Branz found himself unchallenged in front of the goal but struck his shot off the left post.

Southern’s comeback efforts took a hit when leading scorer Brody Nacarlo — who scored a hat trick with an assist in Friday’s sectional championship win over Cherry Hill East — drew a red card in the 46th minute for a retaliatory kick in the shin on North Brunswick defender William Tal after Tal made contact with him while defending him.

Despite playing with only 10 players, Southern generated chances over the final 44 minutes and had a chance to tie the game in the 69th minute, when Tal was cited for a hand ball inside the box. Leiriao’s penalty kick sailed over the bar and North Brunswick’s lead remained intact for the final 11 minutes.

 

Group III

At Moorestown

Middletown South 2, Moorestown 1 (OT)

Senior Luke Strada knocked a sliding shot into the goal as he collided with the left post and the Eagles (17-3-1) rebounded from conceding a game-tying goal in the 74th minute to beat the Quakers (20-4) in overtime and reach the Group III championship game for the first time in program history.

With Moorestown playing with 10-men following a red card in the final minute of regulation, Middletown South junior Brody Illingworth drew a foul on the right side of the field. Senior Jack Cohen launched the ensuing free kick into the box and Strada was the first to get a head on the ball. He then spotted it near the left post and make a sliding play on the ball as junior teammate Connor Saul arrived at the same time. Strada and Saul both threw their legs at the ball and collided with the post along with Moorestown goalkeeper Ryan Takio as the ball crossed the goal line.

Moorestown tied the game with 6:56 left on a 20-yard volley by sophomore Caleb Smith that he buried to the left side netting. It was just the second goal allowed by Middletown South during the NJSIAA Tournament and it marked the latest point in any tournament game that Middletown South was tied with the exception of the Shore Conference Tournament final, which went to penalty kicks after a 0-0 tie.

Middletown South nearly won it in the final minute of regulation, when Saul broke loose on a breakaway and was taken down just outside the top of the 18-yard box, with the center official ruling that Saul was denied an obvious goal-scoring opportunity, which warranted a red card. Saul took the shot on the direct kick and fired it over the crossbar with 20 seconds left.

Saul also scored Middletown South’s first goal, which came in the 20th minute. Senior Matteo Gallina served a corner kick inside the six-yard box and after the ball rattled around near the goal, Saul back-heeled a shot into the net for the game’s first goal. Middletown South dominated play in the first half, as revealed by a 9-1 advantage in shots and a 6-1 advantage in corner kicks.

Takio made three dynamic saves — one on Saul and two against Strada — to keep the score, 1-0.

Middletown South will play in the Group III final Saturday at Franklin High School against the winner of Tuesday night’s game between Ramapo and Cranford, with kickoff set for 12:30 p.m.