No. 1 Point Boro takes down No. 3 Wall in penalty kicks to win first sectional title since 2015

POINT PLEASANT BOROUGH — For the past three seasons, the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 2 tournament has been the site of heartbreak for the Point Boro girls soccer team. But this season, it was going to be different. It had to be different.

“After we lost last year we made a group chat and we’ve been texting each other ever since that this is going to be our year,” senior back Gabby Mellet said. “We knew we had a good team with a lot of players coming back and good freshmen coming in. We had so much confidence.”

The moment of truth arrived on Thursday night under the lights of Al Saner Field when Point Boro and Wall remained deadlocked at two goals apiece after 100 minutes of tense back-and-forth action. To penalty kicks they went, and after four and a half rounds Mellet stepped to the line with a chance to make all of the Panthers’ preseason declarations come true.

And she did not miss.

Mellet buried her shot in the fifth and final round of penalty kicks, giving Point Boro a 4-3 edge in the shootout to claim the 2024 NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 2 sectional title in an instant classic between Shore Conference stalwarts. The title is Point Boro’s third all-time and first since 2015.

Senior goalkeeper Ava Bjorndahl was sensational late in regulation and through overtime, and that carried over to penalty kicks where she saved Wall’s first attempt and then stopped the Crimson Knights in round three with a diving save to her left. The Monmouth University commit finished with 14 saves. Senior forward Abby Hanemann, junior midfielder Elise Viggiano and Bjorndahl also scored in the penalty kick rounds to set up Mellet for the championship-clinching strike.

After losing at home in the state playoffs each of the last three seasons, including twice to Wall, the Panthers finally broke through with an unforgettable ending to a fantastic game.

“Freshman year we lost to them in the quarterfinals and last year we lost to them in the semifinals, here both times,” Mellet said. “It was so devastating. We wanted to get our revenge this year. I’m so proud of every one of us.”

“Losing to Wall the previous couple of years was the worst feeling ever,” Hanemann said. “We talked to underclassmen about how we’ve been through hell, losing on our home turf two times to Wall, and that this is our year. Me and Gabby in the preseason said we’ve never had so much confidence in a team because we work so well together. Once Gabby finished that it was the best feeling ever. Like a weight lifted off our shoulders.”

“That was one of the best games at this level that I’ve been a part of, “Point Boro head coach Mike Edolo said. “Really good soccer in moments, tough battles everywhere. Both teams were excellent. Unfortunately, there is only one winner, but I’m glad it was us today.”

Now the Panthers are two wins away from an overall state championship. They will host South Jersey Group 2 champion Haddonfield on Monday at 5 p.m. The Bulldawgs defeated Sterling on penalty kicks. The North Jersey state semifinal pits undefeated Ramsey, which is the defending state champion, versus Madison.

The celebration following Mellet’s goal was equal parts euphoria and relief. This Panthers’ senior class bears the scars of past playoff defeats and that experience was critical against Wall, which entered as the two-time defending sectional champion.

“With this group, I would say from their sophomore year it was fine margins that didn’t allow us to get to this point,” said Edolo, who earned his 200th career win. “I was supremely confident. Every year they got a little better and we always had a nice mix of newcomers really stepping up, from (freshmen) Maddie Renna and Grace Tansey this year to Khloey (Cilento) and Abby (Crowell) and others. You’re always optimistic but you don’t know until you see it. When we scrimmaged Northern Highlands in the preseason I saw we were very close to something special.”

To win a sectional title, Point Boro, ranked No. 1 in the Shore Sports Insider Top 10, had to get through its playoff nemesis. The No. 3 Crimson Knights entered the game as the two-time defending champions who were the Group 2 runner-up last year. A low-scoring game was expected since Point Boro had allowed just seven goals all season and no more than one goal in any game.

It was scoreless through halftime until the Panthers struck in the 55th minute. A corner kick by Hanemann was headed by Renna before bouncing out to Mellet, who one-touched a left-footed shot into the back of the net for a 1-0 Point Boro lead.

Wall answered almost immediately on a corner kick of its own when senior back Erynn Richey sent a ball into the box and senior forward Erin Farrell headed it in to tie the score 1-1 in the 57th minute.

The back-and-forth play with each team generating quality chances continued until Point Boro went ahead 2-1 in the 60th minute. Hanemann had room from about 25 yards out and let go a perfectly placed shot up and over the outstretched hands of Wall goalkeeper Madalyn Peterson. The tally seemed especially important given that Point Boro had not allowed more than one goal in a game all season, but Wall was not about to go that easy.

Eight minutes later, the Crimson Knights found the equalizer. Junior Madison Miller beat a Point Boro defender on the left wing and sent a cross into the box where senior Samantha Brett one-touched the pass with her left foot past Bjorndahl and inside the far post to knot the score 2-2 with 12 minutes left in regulation.

For a team that is used to smothering the opposing offense, allowing Wall to come back and tie the score a second time could have broken Point Boro. Instead, the Panthers showed the resolve that it takes to win a championship.

“It was really frustrating having the back-to-back goals where we score, they score and then we score, they score again,” Bjorndahl said. “But I think we all just have so much confidence in each other. We just had to work together to pull out the win.”

“I’ve been playing with these seniors literally my whole life and I’m sure they said the same thing,” Hanemann said. “We have such good chemistry and we know in what moments we need to be positive and in what moments we need to push each other.”

Bjorndahl made a huge save late in the first half when she got a hand on a Wall shot to keep the game scoreless. After allowing the tying goal in the 68th minute, she and the Panthers’ defense locked in to get the game to penalty kicks.

In the shootout, Bjorndahl shined with two saves that put the Panthers ahead. She also converted Point Boro’s third penalty-kick goal on a shot that hit the crossbar but bounced in just barely.

“We kept saying in our head, ‘Just like practice, just like practice’,” Bjorndahl said. “I have so much confidence in myself and my team and I know they have confidence in me. I think that helped us push through.”

“We have so much confidence in Ava,” Mellet said. “We practice PKs every single practice and she saves them all.”

A team doesn’t make it this far without contributions throughout the lineup, but in championship moments a team also needs its leaders to be at their best. Hanemann, Mellet and Bjorndahl did exactly that in the biggest game of their lives.

“It’s a great group of seniors, but it’s not just those three,” Edolo said. “Kayden Cilento has been injured but she really controls things. Molly Heras is so dominant on all 50/50 balls. Maggie Latendorf is a great little player who sees the field so well and Fiona May is one of the most coachable players I’ve ever had in my life. They’re great leaders on and off the field and that trickles down.”

“They’re battle-tested by this point and they realize it’s the little things that matter. All season they’ve been taking care of the little things and that’s a testament to them. It’s a coach’s dream to have players like that.”

The sectional title will be savored by a group of seniors who paid their dues to arrive at this moment. But the celebration will be brief. The Panthers have their eyes on the Group 2 state championship. Should they get through Haddonfield, there’s a strong chance they’ll face a juggernaut Ramsey team ranked No. 4 in the state by NJ Advance Media.

“I was just telling them that we’re not done yet,” Mellet said.

Hanemann agreed.

“We want to win the whole thing.”