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Rams Revenge: Southern Vanquishes TR North to Win First Ever Sectional Title

Matt Manley|November 15, 2024|Last Updated November 21, 2024

STAFFORD TWP. — For the entire Southern Regional boys soccer program, Friday marked an opportunity to accomplish something none of its past teams could.

For a number of the seniors, Friday’s NJSIAA South Jersey Group IV championship game against Toms River North was about more than winning the program’s first ever sectional championship. It was personal.

Four years after Toms River North denied Southern its first sectional championship, many of the seniors who watched that loss from the other side of the fence led a redemption tour that culminated in 6-3 win over the Mariners Friday on their home campus. The victory secured the first sectional championship for Southern in the history of the boys soccer program.

“My brother (J.P. Prosperi) was a senior on the last team that lost to North in a sectional final,” Southern senior midfielder Nick Prosperi said, referencing a 3-2, overtime win for Toms River North over Southern in Southern’s only previous sectional final appearance prior to Friday. “So, I’m friends with some of those boys and a lot of them text me before the game today and said ‘Go get us some revenge.’ So, we were fighting for them and the program.

“Watching that game, it was like I lost the game. Four years later, here I am. It was nice to take some revenge against them.”

Southern celebrates its South Jersey Group IV championship. (Photo: Matt Manley) - Southern SJ4 Champs

Southern celebrates its South Jersey Group IV championship. (Photo: Matt Manley)

Every one of the goals and all four credited assists belonged to Southern’s seniors, led by a championship hat trick from senior striker Aidan Donnelly. Prosperi also scored a goal on a header, as did fellow senior Zenger. Each of the three senior scorers scored off one of three assists by classmate Brody Reynolds, while senior Cristian Alvarado set up the second of Donnelly’s goals.

“Every time we play North, it’s personal,” Donnelly said. “(Prosperi) also brought up the fact that when we were freshmen – me, Nick and (Jefferson Rubi Cruz) were the freshmen that played on varsity as freshmen – they came out and beat us, 5-0. He brought that up in the beginning of the second half and it just reminded us that we came for revenge.”

“These kids love the game,” acting Southern head coach Guy Lockwood said. “When they are not in school, when they are not in training, they are out banging the ball over at Doc Cramer (Park). They just want to be around the game all the time. They looked up to those guys in 2020 and they saw that and they made it their goal to be that and maybe even more. To see them reach it is awesome.”

Southern stormed out to a 3-0 lead by halftime thanks to the wind at its back and an overall dominant performance. The Rams caught an early break when a Toms River North defender headed a free kick by Reynolds into the goal in the fourth minute. In the 28th minute, Reynolds blasted a ball from well behind the midfield line ahead and Donnelly ran it down in time to head it past oncoming goalkeeper Alex Roman and into the net as the two collided with another Toms River North defender.

Prosperi made it 3-0 in the 36th minute when he headed another corner kick by Reynolds across the mouth of the goal and in.

“I think we took advantage of the wind in the first half,” Prosperi said. “It was blowing hard, so that was a big factor, especially on the own goal. We used that to put them under when we could, because a 3-0 lead is very comfortable.”

Toms River North showed some early spirit to open the second half and broke onto the scoreboard in the 44th minute on a finish by senior Josh Brazier off a cross from classmate Frank Toledo.

The Mariners momentum was short-lived thanks to Southern’s quick-strike attack, led by its top scorer. Donnelly countered Toms River North with his second of the game just 39 seconds after Brazier’s goal, running onto a pass from senior Cristian Alvarado and ripping it past sophomore goalkeeper Gavin Stryker. The immediate answer breathed renewed life into Southern’s players and sideline and was the start of another scoring spree that Toms River North could not contain.

“Under a minute, Donnelly gets through, buries it,” Lockwood said. “I think that was the gesture back to everybody that, ‘Hey guys, we’re good.’ I think that was the statement.”

Senior Kaan Zenger got into the act in the 54th minute by elevating over a defender to head in yet another corner kick from Reynolds, stretching the lead to 5-1. Donnelly capped his hat trick three minutes later by curling a free kick inside the right post from 25 yards out and Southern appeared to be on its way to a rout.

“Put the goals aside – it’s more important to me that I’m a part of this win,” Donnelly said. “That’s the only thing I came in caring about today. I didn’t care if I scored zero goals and bombed the ball over the net. It just came down to getting the win.”

The momentum, however, shifted in Toms River North’s favor when Southern senior center back Shane Holden was cited for his second yellow card of the match and sent off the field in the 64th minute. Mariners senior Christian Assante buried the ensuing free kick from 20 yards out and Toms River North was within 6-2 and playing with a man advantage on the field.

One minute after Assante scored, sophomore Chris Ruggiero pushed up from his starting center back position and hammered a shot from close range off the crossbar and over the line to cut the Mariners deficit to 6-3 with 15:32 still showing on the clock and Southern playing with only 10 men.

Toms River North made another bid for a goal in the 70th minute, but Southern senior goalkeeper Ryan Schweigart made two diving saves within seconds of one another. Two minutes later, Toms River North senior defender Mike Venegas ran through Schweigart on a challenge for a 50-50 ball in the box and was issued a yellow card.

Several Southern players raced to Schweigart’s aide, with several starting a shoving match with Venegas that prompted players from both teams to race onto the field to help separate the parties involved. Alvarado took over in goal for the remainder of the game and Venegas drew another yellow card two minutes later to even up the game at 10 players on both sides.

“Shaggy is unbelievable,” Donnelly said, referring to Schweigart by his nickname. “He is always a player you want to have on your team. What he did today, when he got taken out, that right there shows we’re willing to get hit, we’re willing to bleed, we’re willing to cry. It’s very hard to put into words how much we care about this team.”

To push his team to the finish line, Lockwood sent Donnelly back onto the field after he initially removed him and shifted his senior to center back along with Prosperi — putting Southern’s top two scorers at the center of the defense for the final 15 minutes.

“Aidan and I used to play center back together on our club team when we were about 12,” Prosperi said. “We both got moved – he plays the nine, I play the 10 now and we haven’t been near there since. When he got subbed in and I saw him next to me back there, that was a crazy experience. It was like it all came back full circle that I was playing next to Aidan at center back and we were going to win this game.”

Going from a laugher to needing its goalkeeper to make a sprawling double-save to prevent a fourth goal was a reality check for a Southern side that has not faced much adversity during this tournament. The Rams scored 18 goal in four games — good for 4.5 per game — and never scored fewer than three in any match. Prior to the red card Friday, they also had not allowed more than one goal in any game either.

“We’re really just humming,” Donnelly said. “Put your head down and grind it out. Everything is strictly business.”

The state tournament might have been worry-free for Southern, but the season certainly has not. The Rams went 2-2-1 and finished fourth place in the Class A South standings behind first-place Toms River North and a pair of 3-2, second-place teams in Central Regional and Toms River East. Toms River North beat Southern, 1-0, on Southern’s home field on Oct. 30 and Central knocked Southern out of the Shore Conference Tournament with a 2-0 win in the round of 16 on Oct. 18. Toms River North beat both Central and Toms River North in consecutive rounds by a combined score of 10-4.

“It was really impressive how we crawled out of that hole, especially after our loss to Central in the Shore Conference Tournament,” Prosperi said. “The season seemed over, hopelessness across the team. We haven’t lost a game since then.”

Since Lockwood took over as acting head coach after head coach Rob Muñoz stepped away from his post following the loss to Central, Southern is 7-0. The Rams averaged a respectable 2.4 goals per game prior to the coaching change, but have exploded for an even four per game over the last seven matches.

The difference in scoring is obvious, but Lockwood cited a change in defensive personnel as another key factor in Southern’s improvement. Junior Nick Leiriao has moved into the starting center back spot alongside Holden, which has freed up Prosperi to play as an attacking midfielder.

“We made some changes in our backfield since Senior Night (on Oct. 18) that have really worked out and given those guys a lot more confidence, a little less hesitance about taking risk in there and it’s really pair off for us,” Lockwood said. “We were sliding Prosperi from time-to-time into the back. Once we do that, we’re taking away from our real big six guys in there, plus he is always in on the aerial balls and things of that nature.

“Once we felt comfortable putting (Prosperi) back at the 10, we filled him in with Nick Leiriao. Leiriao has been ultra-solid. Leiriao is a guy who was left back, right back, midfielder – he could be used anywhere. He has been fantastic at center back for us. That has allowed us to keep more attack up top.”

Southern celebrates its South Jersey Group IV championship. (Photo: Matt Manley) - Southern SJ4 Champs

Southern celebrates its South Jersey Group IV championship. (Photo: Matt Manley)

The setting for Southern’s seven-game winning streak has primarily been on one of its two home pitches, with a 4-3 win at Manasquan the lone road victory during the streak. Fortunately for the Rams, they will again play the role of host Tuesday, when they host reigning Group IV champion Princeton in the Group IV semifinal. Princeton (18-2-4) won the Colonial Valley Conference Tournament championship this fall, defeated Monroe in Friday’s Central Group IV final and its lone game vs. a Shore Conference opponent was a 4-4 draw vs. Colts Neck on Oct. 30.

“Throughout my entire career at Southern, we have had tragic losses,” said Prosperi, who is one of the many returning starters from a 2023 team that shut out South Jersey Group IV champion Washington Township for 100 minutes in the sectional quarterfinals, only to lose on penalties. “Every time, our coach would tell us it’s for the experience. This year, heavy senior class, we have experience losing some very hard games and very tight games in the tournaments, so this was the game we were able to show that experience and come out with the win, even when the game got a little rough.”

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